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Rockville, MD (November 30, 2022) — The Baltimore City Council, led by City Council President Nick Mosby, speedily passed a bill during the week of Thanksgiving to enhance their own pension benefits. The bill would shorten the time required for city elected officials to earn a pension from the current 12 years to eight years and increase the age at which they can begin collecting payments from 50 to 55.
 

The Maryland Public Policy Institute encourages Baltimore residents to contact Mayor Brandon Scott and tell him he must veto Bill 22-0292.
 

MPPI President and CEO Christopher Summers issued the following statement:

In his 2020 inauguration speech, City Council President Nick Mosby said, “petty personal agendas and debilitating shortsightedness has all too often characterized our city politics.” Unfortunately, he and his fellow City Council members who passed this pension bill have ensured the continuation of that sad reality. They’re engaged in a petty personal agenda that benefits themselves at the expense of Baltimore residents, pushing a shortsighted and financially harmful policy.

Fortunately, there is still an opportunity for Mayor Scott to right this wrong and veto the bill. He said in his inauguration speech, “This term is about doing what’s required to chart a new path, save lives, and prepare Baltimore for a prosperous and equitable future.” Boosting the pension benefits of politicians in a city already struggling to fund basic services like police and sanitation would be the exact opposite of preparing Baltimore for a prosperous future.

Baltimore residents should tell Mayor Scott to veto this ill-considered bill and ensure that he and the City Council get back to focusing on providing the public services their constituents desperately need.

Baltimore City is currently facing multiple challenges that each carry significant budgetary consequences, including: a water supply and sewage nightmare, a runaway public schools budget plagued by ‘ghost student’ fraud, and unrelenting violent crime—with the city reaching its 300th murder on Thanksgiving week. Also, MPPI Chief Economist Dr. Stephen Walters noted just before Mayor Scott took office that “The city budget is in crisis.” Tackling the city’s ongoing crises with a budget that is already stretched to the breaking point will require selfless prioritization by the City Council and Mayor. This pension bill shows that the City Council must change its priorities to meet the needs of the city.
 

The Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org.
 

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