If you're a voter in Baltimore City, one of the questions you'll be asked is whether the City Council should be smaller.
Question H asks if voters want the City Council to be reduced from 14 seats to just 8.
Current District 1 Councilmember Zeke Cohen, who is running to be City Council President, is opposed to the measure.
"Let me be crystal clear," he tells WMAR-2 News, "In no world can we cut the City Council in half and not expect to get half the services. The math isn't matching. If you were to bring it down from 14 to 8, you would have less representation, period."
PEACE Baltimore is an organization that "hopes to create a more transparent and accountable government," and got the question of reducing the size of the Baltimore City Council on the ballot.
On its website, the organization says, "[r]reducing the number of city council districts will save millions of dollars for Baltimore City taxpayers every year by eliminating excess and unneeded council salaries, annual pensions, additional staff costs annual benefits, travel costs, administrative costs and much more."
Voters we spoke with worried that if the question passes, it would mean fewer services and less attention to underrepresented areas.
"In a City of haves and have-nots and so, you know, the nice neighborhoods, like Roland Park, they are fine. But then you get many various neighborhoods in East Baltimore and they need to be able to get to their councilmember when shootings occur, public safety issues occur, issues regarding recreation for their children," says Tracy Smith.
Michael Stewart is weighing the question.
"I think there are pros and cons, right?" he says. "So, I think, obviously if you have less council members you spend less money on council members, but I think the way Baltimore is, we need more representation that people can get to."
This year's General Election ballot has 8 Baltimore City specific ballot questions.
