BALTIMORE — An amendment to the Baltimore City Charter that would provide a mechanism to remove the mayor will be presented to the media at a press conference held at City Hall on April 29, Fourth District Councilman Bill Henry announced on Twitter.
The amendment is one of three such pieces of legislation being introduced jointly by Henry, District 3 Councilman Ryan Dorsey, District 7 Councilman Leon F. Pinkett III, and District 8 Kristerfer Burnett. Burnett is the lead sponsor of the mayoral removal provision.
Henry is the lead sponsor for a Bill that would amend the veto process, dropping the number of council votes to override a veto from 12 to 10. There are 15 members of the city council, 14 who represent specific districts, and the Council President. The veto change was originally pitched in 2012, Henry said on Twitter, where it seemed to have momentum coming out of the Judiciary and Legislative Investigations committee, but died on its third reader, Henry said.
He also is the lead sponsor on an amendment to affect ordinance of estimates, allowing the City Council to move funds around in it’s budget, Henry said in a tweet. The bill was introduced in 2012, where it made it to the mayor’s desk with a 14-1 edge, but it was subsequently vetoed and lost favor.
Three ordinances with Dorsey as their lead sponsor were proposed on April 22. One addresses increased whistleblower protections and rights, one is about strengthening financial disclosure forms, and the third is ethics board reforms.
Councilmembers will be joined by 41st District State Senator Jill Carer, President of the Baltimore City Branch of the NAACP Reverend Kobi Little, and Executive Director of Common Cause Maryland Joanne Antoine. The event is set to start a 4 p.m. Monday.
