Baltimore City Councilman James Torrence won this year’s Democratic primary with nearly 60% of the vote, after first taking office in 2020. He serves District 7 in West Baltimore.
Torrence’s legislation includes a bill aimed at helping people recently released from prison, with the majority of his other bills involving zoning issues. Community leaders who spoke with The Baltimore Sun offered mixed feedback on his service to the district, with some saying he’s very responsive and helpfuland others saying he’s not adequately addressing crime and other concerns.
This is the eighth report in a series by The Sun and FOX45 News examining the effectiveness of the City Council in serving its constituents, ahead of a November ballot measure that proposes to reduce the council size from 15 to nine members by expanding the size of most council districts, except that of the council president, who is elected citywide. The measure is funded by David Smith, co-owner of The Sun and executive chairman of Sinclair Inc., which owns FOX45 News.
Asked about the ballot measure, Torrence said 12 members “is more likely the right size” for the council, referring to a June recommendation from the Baltimore City Charter Review Commission. Torrence added that reducing the council would require “making sure that the majority of our residents, who are Black and brown, still have the representation.”
Torrence has sponsored or co-sponsored 105 ordinances since January 2020, including 64 that were enacted, 32 still in progress, and nine withdrawn.
Among the ordinances he proposed, four focused on crime, one on education, 21 on quality-of-life issues, and 10 on government accountability.
He also sponsored or co-sponsored 86 resolutions, including 42 that were adopted. Among 12 resolutions for which he served as lead sponsor, one called for “condemning book bans in public schools and libraries” and another required a report on “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design strategies.” Resolutions don’t carry the same force of law as ordinances but can involve activities such as expressing the opinion of the council or calling for a hearing.
Torrence’s district includes the neighborhoods of Auchentoroly-Parkwood, Bolton Hill, Charles North, Coppin Heights/Ash-Co-East, Druid Heights, East Arlington, Easterwood, Fairmount, Forest Park, Hampden, Hanlon-Longwood, Liberty Square, Mondawmin, Mount Holly, Northwest Community Action, Panway/Braddish Avenue, Parkway, Penn North, Reservoir Hill, Sandtown-Winchester, Walbrook and Woodberry.
Torrence’s recently enacted bill creating the Office of Returning Citizens is designed to assist those returning home from prison with employment, health care, education, housing, and social services. The issue hits close to home for Torrence, whose parents both served prison sentences and afterward struggled with finding work and health care, he said.
Another piece of legislation Torrence proposed, called “The Do Not Call Act,” currently in committee, would allow homeowners to sign up for a “do not call” list, indicating they don’t want to be solicited for real estate investment.
Some community association leaders offered positive feedback about Torrence’s service.
Leslie Imes, of the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, said Torrence has addressed problems with sewage, broken sidewalks, overgrown properties belonging to absentee landlords, and delivering produce to older residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. James Brooks, of Parkway Community, Inc., said Torrence assisted with a street lighting problem by helping coordinate the city’s forestry and transportation departments.
Linda Batts, of the Hanlon Improvement Association Inc., along with other community association leaders, expressed opposition to proposed bike lanes, saying the recent loss of a driving lane on the westbound side of Gwynns Falls Parkway has increased traffic and can slow first responders in addressing emergencies.
Torrence told The Sun thereare no bike lanes in his district, saying that’s a “misnomer,” and referred to a “parking lane” on Gwynns Falls Parkway. But Batts said Torrence is playing “semantics” and that bikers use the “buffer lane” between the driving and parking lanes on the westbound side.
Torrence said there was public input about the changes to Gwynns Falls Parkway — which Batts described as “select public input.”
Kelli Bigelow, of the Liberty Square Neighborhood Association, said Torrence isn’t doing enough to combat crime, such as drug-dealing, squatting and prostitution.
“They are letting this crime happen in our neighborhoods,” she said. “And he’s part of the problem.”
Asked about crime, Torrence said he holds monthly meetings with police to discuss data and strategies. He also described efforts on surveillance and dealing with squatters in a vacant building.
Tracey Malone, executive director of the Sandtown-Winchester Community Collective, said Torrence is doing “an amazing job” and that he helped secure $30,000 in city funding for her organization, which engages in various community programs, including tutoring and after-school activities for kids. She said Torrence also helped secure funding for a new recreational center, where she hopes to host future community events.
Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, of the Matthew Alexander Henson Neighborhood Association and former president of the Baltimore NAACP, said Torrence has done “literally nothing” in his neighborhood, noting issues such as crime, vacant housing and food deserts.
In response to Cheatham’s comments, Torrence noted to The Sun his collaboration with Councilwoman Odette Ramos on a bill, currently in committee, to create a city land bank to acquire and dispose of vacant properties. On food access, he noted efforts by the city’s Food Policy Action Coalition, in addition to a now-withdrawn bill he sponsored, calling for a report on food insecurity in the city. He also described collaboration with the housing department to address squatting.
Former City Council President Lawrence Bell, who now serves as president of Friends of Gwynns Falls Parkway, said he remembers “a time when council people really feared and respected the neighborhood community association leaders,” adding, “I don’t think they do anymore.”
Bell said he believes the status quo on crime is “unacceptable” and that the council “could do a lot more.”
“I don’t expect Councilman Torrence or any council person should be held responsible for every single thing that happens in their district. What I do hold them all responsible for is that they are advocating as loudly as they can,” he said.
Carolyn Carey, acting president of Parkway Community Inc., said Torrence always returns phone calls and attends most of her community association meetings.
“One thing I found about Torrence,” she said, “he is not afraid to tackle some old problems, problems that existed before he came on board.”
