Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer
City Council District 5
About
Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer is the Councilman for the 5th District of Baltimore City.
Councilman Schleifer is a lifelong resident of the 5th District and currently serving on the City Council since 2016. Councilman Schleifer is the Chair of the Rules and Legislative Oversight Committee and serves on both the Health, Environment, and Technology Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.
During a facilities hearing, DGS testified that the Baltimore Police Department- Northwestern District is in the worst condition of any police district in Baltimore City.
So why are we putting $35 million into a new Northeast station this year, with a total project cost expected to hit $50 million, while the Northwest District continues to be an environmental hazard?
The Northwest District sits right near the Pimlico Race Course redevelopment. I’ve had institutional investors tell me directly that it’s hard to take the City seriously about investing in the Pimlico revitalization when a major public safety facility up the block is allowed to deteriorate like this.
If we’re serious about public safety and bringing private investment into Pimlico, the Northwest District needs to be a priority.
(Photo shown is from inside the Northwest Police District.) ... See MoreSee Less
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Baltimore’s water and wastewater bond ratings were downgraded in part because of poor collections. That should concern every taxpayer.
Why do residents who already pay their bills keep getting hit with higher water rates while the agency struggles to collect millions already owed?
Today the CAO suggested programs like Water4All are a red flag for bond rating agencies. The reality is fewer residents would need assistance if we stopped raising rates and finally provided meaningful tax relief.
If the City improved collections and recovered outstanding balances, would these massive rate increases even be necessary?
Bond downgrades matter. They increase borrowing costs and taxpayers ultimately foot the bill.
Baltimore residents deserve accountability and competent financial management not endless rate hikes for the people already paying. ... See MoreSee Less
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I haven't been in my property for a year and my bill is $700 with 0 water usage 😑
At today’s City Administrator Budget hearing, the CAO tried to argue that the Mayor’s Office budget hasn’t exploded since this administration took office.
The numbers say otherwise.
FY20:
$14.6 million
88 positions
Proposed FY27:
$29.1 million
134 positions
That’s nearly DOUBLE the spending and a massive increase in staffing.
The excuse? They claimed some functions are “new” and therefore shouldn’t be compared.
But when you actually read the budgets side by side and remove newer functions like Opioid Restitution and the Office of Older Adult Affairs, the comparison is still clear:
The same core functions that were handled by 88 employees in 2020 are now being handled by roughly 122 employees in 2027.
So the real question is simple:
Why has the Mayor’s team grown by nearly 40%?
As Barry Glazer would say:
“Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining” ... See MoreSee Less
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Councilman, please get up to speed on what the Opioid Recovery is. The Law Dept. worked hard to secure a very large settlement upon suing opioid producers for harm caused to the citizens of Baltimore. Those funds need to be spent on opioid recovery initiatives. That requires staffing and adding those funds to the budget, just like the ARPA funds did. Is there wasteful spending in the Mayor’s Office? Absolutely, they stash a lot of people there fired from other agencies. But you have to dissect more vs. blanket criticism.
Can you compare Baltimores budget to that of similar sized cities?
Hold the man baby accountable!
So what I hear is that the mayor actually cares for everyone in the city and puts money where it belongs! Thank you Mayor Brandon Scott!
This guy is full of it. Sadly to those who believe in him. When I was visiting the city he came to me and asked for my vote. He was running for city councilman. I’m pretty good at reading people. It was something about him to me. But I told him I didn’t live in the city and couldn’t vote for him anyway. I could see right through him then. And after seeing him over the years I was right about what I saw in him. If he runs for anything in government he would not get my vote. His arrogance and hiding and redacting documents reminds me of what Donald Trump is doing to all of us. Just my opinion though if I’m wrong God forgive me.
Cronyism! 👹
Call them out Yitzy. DHS doesn't have enough social workers but suddenly the mayor's office needs 60 (!!!!) new staffers to do their job? And how many deputy mayors?
Yet 3 residents discovered over 300 million dollars in unpaid fines, taxpaying, residents…..yet Baltimore City finance department claims to be understaffed & are failing to do their jobs!!!!!!!!!!! Please SUPPORT Baltimore City Office of Inspector General This is exactly why the IG deserves full access.
I think he might think that his whole job is to secure as much money as possible for the city’s budget ….. he’s achieving this goal, so he believes he’s succeeding lol….
Baltimore City Government has become too large and inefficient, resulting in a system that is no longer effectively serving its residents.
Mayor has family and friends to hook up . Crab cakes to buy armored cars to purchase
Adding 46 positions over seven years is a massive increase in staffing? And now paying people competitive, livable wages is “exploding the budget”? Stop it! In an economy where people across this region are struggling to find work because of major government and contractor layoffs, this is what you’re complaining about? Seriously, find something better to do.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott is a shady as them come. His day will come!
You could not possibly believe what you see
🚨 BALTIMORE REAL ESTATE “BLACK HOLE” SCANDAL: THE CASE THAT WON’T GO AWAY 🚨 This is not going away. Not ignored. Not buried. Not dropped. For YEARS, detailed evidence has been repeatedly delivered to Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and his office involving Lakeside National LLC, Russell “Rex” Frost, and Gerard Miles — tied to what appears to be a massive unlicensed mortgage and real estate recording operation across Maryland. We’re talking DOCUMENTED submissions: 📂 Land records 📂 DLLR licensing letters 📂 Court filings 📂 Foreclosure records 📂 Prior criminal case history Including a 2019 Maryland DLLR letter indicating NO licensed mortgage entity existed in Maryland for Lakeside National LLC or Rex Frost. Yet according to public records and filings reviewed: 🏚️ Thousands of property transactions continued 🏚️ Mortgages were still recorded 🏚️ Titles continued being clouded 🏚️ Families continued entering foreclosure cycles And the system never stopped it. Public-record analysis suggests: ⚠️ 5,000+ related transactions in Maryland land records ⚠️ Hundreds of allegedly defective, unsigned, or unenforceable mortgages ⚠️ Allegations of unlicensed mortgage activity ⚠️ Potential title insurance and lending compliance violations ⚠️ Widespread downstream impact across Baltimore-area properties The estimated exposure tied to these transactions has been described by observers as potentially reaching into the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS — and possibly approaching $1 BILLION in cumulative real estate impact. And this isn’t new information. Prior proceedings already included a criminal matter against Russell Frost: 🚨 DISTRICT COURT OF MARYLAND Case No. 4B02450305 Charge: THEFT SCHEME $100,000+ So the warning signs were already on record. Despite repeated submissions and follow-ups, critics argue that no meaningful public enforcement action has followed — even as additional transactions allegedly continued after the concerns were raised. Now, new questions are being raised publicly: Why did this sit unresolved for years? Why did documented warnings not trigger deeper investigation? And how many additional properties were affected after officials were notified? At the center of the controversy is State’s Attorney Ivan Bates — who campaigned on accountability and reform — now facing growing public frustration over what some describe as “selective enforcement” and unanswered reports involving complex financial crimes. Meanwhile, separate reports circulating publicly have also raised concerns about unrelated enforcement decisions involving other high-profile individuals — further fueling debate about consistency, priorities, and political influence within prosecution decisions in Baltimore City. Supporters of victims argue one point clearly: Financial crimes destroy families just as deeply as violent ones — sometimes for generations. 🏚️ Lost homes 💰 Drained equity 📉 Destroyed credit 📂 Clouded titles 📌 Years of legal limbo Maryland homeowners are now demanding answers: Who is accountable? Who reviewed the evidence? And how did something this large allegedly continue for so long without intervention? This story is not fading — it is expanding. #Baltimore #Maryland #RealEstateFraud #MortgageFraud #IvanBates #HousingCrisis #TitleFraud #ForeclosureCrisis #JusticeForHomeowners Natalie 443-722-1929. Text or call
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Thank you, Councilman Isaac Yitzy Schleifer for always standing up for Baltimore families.
The City, by definition, is a nonprofit. There is no "profit" and all revenue comes from taxpayers. So, you must be talking about a tax refund. Also, if that were even possible, it should go to homeowners, not residents. There is no upside in a nonprofit. Also, the City constantly operates in a deficit and without a balanced budget. It's think there are other solutions that could reduce property taxes, some that were recommended over 20 years ago. The biggest problem as I see it is that the City is frivolous in its spending and could save a lot if that were reigned in. The City is losing population and the City government is getting even bigger and providing less and less services. The problem resides in City Hall.
Umm, math? Revenues come from taxes. So increased revenue would be refunded? So then why allow the increased revenue in the first place? It's the language that I disagree with. "Profit sharing" but it's my money I'm "sharing" in. There would be an incentive to allow a tax increase so that it could be refunded and look like someone is doing some good. Where in reality we all know that when our taxes go up and the money leaves our pockets, It never comes back, and seldom comes back in the form of effectively allocated and professionally delivered services. I urge you and every other council member to focus on increasing revenue by reducing and/or repurposing vacant housing, stop giving sweetheart deals to large developers and instead build individual homeownership, increase revenue from large corporations while decreasing revenue from individuals, and keep the budget in check in the first place, while vastly increasing oversight and transparency across the board for your (plural) dealings as well as every single city and quasi-governmental office.
How about stop mayor Scott from wasting taxpayer dollars opening the IG and stop hiring people in city hall
Who on the Council is in support and who is opposing? The public needs to know who is concerned about high City taxes and who feels entitled to maintain high rates in the face of increased property assessment. We already know that Brandon Scott wants to milk the citizens.
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Day 1 of FY27 budget hearings.
Today, Wed, May , at 9am. the agency lineup includes: Finance, MIMA, CAO, Recovery Program & DPW
Watch live on CharmTV:
www.charmtvbaltimore.com/live-stream -- or on Comcast Channel 25,
bmore.webex.com/bmore/j.php?MTID=mab56a072c3b5da84390cf1f5d19c1b9b ... See MoreSee Less
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