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.
The City’s 10-year financial plan deserves everyone’s attention.
At yesterday’s budget hearing, there was a lot of discussion about last year’s tax and fee increases. We were encouraged not to think of them as “increases,” but as a “modernization” of fee amounts to better align with surrounding jurisdictions.
I don’t buy that framing.
Baltimore City is already the most heavily taxed jurisdiction in the state. Until our property tax rate is competitive with our surrounding counties, we should not even be discussing new taxes or fees.
Read the room: no new taxes. No new fees.
I’ll be thoroughly reviewing the 10-year plan and sharing updates along the way. I encourage everyone to read it with me, ask questions, and provide feedback.
This plan will shape our city's future, and taxpayers deserve to know exactly what’s being proposed.
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10-year plan.pdf
drive.google.com
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You are absolutely right: no new taxes no new fees
Lowering the tax rate for owner occupants would increase home values. Increases should target vacants and absentee landlords.
Amen
Sadly our debt service now and very recently exceeds our debt limits. Next we will have our Credit rating decreased and thus will cost more to borrow - a vicious cycle Are you sure our Mayor is not a MAGAt?
True
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Councilman Yitzy Schleifer, who now represents the same district he grew up in, says his community has long been overlooked, despite years of promises from city leaders.
“That is not something my friends or I knew about while we were playing baseball or basketball in the alleys. We had no idea such resources existed,” said Scleifer, “How do you justify building a fourth rec center or a third one in one area when you have an area that has zero?” ... See MoreSee Less
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The least equitable agency in Baltimore City may be Baltimore Recnparks.
I grew up in the 5th District, a block off Park Heights. Our “recreation” was playing ball in alleys. We didn’t grow up with access to rec centers or city pools. We didn’t even know what we were missing.
Then I got on the City Council and learned Baltimore has 45 recreation centers, an average of roughly 3 per Council district.
The 5th District has ZERO.
Not one.
I raised this issue with Director Moore from day one. And yet, year after year, Rec and Parks continues to disinvest in the children of the 5th District disproportionately.
At some point, we have to ask the obvious question: What is it about the 5th District that makes this agency think our kids deserve less?
And now comes the real slap in the face.
Service 644: Rec and Parks Administration is increasing by $1 million this year.
Why is the leadership team getting bigger while an entire district’s children are being ignored?
If Rec and Parks cannot serve all 14 districts equitably, then its administration budget should not be increased; it should be cut by 1/14th.
And why is it acceptable to take $422,000 away from park maintenance so the agency can add 3 new administrative positions?
Our kids don’t need more bureaucracy.
They need rec centers, safe parks, and equal investment. ... See MoreSee Less
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One district still has no rec centers as Parks and Rec seeks $1M administrative increase foxbaltimore.com/news/local/fifth-district-rec-centers-baltimore-city-recreation-parks-recnparks-...
I'm 100% sure he's only advocating for D5, north of Northern Pkwy and east of Park Heights! That area has a rec center that caters to the jewish community, and if non-jewish neighbors join, they get charged absorbent fees!!
Sir you have been on the council how long? Furthermore, please do not infer that you some how grew up in the trenches it is truly misleading.
Isn't there a rec center being built on Park Heights by laundromat?
Cross country, fall staff, MT. Washington I’m not sure about a recreation center but I know Know people who lived in those areas went to cc Jackson,
Can someone explain to me how you grow up a block off Park Heights and didn't go to CC Jackson?
Ask, Schaefer and those before him. These Rec. Centers are not new and most of them did not serve the people who are living in these communities today when they were built.
You make very good points until you imply why…..it is that way. It is likely because that is probably most affluent neighborhood in the city. No one was complaining that those children had nothing to do thinking their parent were capable of covering that. That said, there should be a community gathering place funded by the city. Just don’t make it more than what it is. The bias is based on income and social status……from my point of view. Common sense tells me that community has too much power and influence to be taken advantage of. I see neglect not discrimination. You have raised a good point and it should be addressed 💯 They are doing a great job with the inner city and your tax dollars deserve the same. Just don’t give people a reason to resist.
But people are so backwards In the 5th they have the JCC I went to school in the 5th
CC Jackson, Towanda, and Callowhill
Where can I apply for these administrative positions?
We all know why.
What's the plan to build one? Is there a location in mind? What programs will it offer? Will it be welcoming to everyone?
What about the reds that are being renovated?Is there a location in the fifth district where a rec can be placed?
Thank you for posting this. I will look into this issue.
District 5 callowhill was the pool to go to in the 80’s then it closed and opened a indoor pool. There were Rec centers pimlico, Edgecomb circle and a few outdoor camps in district 5 in the 70’s and80’s also the 90’s Councilman Isaac Yitzy Schleifer
Can you both share why?
Can we have both? Services and position
All I want to say is you have some great points but the least equitable office I ever saw is the Baltimore City Office of Equity and Civil Rights. Maybe it has changed. However if the equity law is supposed to work it needs to make sense. I hope you will allow the IG to investigate other areas of improvement by putting records access on the ballot. I lived in the 5th district and never even noticed what we never had. Now that you said it, it is only about who you know and who do you side with to get equitable resources for constituents.
Agree!!!!!!
Natalia Vieyra
Spot on sir!!! Our district has been ignored for too long, in so many ways!
It's Bal'mer, hon. You expect anything less in that pitiful shithole run by incompetent crooks and thieves?
To be honest I’ve been watching the news (fox45) and i am quite over seeing adults in survival mode with creating opportunities for themselves in this expensive ass state/city AND be bare minimum while toting how much they’re doing and it ALWAYS conflicts with the actions being exercised. Atp anything running while Mayor Scott and Gov. Moore are in office is going to be questionable as some entities are in certain pockets, how many rec centers and pools has Brandon been apart of since he been Mayor?? And also where??? If the writing can’t be seen on the wall I don’t know what to tell you (also Councilman Yitzy is one of the few out of the collective willing to challenge Mayor Scott (along with/ Conway) and we all know Mayor Scott does not like being challenged the more he’s smelling himself in that seat. In essence this is a layered issued.
Then Council member Brandon Scott co-sponsored the bill that created the City's Equity Assessment Program. But as Mayor, Scott's purported commitment to robust, evidence-based resource allocation has given way to platitudes and home cooking. Where are the Recreation and Parks equity assessments for FY 2021-2025?!?
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Always proud to support our veterans! Great work being done by JWV Post 167, if you’re a veteran and not a member yet, you should be. ... See MoreSee Less
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“The Lazarus Rite, Inc., a Baltimore-area nonprofit no longer operational, was awarded a $1.6 million Clean Corps contract when Mayor Brandon Scott first launched the pilot program designed to boost neighborhood cleanups. The funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, and the organization was given more than $414,000 as an advance.
The Baltimore City Office of Inspector General report originated from an employee or subcontractor of the nonprofit reporting they had not been paid for their services. The City of Baltimore, Department of Planning found the organization used ARPA funds to pay for salaries related to other business expenses. The city terminated the contract with Lazarus Rite.” ... See MoreSee Less
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Previous reporting: investigate Clean Corp nonprofit accused of misusing taxpayer dollars foxbaltimore.com/news/local/fox45-continues-to-investigate-clean-corp-nonprofit-accused-of-misusi...
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Lemme get this straight. There are City contractors who have to wait 18 months to get paid for their work. But somehow this company got an advance?!? We can't afford to keep giving the Mayor the benefit of a doubt and assuming that these repeated fiscal gaffes are merely due to garden variety incompetence. When the Mayor continues to divert public funds to his friends and donors for "no show" jobs and refuses to claw back public money even in the face of fraud, waste, and abuse, it is literally a crime. And, at some point, the City Council members who are ignoring the Mayor's malfeasance are complicit.
Wow!! Yitz its time!!!