05/06/2026
Oh, Bob Cenname, Baltimore City Finance Director…
I’ve sat across from you for the past five years in negotiations and arbitration — in “the War Room” — listening to you claim the city is broke when it comes to public safety, while constantly pointing to Kirwan funding obligations and the $44 million settlement in Goodlaxson v. Mayor and City Council of Baltimore as excuses. Even on the final day of arbitration, you tried slipping in another “cry for help” presentation, claiming that $5 million in the fire department budget would cripple the city.
Yet somehow there’s never a problem finding money for the Mayor’s Office — a budget larger than the Governor’s office — or for every feel-good social program and political pet project.
Maybe now you’ve finally learned that if you want Baltimore to function, you actually have to fund public safety.
The men and women of the Baltimore City Fire Department have been treated as an afterthought for far too long — especially when city leadership depends on this department for nearly every major event and emergency response. Whether it’s staffing special events that generate revenue for the city, responding during major storms, or even operating equipment for other agencies when they cannot get the job done themselves, this department continues to deliver.
Hopefully our recent arbitration decision, along with the passage of SB 445/HB 532, serves as a wake-up call that public safety professionals can no longer be undervalued while continuing to carry the weight of keeping this city running.
