BALTIMORE — When Mayor Brandon Scott was first elected nearly six years ago, he had already made history as the youngest person to hold the office.
But with 2025 on track to reach the lowest homicide rate the city has seen in nearly 50 years, Scott continues to cement his legacy as a catalyst of change. Though, he says, he can’t take all the credit.
“We are very pleased that we have done what people said we couldn't do,” Scott said.
Mayor Brandon Scott continues to bet on Baltimore
Reflecting on the historic year, the third where homicides have consistently dropped, Scott says he won’t be satisfied and continues to strive for more.
Now the question is how these advances can made be maintained.
“We set a standard and really a plan, that we would no longer put all the responsibility of reducing violence in the city on the backs of the women and men of [the Baltimore Police Department] who do great work every day. It should have never been their sole responsibility,” Scott said.
That responsibility is now shared with violence intervention workers on the ground as well as with both the Maryland Attorney General and Baltimore City State's Attorney’s Offices.
Though it has appeared as though everyone was on the same page, earlier this month chief prosecutor Ivan Bates sent a letter to the mayor seemingly out of left field, wishing to cut ties with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.
Bates accused the organization of operating behind a "veil of secrecy."
Scott asked him to reconsider and on Wednesday, WMAR-2 News’ Blair Sabol asked where things stood.
“We have met and we're not gonna talk about it publicly. This was my commitment and I am a true man to my word. I don't break that and we've talked and met and we're gonna continue to have conversations, but the work is gonna continue from my standpoint,” Scott said.
Looking forward to 2026, the mayor says the plan is to keep doing the work, and expanding his Group Violence Reduction Strategy to the four remaining police districts beginning with the Northern district.
When asked about why there might be distaste for the program and if it was founded, Scott had this to say:
“My grandmother, if she were alive, would say let the work that I’ve done speak for me and that's the truth of the matter," he said. "Now we should be focused on the work and making Baltimore safer. Everything else is just unnecessary for me.”
Vacant Reduction Strategy
In 2026, Scott says the vacant reduction strategy will continue to chip away at the thousands of abandoned properties.
Under his leadership, the official count has dropped from 16,000 to 12,200.
It’s more common than not to see Baltimore City firefighters battling a blaze coming from a structure that’s been uninhabited for years. On Tuesday, two separate unoccupied homes caught fire.
The city's legislative priorities also include the state remitting 6% of sale tax generated in the city back to the city, half of which would help fund reducing vacants.
The 15 year plan to diminish the number of vacant properties is estimated to cost $3 billion.
City priorities at the Statehouse
Speaking of legislative priorities, the city has released their wish list for the 2026 general session in Annapolis.
Per usual it covers a wide range of issues that impact not just the city but the entire state.
High on the list according to Scott would be to extend the city’s increased share of Highway User Revenue, allowing for the city to continue to make up for past cuts that cost $900 million for maintaining roads and bridges.
That list also includes raising the cap on fines from $1,000 to $5,000, allowing the Department of Housing and Community Development to receive photo images as a “criminal justice agency” to identify suspects in illegal dumping cases, and decriminalizing drug paraphernalia.
Scott also supports legislation that would address Maryland drivers from registering their vehicles in Virginia, an ongoing issue that creates accountability lapses including for automatic speed cameras.
Mayor’s zoning bill stalled
In November, Mayor Scott signed a package of zoning bills promising to bring more affordable housing to the city.
The fifth and final bill, Scott’s Housing Options and Opportunity Act, was anticipated to possibly follow suit by the end of the year. The legislation would allow for single family homes to be split into multiple units.
It’s since stalled in committee, after vocal outcry by critics.
Scott still believes it’s a viable bill, and still a worthy cause. Though he supports what he calls the "responsible thing" by taking a pause.
“We’re just trying to figure out ways to undo laws that were put in place in a very racist and biased way to make sure that we don't have that in the city of Baltimore anymore,” Scott said. “This was never something that for me needed to be rushed. We can have honest and open discussion and move forward from there because there is no doubt that we need more affordable housing across the city.”
Betting on Baltimore
Scott, a born and bred Baltimorean, says it's been good to see his hometown flipping the script and becoming a role model for other cities.
“This is not about me,” he said. “This is about all those people that I lost growing up, this is about my deputy mayor who passed away a few months ago who gave his life for this city. This is about all those young people and families and communities, that suffered.”
Scott says the work is not close to being done.
“We’re not celebrating, we're acknowledging and saying that we want even better for ourselves,” he said.
In five years, he believes the city will be even safer, boasting a new Inner Harbor, new housing projects and, he hopes, more trophies for the Orioles and Ravens.
He hasn’t made a bet with the Pittsburgh mayor, yet, but he says he’s thinking about it.
“I already have a bet with my good friend Ryan Clark, former "squealers" safety, that I have to pay a debt, and then we have another bet for this weekend, but we're gonna win. We're gonna win because king Henry will make sure that his throne is not touched,” Scott said.