Health & Fitness
Congress of Community Associations Formed to Keep Tabs on City Officials
Congress of Community Associations believes the city is not aggressive in enforcing the so-called Neighborhood Nuisance law.
A group of community association presidents held what they dubbed the “Congress of Community Associations” at St. Mark's United Church of Christ in Morrell Park on Thursday evening.
The goal of the group is to hold Baltimore City officials accountable for addressing neighborhood concerns.
The first issue the group discussed was the city's nuisance abatement program. Those attending believe that the city has not been agressive in enforcing the laws allowing the city to evict a criminal from a property that is a known location for drug dealing or other illegal activities.
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As reported in the , a so-called Neighborhood Nuisance bill was amended in January to include possible jail time for owners of problem houses.
Councilman Edward Reisinger , D-District 10, requested the Baltimore City Council hold a public hearing on the nuisance abatement program, but a date has not been forth coming from the council.
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"I welcome and support the formation of this new group," Reisinger said. "I am ready to sit down and work with them. Working together does work."
Association presidents from the communities of Washington Village (also known as Pigtown), Morrell Park, Mt. Winans, and Violetville attended the meeting. All the neighborhoods are in Southwest Baltimore and will be included in the new 10th Councilmanic District in December.
The group hopes to expand the Congress of Community Associations to include communities from all over the city.
Any community association wishing to join the next meeting of the Congress of Community Associations can contact me at: