City, County Council Members Highlight Need For Cooperation Across Jurisdictions

A pair of councilmen--one from Baltimore City and Baltimore County--want to mend ties between the two jurisdictions, saying that the line between city and county shouldn't hinder cooperation.

City Councilman Issac "Yitzy" Schleifer and County Councilman Izzy Patoka plan to hold a regional town hall next Monday, May 13 at the Edward A. Myerberg Center (3101 Fallstaff Rd.). Both were in studio with C4 on Wednesday.

"Looking at the issues that face both of our districts and both our jurisdictions, the city and the county, I've seen time and time again that we just simply can't get out of our way as different municipalities to come and work together," Schleifer said.

Schleifer represents much of northwest Baltimore, including Mount Washington. Patoka's district includes Pikesville, Ruxton and parts of Owings Mills and Reisterstown.

Before both were elected to their respective posts--Patoka was elected last year and Schleifer two years prior--they had worked together on multiple community initiatives. Most recently, they worked together on a stream cleanup that attracted nearly 100 volunteers from both sides of the city-county line.

"Residents were not worried about an unnatural line," Patoka said. "They were worried about a natural stream."

The meeting comes a few weeks after Baltimore County Councilman Todd Crandell blamed an Easter disturbance at Eastpoint Mall on Baltimore residents, saying the county is "under siege by people who do not live or work here and have no idea how to act in a civil society."

Patoka called the assumption by his colleague "not fair" and unsupported, and said there needs to be an emphasis on people who commit violent crimes, no matter where they come from.

Schleifer said it's important to improve everyone's quality of life, no matter what zip code they live in.

"We're not worried about who votes in what district or where you live. For us it's about helping people and helping that individial," he said. "I care about everybody in the region just as Councilman Patoka does, so it's really natural for us to be doing what we're doing."