New City Council Sworn In, Jack Young Sworn As Council President

BALTIMORE (WJZ) --  City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, and several new members of Baltimore City Council were sworn in on Thursday morning.

WJZ's Vic Carter emceed the event.

Council President Young received an oath of office during a special ceremony,  at the War Memorial Building, which marked the start of the 72nd Baltimore City Council, with the theme, "Strengthening Neighborhoods Through Partnerships."

Our Media Partner, The Baltimore Sun, said Young announced plans to partner with nonprofits to revitalize Baltimore's westside and drive down crime in the northeast.

Eight new council members joined seven incumbents in taking office Thursday — the most turnover in decades.

The new members are Zeke Cohen in the 1st District, Ryan Dorsey in the 3rd District, Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer in the 5th District, Leon F. Pinkett III in the 7th District, Kristerfer Burnett in the 8th District, John T. Bullock in the 9th District, Robert Stokes Sr. in the 12th District and Shannon Sneed in the 13th District.

Longtime members Rochelle "Rikki" Spector, Robert W. Curran, and Helen L. Holton retired. Councilmen James B. Kraft, Carl Stokes and Nick J. Mosby did not seek re-election, and were unsuccessful in their pursuit of other offices.

While, incumbents Warren M. Branch and William "Pete" Welch lost their seats to Democratic challengers in the primary.

The new council will hold its first meeting Thursday afternoon.

In a speech welcoming them to the council, Young said the city's legislative body will "work hand-in-hand with leaders from the private sector to improve the quality of life for Baltimoreans."

"A great deal of this work is already underway," Young said during a ceremony in the War Memorial building. "Our role, frankly, will be to speed up the process."

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