Utility reform advocates are urging Baltimore’s mayor and City Council members to reject campaign donations from Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE). The call is part of a pledge campaign aimed at limiting the utility’s influence.
The push is led by Baltimore Public Power, a group advocating for public ownership of the city’s electric utility system.
Naadiya Hutchinson, an organizer, said rising utility costs have left many struggling to pay their bills.
“I was cold in my house, and I had to pay hundreds of dollars for my utility bill,” she said.
Hutchinson said such experiences are part of the reason the group launched the “No BGE Pledge.” It asks candidates and elected officials to refuse future campaign contributions from the utility and return past donations.
While the campaign focuses on Baltimore’s mayor and City Council, the group says it also welcomes pledges from other elected officials and candidates who represent city residents.
“We recognize that when our city and elected officials take money from the utilities, then the utilities have an outsized influence in our local utility infrastructure and rates,” Hutchinson said.
Councilman Mark Conway — who is running against Rep. Kweisi Mfume for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District seat — was the first elected official to sign the pledge. At a December rally, he called on other politicians to follow suit.
“If you are accepting money from a bill that is unaffordable for people who have to choose between medication, oxygen, rent and food, you don't need to be reelected,” he said in front of a small crowd.
In recent days, organizers said several City Council members have signed the pledge, including Zac Blanchard, Phylicia Porter and Odette Ramos. Neither the mayor nor City Council members are up for election this year.
However, Maryland Senate candidate Bobby LaPin is among the few candidates on the ballot who have signed the pledge. He’s attempting to unseat Senate President Bill Ferguson in June’s Democratic primary in the 46th district.
Other Baltimore offices up for election include sheriff, state’s attorney, clerk of the Circuit Court and central committee seats.
