Zeke Cohen, a member of the executive appointments committee, announced that he wouldn’t be able to support Fitzgerald without seeing the results of the mayor’s vetting.

Cohen said he asked Fitzgerald personally to release the information, but was rebuffed and told to file a Freedom of Information request.

But a third council member — Zeke Cohen — announced Wednesday that he would not be able to vote in favor of Fitzgerald unless he can review the background investigation report.

Cohen described a testy interaction when he asked Fitzgerald on Tuesday to share the file.

Cohen said Fitzgerald told him to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for any material that is publicly available and expressed frustration that the process in Baltimore was “more intensive than he had experienced before.”

“Baltimore is a tough town and anyone who wants to lead the police department needs to understand that our city is at a moment where people are demanding transparency and engagement,” Cohen said.

“He didn’t seem angry. He just seemed a little frustrated that I was asking for what I think he perceived to be personal information.”

City Councilman Zeke Cohen, who organized the event, said that the commission would need to address concentrated poverty in Baltimore. And, he noted, you can’t talk about the poverty in Baltimore without addressing racism.

The murder of 11 Jews in a synagogue on the Sabbath is the devastating consequence of our decaying national discourse. Hate speech is wielded by profiteers and politicians whose goal is to divide, devalue and dehumanize. They conjure mythical hordes of black, brown and Middle Eastern “barbarians” invading our southern border. The dog-whistle has become a bullhorn. And people like the Pittsburgh shooter are listening.

“Anyone who comes to do violence, we do not want that there and people are going to be held accountable,” Zeke Cohen said.

“Our city is taking steps towards becoming more transparent and open,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, Councilman Zeke Cohen, who represents Southeast Baltimore. “This legislation places Baltimore at the forefront of lobbying reform.”

The council is also set to issue a final vote on a bill from Councilman Zeke Cohen (D-District 1) to set more stringent transparency rules for lobbyists in city government. The legislation requires them to file disclosure reports twice a year (it was originally four times per year, but that mark was cut in half at an August hearing) and the city’s ethics board to post all reports online within 30 days. Lobbyists who violate the rule would face a three-year ban.

The Transparency in Lobbying Act (18-0230) was ratified on third and final reader tonight.

The bill aims to make it easier to identify what parties are lobbying City Hall officials. It also requires lobbyists to file reports of their activities twice a year rather than annually.

The Baltimore Ethics Board is required to post those reports online within 30 days, with the first reports due on or before June 1, 2019, and to potentially ban violators from lobbying in the city for three years.

At an earlier work session, bill sponsor Zeke Cohen fended off an amendment that would have expanded the definition of a lobbyist to include community activists.

The program provides summer jobs for youth in both the private and government sectors, but Cohen says unlike Youth Works, “This is Working” is not just about summer employment.

“We want to make sure the summer work experience is robust,” says Cohen. “That it is not just work a job for five-weeks but is work, but also learn.”

Introduced by 1st District Councilman Zeke Cohen, the bill would also require reports to be available to the public online within 30 days.

Bill 18-0230 would “place Baltimore on the national forefront of lobbying reform,” Cohen said, addressing an audience dominated by activists who advocate for low-income workers, the homeless, students, black women, water affordability and other causes.

“We can show that at the local level, we are listening to the citizen we serve, and not just those that can afford to hire a lawyer or a lobbyist,” Cohen said.

On Tuesday, Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen was sponsoring the Transparency in Lobbying Act to the City Council. 

"What this legislation will do is make it easier for the public to know what's going on inside the halls of city hall," explained Cohen. "Specifically, it would create an online database where lobbyists would report when they have been meeting with legislators, it would create a harsher penalty for lobbyists who violate the ethics code, and it would force lobbyists to affirmatively disclose who they are and who they represent."

Councilman Zeke Cohen echoed Clarke’s sentiment. He said he wants the city to take “a hard look” at adding railings, but that he wants to look at the transportation department’s full plan before judging.

“We absolutely have to take the safety concerns of folks like the Schroeders seriously,” he said.

“It’s not a great way to do business.”

Councilman Zeke Cohen said his office has fielded 330 constituent complaints about water. He said the city needs to make some changes in order to help citizens.

"Water is a human right. We should move to an income-based billing system so that no one lives in fear of having their water shut off," Cohen said.

“Baltimore cannot afford to continue down this path,” said Councilperson Zeke Cohen (D-1) at the rally. “Water is a human right.” 

City Council members Zeke Cohen and Shannon Sneed joined faith leaders and labor advocates at the rally to denounce the rate increases and the practice of sending homes and churches to tax sale to collect the debt and possibly force foreclosure.