A proposal to create a land bank to help dispose of Baltimore’s thousands of vacant properties fell victim to political forces rather than opposition to the idea, according to the bill’s sponsor.

Councilwoman Odette Ramos, a Democrat and the bill’s primary backer, said the decisive vote taken Sept. 17 against her proposal to create a quasi-governmental agency to acquire and sell vacant properties appeared to be personal in nature rather than substantive. She pointed the finger at Council President Nick Mosby in particular, saying he coordinated the 4-0 vote of the council’s Ways and Means Committee.

“This was absolutely a potshot at whatever they were mad at me about,” she said. “I’ve taken some tough votes. Not everybody agrees with me.”

Mosby, who was not present for the committee hearing, denied interfering with the land bank bill or any of Ramos’ legislative efforts. Instead of assigning blame, she should focus on working with her colleagues, he said.

“It’s unfortunate that Councilwoman Ramos has chosen to respond to her legislative setback by blaming others for her failure,” he said.

Ramos said she plans to reintroduce the legislation in the council’s next session, which will begin in December. That’s when four council members, including Mosby and two other councilmen involved in the vote, will depart. All lost their bids for reelection. Ramos said she was optimistic about the bill’s prospects after that point, although she acknowledged she has “work to do” with several colleagues who remain on the council.

Council members Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer and Danielle McCray, both of whom will be returning to the council next session, cast votes against the proposal Sept. 17 without explanation. Neither could be reached for comment.

All of the council’s members are Democrats.

Since joining the council in 2020, Ramos, the former executive director of Community Development Network of Maryland, has been a fierce advocate for housing-related legislation. Her unyielding approach has ruffled feathers in the Department of Housing and Community Development as well as with Mayor Brandon Scott’s office and among her fellow council members.

Earlier this year, Ramos squared off with the Johns Hopkins University over a multimillion-dollar list of demands she sent the school amid discussions about a proposed Data Science and AI Institute. The councilwoman tied the items to a piece of legislation she had been preparing to introduce. A university official called the connection “shocking,” and Ramos ultimately conceded that she might consider a different approach in future dealings.

Last week, Mosby likened Ramos’ reaction to the land bank bill to the Hopkins controversy, which he called “unethical.”

Ramos’ line of attack has not been without success, however. The councilwoman’s bill reviving and retooling the city’s inclusionary housing law, which requires developers to set aside units for low-income residents, passed in December with a strong final push from Ramos, housing advocates and, notably, Mosby.

Similarly impassioned pleas from Ramos and advocates fell short Sept. 17, however, when it came to the land bank discussion. During the proposal’s hearing — its first since the legislation’s introduction in March 2023 — leaders of the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development stood in staunch opposition to the proposal, arguing that the city already has the capability to do the work of a land bank. After nearly three hours of testimony, including from numerous housing advocates, the committee took a vote to report the bill unfavorably, effectively killing the legislation.

Councilman Robert Stokes, who cast one of the four votes against the measure, vehemently denied speaking to Mosby or other council members ahead of the hearing.

“I never even had a conversation about it,” Stokes said, arguing, as he did during the hearing, that he objected to the measure because East Baltimore residents were not consulted. “What I said was the truth.”

In addition to Stokes, McCray and Schleifer, Councilman Eric Costello, a representative of District 11 in South Baltimore, cast a vote against the proposal. Costello, too, will not be returning to the council next year.

But Sharon Green Middleton will. The Northwest Baltimore representative abstained from the vote Sept. 17 after explaining she felt there needed to be more conversation about the topic. Councilman Ryan Dorsey, who was present for the meeting, slipped out of the council chambers before the decision. He declined to comment to The Sun.

Most of the council members who spoke to The Sun said they were not dead set against the land bank proposal. Many said they wanted to have further discussions about it during the council’s next term.

“I think there’s a conversation that needs to be had either way,” said Councilman James Torrence, who spoke in favor of the legislation during the hearing. “We need to look at processes that stand in the way of progress.”

Councilman John Bullock, one of six co-sponsors of the legislation, said he would consider co-sponsoring the bill again next term.

“I think there’s still some possibility there,” he said. “It’s an idea worth investigating and seeing what we want to do.”

Councilwoman Phylicia Porter was among the most enthusiastic about the proposal.

“I’m 100% sold that we need to do a land bank,” she said. “It’s one of the many levers we can pull. I’m hoping the discussion doesn’t stop.”

Ramos said for her part she needs to do a better job in the next council term of collaborating with her council colleagues. She acknowledged that she hasn’t been as inclusive of some as she has been of community members who she routinely taps for consultation.

“I’ve got work to do, not just on this bill, but on any work that involves housing,” she said. “I have to involve my colleagues a little bit more. I need to make sure they’re happy.”

For now, Ramos called the outcome for the land bank bill “unfortunate.”

“We’ll take stock and regroup,” she said. “There’s definitely merit to what we’re trying to do. Sometimes politics gets in the way.”