Baltimore City Councilman John T. Bullock won this year’s Democratic primary with 54% of the vote and has no Republican opponents heading into the general election. He serves the District 9, covering West and Southwest Baltimore.

Bullock is one of the most active sponsors of legislation on the council. The Baltimore Sun received disparate feedback from residents about his responsiveness, with some saying he’s engaged in the community, and others saying he’s not very responsive.

This is the 11th report in a series by The Sun and FOX45 News examining the effectiveness of the City Council in serving its constituents, ahead of a November ballot measure that proposes to reduce the council size from 15 to nine members by expanding the size of most council districts, except that of the council president, who is elected citywide. The measure is funded by David Smith, co-owner of The Sun and executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns FOX45.

Bullock did not agree to an interview with The Sun or FOX45 News or respond to emailed questions.

He sponsored or co-sponsored 164 ordinances since January 2020, including 88 that were enacted or passed, 29 that failed or were withdrawn and 47 that are still in progress.

Twelve of those bills dealt with crime, two with education, 27 with quality of life issues and 21 with government accountability.

Some of his enacted bills involve property tax credits for residents whose homes use solar or geothermal energy devices, in addition to tax credits for improvements on historic properties. Another bill, currently in committee, would offer grants for home repairs, aimed at revitalizing and stabilizing city neighborhoods. More than half of his other primary-sponsored ordinances since 2020 involved zoning issues.

Bullock was the primary sponsor of eight resolutions since January 2020, including one, currently in committee, calling for an informational hearing on how to better protect property owners from deed fraud. Resolutions don’t carry the same force of law as ordinances but can involve activities such as expressing the council’s opinion or calling for a hearing.

Bullock’s district includes Barre Circle, Boyd-Booth, Bridgeview/Greenlawn, Carroll-South Hilton, Carrollton Ridge, Evergreen Lawn, Franklin Square, Franklintown Road, Gwynns Falls, Harlem Park, Hollins Market, Millhill, Mosher, Mount Clare, Northwest Community Action, Oaklee, Penrose/Fayette Street Outreach, Poppleton, Rosemont, Rosemont Homeowners/Tenants, Saint Agnes, Sandtown-Winchester, Shipley Hill, Union Square, Upton, Violetville, Wilhelm Park and Winchester.

Some of Bullock’s constituents cited vacant buildings as a top concern, saying they haven’t seen much improvement on the issue during Bullock’s time in office. The district includes around a third of the city’s vacant buildings, the most of any council district, according to data from Open Baltimore.

Joy Ross, of Harlem Park West Community Association, said while Bullock is “very responsive,” she said “he can only do so much,” noting concerns about vacant lots with overgrown grass and illegally dumped trash.

“It’s a lot of work to put in a 311 [request] for something that’s not mine,” she said.

She added that on development projects, “he has not been effective in helping us … like we were hoping.” She said she’s concerned that many vacant houses end up being torn down instead of rehabilitated.

Pamela Green, of the Carroll Improvement Association, Inc., said while the city is working to resolve problems with vacant properties, it’s a longstanding issue that is “not going to be resolved overnight.” She added that a representative from Bullock’s office attends all of her association meetings and that she has “nothing negative to say” about Bullock’s services.

Bullock has assisted with cleaning up illegal dumping, boarding up vacant properties and removing trash from vacant lots, said Lou Fields, president of the Baltimore African American Tourism Council of Maryland.

Bullock told The Sun in March that “we have worked with community partners in repurposing formerly vacant buildings to provide critical programming and services. Neighborhood input is also extremely important to determining the future of such assets along with vacant lots to create both market rate and affordable housing units.”

Tracey Malone of the Sandtown-Winchester Community Collective, whose community is covered by both Bullock’s district and that of Councilman James Torrence, said Torrence is much more responsive to her than Bullock. She added that she hadn’t seen Bullock or his staff at her community association meetings in a year.

“There are issues that his residents would love to speak to him about and get help with,” Malone said. “I can’t run the entire community. That’s what the purpose of our councilman is.”

Some residents also mentioned concerns about food deserts.

“They just redid the McDonald’s in Midtown … and they’re getting ready to put a Popeyes in the area, which is great,” Ross said. “But what about people who … would rather eat fresh fruits and vegetables?”

Ross added that she’s “exhausted every resource” to combat drug dealing in the area, including helping a handful of people leave drug activity and contacting police, with little observable impact. She said when she contacted Bullock about crime concerns, he referred to crime-fighting strategies implemented by Mayor Brandon Scott.

Seven other District 9 residents and community leaders said they’ve received little to no response from Bullock. LaCresha Washington said she reached out to Bullock after her dogs were stolen from her yard, and received no response from his office. Faye Tripp said Bullock never responded to a request for a street light replacement.

Other residents offered more positive comments.

“He’s a pleasure to work with and open to dialogue with his constituents,” wrote Khalia Young of No Boundaries Coalition, Inc., in an email.

Greta Willis, of the Mt. Olivet Community Association, said Bullock has shown up at community initiatives supporting youth and advocating against gun violence, saying “for the most part he’s really been helpful.”