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Councilman Ryan Dorsey

@electryandorsey.bsky.social
661 followers 85 following 56 posts

I used to hang TVs over rich people’s fireplaces and went to school for music. Now I’m a 3rd-term city councilman in my hometown, Baltimore.

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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Payton Chung @westnorth.com · 24/11/2025
"The density regulations roughly matched the existing density of each neighborhood, sort of, more or less. That was it. No science. No public health data. Just numbers written into a chart decades ago with the sole goal of preserving the status quo."
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Matt Yake @myake.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
this gets at the core of what's wrong with all the arguments I've seen against bill 25-0066 "I find it troubling when neighborhood leaders look enviously at private exclusionary restrictions borne of racism and ask the city to impose similarly exclusionary barriers through public laws."
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Alex Pemberton @yellowbrickurban.com · 24/11/2025
The "health and safety" pretext for zoning is nonsensical today because it was never more than a Jim Crow assertion of Black neighbors as unsafe and unhealthful. It's how zoning was legitimated as a police power after antecedants—segregation ordinances, racial covenants—proved legally ineffectual.
In 1910, Baltimore enacted an ordinance that prohibited residents from purchasing property on a block more than 50% occupied by the opposite race. Mayor J. Barry Mahool supported the law by stating that “Blacks should be quarantined in isolated slums in order to reduce the incidents of civil disturbance, to prevent the spread of communicable disease into the nearby white neighborhoods, and to protect property values among the white majority.”“That whereas the death rate of persons of African descent is much greater than the death rate of persons of the white race and effects injuriously the health of the town and village communities and as the permanent location of persons of African descent in such places as owners or tenants, constitute an irreparable injury to the value and usefulness of real estate, in the interest of public health and to prevent irreparable injury to the grantor or its successors or assigns, and the owners of adjacent real estate, the grantee his heirs and assigns hereby covenants and agrees with the grantor, its successors and assigns, that he will not sell convey or rent the premises hereby conveyed, the whole or any part thereof, or any structure thereon, to any person of African descent”
— Deed restriction language in the Edgemoor subdivision of Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland | 1924
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · 24/11/2025
Great piece on how density restrictions in zoning are essentially BS.
The Zoning Code claims to protect public health, safety, and welfare, but that justification evaporates when applied to density restrictions and bans on multi-family housing. True public health standards should not vary by neighborhood.

Putting aside differences in enforcement, which can create very real disparities, we don't set different air quality standards or fire codes based on neighborhood. If density restrictions actually protected public health, we could identify a scientifically "safe" density level and apply it uniformly citywide, as we would with any other health-related regulation.

But we don't. Instead, Guilford receives much stronger protections than McElderry Park, a disparity that makes sense only when you understand zoning's origins as a tool for racial and socioeconomic exclusion. When confronted with these inconsistencies, exclusionary zoning defenders often use the thought-terminating cliché that "every neighborhood is different."
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
ellie lockhart (she/they) @eleanor.lockhart.contact · 24/11/2025
the idea of a neighborhood character is every bit as reactionary as the idea of a national character, and is motivated by the same thing: "I deserve to be here and others don't"
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Ben Vaught @benvaught.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
nothing will radicalize you against zoning quite like engaging with zoning
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
A 58-year-old man on a bike died on Friday evening after being hit by a driver on Ensor Street along Latrobe Homes
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Jonathan Berk 🏠 @berkie1.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Consistently ranked as one of the best downtowns in New England, attracting tourists from around the world, none of the buildings depicted in this image could be constructed today under our overly restrictive modern zoning regulations. 📍 Salem, MA
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈 @maxdubler.com · 11/06/2025
In a functional housing market this would have been redeveloped as a small apartment building 30 years ago.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
this is true - but pales in comparison to resources required for cars tho
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Chi Ossé @chiosse.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
We’re fixing Atlantic Avenue! This is what a comprehensive community-led rezoning looks like 🏠
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
the embodied carbon potential of point access blocks v. status quo development is quite massive better homes. higher quality of life. better outcomes related to climate, too.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Excited to be jurying this event today. Hope to see you there.
CNU MID-ATLANTIC PRESENTS:
BALTIMORE SINGLE-STAIR DESIGN COMPETITION PANEL & AWARDS CEREMONY

$3,000 GRAND PRIZE

Join CNU Mid-Atlantic to announce the winners of our Baltimore Single-Stair Design Competition and hear a panel of Jury members discuss Single-Stair reform.
The competition requires participants to design a mid-rise single-stair residential building on a small infill lot of their choice in Baltimore City.

Agenda:
6:00 pm Welcome & Jury Panel
6:45 pm Awards Announcements
7:15 pm Cocktail Hour & Networking

When:
May 17th, 2025 6:00pm

Where: The Center for Architecture & Design
100 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

For Full Details:
Visit cnudc.org
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
3underscores.bsky.social @3underscores.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Amazing and historic council agenda in Baltimore!
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Ian Wolfe @ianmwolfe.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
I was thrilled to see @electryandorsey.bsky.social cut to the point about the pernicious social function of restrictive housing laws, especially here in Baltimore
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Alex Holt @skatingtomato.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Back now with some more big ones, starting with one from @electryandorsey.bsky.social for Land Use & Transportation. That's right, we're doing single-stair reform!
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Alex Holt @skatingtomato.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
More on this package here at a press conference organized earlier today by @mayorbmscott.bsky.social & featuring remarks from himself & the other legislators involved in the package: www.youtube.com/watch?v=11pT...
youtube.com
Housing Options and Opportunity Act; May 12, 2025
YouTube video by CharmTV Citizens' Hub
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Marilyn Tomato JD, PhD @mddirtlaw.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
This is how you grow the city.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
The Urbanist @theurbanist.org · 09/05/2025
You really love to see it. 😎
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Big things on the agenda for introduction in Baltimore on Monday: •Plex Reform •Single-Stair Reform •Parking Reform
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Today, either @mayorbmscott.bsky.social signed my bill to establish a Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing, or we’re hit-makers, depending on who you ask.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
“The word he’d used for ‘world’ was the word for ‘city’, the one that derived from the verb for ‘correct action’.” -A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
Every Tuesday I have open office hours. And every Tuesday somebody comes to tell me that their neighborhood is diverse (by their definition) and they just love it, but that they don’t want those people moving to their neighborhood. The neighborhood is not theirs. It’s the city’s.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
DOT has no contract with its principal streetlight maintenance vendor (BGE), no coherent reporting system, and no discernible system of asset management. Gee, I wonder why there are still streetlights missing that got knocked down a decade ago. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/tr...
thebaltimorebanner.com
Why does Baltimore struggle to fix downed streetlights?
A Baltimore City Council committee on Thursday delved into the question of why it's so difficult to get toppled street lights repaired?
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
sprawl is an unmitigated environmental, social, and economic disaster it is no longer affordable (especially when you add in transportation and time) sprawl is driving climate change. literally. and it is a ponzi scheme - unable to fund maintenance and replacement costs
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
That is such great work and great news coming from Baltimore. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/ho...
thebaltimorebanner.com
A Baltimore housing program is leading the nation in a key metric
A Cityscape paper found the Baltimore area is bucking a national trend.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
I’ve never heard a renter demand to only have homeowners as neighbors.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
A man died last night after crashing his car in the 2500 block of Hawkins Point Road.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Marilyn Tomato JD, PhD @mddirtlaw.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Thank you @odetteramos.bsky.social & @electryandorsey.bsky.social!
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
So thankful and fortunate to hear Jerusalem Demsas at the Smart Growth America Equity Summit today. She is a true champion. Thank you also to Calvin Gladney and the SGA team for a great event and great opening remarks. @jerusalem.bsky.social @smartgrowthusa.bsky.social @smartgrowthceo.bsky.social
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
22 years of continuous sobriety.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Tom Coale @tomcoale.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
“Giving people a subsidy for a good whose supply is choked is like building a ladder to try to reach an elevator that is racing upward.” - @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social & @dkthomp.bsky.social, #Abundance
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
A 76-year-old woman was killed in a two-car crash at Northern Pkwy & Pimlico this afternoon.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
This Thursday my committee will hear CB 25-0006, the first of what’s intended to be four annual zoning code modifications bills this term. It makes about 30 minor changes throughout the code, plus amendments adding changes, including striking parking requirements for up to 3 dwellings.
baltimore.legistar.com
City of Baltimore - File #: 25-0006
Title: Zoning Code – Modifications FOR the purpose of amending provisions of the Baltimore City Zoning Code relating to variances to conform to relevant State law; making modifications to the proces...
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Jonathan Berk 🏠 @berkie1.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Minimum parking requirements destroy our communities. 🖼️ @parkingreform.org
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Open New York @opennewyork.org · 14/03/2025
These are the zoning changes that City of Yes opponents called "apocalyptic"
Accessory Dwelling Units Fill in Less-Dense Neighborhoods They can be added in basements, attics, garages or backyards
Homes that are zoned for one or two families will now be allowed to add small residential units up to 800 square feet
Some low-density neighborhoods like Riverdale in the Bronx are best poised to absorb this kind of backyard apartment, along with the southern half of Staten Island
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
BmoreCityDOT @bmorecitydot.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Baltimore City Mayor's Office to host job fair for displaced federal employees buff.ly/ufkZ3mP Both private and public sector employers are set to attend the event, including the Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, and more.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
BmoreCityDOT @bmorecitydot.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
24-hour parking enforcement is now in effect, cracking down on illegally parked vehicles, residential permit violations, and repeat offenders. Towing operations are also running 24/7—so make sure you’re parked legally!
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Driving the speed limit in an area with a high volume of potential conflicts, it’s always SUPER SHOCKING to see in the rear view mirror that the person laying on the horn behind you as you approach a red light is while texting driving a vehicle that has very clearly already been in a wreck.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Emily Warfield Scarr @emilyscarr.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Councilman @electryandorsey.bsky.social goes back and forth with BGE’s executives on steep increases in delivery rates, saying, “If you were to compare 2008 to 2024, in terms of the distribution rate increases, people are paying more than 100% more over that time.” youtu.be/OrjxQ5gsznA?...
youtu.be
City Council Hearing: Committee on Legislative Investigations; February 20, 2025
YouTube video by CharmTV Citizens' Hub
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Patrick Siegman @siegman.biz · 10/03/2025
In central #Ohio, “People are tired of having their housing choices dictated by zoning codes that reflect what their great grandparents thought was cool.” Wow! Overwhelming support for allowing Missing Middle Housing on any residential lot. columbusunderground.com/new-survey-s...
A bar chart titled, "Results for the question: How much do you support or oppose passing housing rules that allow property owners to build Missing Middle Housing on any residential lot?"
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
we are moving the wrong direction on VMTs and the number of cars on the road and not one city or state is doing *anything* to reverse that. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
reuters.com
US drivers log 3.28 trillion miles in 2024, setting new record
Travel on U.S. roads in 2024 rose 1% to 3.28 trillion miles setting a new yearly record and topping pre-COVID 19 levels for the first time, the Transportation Department said Wednesday.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Starting March 10. You’re welcome.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
A woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver last night in the 100 block of South Hilton Street.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
I got a few constituent emails about this today, so I’m saying it here: The City of Baltimore has not bought and is not buying any Tesla vehicles.
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Reposted by Councilman Ryan Dorsey
Marilyn Tomato JD, PhD @mddirtlaw.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Great bill @electryandorsey.bsky.social
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
“The time is always right for local government to take action to protect citizens,” Dorsey said. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-pow...
thebaltimorebanner.com
Baltimore moves closer to creating consumer protection agency
The office would have the power to investigate complaints and issue citations. An accompanying board could suspend a business’s license if it engages in unfair or deceptive practices.
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Councilman Ryan Dorsey @electryandorsey.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Got a favorable committee report on my bill to create a Department of Consumer Protection and Business Licensing.
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