Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott Talks Revival Story

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Bloomberg Talks

Episode: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott Talks Revival Story
Date: October 7, 2025
Host: Bloomberg (Nathan Hager & Karen Moscow)
Guest: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s efforts to revitalize the city, tackle public safety, and drive economic development. Mayor Scott discusses recent crime reduction successes, his collaborative approach to government and policing, the need for federal support, and his vision for the future of Baltimore. He addresses misconceptions about the city's reputation and responds to political criticisms and suggestions regarding heightened federal intervention.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Effects of the Federal Government Shutdown on Baltimore

• Workforce Impact: Approximately 12,000 Baltimore residents work for the federal government (directly or via contracts).
  • "There's a lot of my constituents unease... they want to go to work. They want their government to be working." (Brandon Scott, 01:09)
• Community Programs: Potential shutdown effects extend beyond workers, eventually impacting community programs and services.

2. Crime and Violence Reduction in Baltimore

• Historic Decline: Mayor Scott highlights a significant drop in homicides, the lowest on record for Baltimore as of October 7, 2025.
  • "We have the fewest amount of homicides through any October 7th on record today." (Brandon Scott, 02:13)
  • Homicide rates down 30% from previous year; prior year already saw record reductions.
• Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan:
  • Targeted Intervention: Focused on individuals most likely to be involved in gun violence, offering them opportunities or taking legal action.
    • "We give them opportunities to change their life, and if not, we remove them via law enforcement." (Brandon Scott, 02:51)
  • Community Violence Intervention (CVI): Former perpetrators now work to prevent violence.
    • "They were the problem and now they're part of the solution." (Brandon Scott, 03:35)
  • Gun Trafficking: Active efforts against gun traffickers and manufacturers.
  • Victim Assistance and Youth Services: Funding is essential for these programs; recent federal cuts threaten their sustainability.

3. Relationship with State and Federal Government

• State Law Enforcement Support: Maryland State Police are once again operating in Baltimore, reversing a lapse under a previous governor.
  • "Baltimore City was the only jurisdiction in Maryland that Maryland State Police did not operate in. The governor's restarting that." (Brandon Scott, 04:10)
• Federal Troops/National Guard:
  • Mayor Scott firmly opposes deploying National Guard troops for city policing.
    • "No, we've been very clear about that." (Brandon Scott, 04:35)
    • National Guard deployment in 2015 after Freddie Gray’s death did not help; it was one of the most violent years (06:36).
• Funding Needs: Scott urges restoration of federal grants, particularly for law enforcement partnerships and community programs.
  • "This president has had the biggest reduction in funding for federal law enforcement agencies. They should be restoring [them]." (Brandon Scott, 04:58)
  • Notable cuts include a $500,000 grant lost by a key violence intervention partner.

4. Ongoing Perception Challenges and Civic Pride

• National Image: Baltimore is often featured negatively in crime rankings, but Scott insists focus should be on sustained positive change.
  • "You will be hard pressed to find a city in this country that's had a sustainable long term reduction like Baltimore's had." (Brandon Scott, 07:12)
• Lesson from Experience: Local leadership, especially mayors, must be empowered as they are closest to the community’s needs.
  • "Let the folks that are closest to the problem be out front and part of the solution... Mayors are the ones that have to solve the problems." (Brandon Scott, 07:39)

5. Reflections on Political Life & Motivation

• Public Service Motivation: Personal exposure to violence as a child shaped his commitment.
  • "I saw someone get shot at seven years old and no one cared... to have vacant housing at its lowest point in my lifetime in Baltimore, something we're proud of but we're not celebrating." (Brandon Scott, 08:28)
• Career Intentions: Scott repeatedly affirms his commitment to Baltimore, not higher office.
  • "Everyone knows I don't want to be governor... This is my dream job as a child." (Brandon Scott, 09:13)

6. Economic Development and Business Climate

• Attracting Investment: Major projects and reforms underway:
  • $4 billion recently invested, $7 billion more planned in downtown.
  • Major companies like T. Rowe Price and Under Armour building new headquarters.
  • Changes to permitting & zoning to boost business, particularly in tech and life sciences sectors.
    • "We are open for business in the city of Baltimore. Reforming our permit process and reforming our zoning code." (Brandon Scott, 09:45)
• Economic Outlook: The city is preparing for potential recession by budgeting cautiously.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On former perpetrators now helping prevent violence:
  "They were the problem and now they're part of the solution. And what better way to do that?"
  — Brandon Scott (03:35)

• On National Guard deployment not helping before:
  "We had the National Guard in Baltimore in 2015 following the unrest of Freddie Gray. It's one of the most violent years ever. It didn't help. Right."
  — Brandon Scott (06:36)

• On being a mayor as his ‘dream job’:
  "This is my dream job as a child. I will hold it as long as the residents of Baltimore will allow me to do so and as long as I'm living within term limits."
  — Brandon Scott (09:13)

• On political effectiveness:
  "Mayors are the ones that have to solve the problems. The mayors are the ones that have to meet the people in the grocery store… We know how to drive down crime."
  — Brandon Scott (07:39)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Federal shutdown and its impacts on Baltimore – 01:09
• Crime ranking and Scott’s violence reduction strategy – 02:08 – 03:58
• State/federal police support and National Guard debate – 04:07 – 06:36
• Addressing negative national perception of Baltimore – 06:15 – 07:18
• Political philosophy and mayoral commitment – 07:27 – 09:13
• Economic development and business climate – 09:33 – 10:36

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Conclusion

The conversation with Mayor Brandon Scott paints a picture of a city in transition—one that is battling to overcome a troubled reputation through data-driven violence reduction, community engagement, targeted investment, and a refusal to rely on federal troops for policing. Scott’s personal investment in the city and his insistence on local solutions underscore a broader message about the importance of empowering municipal leaders to drive real change.

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Transcript

[Brandon Scott]

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[Nathan Hager]

Edu Impact it is Bloomberg Businessweek daily. We love checking in with mayors. They're the ones on the ground in cities and towns across the country. They're the ones who are making the decisions that affect the lives of people in their communities and they hear from people in their communities when they're just walking down the street. Mayor Brandon Scott of Baltimore is one of those mayors and he joins us now in the Bloomberg Interactive Brokers studio. We should note that the city has received money from Bloomberg Philanthropies. It is the philanthropic arm of Bloomberg lp, the parent company of Bloomberg Radio. Mayor, welcome to the program reelected in 2024. You've been mayor since 2020. I want to start with the government shutdown because you are pretty close to Washington, D.C. you've got some folks in your community who certainly work there and obviously benefit from people working in the government. The president making comments earlier today that we can expect layoff details in four to five days. How's the shutdown affecting your constituents right now?

[Brandon Scott]

Well, there's a lot of my constituents unease right when you're thinking about over 12,000 Baltimoreans work for the federal government, either directly or on contract. And then when you think about what that's going to mean for them and their families, they're just not at ease right now. And folks want to go to work. They want their government to be working. And of course, then all our residents who depend on programming and things that are just going to be out there that may not be having a direct impact as of yet by the shutdown, but as it continues and goes on, it would be what do you consider.

[Karen Moscow]

What do you consider your biggest problem in running the city? I mean, Baltimore, you know, we report about it a lot. It is the fourth most dangerous according to U.S. news & World Report this summer, ranking Baltimore the fourth most dangerous city in the country behind Memphis, Oakland and St. Louis based on FBI data. They look at property crime. They look at murders per capita. But what do you as mayor, I'm sure there's a lot that's on your plate. What's top of mind?

[Brandon Scott]

Well, listen, violence is always top of mind. The reason why I got into office and we understand that we have a long way to go. But I know you guys know here, Bloomberg Radio, the many years that we were number one on that list and as you and I are talking today, I think it's the moat and the conversation around Baltimore and violence has shifted significantly. We have the fewest amount of homicides through any October 7th on record today. That is a big change. When I said in 2021, laying out a comprehensive violence prevention plan that we were going to reduce homicide by 15% from one year to the next, people literally laughed. Right now, it's down 30% from last year. And last year was a record reduction for us. We're going to continue that.

[Karen Moscow]

How did you do it?

[Brandon Scott]

We did it throughout our comprehension plan.

[Karen Moscow]

Which is what?

[Brandon Scott]

Which is a bunch of things. One, first and foremost, we go and we identify those who are most likely to be the victim or perpetrator of gun violence, and we focus on them. We give them opportunities to change their life, and if not, we remove them via law enforcement. And that's how we're driving down violence. We're focusing on guns and the flow of guns into our city, going after gun traffickers, those who are using guns, having arrested them at my direction, with the police department, turning them over to our state's attorney and our attorney general. We have historic levels of investment into community violence intervention, where we have people who used to be on the other side of the law going out and preventing conflicts from escalating into violence. All of it. We're going after gun manufacturers, people who.

[Karen Moscow]

Understand where the problem is, and you're pulling them in to help you pull them in.

[Brandon Scott]

They were the problem and now they're part of the solution. And what better way to do that?

[Karen Moscow]

How do you get those people to do that?

[Brandon Scott]

Well, easy. First and foremost, many people who have made that mistake don't want people coming behind them to make that. And they know that we're growing this network of community violence intervention workers in our city. So the word is out that we want to give people a second chance to be a part of solving a problem that they once were causing.

[Nathan Hager]

The city, though, in the crosshairs of the president. He called it a hellhole. Last month, UN Governor Wes Moore said that law enforcement from the state will patrol some areas. Has that begun?

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, that's begun. And that's. The governor is actually restarting something that was ended by his predecessor. Think about it like this. You would not find any other state police department in any state in this country not operating at all. In his only major city, that's Baltimore City was the only jurisdiction in Maryland that Maryland State Police did not operate in. The governor's restarting that. We're grateful for that support and to continue that work.

[Nathan Hager]

Are you open to the President sending National Guard troops to the city?

[Brandon Scott]

No, We've been very clear about that.

[Nathan Hager]

Why not?

[Brandon Scott]

We have. We know how to reduce violence in Baltimore. We have reduced violence to its lowest levels ever recorded on record, even lower than the President's first term. The way that we have done it in partnership with our community, with our police department, with our state's attorney, our attorney general and our federal and law enforcement partners who work beside us each and every day, that's how we should continue that work. If the President wants to help us, he should restore grants and funding that was cut to organizations that help in that restore grants. I mean funding cut from the law enforcement agencies. This president has had the biggest reduction in funding for federal law enforcement agencies they should be restoring.

[Karen Moscow]

What funding are you not getting as a result?

[Brandon Scott]

For us, we have not been directly impacted as of yet. It's our partner organizations like for example lifebridge Helps that runs the center for Hope. There's a part of our CVI network that has programming around CVI's community violence intervention. They lost a $500,000 grant, the same thing for living classrooms. That's big work that is going to be not happening. Whether it be a hospital based response, our community based responders, we need a victim assistance for young people, getting those young people the services they need that helps to prevent violence as well.

[Nathan Hager]

What will you do though if the President sends troops to.

[Brandon Scott]

Well, listen, we'll be prepared to take whatever action that we can be illegal others alongside our governor and our team based on when, what and how the President does something, if he does anything. But what we hope the President does is to continue to support those agents that are already working in our city and, and let them do their work and let the law enforcement partnership that has driven results this far carry us all the way.

[Nathan Hager]

But even though crime has improved, even though you shared statistics that show they're the best that they they've ever been. Like Carol mentioned this, this, your city is still on a list that you don't, that you don't want to be on. So what do you say to people out there who are saying, well, I would feel more comfortable if there were an increased law enforcement presence and that could include federal troops.

[Brandon Scott]

Well, we had the National Guard in Baltimore in 2015 following the unrest of Freddie Gray. It's one of the most violent years ever. It didn't help. Right. We have to remember this is not what those folks signed up to do. Allow those Folks who signed up to go after gun traffickers, murderers, robbers, carjackings, to do their work and allow the other people to do their work. And listen, there are other lists. You know, there are many of these lists, but we were on some lists. On some lists. We weren't on. Our. The list that we want to be on is the list of who has the largest reductions. And you will be hard pressed to find a city in this country that's had a sustainable long term reduction like Baltimore's had From September of 2022, I mean 2023, until now.

[Karen Moscow]

What do you see as what's wrong with politics today? What do you think is wrong with what some say is the Democratic Party not the very clear in its mission and kind of stepping up?

[Brandon Scott]

Well, very simply, I think that.

[Karen Moscow]

And I ask you because I think there's a lot. Forgive me, but there's a lot of folks who think there are politicians who've become career politicians and things haven't changed and we need some change.

[Brandon Scott]

Well, I think that what folks have to understand is that for me, and I say this about the Democratic Party all the time, more recently, they have to let the folks that are closest to the problem be out front and part of the solution. Meaning they need to listen to mayors. The mayors are the ones that have to solve the problems. The mayors are the ones that have to meet the people in the grocery store. And we've proven in city after city after city, we know how to drive down crime. And you have to talk to people where they are. We have to get out of being up in the sky with pie in the sky, talk to people in real sense, real things that impact them and explain to them how these things are going to make their communities better.

[Karen Moscow]

How long do you want to be mayor?

[Brandon Scott]

I want to be mayor for as long as the residents of Baltimore will have me. This will be my second term. I believe it or not. I've been in elected office since 2011. And this is. I've been in City hall since 2007.

[Nathan Hager]

But you are a young man right now.

[Brandon Scott]

Yes, a youngish man. I'm 41. I'll be 40, 42 on my birthday. But this is about making my city better. I got into this service because I saw someone get shot at.7 years old and no one cared. And wanting to drive down that violence, to have vacant housing be at its lowest point in my lifetime in Baltimore. Something we're proud of, but we're not celebrating. We have a lot of work to do and we're going to do it.

[Karen Moscow]

The reason I go back there is I do think we talk about this in media, that there isn't a lot of, you know, local publications anymore. A lot of newspapers have shut down. And so we get kind of the high and the.

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah, we don't need that.

[Karen Moscow]

Yeah, we get that view, but we don't. This is why we love talking to mayors. But often people are mayors and then they move up and they go to governor and then they go to Congress and stuff. So I'm just curious, how long do you want to stay on that local level?

[Brandon Scott]

Everyone knows that's the end game. Everyone knows I don't want to be governor. And everyone in Baltimore knows that I'll be quite okay if being the mayor of Baltimore is the last elected office I've had. This is my dream job as a child. I will hold it as long as the residents of Baltimore will allow me to do so and as long as I'm living within term limits.

[Nathan Hager]

Before we let you go, because you have a train to catch to get home.

[Karen Moscow]

Yes.

[Nathan Hager]

And we want to be respectful of your time. The attracting and retaining business to the city, we know that's a. Economic development, is a way to improve cities. What are you doing right now to say Baltimore is open for business?

[Brandon Scott]

Yeah. I think that you have to understand we had a $4 billion of investment into Baltimore. We have $7 billion investment coming to downtown Baltimore. Whether it's T. Rowe Price's new headquarters or Under Armour's new headquarters. Everyone knows throughout downtown Rise plan. We are open for business in the city of Baltimore. Reforming our permit process and reforming our zoning code. All of the things that we need to do to help grow business in Baltimore, especially in the tech and life sciences industry that has taken off for out of Hopkins and out of the University of Maryland, putting a lot of money and a lot of tech businesses out into the E field.

[Karen Moscow]

Any signs that we're headed towards a.

[Brandon Scott]

Recession, well, we'll see. We know that with terrorists and all the other things going, we just have to all be mindful of what's happening and prepare as we're doing our budgets. I've been talking to my brother and sister mayors to make sure that we're being responsible right now because we do not know yet what is to come.

[Karen Moscow]

So appreciate it. Go for your train.

[Brandon Scott]

Yes, ma'. Am. Thank you very much. He's.

[Karen Moscow]

He's running for that train. Be well. Be well. Be safe. Brandon Scott, the Baltimore mayor, joining us here in our Interactive Broker studio. As Tim mentioned earlier, the city has definitely received money from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which is, of course, owned by Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg lpn. Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Daybreak is your best way to get informed first thing in the morning, right in your podcast feed. Hi, I'm Karen Moscow.

[Nathan Hager]

And I'm Nathan Hager. Each morning we're up early putting together the latest episode of Bloomberg Daybreak US Edition. It's your daily 15 minute podcast on the latest in global news, politics and international relations.

[Karen Moscow]

Listen to the Bloomberg Daybreak US Edition podcast each morning for the stories that matter with the context you need.

[Nathan Hager]

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