Profile in Courage: Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer

In struggling cities such as Baltimore, Md., city council members will often accept the status-quo and not fight for a better future. Charm City has seen more than its fair share of crime, urban blight, littering, and unresponsive public services, yet few public officials are willing to hold the city government accountable. City Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer has proven to be a welcome exception, leading the charge for a more transparent city government that caters to its residents instead of kowtowing to pols with undue clout. Change hasn’t been easy, and publicly calling attention to Baltimore’s woes is a surefire way to attract haters. But, Councilman Schleifer continues to fight the good fight and hold special interests at (old) bay. For being a lone voice of reason in an often-unreasonable city government, Yitzy Schleifer is most definitely a Profile in Courage.

Councilman Schleifer’s exemplary work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit has been a boon to his community and Baltimore at large. The local lawmaker earned his college degree from the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business, while simultaneously founding and running a software company called Raffle Ready. This innovative start-up has helped non-profits automate their online fundraising, replacing largely paper-driven operations with a streamlined digital interface.  Because of his success with Raffle Ready, Schleifer was the first-place winner of the University of Baltimore’s first Startup Maryland Business Pitch Competition. While Schleifer could easily have stayed in the start-up sector and founded new brands, the future councilman decided to use his talents to improve the beleaguered city government. Baltimore has long been plagued with one of the most corrupt city governments in the country, with multiple mayors and government officials serving prison time for various misdeeds. Schleifer has made it his mission to improve the relationship between Baltimoreans and their government. He first served as a liaison to Northwest Baltimore for former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein, taking time to hear the concerns of residents and securing criminal convictions for violent offenders.

 After being elected City Councilman for Baltimore’s 5^th District, Schleifer immediately got to work improving the lives of his constituents. Despite residents paying a 3.2 percent local income tax and 2.2 percent property tax, the Department of Public Works (DPW) couldn’t be bothered to provide regular city services. Recycling goes uncollected, and, as Councilman Schleifer explains, “DPW could NOT answer simple questions about the missed collections nor give us a plan to resume weekly recycling collections.” In 2022, Schleifer grilled DPW Director Jason Mitchell in a public hearing, noting, “Just like residents if they fail to abide by the similar laws where they have to contain their recycling in a certain manner, they’re fined. So too the director should be fined.” The Councilman wanted to fine Mitchell $1,000 per day until weekly recycling was restored. While this policy never came to pass, Mitchell felt the pressure and resigned his position in 2023. Hopefully, new leadership will mean better, more reliable recycling services for the people of Baltimore.

Councilman Schleifer has also tirelessly worked to make his city a safer place for residents and city workers. Following the tragic mass shooting at a Brooklyn Day block party on July 2, Councilmembers Yitzy Schleifer and Eric Costello questioned interim Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) Director Stefanie Mavronis about policies in place to protect city workers and program staff from wanton acts of violence. MONSE is responsible for the “Safe Streets” gun violence reduction program, and could have had better protocols in place to protect the four Safe Streets workers who were at the block party. In response to this line of questioning, former MONSE Director Shantay Jackson penned an op-ed baselessly insinuating that Schleifer and Costello were racist for demanding accountability. Jackson wrote, “The two white councilmembers misconstrued the efficacy and role of community violence intervention work being done in some of the city’s Black communities.” Meanwhile, city workers remain unprotected and crime in Charm City continues to soar to new heights.  Despite these bogus charges, Schleifer continues to fight for accountability and demand justice.

Schleifer has also proven a powerful advocate for federal taxpayers. The lawmaker asked pointed questions to Shamiah Kerney (Director, Office of Recovery) about the oversight of $641 million in federal funds being spent in Baltimore as part of American Rescue Plan Act funding.

For continuing to lead the charge for a better city amid outrageous smears and fiscal mismanagement, Councilman “Yitzy” Schleifer is a Profile in Courage.