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Baltimore mayor-elect Catherine Pugh outlines priorities

Posted at 5:49 PM, Nov 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-10 06:50:03-05

The day after the election, Baltimore's mayor-elect Catherine Pugh was preparing for her new job.

While announcing her transition team, Pugh chose a shelter on North Mount Street for a reason.

With plywood for a front door, Sarah's Hope is unlike any other boarded up building in Baltimore.

"You find homeless people every day," said Jennifer Summers of St. Vincent de Paul Baltimore.

But not with corporate giants like Under Armour building them a new playground. Located less than a mile away from the epicenter of last year's riot, Sarah's Hope is providing plenty of hope for the city's homeless families.

See also: Baltimore Mayor-elect Catherine Pugh announces transition team

"What you find here are families really pulling themselves together and that's what makes a difference in our city," said Mayor-Elect Catherine Pugh.

She called the shelter an example.

"When you look at Sara's Hope, it is an example of how the city has pulled together public and private partnerships on behalf of the citizens,” said Pugh, “and the reason I keep saying public-private partnerships is because I'm going to be asking a lot folks for a lot of things, and I want them to understand that I know that they can deliver."

Healthy neighborhoods is one of Pugh's top priorities, and that begins with better housing.

"I've been very clear from the very beginning that we will have a new housing commissioner," said Pugh.

When it comes to public safety, she reiterated her support for Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, but she wants to see foot patrols back in the neighborhoods.

And another priority will be education, which begins with regaining control of an ailing system that was subject to a state takeover almost two decades ago.

"The buck needs to stop here, and we will work on that," said Pugh.

Last year, as a state senator, Pugh drafted legislation, which would have returned the schools to city control, but it never made it out of Annapolis.

She has pledged to push for it again in the next session as mayor.

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