Welcome to VoteErvin
Baltimore City is facing the continuance of historic dynamics and in serious need of leadership with clear vision and fresh ideas.
About VoteErvin
Our Background
Welcome to the campaign website for Chris Ervin, candidate for Baltimore City. Trucking company owner, president and founder of The Lazarus Rite, inc (www.thelazarusrite.org) the first free, nonprofit reentry, CDL program in Baltimore City established in 2015. Well experienced legislative and community advocate. Chairman of the Board for the Howard Park Civic Association.
Crime reduction and waste collection go hand in hand in establishing a safe and productive environment. Baltimore City legislators must establish and properly fund career training path partnerships that have connections to careers with family sustaining wages. I have already done this with The Lazarus Rite, Inc (www.thelazarusrite.org) and currently act as a contractor for Baltimore City supplying both CDL drivers and laborers to the Department of Public Works, Department Of Transportation and others.
Public Safety does not rest solely on the shoulders of police. Sound policies addressing reentry, including shielding and expungement, support sound reentry, give meaning to “time served” and contribute directly to workforce development rebuilding.
Legislative Initiatives
Fresh Ideas
A main issue in Baltimore City is the volume of trash on the streets contributing to the overall conditions. Putting a major dent in the issue would happen by proposing a state Bottle Bill (bottle-bill-states). Maryland needs to realize the overall benefit of such a proposal. City residents would collect the discarded bottles and aluminum cans to be turned in at collection sites for the collectible fee. Collection is often undertaken by those who could use the financial benefit which also serves to keep the cans and bottles off of the streets. Bottle Bills are proven to assist in maintaining a cleaner environment, reduce the expenditure of the local governments as well as providing a financial benefit to those who decide to participate in the collection effort. This is a win-win situation!
Reducing crime often occurs when individuals are freed from the stigma of long, past convictions. One of the main crimes that Baltimoreans and Marylanders have been charged and convicted of historically has been possession with intent to distribute. A drug charge. My advocacy around collateral consequences (collateral.html) began in the general assembly in 2013 and culminated in the passing of the first felony expungement provision in the history of the state with the 2018 passage of the Maryland Crime Bill which included the non violent, felony expungement provision. The lifelong effects of felony convictions long after the completion of the sentence (how-long-does-felony-stay-on-your-record-maryland ) contribute to the desperation that drives repeat offenses. Expungement increases employability and stability in formerly justice involved individuals expungementpublicnotice_102018) and both directly and immediately contribute to crime reduction the-effects-of-record-clearance-on-ex-offender-recidivism). Currently, while non violent front expungement exists, it is impeded by the “Unit Rule”. We need to address the Unit Rule immediately. (https://www.ma4jr.org/expungement-unit-rule/)
Get in Touch
When the mayor, governor and even president made food and other resources available to communities, I immediately began acquiring and distributing necessary resources to entire senior buildings, communities and even our police district. Our delegation was absent at a time when they were needed the most. Imagine having a fire extinguisher on the wall that was shiny red, but didn’t work at all in an actual fire. As a non elected, community advocate, I found all manner of resources in every corner of the city and personally delivered them throughout my district and in some cases, across the city. Because they were needed.
