About Shannon
Shannon Sneed is a long-time advocate for the citizens of Baltimore. Shannon has served as a neighborhood advocate, City Councilwoman representing District 13, and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland.
As Councilwoman, Shannon stood up for transparency and fairness in city government, and fought for policies to protect the hard-working men and women of Baltimore City.
A voice for the voiceless
Shannon has dedicated her career to being a voice for those who are unable to speak for themselves. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and a master’s degree in Communication Management from Morgan State University, Shannon worked as an assignment editor and producer for Baltimore’s Fox45 and WJZ Channel 13.
In these roles, Shannon saw firsthand what was happening on the streets of Baltimore – both the good and the bad – and began advocating for people by telling their stories. As a professor at Coppin State, she empowered her students through the art of public speaking and became a fierce proponent of the importance of public higher education in Baltimore.
Called to serve
In 2011, Shannon ran for City Council and launched the most successful write-in grassroots campaign in Baltimore City history, a campaign described as a “David and Goliath” race. Shannon personally knocked thousands of doors and came up only 43 votes shy of winning.
After hearing the stories of so many District 13 residents, she was inspired to leave the broadcast world and dedicate her life to serving her community. Shannon joined the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and worked with people across Baltimore to help them find jobs. She then went on to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters to recruit mentors to work with Baltimore’s youth.
In 2016, Shannon ran again to represent District 13 on the Baltimore City Council, defeated a two-time incumbent, and made the commitment to be a full-time councilperson and advocate for the people of Baltimore. As Councilwoman, Shannon fought to pass legislation to create jobs and protect hard-working families.
Fighting for working families
Shannon’s first piece of legislation was the Displaced Service Workers Protection Act, to give city janitorial, security, building maintenance, and food preparation employees 90 days to get their affairs in order if their contract is not renewed. Later, she introduced a bill requiring all top officials in Baltimore’s government to live in the city, in order to help secure local talent and keep tax dollars in Baltimore.
Shannon fought to expand lactation accommodations so that working moms wouldn’t have to choose between the health of their baby or their career. She expanded the ability of the Community Relations Commission to investigate workplace discrimination, and co-sponsored the bill to raise the minimum wage to $15.
Shannon also sought to eliminate obstacles for qualified job-seekers by introducing a bill to end marijuana testing for many Baltimore City jobs, and she co-sponsored a bill to allow victims of police brutality to speak their truth and heal from past trauma.
Now, Shannon is asking for your support as she runs for the position of President of the Baltimore City Council.
Shannon and her husband Ramond live in Reservoir Hill with their daughter, Rae.