Former Baltimore City Council member William ‘Pete’ Welch Jr. dies at 73

Former Baltimore City Council member William A. “Pete” Welch Jr., who represented West Baltimore from 2011 to 2016, has died, his daughter said.

“A Father, Son, Brother, Uncle, Councilman, and Dear Friend to so many, his loss is deeply felt,” Tiffany Welch wrote on Facebook this week. “I kindly ask that you respect my privacy as I grieve the loss of my father and navigate this difficult time with my family.”

Tiffany Welch, who is following in her father’s political footsteps and running for state delegate, did not specify the cause of death but said it was sudden. He was 73.

Welch, known for wearing stylish bow ties, was a lifelong Baltimorean and was born on May 14, 1953. He graduated from both Loyola High School and Loyola College, according to his state biography. He was an accountant by trade and served on the city liquor license board from 1997 to 2003.

He was the son of longtime Baltimore City Council member Agnes Welch, who served for 27 years before retiring in December 2010. He was an aide to his mother during her entire tenure, and the council selected him to replace her on the council in January 2011.

“He was kind of like an Energizer Bunny,” said Bob Cockey, a longtime family friend. “He was small in stature, but very, very energetic, just like his mom.”

Welch didn’t care about the political party or race of anyone he encountered, Cockey said. He was “old-school” and just wanted to do the right thing.

Welch was among the first people to gather a group to pray at City Hall, Cockey said, after then-Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, announced he had cancer in 2015.

“He kept his word,” said former Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young, who was council president when Welch was in office. “That’s rare for an elected leader in this climate to keep their word.”

Young was among Welch’s defenders during his initial bid for City Council. It was controversial at the time. Community leaders raised concerns about nepotism and Welch’s criminal history.

In 2000, Welch pleaded guilty to handgun violations and second-degree assault for firing a gun in a room full of poll workers during a dispute over $40. He initially claimed he did so to restore order, then later said the gun misfired. The incident gave him the nickname “Pistol Pete.”

Four years later, he pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to file finance reports while he was treasurer for his mother’s campaign.

“I’m a different person now than I was then,” Welch said as the council considered his candidacy, according to a Baltimore Sun article at the time.

Welch said the gun incident pushed him to learn more about anger management practices and that the issues with the campaign finance reports were unintentional mistakes, The Sun reported.

The council eventually appointed him by a vote of 10-3.

After being sworn in, Welch said: “The road has not been easy, but leadership is never easy. Let the work I will do speak for me.” He was elected to a full term that November.

Kyle Berkley, a mental health counselor, remembered Welch as a mentor who “took me under his wing” in 2014, when Berkley first ran for the Democratic State Central Committee, which governs the Maryland Democratic Party.

“He introduced me to fundraisers, places who made custom suits, and educated me to a whole world I knew nothing about,” Berkley wrote on Facebook. “He took the time to get to know me and pointed me in the right direction.”

Welch also helped him set up meetings with politicians when Berkley launched a nonprofit, he said.

“I will miss Pete,” said former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “Seeing him always put a smile on my face. I admired his devotion to his family and his city. He was one of one.”

But Welch was not without his critics. Mayor Brandon Scott, then a council colleague, criticized him in 2015 for casting a deciding vote against one of Scott’s priority bills after Welch missed committee meetings where it was to be discussed.

A Baltimore Sun analysis of council votes from 2011 to 2015 showed that Welch was present for 68% of committee votes and 91% of full council votes. It was far from the best record of the body, but five council members showed up to committee meetings less often than Welch did, The Sun reported.

Welch told reporters at the time he couldn’t remember why he missed the meetings but said he had surgery in 2014 that kept him away from council obligations for months. He said he also prioritized constituent meetings.

But if he had to do it all over again, he told The Sun, “I’d like to play a more active role.”

Welch faced additional criticism that the overwhelming majority of his campaign donations came from outside his district. His big-dollar donations came from liquor store owners, lobbyists and developers, the Baltimore Brew reported in 2014.

But former Mayor Young said he believed Welch did a “super job” in office and represented his district with integrity.

“People can always find fault in elected leaders, but I look at the measure of the man and the work that they put in — showing up for their committee assignments, articulating what’s best for their community, and putting it into action,” Young said. “That’s what Pete did.”

Welch lost the 2016 Democratic primary to John Bullock, a political science professor at Towson University who still sits on the council today. In media interviews before his loss, Welch touted his work on vocational programs for young adults and unemployed residents.

Over the past decade, Welch worked with former council colleague Carl Stokes to raise money for students whose families couldn’t afford their tuition. The two also bonded over their Catholic faith, Stokes said.

“He was a dependable and trusted colleague and friend,” Stokes said. “Our last collaboration was working successfully together with others to elect his daughter Tiffany to the Maryland House of Delegates.”

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