Sarbanes Events in Mt. Washington

I have been doing quite a bit of work on the Michael Sarbanes for City Council President Campaign. We are certainly looking for more volunteers, so if you can spare a few hours between now and the September 11 Primary, please shoot me an email.

But before I put you to work, though, let me feed you. The campaign is doing a big barbecue for volunteers and supporters on Labor Day--Monday September 3rd at 6:30 pm. This will be held at the home of Chris and Caroline Tufts at 5601 Wexford Road, just off of West Rogers Avenue.

This is going to be a great event where you can grab a bite, meet Michael Sarbanes, and hang out with your neighbors in a beautiful setting. Hope to see you there.

Legg Mason Looks for a new CEO: Big deal for Baltimore

The Sun reports today that Legg Mason is hiring a consulting firm to locate a new leader to take over when Chip Mason, now 70, decides to retire. This is a huge issue. The CEO's role in America seems to have changed over the last twenty years. Instead of being involved and entwined in the local economy and political scene, these folks seem to be more interested in setting up their Florida residences to avoid the state tax hit when they sell their companies to the highest out of state bidder. This general practice is what has gutted Baltimore of so many corporate giants over the years.

One recent, foiled example is Mayo Shattuck, current leader of Constellation Energy. His rap sheet includes the sale of Baltimore icon Alex. Brown and Sons to the ill-fated Bankers Trust of New York, which was later folded into Deutchebank. This was costly for Baltimore in terms of jobs, tax base, and prestige. Mayo made out like a bandit. And then he tried to do the same thing again by selling Constellation out to the vastly inferior Florida Power and Light in a deal that mercifully fell into the maw of the 2006 governor's race. Shattuck should be branded as a villian. His efforts to enrich himself with no regard for his community is shameful.

But back to Chip Mason, who could be described as just the opposite of Shattuck. He has kept Legg in Baltimore and has grown it over the years into a huge asset management player. Asset management is a quiet giant in the Maryland economy with firms like Rydex Funds (which recently changed hands to out of state ownership), Calvert Funds, T.Rowe Price, Legg, and others. This concentration of asset management firms creates an environment where careers can be built for many people right here in Maryland. We should be protecting and growing this industry.

But a lot of the future of this industry is in the hands of the consultant Legg has hired. It is critical that whoever succeeds Chip Mason be a great leader and manager, but also be someone who is committed to Baltimore and Maryland and who would NEVER sell Legg to an out of state player. The Governor and the Mayor should be tightly focused on this process and should use all of their influence to make sure that the concerns of Marylanders are heard before the bidding starts for yet another Baltimore stalwart.

The Examiner: A Real Newspaper?

I noticed something funny in today's Examiner. Alberto Gonzales resigned yesterday. Remember that? It was on the front page of pretty much every paper in the country. It happened in the morning, so it was pretty easy for any paper to cover. Yet the Examiner made no mention of it at all. I'm not saying that they didn't run it on the front page. I'm saying that it wasn't ANYWHERE in the paper at all. That rag gets more bizarre every week.

Sarbanes for City Council President

As a lot of you know, I was considering a run against Rikki Spector for the 5th district City Council seat. Ultimately, I decided against it. It wasn't that I didn't think I could win. It was that I didn't think the the City Council was a place where dynamic thinking and decisive acts could really happen. The culture seems to accept a certain status quo. Bills come roaring out of committee that never should have even been introduced, and a scant few members even bat an eye. It's enough to make you, well, not run.

I have known Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for years. In fact, she is married to a childhood friend. I like her, and I think she'll do a fine job if elected. But I'm supporting her opponent because I think that the election of Michael Sarbanes will mean more. It will change the expectations for the entire Council. And hopefully by creating a more challenging and energized atmosphere, it will encourage more highly qualified people to seek seats on the Council in the next cycle.

On our favorite issue (slots, slots, and more slots), I think Sarbanes has the best articulated position. While I prefer a "line drawn in the sand" approach, politicians have to be, um, political. And I think he does that while making his opposition clear:

"The presence of slots in Maryland will be determined at the State level. While I am not a proponent of slots as the answer to the state's budget problems nor a core economic development strategy, I recognize that this issue will be not be decided by the city council. The city's focus should be on how any proposed slots plan will affect the city. I think that revenue from slots at the state level in part should go to support the racing industry and renovating Pimlico, particularly because the racing jobs and construction jobs there can provide good jobs for working families. I think that public ownership of slots under any proposed state scheme will help to maintain a degree of control over possible unintended consequences. In terms of locations in the city, I think Baltimore should look with a great deal of caution at any proposals to locate slots within the city. There are serious concerns about the impact on other small entertainment businesses in the city, on safety and quality of life in surrounding communities, and on gambling addiction. Like many businesses, slots have an impact beyond their walls and the city should carefully consider these concerns in any slots proposal."

Stephanie, on the other hand, puts it another way. I have not edited this, so there are some typos in her response. I say this not to degrade the response, but to make it clear that my typing isn't deteriorating:

"Prior to becoming City Council President, I represented the sixth district of Baltimore on the City Council for nearly twelve years. Included in that district are the Pimlico and Park Heights sections of our City. When I am asked about slots in Baltimore, I always refer to Park Heights and Pimlico because, for twelve years, I have listened to the thoughts and opinions of my neighbors in Park Heights and Pimlico. I have walked those streets time and time again.If slots were to come to Baltimore, I cannot see any realistic possibility of them going anywhere but to the race course to save jobs for the racing industry and to keep the Preakness at Pimlico. Pimlico it is a venue where gambling already exists, after all.Like many of my neighbors, I support the limited use of slots, provided that the money from the machines goes toward revitalization of the communities that seemingly have not shared in our City's prosperity. This includes school construction and repair, the opening of additional recreation centers, the elimination of blighted vacant properties and the creation of green space, among other projects."

What I hate about this response is that it parrots the O'Malley line about "limited slots." Anyone who understands how the national gambling industry operates in terms of government relations should know that they will spend an unlimited amount of money in order to get to each round expansion. Again, neither of these are perfect responses, but Sarbanes doesn't fail to acknowledge the enormous problems that slots would bring to our neighborhoods. Not the only reason to support Sarbanes over Rawlings-Blake, but certainly a good start.

So I am supporting Mr. Sarbanes for a more effective City Council and a better city. I'd be delighted if you joined me. You can email me to find out how you can get involved, and you can learn more about Sarbanes HERE.

Absentee Ballot Information

If you are going to be away during the September 11, 2007 primary, you have until 4:30 on September 4th to request an absentee ballot. While the polls seem to indicate that the Mayoral race isn't going to be that close, the City Council President race is very, very close. You have to vote, folks. HERE is the link to State Board of Elections.

Mt. Washington Elementary Clean-Up Day

A great school makes a great neighborhood. In this sense, supporting Mt. Washington Elementary School is important for every resident of our neighborhood. Over the last decade, lots of young families have chosen to move to Mt. Washington for many reasons. But having a quality elementary school is a major factor. Regardless of whether your children attend the school, it's important that we all do everything we can to help.

Tomorrow you will have a chance to do just that. The school is holding a Clean Up Day on Saturday from 9 t0 3. The idea is to get the school spruced up so that when the teachers and kids arrive back from summer vacation on Monday everything sparkles.

So carve a few hours out of your Saturday, grab some cleaning, painting, or gardening tools and join your neighbors for a few hours to support your school and your neighborhood.

See you there!

Observation on Perez Slots Report

Governor O'Malley's Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation Tom Perez released a report last week that was supposed to be an objective look at the slots issue. As I understand it, the Governor's office had a major hand in shaping it into a pro-gambling puff piece. But when any kind of juicy slots story hits in the doldrums of August, the press latches on aggressively. Everybody covered the story--to death. In fact, I have yet another interview scheduled this morning.

But today it dawned on me that while everyone has weighed in on this report, one guy has not--Tom Perez himself. Tom, who had been opposed to legalized slots when he was a candidate for Maryland Attorney General a few short months ago, has not said anything. I haven't seen a single quote. In fact, he left town just as the report was being released.

Does the fact that he won't say a word in defense of his work mean anything? Does it mean he's proud of the work and eager to defend his conclusions? It doesn't seem that way to me.

Two Disgusting Articles

Are my friends who send me articles just weird, or is the whole world going to hell? Cases in point: two inbox items on the topic of urine.

1) Gambler Compains of Urine-soaked chair. It seems that Floyd Kibiloski of Fern Creek, KY sat in something nasty at his local Caeser's casino. The amazing thing is that I have run across this problem reported many times over the last five years. Addicted gamblers will sit on those stools beyond any reason. I have been told that a major casino expense is carpet cleaning. This is a nasty business for so many reasons...

2) Community-wide Drug Testing at Wastewater Plants. It seems that some Oregon State scientists have figured out that you can test whole communities for drug use with a teaspoon of waste water collected from local sewage treatment plants. This interests me because there is a theory out there that indicates drug use among white suburbanites is just just as high as among inner-city minorities. The prisons are packed with city folk, while their middle class suburban drug-addled counterparts are enjoying the high life on the outside. This process would allow us all to see what is really going on in those gated communities.

My Conversation with the House Minority Leader

I was invited to be on WJLA-TV's "Capital Sunday" program which aired this past Sunday. The topic was the renewed push to legalize slots. The other guest was Maryland House of Delegates Minority Leader Anthony O'Donnell. The link to the show is HERE, and you will have to wait through the first segment to get the part on slots.

But sometimes you can have a very interesting conversation before the taping starts. Once, at MPT, newly elected Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold had a whole conversation with me before he realized that I was NOT Howard County Exec. Ken Ulman. Weird. So back to O'Donnell. I asked him about the recent reports in the Sun that showed the MD-GOP is basically broke. He responded that the MD Dems were in the same place in 2003. I have no idea if this is true, but it doesn't change the fact that the GOP seems to be pretty deep into the weeds.

The reason I brought the money up with the Delegate is because of the Baltimore mayor's race. Here's a little-known fact: there IS a GOP candidate! Who knew? Elbert Henderson, who ran last time under the cloud of accusations that he doesn't live in Baltimore, is running once again. I'd tell you more, but there really isn't any more to tell. No website, no appearances, no nothing. Google him and see what you find.

So I asked O'Donnell how the MD-GOP could be taken seriously if they weren't ever planning to run a serious candidate, or weren't able to support their one candidate with some cash from the state party? Baltimore is still the largest city in the state, remember? He responded that if they had any money, they would never bother to spend it in Baltimore. The voters here, he says, always vote for Democrats and it would simply be a waste of resources. I countered that it is crazy to demand a "marketplace of ideas" and then not bother to show up with any wares to offer. To lament the loyalty of Baltimore voters to the Dems while never offering them a legitimate alternative is really a cop out.

So if you get the impression that the Maryland Republican Party has given up on Baltimore City in every sense of the word, you appear to be right.

He did suggest that I should consider running for mayor as a Republican. I told him that I could consider it, but that the party would have to come up with some financial support. I figured that would be a good way to avoid having to tell him that I would rather eat glass than have to register as a Republican.

Enjoy the video, and leave me a comment!

A-rabbers in Mt. Washington?

The Sun reported today that the city had to condemn the stables where Baltimore's A-rabbers stable the ponies that pull their produce carts through the neighborhoods. The stables are currently on Retreat Street, which is down near the intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues. One solution being offered is to move the ponies to Pimlico. Could that mean a-rabbers clopping around in the neighborhood? Who knows?

When I lived in Charles Village, the occasional horse-drawn produce cart would make it by our house. While the charm factor was huge, the produce quality was terrible. Perhaps some creative Mt. Washington business whiz could develop a consulting relationship with one of these cart owners to bring quality fruits and veggies right to your door. Or maybe a local attorney can bring suit against Peapod.com for stealing the idea that these guys have been using for the last few hundred years?

Peter O'Malley Throws Some Support

Mt. Washington neighbor Peter O'Malley makes for an interesting local political barometer. If you want to see who big bro' Martin is supporting in local races, check out Peter and Mindy O'Malley's driveway for campaign signs.

Peter, who currently serves on the staff of Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith (himself a big MO'M supporter), has had his Stephanie Rawlings-Blake campaign signs out ever since Martin came out with his endorsement of the current City Council President. No surprise, really, since it was Stephanie's dad, Pete, whose endorsement arguably got Martin elected Mayor in the first place.

But Governor O'Malley has been noticeably silent on the current Mayor's race. Could that be about to change? Peter's driveway is currently sporting a great big Sheila Dixon for Mayor sign. Stay tuned.

Looks Like V-Fest Will Return

In talking to the people running the festival, they always say that they'd like to be back next year but that it's not a sure thing. There was an article in the Sun today with quotes from people like Richard Branson and Seth Hurwitz that made it sound like a good bet. You can read it here.

Virgin Festival Turns Out Fine

From everything I have heard, the neighborhood experience with the Festival was positive. The sound level was reasonable, the crowds were well-behaved, and the trash wasn't too bad.

A lot of people have thanked me for dealing with this and for getting the 2-for-1 ticket deal in place. It was a lot of work, but also very gratifying. But there are a lot of others who deserve our thanks as well:

Concert Promoters I.M.P.: Not only did I.M.P. come through with a great ticket deal, they really and sincerely worked hard to improve the event over last year and to make it better for the neighborhood. You can't imagine the number of details that have to be managed to create an event like this, so I really want to thank them for really listening to our concerns.

Virgin Supremo Sir Richard Branson: Branson insisted that this be the greenest festival in the world. Every plate, fork, and cup at the event was biodegradable. Even the generators ran soley on bio-diesel. As the direct neighbors of the event, we benefit most directly from these efforts.

The Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods: The Mayor's office made sure that we had access to the police officials running the event. They also brought sanitation officials in to meet with us to make sure that all of our concerns were met.

Last, but not least, the Baltimore City Police Department: These folks did a great job. They listened to our issues and made sure that the neighborhood got the coverage we asked for. There was an assault reported on the list-serv, and arrests were made promptly. Go BPD! So thanks for keeping us safe this weekend, and every other day of the year. We don't say "thanks" nearly enough.

Finally, below are two short videos that I shot at the concert on Saturday. The first is Ben Harper and the second is the Beastie Boys. They kind of suck, but they will give you a flavor for what the festival was like. Sort of.





For a better video (that somebody more talented made) clicke HERE.

PA Slots Tidbit

In an effort to make neighborhoods feel better about having huge casinos rammed down their throats, there is a bill in the PA legislature that would keep casinos 1,500 feet from neighborhoods, churches, schools, and playgrounds.

Yes, 1,500 FEET! Is this the kind of fight we want to be waging in the future? Arguing over whether the predator is a quarter mile away or a third of a mile away? Oh, and it looks like the neighborhoods are losing the argument anyway because the law gives the State the power to over-ride local zoning laws. Nice...

Keiffer: A Mayor for Every Neighborhood (except ours)

Here we are only a little more than two months out from the September 11 primary. The mayoral candidates seem to be just about everywhere you go. As anyone reading this probably knows, I want to know what these people think about the idea of putting a huge casino here in our neighborhood. Personally, I don't think it's such a great idea. But some differ.

One who does is Keiffer Mitchell. His position on slots is that he'd support them if the state kicks in enough cash to make it worth his while as Mayor. Simple enough. But just what does that really mean? How do you compensate Baltimore for something that you can't really quantify? I'm sure he means well, and he wants to make sure that the city ends up being fairly treated.

For instance, he wants to see the state cover the traffic infrastructure issues related to gambling. Generally, this is considered to be the costs of upgrading the I-83 interchange at Northern Parkway, adding some turn lanes and signage, and perhaps upgrading a few other nearby intersections. But we all know that the fastest route from 695 to Pimlico is Greenspring Avenue--right through the heart of Mt. Washington. How much money would it take to make Greenspring Avenue and Pimlico Road safe for our kids? How much would it cost to protect people walking home from synagogue on a rainy February Friday night?

A Mitchell administration would also presumably demand that state build in funding to bolster our police so that they can handle the increase in crime associated with gambling. Sounds like a good idea. But it's not just uniformed officers we are talking about. Who pays what to cover the cost of adjucation and incarceration? How can we possibly quantify the cost of a family being evicted when mom runs through the rent money at the slots? What are the social service costs associated with putting two kids in foster care when their family falls apart over gambling debts? We can't even guess.

And what is the cost when our City Council is packed with people who were supported by the gambling industry? How do we get our democracy back when campaign and lobbying money turns the City Council into a rubber stamp for Magna Entertainment? How can we be compensated? How can we even begin to calculate the real and true costs?

All of this is important to consider, but you could dismiss it as alarmist, over-the-top rhetoric. But there is one reality that you can't just blow off: the Mayor of Baltimore will have no control over what an Annapolis slots bill looks like. None. Slots bills are not built by mayors. They are classic, smoke-filled room exercises involving the likes of Senate President Mike Miller, a pantheon of well-heeled gambling lobbyists, and legislators from the mold of now disgraced Senator Tommy Bromwell.

Nobody is going to leap from their overstuffed chair at 2 a.m. to call in Mayor Mitchell on the details. He's going to read about it in the papers just like you and me. So there is only one path for the Mayor of Baltimore: stident, unrelenting opposition. Anything less leads only to the notion that Baltimore supports the Predator.

So my question to Keiffer is this: How are you possibly going to meaningfully influence the nuances of a process over which you have no power and little influence?

Keiffer: A Mayor for Every Neighborhood, Except Ours

This was a double post. I would delete it, but I wanted to save the comments.

Aaron