Archive for January, 2011

Is this how Paul Graziano keeps his job?

Posted by ameister on Monday, January 31st, 2011

From the Maryland campaign finance search:

“Rawlings-Blake, Stephanie For Baltimore- Paul Graziano (148 W. Lanvale Street, Baltimore, MD, 21217)- $4,000.00 01/12/2011    Individual”

Housing commissioner Paul Graziano has been able to hold on to his job since 1999 when Martin O’Malley started his first term in office. He has now served under three different mayors. Since no change has been made one has to conclude that all three administrations were satisfied with the dismal housing situation in Baltimore. I still have no idea what Graziano brings to the table. All I know is that $4000 of his bloated taxpayer funded salary goes toward supporting his boss’s political campaign.

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Reverend Frank Reid’s political contributions

Posted by ameister on Friday, January 28th, 2011

Reverend Dr. Frank Madison Reid, III is the pastor of West Baltimore’s Bethel A.M.E. Church.  Many people consider Reid and his church to be major political players in Baltimore. Reid and his wife live in Owings Mills in a 5,449 square foot house valued at $776,100 (down from $938,110) and their church is legally prohibited from endorsing political candidates.  It appears to me that city life is not the Reids’ style and that Reverend Reid’s job located in the city pays quite well.

Click here for a list of Frank and Marlaa Reid’s political contributions. So far in 2011 Reid has given $1,100 to Catherine Pugh (who personally told me she is not part of the political establishment).

Why do we allow churches that in reality have little to do with Baltimore other than physical location, history, and charity work influence the political direction of this city? If a “Major Baltimore Church Player” financially supports a political candidate then you should not vote for that candidate.

Candidates Account Contributor Name(Address) Amount Date Received Contribution Type
Dixon, Sheila Friends For FRANK REID
(8950 HARKATE WAY ,
RANDALLSTOWN, MD, 21133-4242)		 $1,000.00 06/18/2003 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Ehrlich, Bob For Maryland Committee Frank Reid
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117-)		 $200.00 10/24/2006 Individual
Gladden, Lisa Friends of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate road ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $100.00 10/16/2002 Individual
Hoffman, Barbara Friends Of Frank Reid
(3950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $100.00 01/09/2002 Individual
Remarks: 1873
Jones, Adrienne Citizens For Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $100.00 10/01/2004 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Remarks: contribution
Jones, Verna L. Friends of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $500.00 01/11/2005 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Josey, Leronia Friends Of FRANK REID
(1300 DRUID HILL AVE ,
BALTIMORE, MD, 21217)		 $2,000.00 04/19/2010 Individual
Remarks: REGULAR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION
Marriott, Salima Siler Campaign Committee Frank Reid III
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117)		 $1,000.00 05/28/2006 Individual
Marriott, Salima Siler Campaign Committee Frank Reid
(1300 Druid Hill Avenue ,
Baltimore, MD, 21217)		 $100.00 12/18/2000 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Moxley, Stephen G. “Sam” Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $125.00 12/03/2001 Ticket purchases by Individuals
O’Malley, Martin Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $4,000.00 05/14/2003 Ticket purchases by Individuals
O’Malley, Martin Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $2,000.00 04/02/2002 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Remarks: 2 tix Frank Reid, Marla Reid
O’Malley, Martin Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $1,000.00 09/06/1999 Individual
Pugh, Catherine E. Committee to Elect FRANK REID
(1300 DRUID HILL AVENUE ,
BALTIMORE, MD, 21217)		 $1,100.00 01/10/2011 Individual
Rawlings, Pete Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate way ,
Randallstown,, MD, 21133)		 $500.00 01/06/2003 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Rawlings, Pete Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate way ,
Randallstown,, MD, 21133)		 $1,000.00 07/12/2002 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Rawlings, Pete Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate way ,
Randallstown,, MD, 21133)		 $500.00 01/07/2002 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Rawlings, Pete Friends Of Frank Reid
(8950 Harkate way ,
Randallstown,, MD, 21133)		 $1,000.00 01/04/2000 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Robinson, Barbara A. Friends Of Frank Reid
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owning Mills, MD, 21117)		 $300.00 02/24/2006 Individual
Dixon, Sheila Friends For Marlaa Reid
(8950 Hamate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $300.00 09/01/2003 Individual
Dixon, Sheila Friends For Marlaa Reid
(8950 Hamate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $150.00 09/10/1999 Individual
Gladden, Lisa Friends of Marlaa Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133-4242)		 $100.00 10/16/2002 Individual
Josey, Leronia Friends Of Marlaa Reid
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117)		 $75.00 07/25/2010 Individual
Josey, Leronia Friends Of Marlaa Reid
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117)		 $1,000.00 08/06/2006 Individual
Remarks: Campaign Contribution
Marriott, Salima Siler Campaign Committee Marlaa Reid III
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117)		 $300.00 06/25/2006 Individual
McFadden, Nathaniel J. for Senate FRANK & MARLAA REID
(3310 SERENITY WAY ,
OWINGS MILLS, MD, 21117)		 $600.00 12/08/2004 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Pratt, Joan M. Friends To Elect Marlaa Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133)		 $1,000.00 09/08/2003 Individual
Schaefer, William Donald Friends Of Frank & Marlaa Reid
(3310 Serenity Way ,
Owings Mills, MD, 21117)		 $500.00 09/14/2005 Ticket purchases by Individuals
Townsend, Kathleen Kennedy Friends Of Marlaa Reid
(8950 Harkate Way ,
Randallstown, MD, 21133-)		 $300.00 10/22/2002 Individual

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We need leaders who are fiscally proactive

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Last night’s State of the Union speech showed that fiscal responsibility is becoming an important national talking point.  Local jurisdictions need to realize that if the federal government is finally getting around to tweaking its budget that cities and states better get with the budget cutting program.

Property taxes will be a big issue this election.  Several mayoral candidates have talked about lowering property taxes and quite a few city council members have stated that the city can not afford to raise property taxes.

We have come to a point where property taxes must be talked about. The city is facing an $80million budget deficit and raising property taxes would be an easy and destructive way to help make up the difference. Since the last few years have not been kind to many citizens’ pocketbooks some of our local leaders know that voters will rebel if they think they have to give up more of their paychecks.

I am glad that property tax reduction and a refusal to raise property taxes are issues that are finally in the spotlight. The problem is that for at least the last four years there have been many voices warning about this day and it could have been avoided if the city had just chosen to become fiscally responsible during the last election in 2007.

Back in 2007 hardly anyone was talking about property taxes. Leaders did not want to be proactive and address this inevitable problem that drives people away from living in Baltimore. If you take a look at the issues I stressed during my 2007 campaign you will see that property taxes and selling city owned property were very important to me. It’s a shame that no candidate for citywide office touched on any of the fiscal subjects I brought up. Imagine if a leader would have adopted my goal of bringing down the property tax rate to under $2 per $100 of the assessed value of the property by the start of 2010? Had this simple and necessary plan been adopted in 2007 we could have easily attained my other goal of having an identical property tax rate to Baltimore County by 2018.

Baltimore’s property tax rate can still be lowered to close to Baltimore County’s rate in the near future, but it will be harder than it should have been because we will have a later start. We are also going to have to address major spending cuts in city government. I predict that this year’s spending cuts discussion will resemble the property tax discussion of 2007. We all know that spending cuts must be addressed but our leaders are willing to put it off until 2015 when we will be forced to deal with that issue. We need a brave leader with a plan who is not scared to talk about the inevitable. I am getting tired of saying “I told you so”.  We need leaders with sound business minds. In my next post I will finally address the not so sound fiscal ideas that I heard when I sat in on city council meetings earlier this month.

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Rikki Spector and the Harborview mold

Posted by ameister on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Rikki Spector represents the 5th District of Baltimore on the Baltimore City Council. Spector does not live in the 5th District.  Spector “represents” a district that is located in Northwest Baltimore while she lives downtown in the 10th district in the Harborview condominium complex. Spector can no longer hide this fact, but the media does a good job of letting her get away with this travesty. Spector’s disregard for residency requirements is a slap in the face to the citizens of Baltimore, especially those who physically live in the Northwest Baltimore district that she is supposed to represent. While citizens of the 5th district are forced to create their own neighborhood patrol, Spector gets to live in a luxury condo downtown for free for the rest of her life. This is a travesty and it is something that can not be taken lightly. Any Rikki Spector article needs to mention this disgrace. This Agnes/Pete Welch supporting politician must be voted out before she pulls an even bigger anti-democratic move and gets one of her boyfriend’s relatives nominated to take her place. Do not think it can’t happen! The woman already does not live in her district! Remember that in 1977 Spector was appointed to her current seat which was previously held by her now deceased husband. She entered city council the same way Pete Welch did so of course she was never going to vote against him!

It gets worse. I was recently contacted by a person who conveyed the following information to me:

“Here is a link to the “reprimand” that the City Board of Ethics gave to Rikki Spector for her successful attempt to have citations for dangerous mold suppressed at the Harborview condo tower on Key Highway (Spector is credited in the letter with providing “constituent services” even though the harbor view condos are nowhere near the city council district that she is apparently elected for life to serve). The reason she had the city not issue the citations is because she has negotiated a deal with her boyfriend’s family to live there for free for the rest of her life and doesn’t want the condo values to drop so that riff raff like you and I can afford to move in there and be her neighbors.

Even though the City’s Health Department’s cursory investigation determined (after Spector’s intervention) that no mold was present in the the condo building ( mold inconveniently lowers property taxes) the owners of one of the penthouses have had to live elsewhere for almost a year while their condo remains quarantined in a plastic bag and the owner of the other penthouse can’t have his children visit him because one of them has asthma. The City Health Department never even entered the condos to check for mold and the City board of Ethics never bothered to interview the people mentioned in the article before they decided not to charge Spector with an ethical violation.

The City never even bothered to do a real investigation of a mold claim, even though two families in very expensive condos feel strongly enough that there is toxic mold in the building  (and their condos) that one family has moved out of their condo. The other still lives there, but he won’t let his kids in there to visit.

Multiple lawsuits are in the works regarding the mold and the condo boards denial of the issue in a futile attempt to prop up condo values. Most of the condo owners are unaware of the lawsuits or their financial ramifications as the condo board apparently makes all their decisions in a vacuum.  Imagine if the condo board and building owners have to pay to fix the condos and for the year of living expenses for the families to live elsewhere while their condos are toxic.

If the lawsuits go in favor of the condo owners that will provide a clear picture of the corruption of Spector and her flunkies on both the City Board that didn’t enforce the mold citations and the City Ethics Board that “cleared” her of any wrongdoing and failed to sanction her.”

Despite not living in her district it is pretty obvious that Spector has a lot of behind the scenes power in Baltimore. I guess that comes from being part of the machine for 34 years. The bureaucracy would rather humor Spector than ensure that the condos are safe for families who should be living there.

On the side of this article is a picture of the inside of the Harborview condo that was cleared by the City based on Spector’s pressure and the condo board’s indifference.

Here is the Sun’s coverage of this story.

I think it would be entertaining if someone ran against Spector who also does not live in the 5th district. It’s not like she could try and get that person disqualified. The other non-resident candidate could use his or her candidacy to draw attention to this ridiculous residency situation.

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Jack Young’s economic ideas

Posted by ameister on Monday, January 24th, 2011

As President of Baltimore’s City Council Jack Young should have a basic understanding of economics. This year the council will have to deal with an $80million Fiscal 2012 budget deficit. We are going to need leaders who are willing to make hard and smart economic decisions. At the 9th District vacant seat hearing on January 4, 2011 I did not gain a lot of confidence in President Young’s fiscal abilities.

Jack Young was asking the 9th District candidates how they would increase revenue for Baltimore City. He did not ask any of the candidates how they could cut Baltimore’s spending. None of the council members (until the very end of the hearing) brought up spending cuts as a legitimate economic option. The inability or unwillingness of council members to discuss spending cuts is quite disturbing and not at all encouraging.

In the middle of his questions Young decided to briefly discuss his own budget solutions. He talked about “user fees”. He thinks that charging people who work in Baltimore (no matter where they live) a fee for the privileged of working in Baltimore is a good way to raise money and help get rid of our budget deficit. Young first tossed around a $50 user fee and then nonchalantly said “or 10% of their salaries”.

There is a HUGE difference between $50 and 10% of a person’s salary. Many people in the crowed gasped when they heard the 10% figure.  I really hope that President Young understands the difference between $50 and 10% of a person’s salary and that he only misspoke. He can get out of this by saying he misspoke. If Young is serious about a user fee for workers (and I think any user fee is a horrible idea) and if he intends on suggesting that fee be 10% of ones salary then guarantee he will gain national recognition once he formerly introduces such a proposal. Such a proposal will never pass, but if it did one could expect Baltimore to end up like this.

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A look back on the Welch saga

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

“Pistol Pete Welch” is now following me on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/PistolPeteWelch

This has to be the funniest local political Twitter feed I have ever read. It’s nice to know that the local online political community is developing a sense of humor. Local political satire is a sign of increased political interest in Baltimore.

I would love to know who is behind this.

In the real world the City Council has made it it official and Pete Welch has filled his mother’s old seat. I hope that Robert Curran will soon feel the political ramifications of his decision to openly support and promote Pete Welch because of his loyalties to Agnes Welch. If you live in the 3rd District please make sure you vote against Curran in September. You will be reminded about this many more times in the future.

Baltimore Government Watch has an excellent article that shows how other County councils (Baltimore City Council is equivalent to a county council) fill vacancies.

I think Baltimore should fill vacant council seats with whoever came in second place in the last primary election of the party of the current seat holder. If the current seat holder dislikes their former rival then they will not retire early. If the current seat holder dies in office then the people will have a say because the person they thought was second best in the previous election will fill the seat.

Mary Pat Clarke likes this idea according to an intercepted email I received. The email was part of a mass email thread that Doc Cheatham started and Mary Pat Clarke replied to:

“Dear Doc,

I agree we need a more district-inclusive process in filling City Council vacancies.

When I first “returned” to City Council in 2004, we were the first City Council to represent single member districts which eliminate the unwritten “rule of thumb” that, if the remaining two district representatives agreed on a candidate to fill a district vacancy, the City Council accepted that recommendation, knowing that the two district representatives had to answer to the constituents for the selection.  In the second or third meeting of that 2004-07 term, I recommended a simple City Council Rules change that required a formal recommendation by a district’s community organizations to serve in lieu of and of the same weight as the former councilmanic courtesy “rule of thumb.”  But I could not get the City Council to approve.

In fairness, this proposal was an interim measure, because a new rule can be adopted and take effect immediately. It did not go to a Charter change. It did not affect City Council’s right and obligation to fill Council vacancies.

Practically speaking, my proposal would have also required that the communities of each district organize themselves in a “one man, one vote” fashion so that the consensus vote and recommendation to City Council would fairly represent a district’s population. For example, in the 14th District, Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello (CHM) and Ednor Gardens/Lakeside (EGL) are by far the largest neighborhoods, so their votes would have to be weighted accordingly in a district-wide vote of recommendation to City Council.  Which, in the 14th, we could and would figure-out and accomplish. And I believe I did draft companion legislation to create such district councils and the weighting requirements, but I may have just drafted and put on the shelf until relevant.

Clearly, one practical idea may be to have a district vote directly on a replacement — but, because of cost, only if a Citywide election is already scheduled  between the occurrence of a vacancy and the next City Council election.  For example, State elections occur one year before City elections, and a district ballot could be incorporated in a State election ballot. Such an option would require a Charter amendment and would not pertain to most vacancy occurrences, such as the 9th District’s.

Another option would be to require that the runner-up for a district’s most recent City Council election would be automatically appointed to fill-out the term   (Charter amendment) or that Council WILL appoint that runner-up (City Council Rules change). Runner-up would have to still live in the district, however, and still be eligible and still want the job. (Things do change.)

Not to discount in this discussion the pending legislation of which I am a co-sponsor. Which can serve as a focal point for reviewing options in an organized fashion and representative fashion. Count me in, please.

Thanks for your interest and concern.

Mary Pat Clarke”

It’s nice to see that Mary Pat Clarke thinks that appointing the runner-up is a feasible solution. She clearly did not think it was very feasible when she completely ignored the 1135 votes that 2007 9th District primary election runner-up Michael Johnson received and voted for Abigail Breiseth to fill the vacant 9th District seat. This is just another case of actions speaking louder than words.

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A friendly Pete Welch interview

Posted by ameister on Monday, January 17th, 2011

All of you know that I think the Pete Welch situation is absolutely disgraceful. Another shady relative of a politician is not what Baltimore needs if it is going to change for the better. Not everyone agrees with me. Check out this video of a Pete Welch interview that BmoreNews.com recently conducted.

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Doni Glover raves about the “37 letters of support” that Welch produced at the vacant seat hearing. The interview also shows that Welch is not embarrassing like Warren Branch. He knows how to present himself in a professional manner like a typical politician. Welch’s major flaws can only been seen when you look at his history and the installation process (including his mother’s backroom deals) that gave him the 9th District seat. Since most voters make their decisions based on superficial qualities and do very little background research one can expect Welch to be very hard to defeat unless something major changes in the local political world.

I think the numerous attempts to praise and worship Agnes Welch are part of the classic Baltimore political process of glossing over a politician’s obvious weaknesses in order to make them seem like a legendary political hero. To see the truth about the 27 year Agnes Welch regime walk around the 9th District like I did in this video.

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Opposition letter to proposed Pigtown club

Posted by ameister on Sunday, January 16th, 2011

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Problem clubs have been in the news lately.  Some people in Pigtown are worried about what a proposed club may bring to their part of town:

” A woman named, Tiffany Felder, applied to have a liquor license transferred from East Baltimore into Pigtown at 756 Washington Blvd.  However, some feel her dealings with the community have not been transparent and at times misleading. Furthermore, they’ve hired a liquor board inspector, as a “security consultant” while the transfer of the liquor license is under consideration by the Liquor Board.   In addition, the property is under renovations, which far surpass the current paint/tile permit (COM2010-21725) obtained for the property.  These renovations have also taken place before the City’s Zoning Board has been given a chance to consider changes to the buildings usage.  The Zoning Board is scheduled to consider a usage change on Tuesday, 1/18/2011.

Many in Pigtown believe Ms. Felder (and her behind the scenes partners) are attempting to open a hip-hop-drug-dealer-shot em’ up club with no concern for the community.  She has twice presented her proposal for a “lounge” at community meetings.  However, she and her partners are extremely evasive when confronted with questions and concerns from community leaders.  For example, they’ve claimed to have a parking agreement with the owner of the shopping center across the street.  There is in fact no agreement, as of today,  with the shopping center.

Thanks,

Dan Cosgrove, President

Washington Village Development Association (WVDA)”

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Rawlings-Blake, Rolley, and the rest

Posted by ameister on Friday, January 14th, 2011

On Tuesday night the Mayor held her fundraiser and her biggest challenger Otis Rolley held his Bill Cosby fundraiser.  Rolley has now been crowned “a top contender” by the Baltimore Sun. The Sun published an article about both fundraisers.  Had the fundraisers not been on the same day it is highly unlikely that Rolley would have received this much attention. In a previous article of mine I wondered why the Rawlings-Blake campaign also picked this date to hold a fundraiser. The competing fundraisers have clearly made Rolley THE top contender. I guess it is possible that the Rawlings-Blake campaign is so confident that they feel comfortable with Rolley as their main competition. This early “battle” has clearly drawn a line between the favorite/the number one contender and the rest of the field made up of the Scott Donahoos of the world. Ouch.

A well supported incumbent like Rawlings-Blake will be incredibly hard to defeat. The first step for a legitimate challenger is to establish himself and distance himself from the Donahoos. Thanks to the Rawlings-Blake campaign, Otis Rolley is clearly the premiere established challenger. If his campaign reports big fund-raising numbers then expect even more money to flow his way and for sideline candidates to stay on the sideline.

There has been some Internet chatter trying to connect Rolley to Sheila Dixon. One would assume that the Rawlings-Blake campaign would not go there for obvious reasons. See this photo.

I know Rolley is dead set on running for mayor, but I think it would be interesting if he changed his mind and decided to use his momentum and money in the easier City Council president race.  He could even campaign on being the four year opposition to Rawlings-Blake instead of just the campaign season opposition to her. It would be much easier for Rolley to beat Rawlings-Blake after four years of battling her as the City Council President than under the current scenario. In this one party town I think a lot of people would appreciate some opposition and debate in city government.

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Mary Pat Clarke and the living wage issue

Posted by ameister on Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Pete Welch has represented the 9th District for two days, but we can still learn a lot about Baltimore’ s inner workings by looking back and analyzing different aspects of last Tuesday’s vacant seat hearing.

Mary Pat Clarke started on City Council in 1975! She took a break in the late 1990′s after losing the race for mayor in 1995. She triumphantly returned in 2003 and played the role of the spunky constituent serving veteran that older black and white ladies passionately adored.

When I was on the campaign trail in 2007 I would meet older black women who asked me why Mary Pat Clarke was not running for mayor of Baltimore. They would have supported her over Sheila Dixon.  She has a very loyal female base that is spread all over the city and is made up of women from every demographic imaginable.  Her gimmick has served her well.

Clarke is still stuck in the distant past when it comes to economic policies. She is a tax and spend Democrat and she thinks the city can come up with money for just about any project. All of her questions to the candidates dealt with her living wage bill/obsession.

Only Welch seemed to not support a living wage bill. He did not give a clear answer (he was being a typical ambiguous politician), but he did let out one gem which showed that despite his flaws he does have a grasp of economic realities. He is a real CPA.  Welch stated that on a national level he supports a living wage, but if only Baltimore city adopted a living wage that it would cause major problems for Baltimore. He is correct about Baltimore. If Baltimore forced private businesses to pay a living wage then those private businesses would not locate in Baltimore. Private businesses would move to nearby jurisdictions with less crime, grime, and much lower costs of doing business.

Clarke did not seem pleased with Welch. I thought there was a chance that she would vote for Michael Johnson. She ended up voting for Abigail Breiseth who was the only female candidate and the only candidate who admitted she had a lack of local tax knowledge. I guess Clarke wanted to support a candidate who she thought was just like her.

Clarke is beloved in some circles because of her spunky gimmick, but when you look closely at her policies you understand why we urgently need voters to look beyond superficial gimmicks and last names and judge local politicians on the policies they bring to the table that will help Baltimore.

On Thursday I was in attendance for the end of a budget hearing where Mary Pat Clarke demonstrated that despite her decades on City Council she had close to no understanding of the current fiscal dilemma that just about every jurisdiction in the country is facing. A future post of mine will be dedicated to talking about what I witnessed at this at times disturbing City Council budget hearing.

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