City panel closes meeting over Under Armour financing

“. . . a cover-up. Under Armour is a billion dollar company who is a darling of private non-profits here in Baltimore who funnel private money around the city’s general fund back into their own projects. This isn’t simply irregular. . . it is illegitimate.”
– Cwals99

“Oh the irony! A cash strapped City has to give a $3.8B market cap company a $35M TIF break.”
– Mair
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Proposed Under Armour TIF financing violates city’s own guidelines

“No big deal. Plenty of room in Sparks or NoVA for a new UA corporate HQ with adjacent playing fields. Overall, it would be cheaper for UA. Few opportunities for local ‘community organizers’ to mau-mau them, too. Win-win!”
– James Hunt

“It’s not actually not cheaper to move to a location like Sparks because UA, Exelon, and all these huge corporations know that some city out there is going to ignore the inherent advantages of its urban location and participate in the race to the bottom that is TIF, EZ, PILOT etc”
– surelysirly

“No. It is cheaper to locate in Sparks or NoVA. And it’s more convenient to a very well-educated, well-prepared work force. And it’s generally a more pleasant environment. That’s why so many companies have already done it. Thought people would’ve figured this out when McCormick split from its ‘inherently advantageous’ Inner Harbor location (still a parking lot) decades ago, but I guess not. At any rate, Under Armour’s chief competitor (both in terms of sales and for enterprising employees), Nike, settled in the ‘burbs a long time ago and has a beautiful campus with athletic fields and running trails galore. UA’s trying to create something of the urban equivalent with one (1) athletic field (the showcase for local athletes that Rash Field should have been), improved public parks nearby, and a public greenway that more or less completes the promenade between Canton and Ft. McHenry. How horrible for our fair city that the additional taxes Under Armour will be paying should be used in this way!”
– James Hunt

“You’re kidding right? Any workers available to a company in Hunt Valley, MD are available to them in Baltimore. Btw have you seen Hunt Valley? Talk about an architecturally insignificant hell hole. There’s a reason why industry once located all along the Baltimore waterfront. Although the waterfront’s value is tied to post-industrial uses today, the fact is it remains Baltimore’s most valuable asset. UA bought into one of Baltimore’s premier waterfront properties for a really favorable price. Kudos to UA. But that does not grant UA the god-given right to use their influence and preferential location to direct where city resources should go. And this is all because they can threaten to move to a whiter location.”
– surelysirly

“Can I just mention one more time the funding shortage for recreation centers? I’m having some conceptual difficulty with spending $27 million building private recreation amenities as a company benefit for Underarmor Corp. Public access is too undefined for me – kinda like the sidewalks at Harborplace where the police won’t allow protesters on the sidewalks even though they are in the transportation right of way.”
– Bmorepanic

“Great, so the city’s taxpayers will help bankroll a park that might end up under private ownership. A park that will then be used by some of the city’s wealthier, more privileged citizens who already have plenty of safe public park space and nice smooth jogging paths to frolic on. Is it any wonder that homeowners continue to flee the city in droves? What more can we expect from them when they see the revenue from their exorbitant property taxes help fund projects like this, even as their own neighborhoods languish and remain riddled with crime?”
– blackeye
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Notice of Layoffs issued to Sparrows Point steelworkers

“. . . i am a firm believer in god and i pray every night for a miracle for us all the government is not going to help us like they did for the car industry they say we will send u to school to learn a new trade we r well most of us is in late 50’s we do not need schools we need our mills to run to help rebuild this country that has been sold out by the same government that wants to retrain us for what there r no jobs to earn a desent living anymore my father always told me as a boy hey u pay your taxes and take care of uncle sam and when u get old they will take care of u bulls&*() now he is 88 and has to work . . . i love being a steelworker but we have all been sold out.”
– peacebwith usall

“It is high time the steel workers of Sparrows, young and able hit the books to acquire new skills. Those ready to retire should call it quits. The steel era is drawing to a close in Baltimore. A brave new bio tech era has begun.”
– Unellu

“Unellu, Do you happen to work at any of the colleges or universities that are frothing at the mouth every time they hear of steelworker layoffs like all the colleges around the Ohio Valley?? They are rolling in the money trying to come up with any type of college courses that they can sell to the poor laid off steelworkers.”
– Standupforsteel

“New owners will have a bulldozer and turn that land into condos.”
– ETGOLF

“Ahoy RAVENS 55 – Sparrows Point has two large ships docked in our basin. The STAR JAPAN and the RESKO proves that there are still those that believe in the Point.”
– George

“George, the STAR JAPAN and RESKO are here to liquidate the raw materials with spray paint around them not pick up steel.”
– Sparrows Hater

“The Baltimore Grand Prix needs George. Just imagine how many major sponsors he’d already have lined up, and how many tickets he’d report as sold. . .”
– Rkolberg

“Sure, we have no power over how a man like Ira runs his business – not alone. Sure, a few of us rode the easy train while we could, and others didn’t. But a really simple point is that if we would have stopped all our ridiculous bickering and actually stood together as a real union, a real brotherhood of workers, maybe we could have made our union act a little differently.”
– Joe Harris
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Six reasons why the Sparrows Point steel mill collapsed

“NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would finance anything that Ira Rennert has his fingers in. Rennert never puts his own money into anything and stiffs everyone else with the bills. He is an environmental nightmare and poisons his workers, their families and their communities. He should pay all his bills, liabilities, lawsuits and never be allowed to operate an industry again. He would stiff his own mother for $10 cents.”
– Dr. Raymond Boothe

“I think he should spend a small percentage of his six billion dollar fortune that he earned by raping and pillaging workers around the globe, and either purchase a decent set of plastic choppers or stop smiling when the cameras are present.”
– WPSC

“It might be good that it’s an election year and the Dems will need the votes of employed rather that unemployed workers. Let’s hope!”
– Pointworker

“Thank you, Mark, for this precise insight. I couldn’t have summed this any better. I worked in the office of Material Control ordering supplies for the mills, before I retired. I noticed how R.G. was treating the vendors, like they were low lifes, as the company would never give them a complete analysis of their payments. . . The upper-management wasn’t any better, with their explanations of why things were so screwed up. I couldn’t take it any more, and I retired back in February. I feel sorry for the vendors, and the way R.G. did the customers, and especially the younger workers left behind. Again, thank you for putting the truth out here. “
– Alice
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Sparrows Point’s blast furnace idled again

“What a shame, Ira and the union will walk away without losing a single dime. This partnership between the union and Ira was a disaster from the start and everyone bought in to their lies and just sat back and watched them use the workers to line their pockets before they were forced to shut it all down.”
– Pipewrench 11856

“Brothers and sisters it is time to take the fight to washington if obama is true to american manufacturing then it is time to show it.”
– loveuall

“Another owner? I am running out of fingers and toes.”
– Fordtrkfan

“Can someone explain to me why anything that is said bad about the SP is taken as gospel and anything that said favorable is a lie.”
– JohnDrSmith

“Inside-Out, If I were you, I sure wouldn’t push my luck! In fact, you should be thankful that the Brew has covered only a FEW of the operational scale-backs and shutdowns, emissions releases, and fires/accidents that have occurred at RG Steel’s Sparrows Point site over the past six months. Anyone with two eyes to see the Point’s stacks and read Baltimore Co. fire/emergency response reports will tell you: The Brew news reports are just the tip of the iceberg. Good luck to all who are trying to keep RG Steel from going the way of the Titanic!”
– Stan

“The only chance Wheeling and WCI have to survive is to separate from Sparrows Point and bring in an entire new management team.”
– wciheycraneman
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Inside City Hall: Viva Las Vegas!

“I really don’t think this is too big of a deal. If the conference was being held in Wichita, KS instead of Vegas, I don’t think this would even be news.”
– glsever

“9 city officials are out there including Stokes who has no business there, nor does Young. Carolyn Blackeney is the only one that know the ropes at ICSC. I used to see her there. DBED sent only 2, Baltimore County sent only 1, Baltimore City sends 9 +1 cop to protect a mayor that no one knows. A renal car really? She would be better off getting a van that they can all share as we did in out Private company. Go figure, who is paying for this? Each of them should be held fully accountable upon return and should be made show every single party.”
– Heanensabove

“I think I would have less of a problem if she were straight with citizens. Why all the hiding and mystery? Who ever runs her press needs to get with the program and ahead of the media news cycle.”
– Westside Resident

“What about Young and Stokes? You think they are signing deals? They have no authority to sign deals and they have don’t have the knowledge to make a deal. No diplomatic skills either so why are they out there? Who’s paying for that? They are listed as attending under the BDC, they work at the BDC now? Now that’s a vacation.”
– Heavensabove

“I live in a city of over 600,000 souls with no publicly-available internet fiber and not even a the same lousy Apple Store they have in Tulsa Oklahoma. How can you defend this? Why do we accept this? I have said it before: ‘We’ve been down so long, it looks like up.’”
– Smiley
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City Hall’s new curb appeal

“Is this necessary when funds are tight?”
– Annette Thomas, via Facebook

“So, it’s wrong to spruce up around City Hall? So unless the money is spent the poor, downtrodden or discriminated it is money wasted?”
– Dsthomas4007

“It’s like the CEO being driven around in the Lincoln’s while the secretary takes the bus to work.”
– Rokkinrobin55

“Hey, I’m from Detroit and I can tell you what happens when a city is not maintained. There is a very high price paid, far greater that the cost to maintain it.”
– Jan Angevine