Inside City Hall: Council breaks bread with casino execs

“Our mayor has no shame and our council has no guts.”
– Fire Next Time

“Let’s keep this separate from the content of the meeting. Sharing a meal does not equal a commitment.”
– Steve

“A promised miniscule increase in Caesar’s investment if they get table games, from $375M to $400M (6 percent) indicates that any proposed effort to turn Baltimore’s casino into a tourist magnet looks half-hearted at best. Russell Street as Baltimore’s version of the Las Vegas strip? Ha! Caesar would need to do better to consider the whole package. That’s why Cleveland put their new casino right in the middle of downtown. That’s obviously not going to happen in Baltimore (thank goodness), so instead, a downtown “brand” needs to be extended to the casino. The bicycle question actually needs to be taken seriously, not for the high rollers of course, but mostly for the employees. Again, it should not be just a miniscule investment in bike racks, but making the surrounding area bike friendly instead of overwhelmed by the 4000 car parking garage.”
– Gerald Neily
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Wavering because of an audit, school advocates say, means “turning your back on our kids”

“As long as these cronies maintain their grip on what passes as education, no amount of money will really bring better outcomes for kids. Imagine loaning BCPSS that much money? What percentage would be squandered, stolen or lost before the rank and file BEC and unions folks even got their invite to the party? Lets take that money and put it where it will actually work for kids today- into school choice.”
– Parent of 3 says no to BEC

“I’m not sure to what plan they are referring, but if it is the billion dollar Wall Street financial instrument that gives the banks ownership of public schools for 30 years, then the average person does not understand the repercussions of this policy. . . I would also like to point out that the Baltimore Education Coalition is primarily a charter school organization and for those who see charters as a step towards public education privatization, having Wall Street own these public schools fits nicely with that goal. “
– Cwalls99

“Cwals99, I’m afraid you have your facts wrong. BEC is NOT primarily a charter school organization. It’s made up of dozens of institutions, including public schools, churches, and many others. Please do your research about both BEC and the capital financing plan for the schools. . . While you may not approve of the financing arrangement, it is the only viable one that is on the table right now.  Come join us and help us make it a reality – to benefit kids across the city.”
– Tomwaldron1

“I think the board should consider removing Alonso, the only difference between him and the previous CEO’s appears to be the Harvard Degrees. Then the BCPSS should eliminate the William Donald Schaefer corporate patronage structure and replace it with a leaner more schools focused staff. Alonso has added a number of high paid useless admin jobs for former TFA, Fund for Educational Excellence staff and Morgan grads. Its not enough to build new facilities, the whole system’s got to change.”
– Fire Next Time
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Another ailing neighborhood getting the big mural treatment

“Murals are a great way for self-important people to aggrandize themselves further.  I couldn’t care less about the money they’re being paid.  It’s the fact that they get to do nothing substantive in a neighborhood and pat themselves on the back incessantly – in their CVs and in forums like the Brew. . .  I thought this was misguided policy and borderline aggressive when they did it up in Charles North, Barclay, and Greenmount West.  I’m downright pissed now that it’s moved to my neighborhood.”
– park ave

“The murals are nice enough, but there are murals all over deserted industrial cities from St. Louis to Detroit to Dayton. I question why any amount of money – even a sum this small – should be spent on creating murals. And if you must spend money on art projects, why not solely employ Baltimoreans? Why are people from Italy, Vancouver and New York involved?”
– Richard

“It is far more stimulating to the senses to drive up Howard street and Park avenue and see beautiful, eloquent expressions of art work as opposed to run-down, has-been buildings that will never again see such a bright a day as this. . . If this project does not encourage progression, I do not know what will.”
– A Maryland resident

“Have you seen the prices of the art at Artscape? I don’t think about this as artists being employed; if that was the case all $40K would have been spent on one or two murals.”
– Anon
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For data devotees and education advocates

“Even within Baltimore there are some surprising differences. . . Compare Westside Elementary, John Eager Howard Elementary, Mt. Royal Elementary, and Midtown Academy. All of them are physically very close to one another. Midtown has far fewer free lunch kids, and significantly higher scores . . . but Mt. Royal has fewer free lunch kids than Westside and Howard, and yet has lower scores.”
– Barnadine the Pirate

“I would suggest that both family (In Baltimore higher adult addiction rates, higher unemployment rates and incarceration rates) and peer group (i.e. drugs, gangs and the street life) in Baltimore area is in much worse shape than Prince Georges County. Just listing one possible explanation that I am not wedded to.”
– Jan Houbolt

“The data is valid, however the Direct Instruction technique is controversial and NOT widely practiced in BMore.”
– Kim Trueheart
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Psst, wanna buy a used steel mill?

“A steelworker for 38 years, I watched the debates. its funny how neither canidate did not even mentioned the collapse of the steel industry. All obama said was how the auto industry was saved. what about steel? 2000 at Sparrows Pt laid off. when are either one of these canidates coming to baltimore?”
– spsc

“What has your union done for you lately? Oh that’s right,  promised you a Job. Where’s that getting you? When are they going to step up and tell us that we all better look for a job to feed our families?”
– railroader

“The sale was done to get concessions from the union due to projected skyrocketing labor and benefit obligations. Also leverage was needed to get the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and EPA tree hugger zealots like yourself off the backs of the mill. Now that the company has gotten the union, politicians, media attention we can all expect SP to go back to business but this time with lower wages, less benefits, and less EPA harassment. Rest assured, SP WILL resume steel production after this latest game plays out.”
– George