No matter who wins, we lose
As many of you are aware, the 2007 Baltimore Mayoral primary is coming up this September. For us observers who are a) suburbanites and b) Republicans, it would seem like there really isn't too much to get too excited about during this year's primary. And that's probably an accurate assessment.
One thing has been consistent over the last several Mayors of Baltimore; a record of not being able to get things done for the city. Crime continues to go up. The population continues to go down. Schools continue to fail. Infrastructure continues to crumble. The size of government continues to expand, event into building unneeded hotels. Politicians fiddle while the city's problems continue to grow. You have to go back to the Schaefer years to find a Mayor who has been able to get anything done. Du Burns was a fill-in Mayor for 11 months. Kurt Schmoke meant well, but got bogged down in his drug criminalization kick. Martin O'Malley was incompetent, but good looking so he got a promotion. And Sheila Dixon is, clearly, in way over her head.
The problem comes down to the effect that it has on the suburbs. The surrounding counties must deal with the problems that hub city, in this case Baltimore, casts off into them.The suburbs will continue to grow and expand. More traffic. More homes. A higher population density. As the population shifts, urban problems continue to shift. More violent crime. More drug dealing and drug use.
And that, ultimately, is the biggest travesty about this year's Baltimore Mayoral election. The fact of the matter is that the next Mayor will be determined on September 11th, during the Democratic Primary. The party that is responsible for decade upon decade of failing the people of Baltimore will remain in power. There are only subtle differences in the platforms of the major candidates for Mayor. All of them believe in higher taxes, more government services, and more "solutions" for education that are anything but. Businesses will continue to avoid the city (in conjunction with the General Assembly's anti-business attitudes). The cycle of failure is going to continue with no interruption whatsoever.
No matter who wins Baltimore's Mayoralty, we all lose.
One thing has been consistent over the last several Mayors of Baltimore; a record of not being able to get things done for the city. Crime continues to go up. The population continues to go down. Schools continue to fail. Infrastructure continues to crumble. The size of government continues to expand, event into building unneeded hotels. Politicians fiddle while the city's problems continue to grow. You have to go back to the Schaefer years to find a Mayor who has been able to get anything done. Du Burns was a fill-in Mayor for 11 months. Kurt Schmoke meant well, but got bogged down in his drug criminalization kick. Martin O'Malley was incompetent, but good looking so he got a promotion. And Sheila Dixon is, clearly, in way over her head.
The problem comes down to the effect that it has on the suburbs. The surrounding counties must deal with the problems that hub city, in this case Baltimore, casts off into them.The suburbs will continue to grow and expand. More traffic. More homes. A higher population density. As the population shifts, urban problems continue to shift. More violent crime. More drug dealing and drug use.
And that, ultimately, is the biggest travesty about this year's Baltimore Mayoral election. The fact of the matter is that the next Mayor will be determined on September 11th, during the Democratic Primary. The party that is responsible for decade upon decade of failing the people of Baltimore will remain in power. There are only subtle differences in the platforms of the major candidates for Mayor. All of them believe in higher taxes, more government services, and more "solutions" for education that are anything but. Businesses will continue to avoid the city (in conjunction with the General Assembly's anti-business attitudes). The cycle of failure is going to continue with no interruption whatsoever.
No matter who wins Baltimore's Mayoralty, we all lose.
posted by Brian Griffiths at 7:06 PM
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