Adam Meister's scribe spreads his innate enthusiasm for all things Baltimore--and, in particular, the political inner workings of his beloved hometown.
It looks like there was a "bureaucratic snafu" that will cost the state $3 million. That money was supposed to go to the preliminary design of the proposed Red Line. The MTA has yet to file a report with the Federal Transit Administration that was due on December 31, 2007. This may turn out to be a very costly error and mean the loss of $1.2 billion in federal transportation funds that were supposed to pay for the project. You would imagine that in a bureaucracy like the MTA they would understand the importance of a simple deadline. Things like this make many people cynical when they talk about government run organizations.
One positive may come out of all this. Ed Cohen of the Transit Riders Actions Council feels this could be an opportunity for everyone involved to step back and straighten things out. I assume he means that instead of ruling out heavy rail the government will finally see the light and understand that it is the only viable option.
Topics:
TRAC ,
Red Line
The other day the Sun reported that the city of Baltimore wants to start a non-profit car-sharing service. The for-profit company ZipCar already operates a car-sharing business in Baltimore and did not think it was a good idea to expand. So Baltimore... Read More Topics:
$5 Gas ,
Baltimore City
We are all familiar with the Maryland State Police. They are the state troopers we see parked along the highway ready to give us a speeding ticket. You may not know this but Maryland State Police do not patrol in Baltimore city. There are bureaucratic... Read More Topics:
crime ,
police
Last night I was speaking with a veteran Baltimore police officer. Baltimore residents often wonder why some police officers seem to be so friendly with some drug dealers. There have been instances where residents of my neighborhood have witnessed officers... Read More Topics:
drugs ,
police
For the last few months I have been talking about how the pro-slots people would raise a lot more money than the anti-slots people. The Sun reports that this is exactly what happened. Below is a list of entities that gave more than $3000 to... Read More Topics:
Slots ,
Peter Angelos
Check out this bureaucratic chart. We sure do have a lot of departments and offices. The office of sustainability is part of the department of planning. It is new and somewhat ambiguous. Below is an email I received last week... Read More Topics:
Sheila Dixon ,
Office of Sustainability
Water bills infuriate many citizens of Baltimore every 3 months or so. A water bill is one of the most frustrating aspects of Baltimore city living. The water billing process is mysterious and for some it seems to be random. If... Read More Topics:
Jack Young ,
water bills
The following email from Bill Henry is floating around cyberspace. I thought I would share it: "I am writing to ask you to support my Confiscated Assets for Neighborhoods (CAN) grant program bill, which is currently being considered by the City... Read More Topics:
Bill Henry