Adam Meister's scribe spreads his innate enthusiasm for all things Baltimore--and, in particular, the political inner workings of his beloved hometown.
The Mayor's Red Line Summit is on Saturday. This will be another opportunity for political leaders and government workers to trick citizens in to thinking that light rail or bus rapid transit are the best options for the proposed Red line. These are actually horrible options.
Let me introduce you to a group of very smart people that you probably have never heard of before. The Transit Riders Action Council of Metropolitan Baltimore (TRAC) is a group of knowledgeable local transit riders who live and breathe mass transit. TRAC is lead by the genius and Mount Vernon legend Edward Cohen. Ed and his people have studied the potential Red Line and come up with an economically logical plan that proves the Red Line should be heavy rail (what you and I would refer to as a subway like the one that already goes from Owings Mills to Hopkins). MTA representatives like to downplay the TRAC plan but read it for yourself and see how it makes the most sense. You can sign the TRAC petition here.
If you are a mass transit enthusiast or just a responsible citizen who wants to the best for the Baltimore metro area then be sure to check out the TRAC website.
Topics:
TRAC ,
Red Line
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
There is supposed to be a massive redevelopment project at the Rotunda in Hampden. It has not started yet though. The developers are not worried about the 800 employees of nearby Zurich leaving. If I was a potential retailer who was looking for space... Read More Topics:
Slots ,
developers
Yesterday when I was about to pick up my trash can in the alley behind my house I saw something that made me flashback to the 92Q piece I wrote last week. I saw a kid who was at most ten years old walking quickly down the alley. He would randomly stop... Read More Topics:
drugs ,
Reservoir Hill ,
92Q
There is a rumor going around that states that Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown is being considered for a spot in the Obama cabinet. If he is selected then Governor Martin O'Malley must pick a person to replace him. On the Baltimore Sun message board... Read More Topics:
Martin O'Malley ,
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake ,
Peter Franchot
At the end of September I wrote Senator Ben Cardin about voting against the trillion dollar bank bailout. On Friday night his office finally wrote me back. The email is below. The email has a lot of words but basically says nothing. Nebulous... Read More Topics:
bailout ,
Ben Cardin
Many home owners in Baltimore can not stand section 8 renters. Section 8 renters are notoriously horrible neighbors who trash their houses and cause all sorts of disturbances. I know this is not the politically correct thing to say but it is true.... Read More Topics:
developers ,
section 8