Adam Meister's scribe spreads his innate enthusiasm for all things Baltimore--and, in particular, the political inner workings of his beloved hometown.

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I name names- Who gave money to pro-slots groups

Baltimore sustainability plan meeting with Sheila Dixon

Water bills and the water bill woman

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New Arena in Baltimore Could Mean A 6.5% Sales Tax

23 comments

July 25, 6:15 PM

by Adam Meister, Baltimore Politics Examiner

So they are trying to force a new arena down our throats. Apparently the state (the tax payers) will pay for most of it. John Moag says that it could cost close to $400 million. Last year the citizens of Maryland were told that we had a budget shortfall and that our sales tax would go from 5% to 6% in order to generate $780 million. The current arena is profitable by the way. Would you rather the state magically come up with $400 million for a new arena or would you rather them not spend money they either have or do not have and drop the sales tax back to 5%?

If we had a budget shortfall last year then I do not see how we suddenly have an extra $400 million to overpay politically connected developers to build a new arena that we do not need. The state is setting a horrible example by spending money they do not have on things they do not need!

We are not getting another major league professional team! We will just end up like Kansas City with a brand new arena and a few more events a year. Do you really want to be the next Kansas City or do you want to be Seattle where they stand up to the corporate bully otherwise known as the NBA?

Right now our arena is profitable and it is a positive economic contributor to Baltimore. At the end of the day after you consider the following factors will Baltimore and Maryland end up in a better economic situation once the new arena is built?

To build a new arena the old one must be shut down for two years. No revenue will be generated, no taxes will be collected, no people will come to an event and spend at surrounding businesses, no parking garages will be filled...
The new arena will cost close to $400 million. Where will the money come from?
How quickly will the arena be able to generate a +$400 million impact for the state of Maryland?
Will we end up with a 6.5% sales tax to fund this new arena?
Once the new arena is fully operational will it be as profitable as the old one?
Once the new arena is fully operational will it really attract new events that the old one could not? How profitable will these events be and how much money will they bring in for the local economy?

For more info: Read Rick Maese

Topics: taxes , Government waste , NBA , new arena

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Comments

I name names- Who gave money to pro-slots groups

3 comments

December 1, 12:01 PM

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

Baltimore sustainability plan meeting with Sheila Dixon

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November 30, 11:37 PM

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 and the water bill woman

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November 29, 4:16 PM

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 Confiscated Assets for Neighborhoods (CAN) grant program bill

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November 28, 12:27 PM

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

Miscellaneous Thanksgiving thoughts

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November 27, 2:26 PM

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

A sad trip back to my 92Q article

2 comments

November 25, 5:08 PM

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

Could Stephanie Rawlings-Blake end up Lieutenant Governor?

3 comments

November 25, 8:26 AM

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

Ben Cardin emails me back about the bailout after two months

5 comments

November 24, 11:00 AM

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

Section 8 rentals in your neighborhood

9 comments

November 22, 9:43 PM

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