Commentary

The influence of big money in politics has grown since the Supreme Court’s infamous Citizens United ruling. Thankfully Maryland allows for publicly financed elections at the county-level, which aims to level the playing field. But after two election cycles using the current system, it’s time for the General Assembly to make some important improvements.

Earlier this month, the Baltimore County Council approved the expenditure of $798,000 for a contract negotiated with Guidehouse Inc. by the administration of County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. Guidehouse will provide “strategic management consulting services” intended to accelerate the county’s lagging efforts to address the acute shortage of affordable housing.

Stuck in limbo amid the politics and the letters, comments, social media posts and statements issued this week are the people inside Buckingham Elementary School. This is a proud school. The pride can be seen in the community supporting it each day. For instance, a local church recently sent over a month’s span letters of support each week to teachers at Buckingham, which is a Title I school, meaning more than one-third of the student body is living in poverty. The students and teachers deserve a new building to learn and work within.

During the last 40 years Southern Maryland has come into its own, making a dramatic transformation from one of the poorest and least competitive regions of the state, into one of the most dynamic and prosperous — doubling in population and diversity with a strong economy and steadily expanding opportunity. Major projects have played a role in the transformation of the region. But as important as these developments have been, none has had a greater impact than bringing rapid transit to Southern Maryland will have on the region’s future quality of life.

It’s nearly impossible to read about the dozens of violations commited in Curtis Bay by a medical waste incineration company that’s agreed to pay $1.75 million in fines and penalties for its atrocious actions without feeling at least a little bit ill. Curtis Bay Energy was ultimately caught mishandling waste, including used hospital gloves and gowns, bandages and dressings, human tissue and fluid samples, and chemicals.

As students begin another schoolyear throughout the United States, a troubling trend is taking shape. Political leaders, seemingly hostile to complete and accurate history, are determined to shape lesson plans in line with their own agendas, at the expense of the truth. This summer we saw shocking commentary from Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, defending a proposed school curriculum that watered down the horrors of slavery.

Rona Kobell (right), during her time as a student at Hebrew University, is shown with a co-counselor while leading a tour of American teenagers through Israel in 1992. (Courtesy of Rona Kobell)
A few years ago, I hitched a ride to a Washington, D.C., journalism conference with a writer then living in Baltimore and his wife. We exchanged small talk about our families and hometowns, and I mentioned I had two siblings in Philadelphia and one in Israel. At this news, his wife’s face turned sour. “What is your sister doing there?”