Commentary

Labor Day marked the unofficial end of summer and the start of a patently uneven election season for Democrats and Republicans in Maryland. On their end, Democrats enter the fall still enjoying their electoral mandate and regained single-party rule. Their power is bound only by the limits of voter preferences, the looming structural deficit and their own political will.

After hearing about resistance from teachers and opposition from the system’s top staff, the Frederick County Board of Education has postponed a decision on the proposal to install cameras in some special education classrooms. This is not an easy decision, but installing the cameras is one the board should support. Having cameras in classrooms would help reassure the parents of special education students that their children are being protected by the system from potential abuses.

This week’s record-setting heat wave — with the potential for triple-digit high temperatures in Baltimore — would seem the perfect backdrop to ponder Baltimore Gas and Electric’s proposed three-year rate hike, which is projected to hit consumers by an average of $810 annually per household by 2026. Energy prices are rising generally, of course, but it’s fair to question the estimated $1.8 billion BGE intends to invest in natural gas and whether a multiyear approach to rate-setting is even appropriate.

Was there ever a weekend like this? On Friday evening, gunfire erupted in Baltimore again, this time stopping a high school football game between a private school team from Baltimore County and one of the city’s best public school teams. It was a sudden horror, traumatizing for anyone who was there, and another setback for the city.

The history of organized labor in the United States is one of struggle against seemingly hopeless odds, with victories often decades in the making. It’s a history in which Baltimore plays a proud part. In fact, the city can lay some claim as the birthplace of the national organized labor movement, more than 150 years ago. We recount the tale each year, our own Labor Day tradition.

A 16-year-old was shot to death in Annapolis over the summer. The death of Robert Clark on a July night near his home in the Bywater neighborhood remains unsolved. It is a tragedy for those who knew and loved him, but also for Annapolis as a whole. Maryland’s state capital is not an overly violent place, most days. There are about 11 shootings a year, with an average of one homicide every three months. Sometimes the pace is slower, sometimes faster.

Following the June 8 nomination of acting Baltimore City Police Commissioner Richard Worley to fill the position on a permanent basis, as violent crime spiked, one question frequently arose: “Can Baltimore’s new police commissioner keep the city safe?” Baltimore has had a succession of police commissioners in recent years, some good and some not so good. One constant during their tenures has been how violent crime persists.

Upon entering my classroom this summer, students would ask immediately: What are we creating today? My answers varied from comic strips to rhythmic skip counting to 3D self-portraits and morning virtue bracelets. Meanwhile, the sound of students discussing their aspirations and visualizing how to create something tangible has made the Summer Arts for Learning Academy — where I taught this summer — a unique space for learning.