Commentary

Quick, what do the Baltimore County communities of White Marsh and Lutherville have in common? Well, they are both near the Baltimore Beltway at major interchanges (Interstate 95 for White Marsh and Interstate 83 for Lutherville). They are both classic unincorporated, relatively small suburban communities, and married couples are the leading demographic in each, with most residents living in single-family homes. And they are both dominated by fading centralized commercial centers with noticeable vacancies — White Marsh Mall for one, and the cluster of strip shopping centers around Ridgely and York roads for the other.

For Maryland Republicans, the 2022 general election is probably one to forget. Their statewide candidates were drubbed by the victorious Democrats. Of three competitive county executive races in the suburbs, they won zero. They lost seats in the Maryland General Assembly, including the defeat of the party’s first Black woman state delegate in Maryland. Where does the Maryland Republican Party go from here? It’s hard to say, as the party’s recent state convention was closed to press and the newly elected chairwoman and the executive director didn’t respond to our interview requests. But we’ll give it a shot.

Last week, the Air Force unveiled its first new strategic bomber in 34 years — a boomerang-shaped stealth plane called the B-21 Raider that may ultimately cost taxpayers some $200 billion — and the country barely noticed. Also last week came reports that China’s nuclear warhead stockpile had doubled since 2020 and could reach 1,500 by the mid-2030s, closer to parity with the United States and Russia. This also went mostly unnoticed. Maybe we were too busy freaking out over Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

Last month, Baltimore Mayor Scott released the Squeegee Collaborative Working Action Plan, designating six pilot zones where a city ordinance prohibiting panhandling and solicitation activity would be enforced, effectively banning the practice of washing windows for money on city streets in those areas. Some hailed the plan as a good compromise in a bad situation. But it is deeply flawed and merely kicks the proverbial can down the road, as well as makes the squeegee workers accidents waiting to happen. Among its biggest flaws is the plan’s failure to address what occurs in the remaining intersections. It is grossly irresponsible for the mayor and City Council to allow youths, as the plan acknowledges, to “dart across high traffic intersections washing windshields to earn money” in any scenario.

What do we do about PFAS? There seems little doubt that scientists will discover more of these “forever chemicals” during the testing of Maryland farmland and Chesapeake waters. What do we do when we find them? Can we destroy a “forever chemical”? The term is scary, suggesting a harmful substance so durable it can’t be washed away. PFAS are chemical compounds found in our homes, in the land where cows graze and where farmers grow our food, in the waterways where we harvest fish. PFAS are “biopersistent” and “bioaccumulative,” meaning they hang out and build up over time.

Recently, The Baltimore Banner and other local news outlets have reported extensively about speculators purchasing both vacant and occupied properties in Baltimore’s disinvested neighborhoods. The speculators failed to deliver on promises and plans to rehab the properties that could have helped to revitalize those neighborhoods. The condition of such properties was also at the center of reports about the deaths of three firefighters in a vacant house.