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Commentary

Editorial: One thing is clear in Mosby investigation: It’s not good for Baltimore
March 24, 2021 -

Well, here we go again, Baltimore. Except this time, unlike in recent years, we have not one, but two prominent city officials under criminal investigation — a married couple, at that. And that’s pretty much all we can say with any certainty right now. The recent revelation that City Council President Nick Mosby and his wife, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, are being investigated by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI has raised far more questions than it has answered.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Gudlavalleti and Sullivan: Treat drug use as a health issue, not a criminal one: decriminalize paraphernalia
March 24, 2021 -

As the COVID-19 pandemic devastates our communities, the country continues to grapple with another urgent epidemic that is killing people every day from coast to coast. Over the past decade, nearly half a million people in the United States have died from a preventable drug overdose. The pandemic has increased risk of overdose, as millions of people struggle with loneliness, isolation, anxiety, stress and loss of income.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Rodricks: Lexington Market and the makings of a ‘great good place’ for post-pandemic Baltimore
March 24, 2021 -

A year from now, if the pandemic has ended, the ribbon cutting for the new Lexington Market could turn out to be just what the doctor ordered. It could be the place where Baltimoreans, by residency or by affinity, get to do things they’ve been yearning to do since the coronavirus arrived — gather in a big, busy public space to eat, drink, shop, people-watch and feel connected to the beat of life.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
two white mailing envelopes
DeFilippo: Longing for the Return of the Pony Express
March 23, 2021 -

The postman no longer rings twice. Often not even once. Back in the day, the Pony Express and its daredevil riders became early western cinematic celebrities for braving treacherous terrain, marauding bandits and worse weather than Texas and yet relaying saddlebags of mail coast-to-coast on horseback in 10 days. The Pony Express had a relay team of 80 riders that provided the nation’s first transcontinental mail service from 1860-61, linking the newly-formed state of California to the rest of the United States before the company was driven out of business by the new-fangled telegraph in 1861.

Read More: Maryland Matters
MDTA Chief: Bay Bridge Crossing Study Speaks Volumes About Congestion
March 23, 2021 -

I am pleased to announce the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study: Tier 1 National Environmental Policy Act is available for public review and comment at baycrossingstudy.com. We understand the significance of the Bay Bridge to the state and the broader mid-Atlantic region, and we recognize that once the bridges were constructed, Queen Anne’s County and most of the Eastern Shore, including Ocean City, went from difficult destinations to reach to thriving, growing communities.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Here’s how to make Maryland a center for ‘cleantech’ and ‘proptech’ innovation
March 23, 2021 -

The Biden administration is advancing an aggressive climate change agenda. Historically, national policymakers focused on emissions from energy and transportation. As President Biden signaled in his early executive orders, however, his administration will be prioritizing climate emissions from the building sector, which accounts for roughly 30% of U.S. emissions. As the U.S. Department of Energy has highlighted, new technologies will be required to achieve target emissions reductions from buildings. Maryland is already an emerging leader in the property technology (proptech) and cleantech space. Through public and private collaboration, the state can strengthen its leadership position, fostering an innovation economy and creating jobs.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Tom Coale: Historic housing crisis presents an opportunity for reform
March 23, 2021 -

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a historic housing crisis that has not yet been fully recognized. A study by the Aspen Institute reported last summer that an estimated 30 to 40 million people in America are at risk of eviction once federal, state and local eviction protections expire. Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders have either lost employment or have experienced substantially reduced wages that will result in lasting housing insecurity and, potentially, homelessness. Notably, this is only the exacerbation of an existing crisis; not just in Maryland’s cities, but also throughout its suburbs. Maryland needs a “housing agenda” that pairs with the other relief programs being pursued in Annapolis. This crisis presents an opportunity to take on the persistent obstacles to affordable housing throughout our state and create a more equitable suburb.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Olsen: The risk of inflation is real — and growing
March 22, 2021 -

President Biden hopes his $1.9 trillion stimulus act has Americans repeating a word they’ve longed to speak for more than a year: recovery. It could also have them saying one they haven’t said in a long time: inflation. Inflation is normally a result of too much money chasing too few goods. That’s not to say that price increases cannot result from other causes. Rising energy prices, for example, are often the result of sudden changes in supply, as happened when the Arab oil embargo began in 1973. That’s one reason central banks often look at what they call “core inflation,” which strips out price levels for volatile sectors such as food and energy to assess whether an economy is suffering from sustained inflation.

Read More: Washington Post
Pinksy: Big companies are gaming Maryland’s tax code. My bill can fix it — and help small businesses
March 22, 2021 -

Too many small businesses in Maryland are suffering from the pandemic’s economic fallout. The government has rightly stepped up to try to help these enterprises survive. In Annapolis, the General Assembly has approved new supports for small businesses, and Congress has authorized forgivable loans for businesses. I support these efforts, but I am also focused on a long-overdue policy change that would benefit small businesses — as they recover from the pandemic and for years to come.

Read More: Washington Post
Davis and Mooney: Let’s Give Police More Options to Help Md.’s Youth
March 22, 2021 -

Maryland’s Juvenile Justice Reform Council has wrapped up its final report and recommendations, and the associated legislative package is making its way through the General Assembly. Several of those recommendations focus on giving law enforcement agencies more diversion options for youth. Amid calls to “defund the police,” lawmakers would be well served to focus on alternatives to arrest in the coming months as constituents look to hold them accountable.

Read More: Maryland Matters

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