Commentary

The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s recent announcement to parishioners of the draft plan for how the Catholic Church will be present in Baltimore was understandably upsetting for many, especially those with ties to churches slated to close. This process, known as Seek the City to Come, is much needed and will allow the archdiocese to more efficiently serve the needs of communities where it has an anchoring presence.

Two weeks ago, I participated in an unheralded but notable meeting: a get-together of County Executive Jessica Fitzwater’s transition team. Shortly after her election, the county executive chose me to serve on one of her transition task forces— government innovation. Though I was flattered, it wasn’t a singular honor because 145 others were similarly chosen to prepare a report to point some directions for her new administration.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s sweeping new rules regarding power plant emissions drew the usual reactions from those who profit from coal mining and coal-fired energy. They are already promising to block the regulations in court, claiming they’re unaffordable, unrealistic and even un-American — to the extent that the nation’s electric grid may find itself coming up short in kilowatt-hours.

In 2004, The City of Chicago completed the transformation of 25 acres of surface parking lots and rail tracks into a world-renowned public park. Now Chicago’s beating heart, Millennium Park was born from a vision and leadership. As the story goes, Mayor Richard Daley was sick of seeing a sea of parked cars from his dentist’s office that overlooked downtown.

With the passage of time since the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, we come to fully appreciate the vulnerability of our supply chain and how vital the Port of Baltimore is to maintaining it. As the community scrambles to clean up the wreckage, divert cargo and keep transport as normal as possible, it’s important for corporate citizens and state leaders to step up to the challenge.

The closure this month of the Pariah Brewing Company is merely the latest in a series of closures and relocations that has shaken Maryland’s beer sector in recent months. I believe we should take this opportunity to revisit Maryland’s business climate for craft beer. I previously served as the principal staff regulator of Maryland’s alcohol industry and as lead staff to former Comptroller Peter Franchot’s 2017-18 Reform on Tap initiative.

I caught the latest Larry Hogan-for-Senate commercial where he says pretty much what he always says: Washington is completely broken. It’s time to stop partisan politics. Enough is enough. We need to get stuff done. The former Maryland governor seems to be presenting himself as a non-partisan, middle-of-the-road guy with a magic formula to heal a bitterly divided Congress.