Commentary

Which places in the country are best for a good life? Opinions may differ and experts offer provocative rankings, but the best barometer of quality of life may be one simple statistic: population growth. People move to communities with opportunities for economic, social and educational well-being; they move out of communities that lack these qualities. By this measure, Maryland’s biggest city is getting a strong vote of no confidence.

Whether Marylanders took time to watch last Friday’s candidate forum between the top two Democratic candidates vying for a seat in the U.S. Senate or have simply been following the news, there’s one element of this matchup between U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks that they’ve already heard plenty about.

After a year of consideration, the Biden administration has imposed strict limits on so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water, requiring utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. The rule will have significant impact on Frederick County’s water systems, because the chemicals have been found in several sources of drinking water here.

Any serious list of Maryland’s major economic assets is certain to include its health care and scientific expertise, its transportation connections (water, air and land), and its proximity to East Coast markets and the nation’s capital. Yet there is at least one more important asset that’s often overlooked or discounted: the state’s immigrants.

I want more for Baltimore. Four years ago I ran for mayor out of a sense of desperation for this city. Persistent poverty, high crime rates, stagnant growth and population loss, poor public education and a dysfunctional transportation system drove my decision to run. While I did not win the race, I learned a lot about our situation. Fundamentally, Baltimore suffers from a lack of leadership that prevents us from solving problems at scale and lifting confidence in our city.

Maryland in 2023 stood among states with the highest rates of home foreclosures, and unfortunately, too many homeowners do not know where to turn, or wait too long, to seek help for their financial distress. Working in the Maryland housing market for decades as both a broker and a credit repair specialist, and as someone who has faced foreclosure in the past, I know that the possibility of foreclosure can come with stress, shame and embarrassment.

We may or may not be happier than our ancestors were in 1950, when Baltimore reached its largest population. But on average, we certainly live longer and earn more money. These are good things. Curiously, though, these factors contribute to the city’s population decline as measured by the U.S. Census. Multigenerational households were once more common.

As Maryland embarks on the journey of reopening and rebuilding in the aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, it’s imperative that we do not overlook agriculture, our state’s largest commercial industry. Agriculture contributes more than $8 billion to the state economy annually and puts about 350,000 Marylanders to work. The tragic incident at the bridge shocked us all, and our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones, and we applaud the heroic efforts of first responders.