 |
||||||
 |
||||||
| "Better, Safer, Stronger" | December 5, 2008 | |||||
|
Dear Friends: Last night was our final City Council meeting for 2008. I'm very excited about some of the new initiatives that have been introduced by the Council and very proud of the good legislation that has been enacted into law. Together, we are making progress on the fundamental challenges our City faces by improving our schools, reducing crime and strengthening our neighborhoods. Now is a good time to provide you with a brief update on some of these initiatives as we approach the end of the 2008 legislative calendar. Better Schools Violent incidents that have occurred in recent weeks underscore the need for more concerted action to reduce school violence in Baltimore. At the beginning of the school year, I introduced a resolution calling on the school system to develop a program to help teachers identify youth most at-risk for gang recruitment, and provide intervention and law enforcement resources to make our schools safer. I also introduced a City Council resolution calling for the creation of a new hotline for parents, teachers, and students to report and help prevent violence occurring in Baltimore City public schools. A televised Education Committee hearing on these proposals will be held on January 28th at 5:00pm, Du Burns Council Chambers, City Hall. In October the City Council's Education Committee, chaired by Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, held a hearing to urge the school system to create a targeted dropout intervention program aimed at high-risk students who are transitioning into the sixth and ninth grades. Research suggests that about 40 percent of high school dropouts could be identified in the sixth grade and 75 percent by the ninth grade. High school graduation rates in Baltimore are improving, and research shows that with targeted, early-intervention programs in place, we can further reduce school dropouts. During the hearing, the school system unveiled a number of measures to provide additional resources to at-risk students. Safer Streets In September, the City Council passed significant legislation to address property crime in the Baltimore region. I introduced a bill which requires pawnshops and secondhand stores to report electronic transaction data to police. This ordinance will take effect December 29th. The law will help our police detectives recover stolen property, solve crimes and make our neighborhoods safer. Next Wednesday I will brief the Baltimore Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on the new ordinance and provide an overview of the law enforcement benefits of electronic reporting of pawn transactions. I'd like to thank Councilwoman Rikki Spector for her assistance on this legislation. I am also looking forward to working with our City Delegation in Annapolis to push for a new statewide law modeled after Baltimore's local ordinance. Earlier this year, Councilman Kraft introduced and the City Council passed legislation to strengthen the City's public nuisance law, enabling police to better enforce the ordinance and safeguard neighborhoods from irresponsible businesses and property owners. I joined with Councilman Bill Cole to urge the Police Department to use the newly strengthened ordinance for the first time to close a dangerous liquor establishment in Reservoir Hill. Linden Lounge had become a nuisance property where neighbors and police alleged that loitering and drug dealing inside the store was commonplace. This team effort in Reservoir Hill was a great example of committed citizens and government working together to turn communities around. Stronger Neighborhoods In October, I introduced a series of legislative measures to improve quality of life in Baltimore's neighborhoods. The package of legislation seeks to address the chronic challenges of illegal dumping, liquor store zoning, and rat infestation. The primary legislation is a comprehensive overhaul of Baltimore's illegal dumping ordinance. The legislation provides for stiffer penalties for illegal dumping, and creates an illegal dumping hotline with potential cash rewards for citizens who report violations. I also introduced a resolution that asks the Board of Liquor License Commissioners to report to the City Council on procedures used to enforce the current distance prohibition. In Baltimore City, state law prohibits new liquor establishments within 300 feet of a church or a school. Finally, I introduced a resolution calling for an informational hearing to brief the City Council on the effectiveness of Vector Control Bureau activity in controlling the rat population in City neighborhoods. Hearing dates for these bills will be announced in January. Better Jobs & Stronger Small Businesses Most recently, in light of the current national economic crisis, I introduced a legislative package to help Baltimore’s small businesses and to establish a Green Collar Jobs Coalition. The primary legislation creates the Baltimore Small Business Opportunity Program and requires major City agencies to award at least 10 percent of the combined dollar value of contracts for goods, services, or construction to certified small businesses located in Baltimore City. I'm also proposing to create a Baltimore City Green Collar Jobs Creation Coalition. The coalition, made up of government, business and labor leaders, would be charged with developing a plan to help create green collar jobs in Baltimore City. Green jobs are the future of our national economy and we need to make sure that Baltimore is prepared to take part in this new energy revolution. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake |
||||||
|
||||||
| ||||||
|
City Council This Week Monday, December 8 Hearing: Highways and Franchises Subcommittee, Sharon Green Middleton – Chair Community Events For a comprehensive listing of holiday events in Baltimore,
Friday, December 5 Holiday Fun in Hamilton Party in Pigtown Adult Student Art Show presented by the School 33 Art Center Saturday, December 6 “Winter Wonderland” skating session with Frosty the Snowman Baltimore City Fire Department’s Annual Holiday Train Garden Opens Yulefest Step Xplosion: Benefit Step Show Sunday, December 7 Mayor's Christmas Parade in Hampden An Afternoon of Poetry with Readings By Patricia Smith and Cave Canem Poets Holiday Memorial Service Free Family Sundays at the BMA Upcoming/Ongoing
Nursing Program Opportunity With Free Tuition! Homebuyer Education Classes sponsored by Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore, Dec. 13 and Dec. 18, 819 Park Ave. Time varies. Call 410-327-1200. www.nhsbaltimore.org "Ask A Business Question" Workshop for starting a business, Dec. 13, 11am-1pm, Enoch Pratt Library’s Hampden Branch, 3641 Falls Rd. Pre-register with tonia.mccoy@sba.gov or 410-962-4392 ext. 316. The Walters Art Museum Musical Celebration featuring Joyous Voices, a caroling ensemble, Dec. 14, 2pm, The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. Free Celebrating Kwanza, Dec.15, 4pm, Enoch Pratt’s Herring Run Branch, 3801 Erdman Ave., Storyteller Diane Macklin presents the seven principles of Kwanza through folk stories for all ages. Free. 410-396-0996. Winter Solstice Celebration, Dec. 21, 7pm, First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (Charles and Franklin Streets), a seeasonal ritual of songs, poetry, and drama. Food and fellowship will follow. Signed for the hearing impaired. 410-685-2330 or office@firstunitarian.net. Annual Community-Wide Chanukah, presented by CHAI, Dec. 22, 7pm-9pm, Temple Oheb Shalom front lawn, 7310 Park Heights Ave. Kids fun corner, entertainment, food and more. 410-466-1990. 2008-09 Baltimore Hispanic Youth Achievement Forum, Registration deadline is Dec. 10. 8:30am-2pm, JHU Homewood Campus, Levering Hall Building #27. Workshops for Latino students in middle and high school and parents and educators. Contact Marybeth at (443) 552-0088, Marybeth@ushyee.org, or visit www.ushyee.org. New Conversations/Conversaciones Nuevas, Enoch Pratt’s Southeast Anchor Library, 3601 Eastern Ave., Tuesdays at 11am. Practice casual conversation for beginning English and Spanish speakers, 410-396-1580. Food Assistance provided by Project 100, an initiative of the Baltimore City Housing Community Action Partnership and New Psalmist Baptist Church, to help families with food security for 30 days in order to pay down other bills. It’s for residents of 21217, 21216, 21201, 21223, or 21229 who have children and do not receive food stamps or a utility subsidy from Section 8. 410-396-0893 Baltimore City Community College Launches Accelerated Associates Degree Program for Spring 2009. Baltimore City Community College has a new accelerated program for African American males to earn an Associate of Arts degree in one year. The program is entitled the "Quest." Info: 410-462-7745 Open Minds is Creative Alliance's free book-based after school program. New visual and performing arts courses, including mural painting, photography, music production and breakdancing are beginning at Wolfe Street Academy, Hampstead Hill, Collington Square and with EBLO-Mi Segunda Casa at John Ruhrah. Call Karen Summerville at 410-276-1651. Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore offers Homebuyers Education Classes NHS Baltimore is a small non-profit organization that helps sustain and create homeownership opportunities through customized lending and consumer education in the Baltimore region. NHS is offering homebuyer education classes through December. For class schedules and registration call 410-327-1200, x135. www.nhsbaltimore.org Conserve energy, save money and protect the environment with BGE’s PeakRewards program. If you have central air conditioning or an electric heat pump, you could save up to 15% year round in energy costs. www.bgesmartenergy.com/peakrewards Power of Parents and Partners in School (P.O.P.S. Program) is a new program to encourage and address the needs of students who are expecting or parenting teens who have dropped out and want to return to school. Developed by the Laurence G. Paquin School. 410-396-9398/9399. Baltimore Speaks Out! Program, a great opportunity for children ages 11-15 to learn about video/film production. Offered at Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Herring Run branch, 3810 Erdman Ave. 410-338-0947. Free. |
||||||
