March 10, 2004
O'Malley: Huge blunder
What was Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley thinking when he pulled his stunt Monday, misleading the City Council into approving a bailout of city schools by wiping out the city's rainy-day fund instead of letting the state handle the loan?
And then calling Annapolis to say the city no longer needed a state bailout?
Jaws of hard-working homeowners dropped across the city as the repercussions began to roll in: Possibly lower bond ratings for the city, possibly burned bridges with the state legislature, and no doubt the image of living in a city that overnight feels like a banana republic, with an incompetent school board, gullible city council and petulant, partisan mayor feuding with his Republican governor.
How likely are the schools to repay a "loan" from a political mayor, vs. one from a state agency? I can smell my taxes rising now.
The situation is complex, obviously, but none of this helps either the suffering residents of this city, or its legions of almost perfectly empty-brained public school students. I have in the past hired local kids for various tasks, 14-year-olds who cannot tell me their wages (hours times rate) at the end of the day, or read labels in my workshop well enough to put a tool away.
Someone is criminally negligent in mishandling not only school money but the lives of young Baltimoreans who can't manage their way into religious or private schools.
And under O'Malley's plan, the clueless school board gets to stay in office!!
No doubt Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan is smiling as he contemplates the backlash against his rival for future Democratic statewide office.
O'Malley came to Baltimore as the good guy who cared about crime. He is now re-branding himself as a petty politician mad at himself because he blew a good chance at being governor by not facing the inept Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in the Dem primary. His dealings with Gov. Bob Ehrlich look nakedly like male elk pawing the ground.
Voters are without a doubt taking note. I have friends on my soccer team with no children, who barely follow city politics, shocked at what is going on.
It's personally tough to watch, because I've considered O'Malley the best candidate for the mayor's job and have a good friend in the administration. Friend -- give Martin some better counsel!
- posted by jbelliveau at 1:43 PM in The Neighborhood
