by Steve Whisler
Every taxpayer in Baltimore County is the proud co-owner of apartment complexes in Dundalk. County government hopes to purchase a total of 56 complexes in the east Baltimore County region by the summer of 2007. You might enjoy being a property owner, but be careful what you wish for.
These new properties in your portfolio exist in a crime-infested neighborhood. Some call these apartments a blight and eyesore for the community. Critics question why the county failed to hold former property owners accountable to basic code enforcement laws. Why hold the current and former property owners accountable? Instead, let’s rely on the county to buy the properties, rebuild them, and revitalize the area. Great idea!
On March 27, 2006, county authorities thought they could purchase all 56 buildings in an 8-acre neighborhood for $11M. Well, their estimates were a bit off and they now expect to pay over $17M – a figure that will very likely increase since landowners are holding out for better offers, which the county seems willing to pay.
And Dundalk is not the only community where county government seeks to expand their role as Section-8 HUD housing landlords. The Smith Administration and his rubber-stamp county council are investigating the purchase of complexes in the Baltimore Highlands, Landsdowne, and Riverview area. Complexes like those in Circle Terrace are notorious crime areas and current owners are not held accountable to follow existing code enforcement standards. Not to worry, the government can purchase these properties too and do a much better job.
County Council Chairman, John Olszewski, seems to think, “It’s worth it … a great investment.” Call me cynical, but the first $7.6M spent on 20 buildings in Dundalk that contained just 79 units is not a great investment.
Would you invest your own money in these projects to buy, demolish, and rebuild the apartment complexes? Officials estimate they will spend $17.2M just to purchase the apartment complexes in Dundalk. What other related issues are taxpayers funding?
Tax dollars will also be used to move the families displaced by the county’s purchase of these apartment complexes. Citizens have already paid to move 51 families that likely already draw public assistance.
Displaced families will also receive rental assistance for one year, and they’ll receive vouchers for new units in February 2007. I’m sure the County Council and Executive are eager to call a press conference and let us know the total cost to purchase 56 apartment complexes in Dundalk and others planned in the southwestern portion of the county.
How much will Baltimore County citizens pay to demolish those buildings this summer? How much will it cost to erect new Section-8 housing? The current pricetag for these so-called Renaissance Redevelopment projects is the tip of the iceberg.
When all the project costs are calculated, I wonder how many police officers could have been hired to suppress and/or eliminate neighborhood crime activity. How many teachers could have been hired to reduce student-teacher ratios in our schools? How many Code Enforcement officials could have been hired to enforce standards in these dilapidated communities? I’m willing to bet the price tag could have been substantially less … and the county could have created new jobs!
County Executive Smith has already touted $90M in renovations for Dundalk during his first four years in office, and it appears that much, much more is on the way to a region that already garners the vast majority of public assistance funds in the Baltimore County budget.
Like it or not, Baltimore County citizens will pay for these projects, and I wonder if any of you or your politicians would stand in line and be first to move into one of the new apartments?
Perhaps those in county government should consider a return to basics and manage the infrastructure of communities – not seek to become a landlord. Like it or not, the crime in these areas will remain unchanged. The total price tag for these efforts will not change statistics that directly influence local housing prices — statistics like local school test scores, shootings, robberies, and car thefts.
Nice try, Baltimore County government, but the tax dollars you’ve allocated and will allocate for these projects is not a great investment, but instead a social experiment that will merely erect a new landscape and do very little for what is truly ailing these areas.
Showing posts with label Baltimore County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baltimore County. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Will the Real Racist Please Stand Up?
by Steve Whisler
Delegate Emmett Burns, an African American Democrat who represents Maryland’s 10th legislative district, held a “hearing” on January 8, 2007, in Woodlawn. The “hearing” related to whether police in Woodlawn’s 2nd Precinct exhibit racist and rude behavior to the citizenry. Delegate Burns convened his “hearing” after a constituent claimed she was the victim of police intimidation tactics and racism.
According to Barry Barber, the 2nd Precinct Police Captain, the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation and external review by a court commissioner. Police claim the constituent and two family members were uncooperative and used racial overtones and vulgar language in front of police and paramedics. Essentially a he-said she-said scenario, Burns suggested this incident coupled with other complaints he has received is enough evidence for him that Woodlawn police are guilty of racism. I asked the delegate whether he had any statistical or empirical evidence to back up these extremely serious charges. After all, it was a “hearing,” right?
Instead of presenting any factual evidence or data, he became irate and attacked me claiming that I as a white person cannot begin to comprehend what he and other blacks endure as it relates to police intimidation and/or racist activity. I wonder what the delegate’s response would have been if a person of color had asked the very same question. What factual evidence did he have to suggest that our police are racists? He offered no data or evidence – only an emotionally charged reaction to an honest question. Nevertheless, this was Delegate Burns’ “hearing” … he declared me out of order and demanded that I sit down and be quiet.
Earlier in the hearing, Delegate Burns suggested, “. . . blacks must respect police officers because they have guns, a badge, and the power to lock you up.” I suggested to the delegate that we should respect police officers because they risk their lives each and everyday to maintain public order and safety -- that I'm proud of their efforts in my community and that we should give them the benefit of the doubt. I truly wonder why the delegate used such inflammatory language at his so-called “hearing.” I would expect an elected official to take a more tempered stance to investigate all sides of the issue … not pass judgment and use his position to pander to potential voters who will swallow his anecdotal rhetoric.
Delegate Burns’ “hearing” was a spectacle that offered him a pulpit to deride police officers and paint them as a group in need of sensitivity training. Perhaps he wanted us to think that we need him to step in and save us all from our racist police officers. The delegate was the judge, prosecutor, and jury, and it was a terrible shame that a person elected to represent every single constituent in the 10th district did very little to search out the perceptions of how other communities perceive police conduct.
Before the “hearing,” the delegate offered his plans for the upcoming legislative session and asked for community input on what issues he should champion in Annapolis. The delegate showed is own racism when he responded to a few citizens’ concerns that Arabs and Asians were taking over many businesses in the district. Delegate Burns said, “If we’re not careful, too many foreigners will buy our stores and we’ll be buying items from Iraqis.” The delegate claimed that blacks might not be given equal consideration for owning and operating businesses in his district. He knows all too well that a Muslim, Asian, or any other foreigner is not offered preferential treatment to jumpstart business opportunities in his district. He merely allowed the notion to fester with the 15 to 20 people who attended his meeting.
As we approach Martin Luther King Day, it is unfortunate that Delegate Burns has forgotten Dr. King’s philosophy to look past a person’s skin color or heritage and rely on the content of their character. I applaud the delegate for exercising oversight of the police force to ensure they perform in an ethical and professional manner. However, the delegate’s actions at his “hearing” highlighted his own prejudicial demons and an inability to pursue the truth -- he is intent on relying on conjecture, he-said she-said scenarios, and a lack of facts. We all deserve much better from an elected official.
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Steve Whisler is President of the Westview Improvement & Civic Association, one of Baltimore County’s largest community organizations with nearly 1800 homes. Steve is also a doctoral candidate with the University of Phoenix and the vice president of a defense-contracting firm's east coast division.
==
Delegate Emmett Burns, an African American Democrat who represents Maryland’s 10th legislative district, held a “hearing” on January 8, 2007, in Woodlawn. The “hearing” related to whether police in Woodlawn’s 2nd Precinct exhibit racist and rude behavior to the citizenry. Delegate Burns convened his “hearing” after a constituent claimed she was the victim of police intimidation tactics and racism.
According to Barry Barber, the 2nd Precinct Police Captain, the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation and external review by a court commissioner. Police claim the constituent and two family members were uncooperative and used racial overtones and vulgar language in front of police and paramedics. Essentially a he-said she-said scenario, Burns suggested this incident coupled with other complaints he has received is enough evidence for him that Woodlawn police are guilty of racism. I asked the delegate whether he had any statistical or empirical evidence to back up these extremely serious charges. After all, it was a “hearing,” right?
Instead of presenting any factual evidence or data, he became irate and attacked me claiming that I as a white person cannot begin to comprehend what he and other blacks endure as it relates to police intimidation and/or racist activity. I wonder what the delegate’s response would have been if a person of color had asked the very same question. What factual evidence did he have to suggest that our police are racists? He offered no data or evidence – only an emotionally charged reaction to an honest question. Nevertheless, this was Delegate Burns’ “hearing” … he declared me out of order and demanded that I sit down and be quiet.
Earlier in the hearing, Delegate Burns suggested, “. . . blacks must respect police officers because they have guns, a badge, and the power to lock you up.” I suggested to the delegate that we should respect police officers because they risk their lives each and everyday to maintain public order and safety -- that I'm proud of their efforts in my community and that we should give them the benefit of the doubt. I truly wonder why the delegate used such inflammatory language at his so-called “hearing.” I would expect an elected official to take a more tempered stance to investigate all sides of the issue … not pass judgment and use his position to pander to potential voters who will swallow his anecdotal rhetoric.
Delegate Burns’ “hearing” was a spectacle that offered him a pulpit to deride police officers and paint them as a group in need of sensitivity training. Perhaps he wanted us to think that we need him to step in and save us all from our racist police officers. The delegate was the judge, prosecutor, and jury, and it was a terrible shame that a person elected to represent every single constituent in the 10th district did very little to search out the perceptions of how other communities perceive police conduct.
Before the “hearing,” the delegate offered his plans for the upcoming legislative session and asked for community input on what issues he should champion in Annapolis. The delegate showed is own racism when he responded to a few citizens’ concerns that Arabs and Asians were taking over many businesses in the district. Delegate Burns said, “If we’re not careful, too many foreigners will buy our stores and we’ll be buying items from Iraqis.” The delegate claimed that blacks might not be given equal consideration for owning and operating businesses in his district. He knows all too well that a Muslim, Asian, or any other foreigner is not offered preferential treatment to jumpstart business opportunities in his district. He merely allowed the notion to fester with the 15 to 20 people who attended his meeting.
As we approach Martin Luther King Day, it is unfortunate that Delegate Burns has forgotten Dr. King’s philosophy to look past a person’s skin color or heritage and rely on the content of their character. I applaud the delegate for exercising oversight of the police force to ensure they perform in an ethical and professional manner. However, the delegate’s actions at his “hearing” highlighted his own prejudicial demons and an inability to pursue the truth -- he is intent on relying on conjecture, he-said she-said scenarios, and a lack of facts. We all deserve much better from an elected official.
==
Steve Whisler is President of the Westview Improvement & Civic Association, one of Baltimore County’s largest community organizations with nearly 1800 homes. Steve is also a doctoral candidate with the University of Phoenix and the vice president of a defense-contracting firm's east coast division.
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