Mayor stephanie Rawlings-Blake

I was going to ask a question about the Red Line.

The proposed mass transit line runs through the heart of the Edmondson Avenue neighborhoods I represent.

The hearing was on the Governor’s gas tax bill, and I was going to make the point that the Red Line could not be built unless we had additional revenue.

Then Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake testified that if the City does not receive more funding this session, it “will likely be forced to close as many as 15 bridges to traffic within the next two to three years.”

I raised my eyebrows.

The Mayor noticed.

“That was not a skeptical response,” I told her and the audience. “It was an ‘Oh, wow!’”

Baltimore would no longer rank 16^th on the list of congested metropolitan areas.

We would be number one in a hurry.

The devil is in the details, as it is with most legislation, but a 21^st Century transportation system is an investment we must make.

I’ve been trying to prevent lead poisoning of children since my first year in the legislature.

From day one, the landlords have said, “If you require us to do preventive measures, the cost will put us out business.”

We’ve imposed reasonable requirements that reduce the risk to kids, and the landlords are still among us. Meanwhile, the number of children who’ve been poisoned has fallen dramatically.

That’s why I was dismayed to read in the Baltimore Sun that the Housing Authority of Baltimore City is making the same misguided argument that the property owners made 28 years ago.

“It is not possible” for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City to pay the legal judgments that have been awarded to its tenants who are victims of lead paint poisoning, according to the director of the Authority.

Senator Lisa Gladden, Delegate Nathaniel Oaks, and I wrote Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake about this today. Excerpts follow.

“Many of these victims will endure life-long disabilities due to the negligence of HABC, an entity that is not above the law and is legally obliged to comply with court orders.

“According to the Baltimore Sun, over the last several years, HABC has spent nearly $4 million in lawyer’s fees pursuing questionable legal theories and strategies to avoid its legal and ethical obligations to those it has harmed—even in those cases where HABC agreed in court to the amount of the award.

“Every dollar spent on frivolous and delaying legal tactics is also one less dollar available for the capital and operating budget needs of HABC.

“We would be happy to meet with you to discuss and explore the means by which HABC could find or raise the revenues necessary to compensate victims of lead poisoning who now face life-long conditions of often severe disability. This can and should be done consistent with the rule of law and in a manner which protects the resources of the Housing Authority.”

April 6

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Tag: Mayor stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Number one in a hurry

A legal and ethical obligation

My Key Issues: