On the Council Agenda April 4
Resolution 06-0163R In Support of the Baltimore Buy Local Campaign
Promotes the economic health of our region by encouraging Baltimoreans to support local businesses by buying products manufactured and sold in the city. In addition, the campaign aims to encourage better customer service, create more jobs, and promote products and services that distinguish our city.
Public Interest Grade: B+ As Councilman James B. Kraft (D-1st District) noted, according to a recent study cited in the resolution, for every $100 a consumer spends at a locally owned business, $45 is funneled back into the community and the local tax base, vs. $14 for that same $100 spent at a nonlocal chain store. It doesn’t take an economist to recognize the clear benefits realized by our community when citizens buy local. Let’s put our money where our mouths are.
Resolution 06-0162R Baltimore Green Week 2006
Declares April 22 through 28 Baltimore Green Week, which is described as a “volunteer-driven event providing public forums for the dissemination of ideas and solutions addressing economic development, public health, housing, energy use, and water quality problems through the promotion of sustainable lifestyles and practices.”
Public Interest Grade: B Baltimore Green Week is a great idea, and we applaud the coalition for increasing citywide awareness on such important issues. However, in addition to passing supportive resolutions, the City Council should resolve to introduce bills and pass laws addressing major environmental issues, such as industrial pollution, and the cleanup and safety of the harbor, parks, and reservoirs. In the absence of proactive measures, the council risks becoming “green weak.”
baltimorecitycouncil.com
City Council Quote of the Week
“It was like the Colts all over again. . . . I felt like I had found the weapons of mass destruction.” —Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki” Spector (D-5th) on her immediate thoughts following state schools Superintendent Nancy Grasmick’s (seemingly under the cover of darkness) announcement that the state was going to take over some of the city’s schools under authority granted by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
City Council Fact of the Week
Officer Jerry Heid, senior citizen liaison officer for the Baltimore Police Department and a 42-year veteran of the force, addressed the City Council regarding an innovative ID program aimed at protecting Baltimore’s senior citizens. With the help of the local police, the city is endeavoring to contact and identify each of the more than 100,000 senior citizens in Baltimore City. Once identified, each individual will be given an ID bracelet and added to a database, which will provide information valuable to authorities, particularly during emergencies, severe weather, and other dangerous situations.
