Ballot Access
Your Feb. 21 editorial criticizing Mayor Kurt Schmoke's feeble response to the Housing Authority scandal ended by welcoming City Council President Mary Pat Clarke's primary challenge and asking credible Republican and independent candidates to run.
Unfortunately, Maryland election law places extra burdens on independent candidates that make it very unlikely that any independent candidate will run in a citywide race.
To appear on the ballot in the mayor's race, an independent or third party candidate must collect more than 10,200 valid signatures from registered city voters.
This takes a great deal of campaign time and energy and a small army of volunteers just to get to where major party candidates begin
The 1994 legislative races, for example, had only four independents and one third party candidate appearing on the ballot for the 188 offices elected. Ross Perot needed to collect more than 70,000 signatures to appear on the ballot in 1992.
Senator Paul Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat, has introduced Senate Bill 261 to reform this largely closed electoral system. This bill reduced the number of citywide signatures to 1,700 and allows small parties that have collected 10,000 signatures statewide to run candidates without further petitioning.
Gov. Parris Glendening's razor-thin victory made us think about the fairness of our electoral process. I hope that the Senate will respond by passing S.B. 261 to open our elections to a wider diversity of opinion.
Douglas E. McNeil
Baltimore
I= The writer is chairman, Baltimore City Libertarian Party.
On the Waterfront
I don't think I am the only one who has become entirely disgusted with the community boards of Fells Point and Canton.
In the Feb. 7 article concerning the proposal for several restaurants and bars to be built on the now-barren waterfront of these neighborhoods, several board members were quoted as saying that the addition of these businesses would clash with the Canton and Fells Points historic look.
Currently, areas of the waterfront in Canton and Fells Point are an embarrassment to Baltimore. Certain blocks evoke memories Hiroshima, and there is virtually no activity.
Does the notion of new jobs and added revenue really offend these people?
Just because their only contribution to Baltimore is to sit in a stagnant pool of mediocrity doesn't mean they should hold the cards to Baltimore's success.
Let's stop listening to the worthless ranting of people who find pleasure in denouncing anything that doesn't cater to their needs.
Baltimore is in desperate need of more downtown attractions. Many of these people only find satisfaction in opposing change. It's about time we turn our backs on them.
Charles Weinstein
Baltimore
Stunned
I would like to compliment The Sun for conducting an investigation of the pension scheme by the aides of Parris Glendening. It's hard to believe that your paper actually looked critically at an important Democratic official.
I have been thoroughly stunned by The Sun's proper use of investigative reporting and being a watchdog of the entire political process and not just a puppet for the Democratic Party -- as you have been for the past few years. I thought you only went after Republicans and conservative ideas and spiked any examination of Democrats.
Thank you for a true public service. You did a wonderful job of shining a light of truth and letting the chips fall where they will. Such an even-handed and honest approach would do much to alleviate the growing mistrust by the public of the media.
If only you would do it more often.
Carl Holston
Bel Air
Not a 'Jail'
I feel compelled to respond to your story, "Neighbors vow to fight juvenile jail plan," (Feb. 23).
Regrettably, your reporter did not attend the community meeting which was held that same evening at Dunbar High School.
If he did, he would have learned that while many residents expressed concerns about the proposed justice center, much more discussion centered on the types of commitments the community expects from the Department of Juvenile Services if the project is to go forward in their community.
And, while one may never achieve unanimity within any diverse group of community leaders, I hope to earn the respect and trust of the community as a whole through sustained interaction and documented commitment to their goals.
It is important to understand that the communities surrounding the proposed site are suffering from the results of failed commitments from other government agencies in the past.
As the newly appointed secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services, I hope to continue to maintain an open dialogue with these communities, to help allay their fears and convince them of my commitment to delivering real services to them and their families.
The residents have asked me to come back to them with an agreement, which documents the types of opportunities and services the justice center, not "jail," will bring to their communities.
That sounds like the continuation of an open conversation about the proposal, and not like a "fight.'
Stuart O. Simms
Baltimore
The writer is secretary, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
Urban Problems are a State of Mind, Not Place
Erik Nelson's article (Feb. 26) about development in Howard County did an excellent job of depicting the absurdity and futility of suburban proliferation and the hysteria that perpetuates it.
Large numbers of people continue to foolishly search for an elusive and unrealistic dream of tranquil rural life but are unwilling to give up the services and convenience afforded by urban lifestyles nor recognize their role in ever-spreading development.
The pattern of outward migration has existed for many years in our society, but it has not succeeded in solving any social ills.
In fact, suburban sprawl has only spawned more problems and expenses for society, such as air pollution from automobiles and the need for new roads and other services in areas where there was previously little demand for them.
Problems such as crime and pollution, just as ignorance and prejudice, are social problems -- not just "urban" problems. These things go wherever people go
Attempting to flee from these things (or perhaps more to the point, from the perception of these problems) is socially irresponsible and doomed to fail.
As the disgruntled refugees of Howard County indicated in Mr. Nelson's article, crime may be coming to your neighborhood -- more than likely it's already there -- not just in Baltimore, but in Towson, Glen Burnie and Western Howard County.
Problems such as these will never be solved by packing up and moving away at the first sign of trouble. Instead we should look to those, such as the members of the Northwest Baltimore Development Corporation (mentioned in yet another recent article) and other action-oriented people in churches, PTAs and civic associations who seek to improve their lives by working for positive change within their communities.
Empowerment comes from recognizing the positive in our communities, questioning the negative generalizations that surround us and getting involved with others in the community to change the negative.
Baltimore is a city with many positive things to offer. For example, Baltimore offers a variety of housing options, from high-rise apartments to single family homes.
Living in the city makes it possible to be less dependant on automobile usage. There are numerous cultural offerings, including museums, art galleries, and theater.
Empowerment does not come from some particular chunk of land physically isolated from this place or that.
Empowerment does not come from fleeing from misleading images and ill thought-out generalizations about so-called "urban problems."
No matter where you live, the only way to ensure that your community is a strong one -- and a safe one -- is to get involved.
Geoff Mayer
Baltimore