Learning lessons from Piper's move to the suburbs
Your readers deserve more information on the circumstances surrounding Piper & Marbury's decision to relocate most of its personnel from downtown to a building in Mount Washington.
For the past two years, the Baltimore Development Corp. met regularly with Piper's managing partner, Frank Burch, and its real estate representative (Colliers Pinkard) to identify, at Piper's request, suitable new office building opportunities in which Piper would be the major tenant. Piper limited this search to downtown Baltimore along the Pratt Street corridor, with a deadline of March 2001.
More than a year ago, this effort focused on the Baltimore City Community College's (BCCC) Inner Harbor site at Pratt Street and Market Place. Piper formed a team with developer Peter Leibowits to pursue this development. With the city's deep interest in seeing this major site developed, BDC and the mayor had regular contacts with BCCC's board and staff to urge their expeditious action.
Also, BDC offered its staff as a free consultant to BCCC. This offer was not accepted, and BCCC instead employed a private consultant. In June, BCCC selected another development team -- not including Piper -- for the Inner Harbor site. While BDC continued to discuss construction options in downtown with Piper, the law firm's self-imposed moving date to occupy its future office space was making such efforts increasingly questionable.
Because Piper's consideration of the Baltimore County site was not revealed to us, its late August decision was surprising and disappointing news to those of us involved in this effort of several years.
At this point, what should be done? Several ideas seem to be worth pursuing:
While Piper's decision is a good real estate deal for Piper, the city will suffer a significant loss in downtown employment and spin-off economic activity.
Given this situation, would Piper defer implementing its decision and consider extending its deadline and allow a reasonable period (perhaps six months) to identify an appropriate downtown solution? Or, if Piper proceeds immediately with the Mount Washington location, would it commit to a significantly larger downtown presence (than previously stated) over a significant period of time?
BDC is taking the lead in convening the major public and private players to address all the hurdles in providing new, quality Class A office space in downtown at the earliest possible time.
Short of offering financial incentives, which were not requested by Piper, we believe the city did all it could do to retain Piper downtown. Our ideas offer some options to rectify or help to avoid future moves of this type.
Roger C. Lipitz
Baltimore
The writers are, respectively, chairman and president of the Baltimore Development Corp.
'Underground Posse' rider mourns leader, talk station
I read with incredulity the article on the firing of radio talk-show host C. Miles Smith, "Radio talk-show host fired for on-air remarks" (Sept. 30). It reminded me of the fable of the emperor who had no clothes.
As a longtime listener of radio station WOL, where he worked, I remember the heyday of the "Cathy Hughes Show." When this now corporate giant was on the air, it was "no holds barred" time. Del. Clarence Mitchell IV was right when he said that she has said far more incendiary and unsupportable things than what Mr. Smith said about Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke.
Mr. Smith was a thought-provoking talk-show host who came to the airwaves thoroughly prepared daily. He always discussed the most controversial topics and forced his listeners to take a serious look at the inconsistencies of everyday existence. We, the deputies of the "Talk How You Like Underground Posse," will miss him dearly.
As for the WOL talk network, I fear it is the end. It is laughable that a network that built its reputation on hard-hitting commentary now bows down to some special interests. Perhaps a case of "follow the money" is in order.
Eldon Pittman Jr.
Washington
American flag deserves to be displayed properly
I am constantly dismayed to see the American flag displayed improperly. On any given day I see torn and ripped flags displayed outside private homes as well as public buildings.
Our flag is a constant reminder of blood that has been shed to keep our freedom intact. It represents the desire and dedication of 13 tiny colonies to unite against a tyrant. This flag stands for the privilege to come and go as we please. It gives us the right to own property, the freedom to choose our religion and the right to bear arms.
When a torn flag is raised or when it is otherwise displayed improperly, we blatantly show our disregard for the sacrifices readily given by our forefathers and our friends, neighbors and loved ones in recent years.
Thomas K. Jarvis
Baltimore
More are dying in Kosovo as the West delays action
The butchering of innocent Kosovo women, children and the aged by Slobodan Milosevic and his Serbian forces shouldn't be a surprise ("Kosovo villagers show evidence of new massacre," Oct. 2). This is the same thug who directed brutal crimes against humanity in Serbia.
For seven months the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United Nations and the United States have tried to stop Mr. Milosevic with hollow threats. The U.N. Security Council demanded an immediate cease-fire; NATO threatened air strikes; our secretaries of state and defense issued warnings. The only effect these empty words had on Mr. Milosevic was to cause him to spur on his soldiers and police while they slit the throats of children, murdered women and shot elderly and homeless villagers in the back of the head.
Many of the roughly 1,000 victims of Serbian slaughter had no connection with the Kosovo Liberation Army. Their only crime, like hundreds of thousands of refugees, is their ethnicity.
These are shocking and irrefutable facts, and the West now has pictures to prove them.
So why, after our appalling failure to act in Serbia, are we once again playing the role of the slow and toothless tiger? The U.S. must take the lead and be the catalyst for multilateral action. To delay even one day longer to initiate the direct military action that has been threatened so often, by so many, for so long is to become an accomplice in the atrocities.
Mr. Milosevic knows that inevitably the West will have to step in and solve the massive refugee problems he created. The United States is exasperatingly slow to grasp that an ounce of timely preventive action can save a pound of human suffering.
Roger C. Kostmayer
Baltimore
Pencil-thin veil of Waters' snobbery
John Waters' consummate snobbery is veiled as thinly as his mustache is penciled in.
That so many, from Cannes to Canton, are taken in, bears out just how primitive in our entertainment tastes we Baltimoreans are.
John Waters' genius lies in his ability to exploit this.
Would that it were not so.
Joy Wheeler
Towson
Where will we get teachers, and can we afford them?
Judging from the television ads, the Republican candidate for governor this year must think that the voters aren't interested in some of the claims being made.
We are to believe that every child will be able to read by the end of the first grade. Every child? It's obvious that Ellen Sauerbrey hasn't read your investigative report on special education. Then we are being told that 1,000 teachers will be hired. I will assume that these teachers will be certified and qualified. Where are we going to find these 1,000 new teachers when we can't find enough teachers now?
Forgotten in this plan to hire 1,000 teachers is that they require a certain number of backup personnel. A few years ago, The Sun published a report on the number of employees needed to support a certain number of teachers.
Now comes the real question: How are we going to pay them?
Ms. Sauerbrey's plan leaves too many things unaccounted for. It sounds like a lot of rhetorical promises that are impossible to carry out.
Louis J. Piasecki
Cockeysville
' Pub Date: 10/06/98