Republicans don't control any elected office in Baltimore City so it will be difficult for them to demonstrate that they care about voters here ("After unrest, GOP looks to make inroads in Baltimore," June 10).
But they do control the biggest political prize in the state: the governor's office. The governor has authority over state departments, many of which can have a direct impact in Baltimore City.
For example, local bus service is provided by the Maryland Transit Administration, which is overseen by the state Department of Transportation. Too many Baltimore City residents experience bus service that is unreliable and does not efficiently connect them to job opportunities.
According to the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood is home to the highest percentage of workers who travel more than 45 minutes to get to work.
Baltimore City officials aren't responsible for Baltimore's bus service problems, state officials are. And those officials are now answering to a Republican governor and his appointees at MDOT and MTA.
To date, Republicans have not been terribly interested in buses except to criticize them for not meeting state-mandated farebox recovery ratios. But poor quality service is a main reason that buses don't return more farebox revenue.
It's difficult to get customers to pay for a transportation service that is unreliable and inefficient. Improving bus service could be a winning scenario for Republicans and Governor Hogan by increasing farebox recovery, connecting people to jobs and opportunity and showing Baltimore's neglected communities that their needs are being addressed.
Bernie Smith, Baltimore