State Center opposition plaintiff David E. Johnson recently attacked a community volunteer, John Kyle, in his letter ("Critical questions about State Center left unanswered," June 7) calling Mr. Kyle's recent letter in support of the project sensationalism. That characterization is, frankly, offensive to the residents of this community and clearly a point of view from someone who is out of touch with the many neighborhoods that surround the State Center project. This is not sensationalism, it's realism! We live here and will be directly affected by what happens on that enormous parcel of land currently dividing our neighborhoods. Here's a news flash: We also own our homes, own restaurants, and have invested and helped build Baltimore.
Mr. Kyle — a neighborhood resident and community volunteer who is not a party to either the development deal or the lawsuit — was careful in his letter ("Angelos and other critics late to weigh in on State Center," June 1) to acknowledge that while questioning the process is merited, distorting facts to tarnish State Center's benefits to Baltimore is absolute manipulation.
Plaintiff Johnson makes reference to the project as the "$1.5 billion State Center project," as if the size of that number is bad thing. Since $1 billion of it is private investment in a struggling area, I'd say it should actually point toward support for the project. Once again, Mr. Johnson is hoping the average citizen doesn't read into the number and thinks it's costing the state $1.5 billion, when in fact it's actually bringing hundreds of millions of dollars onto the tax rolls for the first time, creating real jobs and also making possible long overdue updates to infrastructure.
Let's get real about "hidden motives" here. What Mr. Johnson is alleging about the state's bidding will be determined in courts — not by public opinion — especially not a plaintiff's opinion. Perhaps Mr. Angelos and Mr. Johnson should start looking at their own outdated buildings downtown instead of killing development in other parts of the city.
Why should city residents and taxpayers lose out on this economic engine for Baltimore because of millionaires and billionaires downtown who refuse to invest in their own outdated properties? Their acknowledged end game is that the state moves these workers to their own buildings downtown. What hypocrisy for rich private landlords angling for a state deal to call into question a public-private partnership that so significantly benefits a working-class community.
Once again, this is not sensationalism. It's a community crying out in frustration, angry at the ulterior motives of the opposition. This is not about bidding or procurement issues. It's about killing competition. It's a short-sighted, selfish solution for private landlords that kills growth in nine neighborhoods in desperate need of jobs and investment.
Bryan Dunn, Baltimore
The writer is a Seton Hill resident and homeowner.