City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke's proposal to require a $15 per hour minimum wage is noble but ill advised. Very simply stated, it will drive businesses out of Baltimore ("Baltimore City Council divided over $15 minimum wage," July 17).
There is, however, another way to fund that proposed minimum wage increase. All city employees with an annual salary of at least $100,000 could have their salary reduced by, say, 20 percent. The resulting funds could be used to supplement a business wage baseline of, say, $10 per hour. That would attract businesses to Baltimore where jobs are sorely needed.
Let's see how well that proposal will be received.
Henry H. Emurian, Baltimore