company privatization

A protest to stop Baltimore from privatizing its water system — which the city isn't actually contemplating — was misplaced, but concern about the future of the water system was not.

Running parking garages is not a core function of government, so Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake's plan to sell off city-owned garages would be an encouraging step toward shedding non-essential city assets and investing in more important priorities for the city's residents and long-term fiscal health.

WASHINGTON — Criticism of President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Social Security Administration appeared to evaporate Thursday at a confirmation hearing that featured few questions about controversial service cuts and recent allegations of mismanagement.

Experienced federal employees can manage complex computer system but they are in short supply thanks to cutbacks

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposal to sell garages to fund new rec centers is an appealing idea — provided it really generates the kind of windfall she's advertising.

Companies should offer student loan repayment assistance, with the state's help

Five of the seven seats on the Anne Arundel County Council have contested primaries this year.

On Wednesday, 60 public housing residents and union workers stood outside the Housing Authority of Baltimore City to urge it to halt a plan to sell housing to private developers.

The poor state of our nation's infrastructure is shocking. Driving on Maryland roads in need of repair costs the state nearly $1.6 billion a year in operating costs and vehicle repairs; that's $422 per motorist. Congress should not only boost the Highway Trust Fund, but also take steps to incentivize public-private partnerships in infrastructure investment.

Some privatization may be key to resolving long-standing faults in Veterans Administration health care.

Over these last three decades I've frequently been asked if I believe we can eradicate HIV and stop the epidemic. I believe the answer is yes — if the public and private sectors begin to invest more resources in research, treatment and in reaching people at risk. A functional cure is likely achievable within a decade and vaccine candidates are emerging.

The port of Baltimore handled more cargo containers, automobiles and wood pulp in 2013 than ever before, a record-setting performance despite ongoing labor unrest on its public docks.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said Wednesday he expects Baltimore to be a model for a new program, which will turn over thousands of units of public housing to private and nonprofit developers.

An analysis by the Urban Institute found a yawning gap between the number of low-income renter households and affordable units available in every jurisdiction in the country.

Newly named to head Baltimore's public schools, Gregory E. Thornton has unfinished business in the district he is leaving behind

A newly-rebuilt Maryland House travel plaza on Interstate 95 in Aberdeen will reopen to the public next week, after more than a year of construction under a $30 million public-private partnership.

Four teams of contractors and investors have been named to a short-list of companies that will be considered under a public-private partnership with Maryland to build the Purple Line.

Officials at the port of Baltimore don't know how feasible it is to turn dredged muck from the bottom of Baltimore's shipping channels into a commercially viable construction material — but they are looking to find out.

Leaders of Maryland's transportation industry said Monday that the state's future success depends on continued infrastructure investment beyond the $4.4 billion already budgeted for commuter and mass transit systems in the next six years.

Board OKs plan to build Purple Line with private partner

Gov. Martin O'Malley will announce $1.5 billion in new Baltimore-area transportation investments on Wednesday, outlining for the first time how recent gas tax increases will be reflected in local infrastructure and mass transit improvements.

Auditors claims Frostburg State University broke rules in development deal

The inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service is urging the agency to take a cue from the port of Baltimore and expand its partnerships with private businesses to cut costs and modernize its infrastructure.

Nearly 400 contractors, investment bankers, engineering firms and rail-car makers packed a forum at the Baltimore Convention Center Monday to learn what kinds of opportunities might be available if the state makes the $2.6 billion Red Line mass transit project a public-private partnership.

P3s combine the strengths of two sectors while creating jobs and saving taxpayers money

Ruxton's Christopher Lee helped transform Port of Baltimore to gain competitive edge

State officials went to Washington Monday to assure the administration that Maryland has both the means and the will to build two light rail systems.

Maryland's deteriorating infrastructure could receive a boost from private investor dollars, thanks to legislation passed Monday designed to enhance public-private partnerships.

Authority advises caution on ICC privatization

An unfavorable court ruling leaves the state with no good options for replacing its outdated office complex in midtown Baltimore.

The O'Malley administration hopes a bill to allow more public-private partnerships will help alleviate the state's backlog of transportation and other infrastructure needs.

A Baltimore circuit judge has dismissed a lawsuit against state officials and a Florida company that claimed the bidding process to award construction and operation of the two Interstate 95 travel plazas was illegal and biased

In a few years, Baltimore's reservoirs will no longer supply its drinking water; the city needs to plan now to transform them for recreational use

The reason the private security firm hired for the London games failed isn't the fault of privatization but of crony government.

Outgoing Maryland transportation secretary sees major accomplishments, some disappointments during her tenure

Ship bringing massive cranes from China is expected in Baltimore by mid-June.

A public-private partnership offers a way to preserve an iconic city landmark

Ethics, P3 bills progress

Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards remains one of baseball's top parks, a source of civic pride and a lesson in how to make a public-private partnership work

Brown says administration won't risk P3 bill over State Center

Changing the judicial procedure by which the State Center case will be heard is unusual but not unprecedented; the legislature's action does not tip the scales to one side or the other in the court case.