
Rawlings-Blake speaks on the state of her “union” with the city {Thanks, Baltimore Sun}
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has been on the job just under three weeks and delivered her first State of the City address Monday. Unlike the president’s State of the Union, the mayor’s speech wasn’t watched by people all across the city. In fact, you might be hard pressed to find a Baltimore resident who knew the speech was even happening. Still, I think it’s fair to say the mayor is still in her honeymoon period, but not for much longer.
Something Old
Like a leader of any major city, Mayor Rawlings-Blake focused her attention on public safety, public education, continuity of city services and improved neighborhoods. The mayor reaffirmed that she and city leaders are committed to decreasing violence in the city. She noted January was one of the least violent months in 40 years. Mayor Rawlings-Blake, a mother of a young public school student, said that increasing test scores in city schools was of paramount importance, because this would show the quality of a public school education in Charm City was improving. Lastly, the mayor said she was committed on working to minimize the impact of the $120 million budget deficit she inherited when she took office. She said she couldn’t in good conscience promise that residents wouldn’t be impacted, because to make such a statement would be irresponsible.


























