Jettisoning the long-awaited Red Line. Releasing a transportation investment map that includes the whole state…except this weird blank spot in place of Baltimore City. A unilateral decision to close the city jail. Is Maryland Governor Larry Hogan really declaring a war on Baltimore, as some critics suggest?
According to the Washington Post, Baltimore “has lost so much political and economic clout over the years that the governor is free to spurn the city if he chooses.” Yike. The Post goes on to explain that as a Republican, Hogan stands to benefit from shifting resources away from (heavily Democratic) Baltimore City and toward the state’s right-leaning DC suburbs and rural areas to the west and east.
Furthermore, as economist Anirban Basu, chair of the Maryland Economic Development Commission points out, economic growth in Baltimore City has been sluggish compared to the rest of the state–“and with economic power comes political power.”
A spokeswoman for Hogan told the Post that any allegations that the governor was warring with Baltimore were “absolute and utter nonsense.” Maybe so–but I get the feeling that it’s going to be a long four years for Baltimore City…
Maybe it is true (and I think it is) that Hogan is shifting resources away from Baltimore because he has nothing to lose here. But he should not simultaneously say that he is doing what is best for the city.
It is clear that Mr. Hogan is ignoring Baltimore which is a huge mistake. Baltimore is more than a collection of votes for the other guy. Baltimore is the city that is the home to much of what give Marylanders pride: the BSO, the BMA, the Walters, Johns Hopkins, the Orioles, the Ravens, the USS Constellation, Fort McHenry and the Star Spangled Banner, to name a few. Surely he wouldn’t be so partisan as to ignore the Maryland city that is best known throughout the world? Just for pure self interest, I’m sure he wouldn’t want his legacy to be one of poor stewardship. Let’s hope he cares about that at least.