In a lengthy but well-crafted monologue, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake touched nearly all the bases — from promising to grow the city, reduce property taxes and improve education, to increasing Baltimore’s population, continuing to cut crime, and forging “strong partnerships” between city agencies, developers, and community organizations to “transform our neighborhoods” and make them “more attractive” to both new and long-time residents.

The mayor was applauded numerous times during her more than half-hour-long speech, which followed applause and cheers by administrative staff as she approached the crowded chamber, and then more applause from City Council members and guests once she entered.

Missing however was the lengthy applause the President of the United States receives at the mere mention of his title on the evening of his annual State of the Union Address delivered before a joint session of Congress, after which the State of the City Address is patterned.

NO MENTION OF GRAND PRIX

Also missing was any mention of the controversial Grand Prix race, for which the city got stiffed $12 million by the organizers of the inaugural event Labor Day weekend. On Friday the mayor said the city expects to enter into a five-year agreement with a different group to run the race from now on.

Rawlings-Blake was elected overwhelmingly last fall to her first full term as Mayor of Baltimore, having succeeded to the office just over two years ago upon the misdemeanor conviction and subsequent resignation of former Mayor Sheila Dixon.

Blake’s speech was upbeat and positive and hardly anyone other than mayoral and council staff even noticed that it was being filmed by Al Jazeera English, the world’s first English-language television news and current affairs channel headquartered in the Middle East.

Al Jazeera is currently preparing a documentary report on Baltimore, resulting from foreign fascination with the city based on worldwide popularity of the HBO series “The Wire,” which was filmed here and sought to depict local politics, crime and corruption.

Former Mayor Dixon was frequently critical of the TV drama, produced by ex-Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon, terming it “overly negative” and an inaccurate depiction of the city. Season 3 of the fictional show, which ran from 2002-2008, focused on Baltimore’s government and bureaucracy.

Rawlings-Blake in her speech reiterated themes she has touched on throughout her tenure as mayor, noting that “our city’s homicide count reached its lowest level since 1977 — a 17 percent drop in the last two years alone.”

REDUCTION IN PROPERTY TAX RATE

And she announced that a proposal to fund a reduction in the property tax rate for city homeowners will be “built into the budget” she plans to submit to the City Council for approval next month.

“What we’ve proposed will amount to the largest drop in property taxes for homeowners in decades,” she said.

“In the coming weeks, we will submit the legislation needed to create this targeted tax cut for owner-occupied homes.”

The cut will be minimal compared to proposals offered during the mayoral campaign last year by some of her opponents, one of whom proposed a 50 percent decrease in the property tax.

Under Rawlings-Blake’s plan, homeowners will get a 0.02 percent decrease “right away,” she said, a 0.1 percent reduction a year later, and a decrease that will “ramp up” to 0.2 percent by the year 2020.

To fund increased education costs she will propose an increase in the controversial bottle tax from its current two cents to five cents in 2013, with the additional three cents’ revenue to be used solely for schools.

FAILED TO RAISE BOTTLE TAX

Partly as a result of heavy pressure from retailers and beverage lobbyists the council failed to raise the bottle tax last year. However City Hall insiders believe that by targeting the full increase toward education, few council members will oppose it.

Blake said the legislation would be introduced at the next City Council meeting, scheduled for Monday.

Taking issue with schools’ CEO Andrés Alonso, who is pushing an alternative plan to that proposed by the mayor, she said that she and Alonso were in agreement on the needs of the school system but that “it’s false to say we can borrow a billion dollars, but that we won’t have to pay it back one way or another.

“And it isn’t honest to say there won’t be sacrifice.”

Alonso recently signed a new four-year contract to continue as schools’ chief. He was praised along with Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld 3rd by the mayor in her address.

Concluding the session, Rabbi David Katz, of Congregation Beth Abraham, wished her the “wisdom of Solomon” to accomplish the city’s goals.
 
alforman@voiceofbaltimore.org