'Tremendous Validation'
O'Malley Accepts 80 Percent of GBC - Presidents' Roundtable Recommendations
Mayor Martin O'Malley's decision in early November to accept more than 80 percent of the GBC-Presidents' Roundtable efficiency recommendations was received with pride by GBC leaders and reinforced confidence that the comprehensive, six-month study by 250 executive volunteers is prompting constructive change in city government.
"This is a tremendous validation of the value of the work of the GBC and the value of business as a partner in good government," said GBC President Donald P. Hutchinson.
In a news conference on Nov. 6, Mayor O'Malley announced that the city was accepting, without modification, 159 of 194 recommendations proposed for the departments of fire, health, public works, recreation and parks, as well as for citywide management issues and the city's use of information technology. The recommendations were contained in a report issued in July entitled "Managing for Success."
GBC Chairman John Morton III said he was greatly encouraged by the Mayor's commitment to follow through in implementing the recommendations, to track the city's progress, and to instill a culture of accountability in city government. "I'm very optimistic about leveraging this work," said Morton. "It never would have happened if the Mayor hadn't asked. We appreciate that."
First Deputy Mayor Michael Enright said that the city will track implementation progress every two weeks and will require department heads to submit formal quarterly reports on progress in putting GBC-PRT recommendations into place. "It was an enormous undertaking by you," Enright told GBC board members at their Nov. 10 meeting. "It has worked far better than imagined." He added that he expects to seek help from the GBC and the Presidents' Roundtable in following up with city management issues.
The Mayor's response to the GBC-Presidents' Roundtable report drew prominent local media coverage, including a front-page story in the Baltimore Sun, feature news coverage on three Baltimore television stations and wide radio news reports.
A Baltimore Business Journal editorial on November 10 noted that the business-government cooperation that produced the report "offered a glimpse of what hopefully will become the norm for the future." The report was also the topic of an hour-long segment of the November 10 Marc Steiner show. Guest panelist Anthony McCarthy, associate publisher of the Baltimore Times, called the report "extremely thorough."
"The GBC and the Presidents' Roundtable did an extraordinary job at looking at very common-sense ways to make government more efficient," said McCarthy.
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Key Recommendations Accepted by O'Malley
Key recommendations accepted by Mayor O'Malley include reducing overtime costs in the Fire Department, merging the Baltimore Mental Health Systems and the Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems, reducing the size of the city's automotive fleet, and attracting new revenue and investment to the Department of Recreation and Parks. City leaders also agreed to most of the recommendations for a comprehensive overhaul of the city's information technology resources and numerous recommendations aimed at instilling strong levels of accountability in city departments.
Deferred for further study were 18 recommendations, including adoption of a 1+1 mixed refuse collection plan, carving a new Department of General Services from the existing Department of Public Works, and conducting an annual citizens satisfaction survey.
Shapiro to Preview "Nice vs. Nasty" Negotiation Tactics on December 6
Ronald M. Shapiro, award-winning author of The Power of Nice, will provide an exclusive preview of his latest book, N.I.C.E. vs. Nasty, at the December 6 GBC Business Education Seminar. He will teach program participants how to negotiate in business using the hard-edged, aggressive tactics that he outlines in the book, which he is currently writing with partner Mark Jankowski.
Program participants will learn how to:
- Neutralize their own emotions to prevent the Nasty negotiator from gaining an upper hand;
- Identify and respond to Situationally Nasty, Strategically Nasty and Simply Nasty Negotiators;
- Create options that lead to
"WIN-win" deals; and
- End negotiations without escalating them.
The program will take place on Wednesday, December 6 from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. The cost for GBC members is $50 per person, or $400 per table of ten. To attend, contact Michele Armiger at (410) 727-2820, x29.
Seeking Balance in Dealing with Panhandlers
Despite the fact that downtown Baltimore is relatively crime-free, the city's convention industry remains concerned that street panhandlers detract from conventioneers' feeling of security, members of the GBC Hospitality/Tourism Industry Group said at the group's Nov. 14 meeting.
"The one category where we get more 'poor' ratings from conventioneers is in the area of public safety," said Gary Brown, a vice president of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors' Association (BACVA). Many feel that panhandlers are the source of visitors' perception that the city is not safe. Such perceptions spread very quickly in the national convention community, Brown noted.
For the past 19 years, Baltimore's tourism industry leaders and civil liberties advocates have been vying for balance over panhandling.
Court rulings in 1981 and 1994 that affirmed city panhandlers' right to "freedom of speech" have greatly limited the police department's ability to discourage panhandling in downtown Baltimore. Meanwhile, the activities of panhandlers and vagrants continue to detract from the tourist and cultural attractions, economic linchpins of Baltimore - the state's top tourist destination.
Currently, police can take enforcement action only against panhandlers who are "aggressive." The Downtown Partnership's safety guides, however, are trained to discourage panhandlers, said Tom Yeager, the partnership's vice president of Clean and Safe Services. Tactics include standing next to panhandlers and distributing fliers urging pedestrians to say "no" to panhandlers and "yes" to giving to charities. Safety guides also distribute cards to panhandlers listing where to go for food and shelter.
For information on how other cities deal with panhandling, see the Hospitality and Tourism Industry Group section of the GBC website.
GBC UPDATES:
- Fry Participates in Baltimore Youth Violence Summit
GBC Executive Vice President Donald C. Fry shared initiatives of the Greater Baltimore Committee and law enforcement leaders to reduce gun violence and violent crime in city neighborhoods at the Baltimore Youth Violence Summit, held on October 26. The purpose of the event, organized by Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, was to raise awareness about youth violence in the Baltimore community in order to keep young people safe and to provide them with the assistance that they need to remain safe into adulthood.
- Health Care Preview on December 11
The GBC Health Care/Insurance Industry Group is now called the Health Care Committee. Its mission is to improve the business climate for Greater Baltimore by identifying key challenges in health care facing providers, insurers, and employers and developing solutions to those problems and advocating for their implementation.
At its next meeting on Monday, December 11, the group will hold a Health Care Legislative Preview, featuring Delegate Michael E. Busch, chair, House Economic Matters Committee; and Senator Christopher VanHollen, Jr., chair, Budget & Taxation Committee Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.
For more information, contact Alice Smith, 410-727-2820, x19.
- Leadership Applications Abound
The Leadership program is in the process of reviewing applications for its Leadership Class of 2001. This year, the program has received its highest number of applications that have been submitted in more than 5 years. The Leadership accepts 48 members for each class.
GBC MEMBER NEWS:
- BGE Receives Outstanding Partnership Award
Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), a member of the Constellation Energy Group, was presented with the Outstanding Partnership Award by the Community Assistance Network (CAN) on October 25.
For nearly 20 years, BGE has collaborated with CAN, a private, nonprofit organization and legally designated community action agency for Baltimore County, helping tens of thousands of low-income residents to achieve a better life.
- Angelos Honored for Support of African American Causes
Baltimore Orioles owner and GBC board member Peter G. Angelos was honored on October 28 at the Associated Black Charities' annual meeting for his financial support of causes important to African Americans.
The organization presented Angelos with the Marion C. Bascom Leadership award, citing his willingness to commit his law firm to civil cases involving issues of concern to African Americans. Also recognized were his contributions to the 1968 election campaign of the late Judge Joseph C. Howard, who later became the first African American federal judge in Baltimore; a recent $250,000 donation to the Morgan State University Christian Center; and his continued support for the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust.
- Sylvan Learning Invests in Colleges in Switzerland, Mexico
Sylvan Learning Systems Inc. has acquired a Swiss hotel management school and agreed to take controlling interest in a private university in Mexico, reports the Baltimore Business Journal.
Sylvan's investment in Universidad del Valle de Mexico, with 32,000 full-time students at 14 campuses, is the first move into Latin America by its Sylvan International Universities unit.
The company also acquired Gesthotel SA Hotel Management School, known as Les Roches, in Bluche, Switzerland.
Last year, Sylvan International Universities acquired a 54 percent equity interest in Universidad Europea de Madrid, a private university in Spain with 7,000 students.
- Nottingham Properties, Constellation Energy Named "Businesses of the Year"
The Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce recognized Nottingham Properties and Constellation Energy Group as "Businesses of the Year" on November 9. The award was presented to GBC board members P. Douglas Dollenberg, president & CEO of Nottingham Properties, and Christian H. Poindexter, chairman, president & CEO of Constellation Energy Group, at the Baltimore County Chamber's Annual Dinner.
Leadership Class of 2000 Graduates 46 Executives
Forty-six members of The Leadership Class of 2000 graduated on October 30 from the yearlong program, sponsored by the GBC, which serves to prepare executives for high-level volunteer service in the region. The commencement ceremony took place at the Evergreen Carriage House in Baltimore.
WJHU Radio host Marc Steiner was a featured speaker at the commencement ceremony, and spoke about Leadership opportunities in Baltimore and throughout the region.
Class of 2000 graduate Fred Kardon of The Daily Record compiled thoughts from his fellow classmates and incorporated them into a speech about the group's experiences throughout the year. He noted that "through Leadership 2000, we've been able to gain, in a very short period of time, knowledge of Baltimore in its extremes: from the very best the city has to offer, to areas that even good conscience has forgotten."
Members of The Leadership class were asked at the beginning of the year to create a vision of Baltimore in the future, and worked to come up with goals for achieving that vision during their time in the program. In the process, each member of the class learned how to make a difference in the community, both together and individually.
Click here for a list of members of The Leadership Class of 2000.
Violent Crime Reduction Initiatives Successful in Park Heights
Recent statistics show that the amount of violent crime in the Park Heights area has declined as a result of crime reduction initiatives that were implemented in the area last February. These initiatives are the centerpoint of programs approved as a part of the GBC homicide reduction program.
Shootings and homicides in Park Heights have gone down 66 percent from 1999 to 2000. The number of homicides in the area has decreased 22 percent, and shootings have gone down 74 percent.
The crime reduction strategy that triggered this drop in violent crime is the result of a collaboration of 14 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working closely with community residents to reduce gun violence in Baltimore.
The strategies used in the Park Heights area will also be implemented in the Eastern District of Baltimore.
Stay tuned to the GBC website for continued updates on GBC crime reduction initiatives.
GBC Ravens Skybox Available in December
The GBC is offering packages to members for the following Ravens games:
Dec. 10 - San Diego Chargers
Dec. 24 - New York Jets
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