- GBC, Presidents' Roundtable Agree to Study City Personnel Management for Mayor
- GBC Lists Priorities for the 2001 Maryland General Assembly Session
- Register Now for the 2001 Greater Baltimore Business Outlook Conference
- Russo: City Schools Review Special Ed. Programs
- GBC UPDATES:
- GBC MEMBER NEWS:
- GBC General Assembly Preview 2001
Transportation Issues Make Priority Lists of Glendening, Ruppersberger and Duncan - Protecting Your Company's Reputation is Topic of Feb. 7 Briefing
- REMINDER: The GBC television program "Issues and Answers" airs Monday - Friday on the Comcast Cable network at the following times: 7:24 a.m., 9:24 a.m., 10:24 a.m., 11:24 a.m., 5:24 p.m., 7:24 p.m., and 9:24 p.m.
GBC, Presidents' Roundtable Agree to Study City Personnel
Management for Mayor
At the request of Baltimore City Mayor Martin O'Malley, the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Presidents' Roundtable have agreed to jointly study the city's personnel management and rules and regulations affecting city employees.
Though much narrower in scope than last year's study of five city agencies by 250 volunteers from the two organizations, the personnel policies study will also be conducted by volunteer executives. Approximately 20 - 25 executives with expertise in human resources management are being recruited to participate in the project.
Study leaders from the two organizations are expected to be named prior to a January 31 meeting with executive volunteers at Greater Baltimore Committee offices. The study is targeted for completion by May.
Volunteer executives will review the city's Department of Personnel as well as the personnel offices in each city agency. Study participants will also conduct a review of the city charter, personnel manual, civil service laws, and each of the city's current labor agreements.
Last year's study by the GBC and the Presidents' Roundtable produced more than 200 management and efficiency recommendations. Mayor O'Malley has reviewed and adopted more than 80 percent of recommendations to date.
"How the city manages its valuable personnel resources is among the most critical factors in delivering quality service to its citizens," said GBC President Donald P. Hutchinson. "We're flattered and gratified that the Mayor has asked our two organizations to team again to study and offer recommendations on a key issue."
GBC Lists Priorities for the 2001 Maryland General Assembly Session
The Greater Baltimore Committee's priorities for the 2001 session of the Maryland General Assembly, which convened on January 10, include:
- Drug treatment. The GBC will work to significantly strengthen the resources of Baltimore City and the region's jurisdictions to provide drug treatment on request as a crime reduction strategy. The GBC will support Baltimore City's request for $25 million per year in state funding for drug treatment.
- City schools' "Remedy Plan." The GBC will support the Baltimore City Public Schools' request for $101 million in additional state funding to implement the school system's "remedy plan" for reform. Details on the plan can be found in the "Education Committee" section of the GBC web site at www.gbc.org.
- West Side redevelopment. The GBC will support a proposal to earmark, in the state capital budget, $10 million a year for five years to fund infrastructure improvements in support of the more than $300 million in private investment that is being invested in redeveloping Baltimore's West Side.
- Transportation planning. The GBC will be an active participant in the statewide transportation planning process. The GBC will work to ensure that the business needs of the region and state are effectively addressed and that a comprehensive transportation plan is developed for the region.
Register Now for the 2001 Greater Baltimore Business Outlook Conference
New Congress, New Administration, New Agenda: what does all of this mean for our country and our region's business climate?
On Tuesday, January 30, at the 2001 Greater Baltimore Business Outlook Conference, join Congressman Benjamin L. Cardin, a Democratic member of the House Way and Means Committee, and Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., a Republican member of the House Commerce Committee, as they provide insight into these and many other issues impacting the 107th Congress and the new Bush Administration.
The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore at 7:30 a.m. To attend, click here to register online, or contact Sharon Cooper-Kerr at 410-727-2820, x35 for more information.
Russo: City Schools Review Special Ed. Programs
The Baltimore City Public School system is conducting a comprehensive review of its special education programs, according to Baltimore City schools CEO Carmen V. Russo. Baltimore's public schools have more than 17,000 special education students - the second highest special education population in the country, Russo told more than 150 GBC members who attended the January 11 breakfast of graduates of the GBC's Leadership program.
The current evaluation of special education is focusing on two key issues: proper identification of special education students and whether the system has the right programs for its special education students, Russo said.
She expressed confidence that, with proper funding and resources, city schools can successfully deliver quality education to special education students. Russo noted, however, that complying with the existing special education court order requires significant oversight. She expressed a need to satisfy requirements so the system can become disengaged from the special education order.
Click here for more on Carmen Russo's remarks.
- GBC UPDATES
- ASAE Honors GBC for Homicide Reduction Initiative
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently honored the Greater Baltimore Committee for its Homicide Reduction Initiative, placing it on the 2001 Associations Advance America Honor Roll. The Honor Roll recognizes more than 50 associations in the U.S. that propel America forward with innovative projects such as education and community service.
In January 2000, the GBC Homicide Reduction Initiative was put into place as the GBC's call to political leaders to support the need to reduce the homicide rate by 50 percent by the year-end 2002. Eleven members of the GBC contributed a total of $550,000 towards a Homicide Reduction Fund to provide resources for public safety programs targeted to reduce homicides.
Last year, the GBC invested almost $250,000 to support reorganization of the citys police department, reduction of illegal guns, and the development of federal, state and local law enforcement teamwork that has reduced violence in the city's highest crime areas. The fund has also provided for an additional prosecutor, surveillance equipment, training, and public relations efforts against crime. A significant reduction in crime has occurred in Park Heights, the first area where law enforcement and community teamwork was applied. Meanwhile, total crime in Baltimore is beginning to trend downward.
Click here for more on this story. - Lynn Heller to Staff Study of City Personnel
Lynn Heller, who participated in the review of Baltimore City's Department of Housing and Community Development for the GBC-Presidents' Roundtable management and efficiency study last year, has been hired by the Greater Baltimore Committee to staff a similar private-sector management study examining the City Department of Personnel.
A graduate of both Princeton and Harvard universities, Heller most recently served as the acting program officer at the Abell Foundation. She has worked abroad extensively, primarily in the area of democratic development, and was the founding director of the Baltimore Resettlement Center, which offers aid to incoming refugees as they settle into the community.
As the new project coordinator for the GBC-Presidents' Roundtable study of the City's Personnel Department, Heller will oversee the management of the project and assist volunteers in developing the final recommendations to the Mayor. - Online Registration Now Available for GBC Events
The GBC recently introduced online event registration to its website. Simply go to the calendar on the GBC homepage and click the online registration option for the event of your choice. The new feature is quick and easy to use, and all information is transmitted over a secure connection that protects the registrant's privacy. - GBC Meetings Named Among "Favorite Places to Network" by Daily Record Readers
Readers of The Daily Record, Baltimore's daily business and legal publication, named GBC meetings one of the Best Places to Network for the second consecutive year.
The Greater Baltimore Committee was among seven locations listed as a "Favorite Place to Network" in Baltimore, based on the "A" List, an annual survey of readers of The Daily Record.
- ASAE Honors GBC for Homicide Reduction Initiative
- GBC MEMBER NEWS:
- Morgan State President Named First Citizen of Maryland
Dr. Earl S. Richardson, president of Morgan State University, was one of three people to be honored with the First Citizen of Maryland award by the Maryland Senate on January 11.
As president of Morgan State for 17 years, Richardson has committed himself to establishing a foundation of excellence and achievement in the African-American community. Under his leadership, the university's academic programs have grown stronger, fiscal management has improved, and the school has gained national recognition for its academic excellence.
Richardson and the other award recipients, Senator Barbara Hoffman and Senator Robert Neall, were chosen as First Citizens based on their willingness to put forth ideas, fortune, and time in favor of better, more responsive government. All three recipients have challenged the government to make it work better for the benefit of all. - Harrison Renews Contract with Baltimore Opera Company
Michael Harrison has signed a second ten-year contract as General Director of the Baltimore Opera Company. Since joining the BOC, Harrison has achieved international recognition for the organization. He has expanded the BOC's budget from $2.142 million in the 1988-89 season to its current $7.8 million, and has increased the company's mainstage programming from 12 to 30 performances and to five operas per year.
Prior to his work with the BOC, Harrison founded and managed the Providence Opera Theatre. He then served for six years as the General Director for Opera Columbus.
Harrison has performed in numerous Broadway, national and regional productions, and has appeared opposite such operatic personalities as Anna Moffo, Mary Costa and Jerome Hines. - Eighty Manekin Employees Participate in Habitat for Humanity Project
Eighty employees of Manekin, LLC put business on hold on a recent Thursday when they partnered with Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate eight homes in Better Waverly, a small neighborhood in Baltimore City.
The project, part of Manekin's Fifth Annual Day of Caring, involved activities such as landscaping, demolition, framing and carpentry. Manekin purchased the necessary lumber for the project. Other supplies were provided by the company's vendors, including Centerline Construction, Summit Interiors, Quality Painting, Duron Paints, Neuvalley Nurseries, and Carroll Supplies.
Click here for more on this story.
- Morgan State President Named First Citizen of Maryland
GBC General Assembly Preview 2001
Transportation Issues Make Priority Lists of Glendening, Ruppersberger and Duncan
While welcoming Governor Glendening's announced focus on funding mass transit improvements as the 2001 General Assembly session neared, two of Maryland's most prominent county executives voiced continuing concern to Greater Baltimore Committee members over the need to improve highways in the Baltimore-Washington area as well.
"We have not pulled together as we should regarding transportation," Baltimore County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger told more than 175 executives who attended the GBC's annual preview of the Maryland General Assembly session. A major highway that directly links central Montgomery County to the Baltimore region is still badly needed, he said.
"The big problem is, you can't get from here to there," said Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan. Driving between Rockville and Baltimore is so difficult that it discourages residents of his county from coming to Baltimore to enjoy major attractions, such as the Aquarium, the Science Center and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In the long run, it could detract from the development of the growing technology sectors in both regions, Duncan warned.
T. Eloise Foster, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Budget and Management, said that major priorities of the Glendening administration during the 2001 General Assembly session, which began January 10, include expanding Smart Growth initiatives, strengthening the state's mass transit systems to double its ridership, increasing higher education and K-12 funding, and promoting inclusion.
The governor will create a special secretary of Smart Growth, submit initiatives to develop more parks and open space in urban areas, and create "Community Legacy" funding for neighborhood development projects, Foster said.
Gov. Glendening will also seek to commit $750 million over six years for mass transit improvements, including improved community bus service, better bus-to-rail links and enhanced technology.
The governor's agenda will include legislation to eliminate racial profiling and to strengthen Maryland's minority business development program, she said.
Both Ruppersberger and Duncan acknowledged the value of a regional perspective when it comes to making public policy. "Regionalism is the most important thing we can do," said Ruppersberger, noting that 22 Baltimore County police officers serve on Baltimore City's warrants task force, which has been cited as a key element in reducing the homicide rate.
According to Ruppersberger, effective public policy in the Baltimore region boils down to four key issues: education, crime reduction, neighborhoods and funding.
Duncan said he sees Baltimore and the Washington suburbs as "one combined region." While there are "some differing local issues, we have so much more in common," he said.
Click here for more on the Maryland General Assembly Preview...
Protecting Your Company's Reputation is Topic of Feb. 7 Briefing
Learn how to "Defend Your Company's Reputation" at the GBC's February 7 Breakfast Briefing, as Kevin O'Keefe and Chuck Fitzgibbon of Weber Shandwick Worldwide reveal "10 Things Companies Have Learned the Hard Way" during crises.
The program, beginning at 7:45 a.m. in the GBC Board Room, will explore the difference between generating a "positive spin" during a crisis and defending a company's reputation as its most valuable asset. It will also show how a well-managed reputation can be protected and leveraged with important stakeholder groups including employees, consumers, communities, and investors to lessen the impact of negative news or events.
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