Deputy Commissioner

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

Carolyn Colvin, the former secretary of the state Department of Human Resources, became acting commissioner of the Woodlawn-based Social Security Administration on Thursday. President Barack Obama has not yet nominated a successor for Michael J. Astrue, the appointee of former President George W. Bush whose six-year term ended last month. Obama's nominee must be confirmed by the Senate. Colvin was deputy commissioner under Astrue and has also served as special assistant to Maryland's secretary of transportation.

Harold R. Perry resigned this week as deputy commissioner of the city Department of Housing and Community Development after six years on the job.He was responsible for housing and building inspections, development of new neighborhood housing, community services, and administration of state and federal grants.Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said Perry will not be replaced for now.Pub Date: 8/29/96

Baltimore police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts announced Friday the creation of a new unit to oversee internal affairs, audits and the writing of police procedures, a move he hopes will strengthen public confidence in his agency. Jeronimo "Jerry" Rodriguez, a 26-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran, was named deputy commissioner in charge of the new Bureau of Professional Standards. Rodriguez will report directly to Batts and joins Deputy Commissioner John Skinner at the top level of Batts' staff.

Christopher Shea, the deputy commissioner for development who played a key role in some of the biggest revitalization initiatives planned or under way by Baltimore's housing department, has left the city agency to become the chief real estate officer for the nonprofit overseeing the east-side renewal effort centered around a biotech park. Shea began work this week at East Baltimore Development Inc. but said he would be available for consultation on other city projects he worked on - a list that includes Uplands in Southwest Baltimore, Barclay and Claremont-Freedom Village.

Elias Augustus "Tink" Dorsey, a seasoned city administrator whose career spanned from educator to serving as deputy commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Baltimore, died Monday of pancreatic cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The longtime Woodlawn resident was 69. Dr. Dorsey, the son of a contractor and a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Pimlico neighborhood. The origin of Dr. Dorsey's nickname of "Tink" or "Tinker," which he had picked up in his childhood and remained with him for the rest of his life, derived from a keen interest in tinkering with and fixing all variety of gadgets, said Daniel P. Henson III, the former city housing commissioner, who became friends with him when both were students at what is now Morgan State University.

The Baltimore Police Department is laying off 10 cadets and 19 "contract specialists" - mostly retired officers who perform investigations and other duties on contract - to save money. Notices were sent this week to the workers, telling them that their positions are being cut in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Deputy Commissioner Kenneth Blackwell said yesterday that the projected savings will be $780,476. "Certainly through no fault of their own, but because of budget constraints, these positions are being eliminated," he said.

Each time a new police commissioner arrived in Baltimore, he shuffled the department's command staff. And each time, Kenneth L. Blackwell survived and continued to climb the ranks. From 1990 until his retirement last week, Blackwell, 56, served as a high-ranking appointee under six police commissioners. During a send-off party Wednesday at police headquarters, and in conversations around the building, his colleagues praised his integrity and cool demeanor. "He's weathered storms," said Maj. Rick Hite, who first met Blackwell in 1977.

A former city police major, who is chief of Morgan State University's force, will take over next month as the No. 2 commander of the Baltimore Police Department. Leonard Hamm said he met yesterday with Commissioner Kevin P. Clark and agreed to accept the job of deputy commissioner of operations. The 55-year-old Baltimore native said he hopes to help stop the rumored decline in morale within the department. He said he has seen too many experienced officers depart. "Everybody can't leave," Hamm said.

Carolyn Colvin, the former secretary of the state Department of Human Resources, became acting commissioner of the Woodlawn-based Social Security Administration on Thursday. President Barack Obama has not yet nominated a successor for Michael J. Astrue, the appointee of former President George W. Bush whose six-year term ended last month. Obama's nominee must be confirmed by the Senate. Colvin was deputy commissioner under Astrue and has also served as special assistant to Maryland's secretary of transportation.

The Baltimore Police Department announced Wednesday an expected shakeup in its top ranks, including a new deputy commissioner and new leadership for the patrol and criminal investigations divisions. The moves were triggered by the retirement of Deputy Commissioner Deborah A. Owens, who had held that position since Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III took over in 2007. Col. John Skinner, who has overseen the patrol division, will take Owens' spot, overseeing issues including finance, recruitment and discipline.

A former high-ranking official who oversaw the state's pretrial detention centers pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing from arrestees money that had been contaminated with body fluids and burying most of it in a junkyard. Benjamin F. Brown, 60, of Crofton, was fired in August from his position of deputy commissioner of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services' pretrial division. His responsibilities included oversight of Baltimore's Central Booking and Intake Facility, the first stop for people arrested in the city.

Elias Augustus "Tink" Dorsey, a seasoned city administrator whose career spanned from educator to serving as deputy commissioner of the Housing Authority of the City of Baltimore, died Monday of pancreatic cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The longtime Woodlawn resident was 69. Dr. Dorsey, the son of a contractor and a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in the city's Pimlico neighborhood. The origin of Dr. Dorsey's nickname of "Tink" or "Tinker," which he had picked up in his childhood and remained with him for the rest of his life, derived from a keen interest in tinkering with and fixing all variety of gadgets, said Daniel P. Henson III, the former city housing commissioner, who became friends with him when both were students at what is now Morgan State University.

City police said they will resume weekly intelligence-sharing meetings for commanders that were suspended last month amid concerns that they had grown tired and were no longer the most effective way to pore over crime data. A memo distributed to officers said the Comstat meetings, which have not been held since April 1, will resume this Thursday with slight tweaks. The New York-based concept was adopted by Baltimore in 2000 and has become a national law enforcement standard. Gov. Martin O'Malley also applied the principles to government-management programs.

Wells Fargo event to help struggling borrowers Struggling borrowers with Wells Fargo or Wachovia mortgages can go to a Wells Fargo event at the Baltimore Convention Center next week for help. The company will have representatives on hand to discuss options, including eligibility for the federal Home Affordable Modification Program. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at One West Pratt Street, Level 100, Hall F. Borrowers should bring a letter explaining their situation, a list of their assets and expenses, and recent pay stubs, bank statements and tax returns/W2s.

Ralph S. Tyler III, Maryland's insurance commissioner and a former Baltimore city solicitor, announced Wednesday he is leaving state government for a federal post as chief counsel at the Food and Drug Administration. "It was not an easy decision, but the opportunity at the FDA is certainly exciting," said Tyler, who said he brought a sharper focus to consumer protection during his tenure as insurance commissioner. "It includes the opportunity to go back to being principally a lawyer, which is how I spent my professional life, and it is what I enjoy."

The revolving front-office door of the Baltimore Blast turned again yesterday when general manager John Borozzi resigned to take over the re-created position of deputy commissioner of the Major Soccer League.Borozzi's resignation means the team has gone through two general managers (Stan White and Borozzi) and made several other front-office changes in less than two years since Ed Hale bought the team.White's official title was vice president/general counsel, but he had the duties of a general manager for one year before Borozzi took over.

Kenneth Strong, director of research for a nonprofit law center in Baltimore devoted to helping community organizations, started a new job with the city yesterday as director of the office of homeownership. Strong, who will try to encourage homeownership through loan programs and promotional efforts to persuade more people to live in the city, was one of five housing department hires announced during a news conference yesterday at City Hall. Other incoming housing officials introduced by the mayor yesterday included Douglass Austin, deputy commissioner for development; J. Gregory Love, deputy commissioner for housing and building code enforcement; Ruth Louie, assistant commissioner for community development; and Chris Shea, associate deputy director of planning and development.

The Ice Edge investment group has signed a letter of intent to purchase the financially floundering Coyotes from the NHL with a long-term commitment to keep the team in Arizona. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said much remains to be done before the sale closes, but the league pledged to work closely with Ice Edge "to bring the sale to conclusion as expeditiously as possible." Ice Edge chief executive officer Anthony LeBlanc said "Ice Edge has committed to keep the Coyotes in Glendale for the remaining term of the original lease."