Mayor

When Murray Alexander Schmoke Jr. told his family that he was going to South Africa as a volunteer English teacher, relatives worried about his safety but did not try to stop him."I was real concerned," Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said. "But I remembered my own experience at that age. When I told my parents I was going somewhere that they considered dangerous, I'd always say 'I'll be all right.' "So it was for the mayor's 25-year-old half brother, who confidently left for South Africa in January.

With the city retirement system short hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded liabilities, officials say they are likely to begin requiring municipal employees to contribute to their pensions. "Pretty much everyone is in agreement that it's fair," said Carl Stokes, chairman of the City Council's finance committee. "Those who are benefiting from the pensions should be contributing to them. " The finance committee is scheduled to hear testimony Thursday on a proposal by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to require thousands of civilian employees to begin making contributions.

Editor: Patrick McGrady is my neighbor. I have known him for almost 26 years. I'm supporting him for mayor of Aberdeen because I trust him and his family. They are honest, God-fearing, and hard-working. Patrick will work tirelessly to get Aberdeen back to basics: clean water, safe streets and low taxes. Aberdeen will have a bright future if we elect Patrick McGrady. Gisele Knapp Aberdeen

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will preside over a mass wedding of same-sex couples at this year's Baltimore Pride Celebration, with the event drawing interest from couples as far away as Atlanta, according to organizers. In November, Maryland became one of the first states to have same-sex marriage approved by voters in a referendum. "After doing so much work on this — on the ballot initiative — we thought, how do we really celebrate this?" said organizer Carrietta Hiers, who plans to marry her partner of nearly 13 years, Tonya Cook, at the ceremony.

The other night I was awakened at 2 a.m. by a robocall from the "mayor and city council of Baltimore" alerting me about the upcoming hurricane. I am thoroughly disgusted and very angry about it - even more so because I couldn't speak to anyone in city government on Sunday. When I called the City Hall operator I was given the number for the mayor's office of constituency, which, of course, was closed. I wonder who was responsible for this snafu... Naomi Walpert, Baltimore

Today in New York, I am wearing an autographed "Baltimore is Best" necktie in memory of former Governor and Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer, which signed necktie was sent me by this amazing advocate for Baltimore. While I am profoundly sad to have heard of Don's passing, I am simultaneously profoundly proud of the "Maryland memories" which his unique style and effervescent personality allowed my wife and me to share. Edward B (Woody) Ryder IV, Greenlawn, N.Y.

During my time in office, members of the downtown business community and other citizens urged me to take action against the area known as The Block. Since the end of World War II, The Block has been a concentration of strip clubs and X-rated bookstores. However, by the 1990s, The Block acquired a reputation for attracting people engaged in drug dealing, prostitution and other unsavory activity. Pressure mounted to close the last remaining block of what once was three blocks of sex-based entertainment.

It was good to see the mayor of Baltimore walking around the downtown as reported recently in The Sun ("Mayor has a look as police presence rises in downtown," May 20). But once the photo opportunities were done, then what? It might behoove the mayor to spend a bit more unannounced walking time downtown with her family. Hopefully, she won't encounter what Dan Rodricks did on a walk, as reported in a recent column by him ("Knuckleheads not wanted," May 20). He was almost run down by some children on bicycles racing through the Inner Harbor area.

The Mayor and Housing Authority of Baltimore's insist that they cannot pay court judgments for victims of lead paint is unconscionable, unjust and completely unacceptable. I am shocked and outraged that the Mayor of Baltimore and the Housing Authority of Baltimore will not stand up for the most vulnerable citizens of Baltimore: the children. How can the Housing Authority and the Mayor turn their backs on the victims and disregard the rule of law? The Mayor and the Housing Authority Board members have taken a solemn oath of office to uphold the laws of the State of Maryland and they should do just that, uphold the law. What is more troubling is the clear pattern of mismanagement by the Administration and the Housing Authority on the issue of lead paint.

Here's what I want from Baltimore's next mayor: I want a cheerleader - someone who is willing to be on the street, meeting and greeting citizens every day, complimenting them on good deeds and taking them to task for their bad deeds. A person who finds ways to unite the diverse elements of our wonderful city. I want a CEO who recognizes that the city needs talented folks to manage the agencies, people whose first loyalty is to improving the health and well being of the city of Baltimore, rather than to the mayor and the mayor's ambitions.

On the face of it, City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young's local hiring bill sounds eminently reasonable. When Baltimore spends its residents' tax dollars, why shouldn't it do so in a way that supports hiring city residents, particularly considering the high rate of unemployment here? That common-sense appeal, perhaps, explains why the measure got preliminary approval on a unanimous vote Monday night. Indeed, it sounds like such a good idea that one might wonder: Why doesn't every city and county do the same thing?

Organizers of this year's Baltimore Pride celebration have chosen Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to serve as grand marshal in recognition of her support for the gay community. The GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland is hosting the annual parade and block party in Mount Vernon and the festival at Druid Hill Park - the largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender gathering in the state - on June 15 and 16. "Mayor Rawlings-Blake's commitment to the LGBT community has been undoubtedly one of the best records in Maryland and for the City of Baltimore," the center said Tuesday in a statement.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake appointed an executive with a disaster response company Friday to lead Baltimore's Transportation Department at a time when the agency continues to struggle with its speed camera program. Her pick, William Johnson, has worked since 2005 as a senior manager at O'Brien's Response Management, which billed itself as a provider of emergency preparedness, response management and crisis services when it merged last year with another firm. Johnson has 20 years of public- and private-sector experience in urban transportation, public works, and emergency preparation and response, the mayor's office said.

A 20-year-old cousin of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was one of two men fatally shot in separate incidents Wednesday night in Baltimore, the latest victims of the city's relentless pace of gun violence. Joseph Haskins, 20, was shot inside a house just blocks from his family's home in the Northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Forest Park. Police said the shooting appeared to be the result of home invasion robbery, but detectives still were investigating. They said it was unclear whether Haskins was targeted.

As city schools CEO Andrés Alonso steps aside, he's turning the system over to a close adviser he's trusted during some of his administration's most trying moments. Alonso's chief of staff, Tisha Edwards, will lead the system through the 2014 school year as the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners searches for a permanent replacement. During a news conference Monday at school headquarters, Alonso called her an "extraordinary leader" who has been "a part of every moment of crisis and every moment of celebration.

A top aide to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake received more than $14,000 in homestead property tax breaks on an East Baltimore rental property he owns, records show, even though only owner-occupied homes qualify for the subsidy under Maryland law. State officials recognized the issue several months ago, and in January the city sent a bill to Khalil Zaied, the mayor's deputy chief of operations, demanding repayment of more than $5,000 for the tax...

If Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's decision to strip City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young of his tickets to a Ravens playoff game didn't make it clear enough, the list of those who have been invited to share the city skybox this season confirms it: One of the perks of being Baltimore's chief executive is that you get to run the municipal equivalent of the popular kids table in a middle school cafeteria. The guest list, recently released by City Hall in response to a Sun public information act request, includes the mayor's family and friends, her political supporters and fellow politicians who vote her way. And as Mr. Young learned after publicly disagreeing with her about the Baltimore Grand Prix, favors bestowed can also be withheld.

With the pension system for City Hall workers facing nearly $700 million in unfunded liabilities, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is introducing legislation today that would require employees to start contributing part of their salaries to the fund. The bill would require Baltimore's non-public safety workers to contribute 1 percent of their salaries to the pension fund next fiscal year, and increase those contributions each year for five years until workers contribute 5 percent. The legislation also would eliminate the so-called "variable benefit" for civilian retirees, which increases benefits when the fund preforms well, but doesn't decrease benefits when the market performs poorly.

In a pair of working gloves with the Ravens logo emblazoned on the front, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee painted broad brush strokes at a West Baltimore police station Friday to make good on a bet. Had the Ravens lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would have traveled to the West Coast to complete a day of service, which was the wager she and Lee made on the February game. "I think San Francisco is a lovely city, but I am glad I did not have to go there in payment of a debt," said Rawlings-Blake, who traded in her signature high heels for a pair of wedge booties for the day of activities.