Skybox

The Sun's recent article concerning skybox tickets used by MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakebrings to light the arrogance of the mayor ("Mayor invites family, donors, allies to M&T box," Feb. 9). I am confused as to the services her family provides to the city that would make them eligible to receive such a lucrative gift, a gift she bestows on them on a regular basis. Your article never mentioned the cost to taxpayers to provide food for her guests. I would assume the mayor doesn't make enough money to feed her family herself.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's Super Bowl tickets went to a pair of top aides and a city delegate, the administration said this week.  As governor, O'Malley has a state skybox at Ravens stadium, which allows him to purchase up to eight Super Bowl tickets, ranging in price from $950 to $1,250 apiece. O'Malley and his wife, Baltimore District Judge Catherine "Katie" Curran O'Malley, used two of those tickets and paid for them with personal funds. Three other pairs of tickets were purchased at face-value by the governor's public affairs director, Stephen Neuman; state budget director T. Eloise Foster; and State Del. Shawn Z. Tarrant, a Baltimore Democrat.   O'Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory has said no taxpayer funds were used for the trip.

A government watchdog group said Thursday that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has politicized invitations to her office's Ravens skybox, and urged her to include more working-class residents. "The mayor has made the choice to turn this into a political skybox and not the people's skybox," said Susan Wichmann, the director of Common Cause Maryland. "We call on the mayor, going forward, to use the skybox to highlight good work being done by people in the city. There's no reason why she couldn't invite the firefighters and the police officers and the good students and the teachers.

Gov. Martin O'Malley will be in New Orleans to root for the Ravens at Super Bowl XLVII, but he hasn't yet decided who will get to use six other tickets he controls. As governor, O'Malley has a state skybox at Ravens stadium, which allows him to purchase up to eight Super Bowl tickets, ranging in price from $950 to $1,250 apiece. O'Malley and his wife, Baltimore District Judge Catherine "Katie" Curran O'Malley, will use two of those tickets and will pay for them with personal funds, said O'Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory.

Regarding Baltimore MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakeand her guests at Ravens games ("Mayor invites family, donors, allies to M&T box" (Feb. 9), was she supposed to invite strangers, political non-contributors and enemies? Horrors! Slow news day, guys? Michael L. DeVincentis, Jr., Timonium

Did your article about MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's guests in the city's skybox really warrant placement above the fold on the front page ("Mayor invites family, donors, allies to M&T box," Feb. 9)? So what if the mayor invited business leaders, family and friends? This has always been done at every level of government. When former Gov. Marvin Mandel was criticized once for rewarding his friends, he responded: "Who am I supposed to reward, my enemies?" The mayor is doing a superior job under extremely difficult circumstances.

Unlike last year, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young watched Sunday's home Ravens playoff game in apparent harmony. The Sun photographed Rawlings-Blake and Young proudly displaying their team spirit in the mayor's suite. The skybox unity stood in contrast to last season, when Rawlings-Blake rescinded an invitation for Young and his wife to join her in the city's skybox. The snub came after the council president criticized her administration's support for the beleaguered Grand Prix race.  Rawlings-Blake and Young also battled last year during the city's budget approval, with Young arguing that more money should go to prevent fire companies and recreation centers from closing.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown used his 18 tickets to the state skybox at FedEx Field to entertain business leaders, union officials, state politicians, lobbyists, friends and family, according to records requested by The Baltimore Sun. Guests included a number of prominent African-Americans, including Democratic Party Chairwoman Yvette Lewis, former Democratic Party treasurer Kenneth R. Banks, Podesta Group partner Paul A. Brathwaite, lobbyist...

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's guests in the city's private skybox at Ravens games this past season included a small circle of city employees, prominent business leaders, donors to her campaign, and several family members, documents show. City officials say there are no restrictions on whom the mayor can invite to the skybox, which is provided at no cost to Rawlings-Blake, as it was to her predecessors, under the lease agreement for what is now called M&T Bank Stadium. Documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun through a public records request indicate that the mayor extended invitations for both personal and political purposes.

While some of the ideas in your editorial about the mayor's skybox ("The people's skybox," March 21) had merit, anyone who read your statement that sometimes "the invitees seem to serve little public purpose" needs to understand that the purpose being served is the same one shared by the majority of Maryland politicians: Currying favor and getting reelected. The skybox is just another political tool for that purpose. Ruth Mascari, Monkton

Unlike last year, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young watched Sunday's home Ravens playoff game in apparent harmony. The Sun photographed Rawlings-Blake and Young proudly displaying their team spirit in the mayor's suite. The skybox unity stood in contrast to last season, when Rawlings-Blake rescinded an invitation for Young and his wife to join her in the city's skybox. The snub came after the council president criticized her administration's support for the beleaguered Grand Prix race.  Rawlings-Blake and Young also battled last year during the city's budget approval, with Young arguing that more money should go to prevent fire companies and recreation centers from closing.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown used his 18 tickets to the state skybox at FedEx Field to entertain business leaders, union officials, state politicians, lobbyists, friends and family, according to records requested by The Baltimore Sun. Guests included a number of prominent African-Americans, including Democratic Party Chairwoman Yvette Lewis, former Democratic Party treasurer Kenneth R. Banks, Podesta Group partner Paul A. Brathwaite, lobbyist...

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has donated use of her office's skybox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards to 27 nonprofit or charitable organizations this year, including her daughter's school, according to a list provided by the mayor's office. The Parent Teacher Organization at Mount Washington Elementary/Middle School auctioned off tickets to the box this month, raising $1,000 as part of the group's "Swing Into Spring" event, officials said. Mayoral spokesman Ryan O'Doherty said that Rawlings-Blake routinely makes the skybox available to nonprofit organizations and that any nonprofit is free to request its use for fundraising purposes.

While some of the ideas in your editorial about the mayor's skybox ("The people's skybox," March 21) had merit, anyone who read your statement that sometimes "the invitees seem to serve little public purpose" needs to understand that the purpose being served is the same one shared by the majority of Maryland politicians: Currying favor and getting reelected. The skybox is just another political tool for that purpose. Ruth Mascari, Monkton

If there was a shocker in the recent accounting of the spending on food at the governor's and mayor's skyboxes at M&T Bank Stadium, it wasn't that taxpayers are footing the bill for public officials to chow down on beef tenderloin and crabcakes. The surprise was just how little such gourmet grazing costs. Because the state and city governments' deals with the stadium provide them not only free skyboxes but also food at cost, both the governor and mayor fed hundreds of people for under $3,000 a season.

Using public money, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake treated guests to $2,920.52 worth of food and nonalcoholic beverages in the city's skybox during a recent Ravens season at M&T Bank Stadium, records show. At eight Ravens games during the 2010 season and a 2011 U2 concert, Rawlings-Blake and her guests, who included friends, family and political allies, spent an average of about $325 a game. The city has not yet responded to a request for documentation of money spent during the 2011 season.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has donated use of her office's skybox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards to 27 nonprofit or charitable organizations this year, including her daughter's school, according to a list provided by the mayor's office. The Parent Teacher Organization at Mount Washington Elementary/Middle School auctioned off tickets to the box this month, raising $1,000 as part of the group's "Swing Into Spring" event, officials said. Mayoral spokesman Ryan O'Doherty said that Rawlings-Blake routinely makes the skybox available to nonprofit organizations and that any nonprofit is free to request its use for fundraising purposes.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's guests in the state's private skybox at Ravens games this past season included key politicians, campaign donors, and the family and friends of government officials, records show. It's a mix of people designed to forge political alliances and bolster economic growth, but also to allow the Democratic governor a chance to spend more time with those close to him, said Rick Abbruzzese, O'Malley's director of public affairs. O'Malley uses his box at the Orioles' stadium in a different manner, the records show.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's guests in the state's private skybox at Ravens games this past season included key politicians, campaign donors, and the family and friends of government officials, records show. It's a mix of people designed to forge political alliances and bolster economic growth, but also to allow the Democratic governor a chance to spend more time with those close to him, said Rick Abbruzzese, O'Malley's director of public affairs. O'Malley uses his box at the Orioles' stadium in a different manner, the records show.

The Sun's recent article concerning skybox tickets used by MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakebrings to light the arrogance of the mayor ("Mayor invites family, donors, allies to M&T box," Feb. 9). I am confused as to the services her family provides to the city that would make them eligible to receive such a lucrative gift, a gift she bestows on them on a regular basis. Your article never mentioned the cost to taxpayers to provide food for her guests. I would assume the mayor doesn't make enough money to feed her family herself.