Dixon Has Goals

I will "support" or "oppose" them below based on how they address my progressive concerns for Baltimore City.

1. $5 million dollar to fund increased access to Buprenorphine, a relatively new medication to treat heroin addiction.

SUPPORT: This is great, and I only wish there was more money in the request. Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein said it right when he called this a "very promising start". Bupe keeps heroin addicts in treatment longer and it gives them the clear head they need to look hard at their lives and make the needed lifestyle changes necessary to recovery. This is a wise investment in the future of Baltimore.

2. Traffic cameras to discourage speeders

OPPOSE: You have to make money somehow, and I suppose this isn't the worst way to do so. Still, something about these rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's the disingenuous appeals to public safety. The article makes it sound like these cameras won't send tickets, just warn drivers. If thats the case, I oppose them even more virulently, because they will be yet another traffic signal for Baltimore drivers to casually ignore.

3. Money for Parks and Development, including $3mil for a town center in Park Heights and $2mil for an overhaul of a park in the Inner Harbor

SUPPORT: Baltimore continues to grow, and while I hate to see more money go to the touristy Harbor, it is still the national face of the city, and improving it will only pay off in the long run. I will hope against hope that these real estate deals have been made without crony considerations.

4. A request for an extra $2 million for the city prosecutors to try gun cases, and $7.3 million for community policing initiatives and foot patrols.

SUPPORT: Dixon is really sticking to the Community Policing she touted in her campaign. Is it working? It appears no better or worse than before, but we won't really know until the program has a full year, perhaps two, to work its "magic". Either way, good for Dixon for sticking to her guns (no pun intended) and not caving to O'Malley-style mass arrests in the face of violence. Anecdotally, I have seen an increased police presence in my neighborhood. No word on whether the change is part Dixon's new strategy or due to the convenient placement of the local Chipotle.

Dixon has not proposed taking a look at Baltimore's revenue sources, currently driven by what citizens across the board term "outrageous property taxes".

In conclusion, if Dixon gets what she wants from the council, this will be a very progressive year for Baltimore City. I am impressed.