Statement on Pugh Scandal
As you have probably heard, Mayor Pugh is on a temporary leave of absence as she recovers from pneumonia and deals with the state investigation into her Healthy Holly book deals with UMMS. Just this week, the the Baltimore City Council and the Maryland State Delegation have called on her to resign.
This is the latest example of the revolving door policy between wealthy institutions and powerful Democrats. While Kaiser Permanente purchased $100,000 of Mayor Pugh’s books and later received a $48 million contract to provide City employees with health insurance, poor Baltimoreans continue to pay ever increasing costs for medical care.
Meanwhile, and equally disturbing, Hopkins officials gave Mayor Pugh $18,000 in campaign contributions right before she pushed for a bill in the state legislature that would allow them to have a private unaccountable police force, despite the concerns of residents, students, and advocates.
The corruptions that undermine Baltimore are not limited to the most recent scandals. The decades of PILOT and TIF funding that have been given to developers are a legalized form of wealth transfer. This transfer of billions of dollars of taxpayer money to wealthy well-connected insiders is based on the same disregard of the people of the city, much like the UMMS and Hopkins pay-to-play scandals.
We Baltimoreans are left with little power to fight this corruption. The Mayor maintains significant influence over the board of estimates in the absence of any checks or balances; the City Council lacks any power to remove her without an indictment or resignation; no recall process or special elections exist for Baltimore residents to have a say in our City’s future. And the few in the City Government who do have influence are themselves appointed by or heavily influenced by the Mayor.
While this crisis is still unfolding, we do know that campaign finance law and ethics rules have been violated. We also know that Pugh is not the only one involved in this scandal, which is why we need to keep pushing to make sure the largely white male Democratic Party network involved in the graft and corruption are also held accountable.
At the core of this lies the fact that this was all done at the expense of Baltimore City residents. As thousands of copies of the books sit in warehouses or remain unaccounted for, City residents are struggle to meet their healthcare needs. This is why the Baltimore City Green Party calls for the mayor’s resignation and an expanded investigation into all people and parties involved. Indeed this as an opportune time to also call for Curt Anderson’s resignation, because we know that graft is not the only kind of corruption that the Democratic party machine protects.
There are absolutely changes that need to occur to the charter, and we look forward to robust debate about them in the council and during the petition process. The key values should be transparency, accountability and grass roots democracy where people are involved in the process of determining their future. That’s why we just released our call for candidates for 2020 this week and will be announcing more about plans for 2020 in the coming weeks. We believe now is the time for good people to come together and demand better.
2018 Candidates
The Baltimore City Green Party is running five candidates for the House of Delegates, our largest class of delegates candidates ever. We are also running a candidate for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, as well as for U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd District, which includes parts of East and South Baltimore.
House of Delegates
Joshua Harris, District 40
Dr. Andrew Pate, District 41
Bonnie "Raven" Lane, District 43
Steven "Andy" Ellis, District 45
Glenn L. Ross, District 45
Gubernatorial Ticket
Ian Schlakman, Governor
Rev. Annie Chambers, Lt. Governor
U.S. Congress
Guy Mimoun, House of Representatives (MD-2)
Featured Maryland Green Party candidates and surrogates at 2018 State Assembly
BGP Statement on Medicare for All, State-Level Reforms
The Baltimore City Green Party believes that healthcare is a human right. We have a strong record of fighting for equitable, affordable healthcare—challenging the corrupt two-party system that has consistently prioritized the financial interests of insurance companies and HMOs over the basic needs of the people. BGP members and candidates have been—and will remain—at the forefront of the struggle for an improved, national Medicare-for-all system. At the state level, we will continue to advocate for progressive reforms in Annapolis that will bring greater access to high-quality healthcare—including mental, dental, and vision care—to all Maryland residents.
Dr. Margaret Flowers, Medicare for All activist
BGP Joins Hollaback! Baltimore's Safer Spaces Campaign
We at the Baltimore City Green Party are excited to announce that we have signed the Hollaback! Baltimore Safer Space Pledge. We share their vision: a world where street harassment is not tolerated and where we all enjoy equal access to public spaces.
Harassment is an international issue for most women around the world, with 90% of women reporting that they have been sexually harassed at some point in their lives. Signing and upholding this pledge is our small contribution to help combat this epidemic.
After receiving the engaging and empowering Safer Spaces training at the BGP Office in Old Goucher, we voted unanimously to join the campaign. Feminism is one of ten key values of the Green Party of the United States. Signing the Safer Spaces pledge and publicly committing to this much needed work is one important step towards localizing our platform and putting it into action to move Baltimore in a more just direction.
After meeting with Hollaback! Bmore, our staff is ready for any situation; we are trained to remove anyone who is harassing women or members of the LGBTQIA communities in our office and at our events. This includes leering, rude comments, touching, and any other behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable. Please notify a Steering Committee member immediately of any issues you encounter. We will be happy deal to deal with the situation.
If you would like to report a problem anonymously, please contact us at baltimoregreens@gmail.com.
If you would like to learn more about Hollaback! Baltimore, the Safer Space Campaign, or actions you can take to help end street harassment, visit their website at: Bmore.iHollaback.org.
Baltimore Green Party Urges Immediate Steps Towards GREEN Transformation of BCPSS Facilitiies
The well-being and safety of our children is the priority #1. The social and economic future of Baltimore City depends on a high-quality, well-run education system. It is unacceptable that Baltimore City Public School facilities cannot maintain adequate and safe temperatures during the school day. Our children deserve world-class education in high-quality facilities.
Baltimore City Green Party Puts Forward Vision for Education Equity in Maryland
Baltimore, MD- The Baltimore City Green Party will release a bold vision for achieving equity in higher education. The Maryland Higher Education Equity Act (MHEEA), will be one of the Party’s top objectives in the coming 2018 Maryland General Assembly session.
“This will be an important bill that seeks to achieve educational, racial, gender, immigrant, and environmental justice through a set of ten deep reforms of the University System of Maryland and the state’s network of community colleges,” said Joshua Harris, who is exploring a run for the Maryland House of Delegates in the 40th District as a Green. “Let’s build a bright future for our City and our state by centering equity in higher education,” he added.
The bill would enable tuition-free undergraduate education at all University System of Maryland (USM) institution and Maryland community college for any graduate of a high school in the state. Additionally, room, board, books, and graduate school tuition would be free for descendants of Maryland’s enslaved and indigenous peoples. “I am looking forward to seeing (Black) community leaders and public figures supporting [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] (HBCUs) in Maryland. The MHEEA bill is not only a chance to do so, but an opportunity to show unwavering support for ALL students enrolled in college across the state,” said Brandon Walker, a Coppin State University Urban Studies student and Ujima People’s Progress Party activist, in a written statement.
In addition to tuition-related provisions, MHEEA addresses serious shortcomings in how Maryland’s public colleges and universities interact with African Americans, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, women, the environment, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities within the USM.
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MHEEA would make Maryland a national leader in sexual violence prevention by mandating a 1 credit class on the topic for all freshman, increasing funding for Title IX enforcement, and creating an independent state-level monitor to ensure schools' proactive compliance with federal and state law.
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MHEEA would codify Judge Blake’s ruling ending the duplication of successful HBCU programs at Historically White Colleges and Universities within the USM.
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MHEEA would make all USM and community colleges Immigration and Customs Enforcement non-compliant sanctuary campuses, allowing all students to learn free from the fear of deportation.
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MHEEA would mandate all USM and community college presidents submit five and ten year plans for reaching specific sustainability goals.
The bill would be paid for with a Peace, Equity, and Green tax on military contractors, household incomes over $250,000, and major polluters. These industry and tax bracket groups, which have received numerous federal, state, and municipal tax cuts in recent years, would be asked to pay their fair share to achieve a more highly educated, less indebted, more efficient, innovative, and productive workforce in Maryland, making the state an international destination for startups and businesses. By pursuing equity in higher education, MHEEA aims to build community wealth across the state.
Help Us Put Solar Panels On Baltimore Public Schools
Consider it …. a city-wide public works project to install solar panels on all available rooftop space on BCPSS school buildings.
It will produce much-needed clean energy, reduce electricity expenses for the school system, create “green” jobs in the Baltimore metropolitan area, and increase demand for solar manufacturing. Baltimore could be recognized, worldwide, as a leader in clean energy technology. This will lead to more investment in clean technologies, and will open up exciting possibilities for our youth.
Investments in solar provide schools with a number of benefits. Solar presents teachers with a number of educational opportunities in STEM subjects. How wonderful for our students to be able to learn about clean energy technology, and get direct experience with it. We may be setting them up to become leaders in these emerging industries. In addition, solar provides facilities managers with a long-term hedge against increases in utility rates. District administrators will recognize the ability of solar power to deliver cost-savings to the district.
Baltimore Greens are working with experts to develop this proposal and drive it forward.
It's FEASIBLE and it's SENSIBLE, and it aligns well with our core values and our commitment to racial, economic and environmental justice.
Be a part of it!
WE need Green Party members, locally and nationally, to join this initiative. Come to the TABLE with your expertise, your connections to the environmental/clean technology movement, and your passion for positive change. Discussions and planning/strategy meetings are ongoing.
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