Ethics and Reform

Politics as usual is broken. In fact, political corruption created gridlock because the priorities of those in power too often did not include governing for results. These mistakes of the past has worsened our conditions and prevented progress.  That is why Mayor Rawlings-Blake is a champion of reform.  And it is why she has fought for ethics and political reform since the first day she took office in early 2010.

Our Results:

Restoring Ethics and Transparency. Almost immediately upon coming into office, the Mayor created a new make-up of the Ethics Board, and later appointed three new members of Ethics Board. The Mayor appointed new Inspector General to eliminate fraud waste and abuse in City government.

Fixing Mistakes of the Past. The Baltimore Sun discovered a large number of underreported rape cases by the Baltimore City Police Department over the past decade. Instead of pointing fingers or blaming the messenger of bad news, the Mayor immediately moved to fix the problem, implement reforms, and seek out justice for victims of crime.

Pension Reform. The Mayor reformed the Police and Fire Retirement System, which was underfunded and on the verge of collapse. The changes will save the City roughly $800 million over ten years and ensure retirement benefit for retired officers and their families are secured and funded.  This reform is painful, but it helps maintain the strong foundation of our fight against crime and it helps protect those officers and their families who spent their careers protecting the citizens of Baltimore.

Rebuilt Relationships. Mayor Rawling-Blake has made strengthening Baltimore’s relationship with the Obama Administration a top priority by supporting the President’s economic agenda to create jobs and by working with the White House to advocate for new federal investments in education, infrastructure and technology so Baltimore and America can “win the future.”

Our Future:

Smart, Long-Term Planning. Mayor Rawlings-Blake is working with financial experts and stakeholders to create a first-of-its-kind 10-year financial plan for Baltimore City Government in order to reduce city spending, improve core services, and prevent future budget shortfalls to create a pro-jobs, pro-growth tax structure for Baltimore’s future.  This long-term vision will help Baltimore focus on programs and core services that improve our city over time and build our economy so that we create jobs for our citizens.

Focus on Outcomes. Mayor Rawlings-Blake will use a new strategy to shift tax dollars to priority programs such as public safety, public schools and other essential services while eliminating ineffective programs and reducing government bureaucracy and red tape.

Investing in Innovation. Mayor Rawlings-Blake will create a new investment fund to reduce costs and improve City services by making smart, up-front investments in new, innovative ideas.