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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>FYI - check out the map</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sincerely,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>W. Brad Schlegel<BR>1552 Oakridge
Road<BR>Baltimore, MD 21218-2228<BR> <BR>410-467-1933 - H<BR>410-962-9506 -
W and Voice Mail<BR><A
href="mailto:william.schlegel@us.army.mil">william.schlegel@us.army.mil</A><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=mayor@baltimorecity.gov href="mailto:mayor@baltimorecity.gov">Mayor Martin
O'Malley</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October 15, 2004 5:52 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Neighborhood News Flash: October 15, 2004</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><IMG height=101 alt="Neighborhood News Flash"
src="http://www.baltimorecity.gov/images/nnf/nnfbanner.gif" width=696 NOSAVE>
<P><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>October 15, 2004</FONT></FONT></B>
<P><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1><A href="lead">Standing proud of our
record on minority business development</A></FONT></FONT></B> <BR><FONT
face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>The numbers speak for themselves, despite recent
misconceptions.</FONT></FONT> <BR><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1><A
href="#nf">Neighborhoods First: Pig fun in Pigtown</A></FONT></FONT></B>
<BR><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Find out this weekend why Washington
Village's moniker has stuck.</FONT></FONT> <BR><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT
size=-1><A href="#gn">Good News: Baltimore iMap online</A></FONT></FONT></B>
<BR><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Another tool for our citizens to plug in,
turn on, find out.</FONT></FONT> <BR><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1><A
href="#q">Quote of the Week</A></FONT></FONT></B> <BR>
<P><A name=lead></A><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=+1>Dear Community or
Business Leader,</FONT></FONT></B>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>You may have read two articles in the
Baltimore Sun this week regarding the city’s minority business enterprise (MBE)
program. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify some serious
misconceptions they created.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Baltimore is a national leader in providing
opportunity to minority-owned businesses. To my knowledge, no other city
achieves the level of transparency and accountability that we demand in
empowering minority-owned businesses. And the results are very clear: Contracts
for minority-owned businesses have nearly doubled from $45 million in calendar
year 2000 to $86 million in fiscal year 2004.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Yet, if you read two articles in the Sun
this week, you would be left with the impression that promoting Baltimore’s
minority business community is not a priority – that the City’s minority
business enterprise program is either ineffective or not correctly
reported.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Nothing could be further from the truth. The
Sun’s articles fundamentally misunderstand how minority business programs work
in virtually every city. All it would have taken was a phone call to
Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte – or another city – to establish the
fact that Baltimore uses the same statistics in the same way – basing
percentages on eligible contracts. And this misunderstanding resulted in
misleading articles that seem to penalize the city for the transparency that the
press and the public should demand from all governments. We provide all of our
numbers because we have nothing to hide.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Our goals in this effort are
straightforward:</FONT></FONT>
<UL>
<LI><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>To promote fair and equal access to
government and private contract and business opportunities for minority and
women-owned businesses;</FONT></FONT>
<LI><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>To promote the business, economic and
legal interests of minority contracting firms; and</FONT></FONT>
<LI><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>To promote the elimination of artificial
and unnecessary barriers that prevent full and equal contracting opportunities
for minority contracting firms.</FONT></FONT> </LI></UL><FONT face=Verdana><FONT
size=-1>We work toward these goals by reaching out and helping minority firms
build capacity, by helping to form partnerships with majority firms – and
between minority-owned firms – and by setting public goals and publicly
measuring progress toward those goals.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>A few years ago, the late Maynard Jackson,
former Mayor of Atlanta – and one of the true pioneers of MBE – came to
Baltimore to see what we were doing. He said every city should see what we are
doing, because it’s groundbreaking</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Yet in the face of this progress, the Sun
chose to focus on a non-issue – whether minority participation is counted as a
percentage of all contracts – including those where a minority-owned company
does not exist to bid – or whether it should be based on all eligible contracts,
for which an actual company could conceivably bid.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>While we always are seeking to increase the
number of contracts for which there is a qualified minority-owned firm, we
cannot create a new business out of thin air. It takes the hard work, time and
money of an entrepreneur.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Every city and state with which I’m familiar
bases its minority participation percentage on eligible contracts. It’s only
common sense. I’ve always tried to be clear about what we’re measuring. I’m
disappointed that the Sun failed to make that determination before publishing
these misleading articles.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Minority business enterprise is not about
carving up an ever-shrinking pie. It is about expanding opportunity by
supporting entrepreneurs who create jobs. After many years with little focus on
empowering Baltimore’s citizens to become business owners, our city is now at
the forefront of this next frontier – both of the civil rights movement and in
American business. And we will continue to improve.</FONT></FONT> <BR>
<P><A name=nf></A><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=+1>Neighborhoods First:
Pig Fun in Pigtown</FONT></FONT></B>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>The City of Baltimore has always been a city
rich with traditions and community spirit. <B>On Saturday, October 16</B>, the
community of Washington Village/Pigtown will honor their past by celebrating the
third annual Pigtown Festival. This day of festivities will begin at noon and
conclude at 5pm.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Pigtown, located in Southwest Baltimore
close to the B&O Railroad museum received its name from an historic event
that took place around the turn of the century. Pigs were herded from the
B&O Railroad Terminal and Union Stockyards to South Baltimore and legend
further has it that community residents along the route would reach out of the
street level cellar windows in an attempt to grab a pig for the family
table.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>Individuals of all ages are encouraged to
come enjoy fabulous food, the Pigtown Film Festival for kids with showings of
Babe and Charlotte's Web, arts & crafts from local artisans and witness the
infamous "running of the pigs." Highlights also include St. Veronica's
Steel Band, African American story telling and the quirky Pigtown
pageant.</FONT></FONT>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>The festival is free to the public and all
proceeds will benefit Pigtown Main Street Program, a part of the National Trust
for Historic Preservation, which helps communities revitalize historic urban
commercial districts. The Third Annual Pigtown Festival is now off and running,
and, we hope that you will join us in the festivities!</FONT></FONT> <BR>
<P><A name=gn></A><IMG height=54 alt=iMap hspace=10
src="http://www.baltimorecity.gov/images/iMapy.gif" width=123 align=right
NOSAVE><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=+1>Good News: Baltimore iMap
Online</FONT></FONT></B>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>This week, the city of Baltimore debuted
it's latest internet application: a geographic-based interactive map loaded with
all sorts of information. Citizens can now visit <A
href="http://maps.baltimorecity.gov/imap/">http://maps.baltimorecity.gov/imap/</A>
and enter an address, intersection, or neighborhood to retrieve relevant facts
about every corner of our city. Users are encouraged to click, pan and zoom, and
take advantage of city data on everything from historic districts and monuments
to trash pick-up days - even aerial photographs. There's much more to be added
in the months ahead, but we just wanted to find a useful way to share some of
the most revealing information collected and maintained by the city - it was
just too much to keep to ourselves.</FONT></FONT> <BR>
<P><A name=q></A><B><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=+1>Quote of the
Week</FONT></FONT></B>
<P><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=-1>"There is nothing noble in being superior to
someone else. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self." -
Hindu saying</FONT></FONT>
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