Baltimore was famous as Bootstrap City, the comeback kid of urban renewal. Our future wasn't rosy, but at least we had a fighting chance. Today the bloom is off the Baltimore Renaissance. It's a withered flower. The Baltimore Bicentennial was a bust, brought down by an ugly spat between the Mayor's cronies and the business leaders as to who would pay for it.
Taxes are misspent.
Many citizens believe a rich baker owns the Mayor and the City Council. Many of them would move out if they could. Confronted with the depressed city real estate market, the Citizens Planning and Housing Association created a Neighborhood Marketing Institute to educate residents about how to market their communities. It's a worthy endeavor. But when you try to sell your house in Baltimore, you're also selling Baltimore City, and that's a tough assignment.