Letter from the 2006 BMC Chair (Metropolitan Report, 2007)
A Letter from the 2006 BMC Chair: Julia W. Gouge, President, Carroll County Board of Commissioners
For many of our Board members, 2006 was their last year serving as the leadership for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. In Anne Arundel County, Janet Owens completed her final term as County Executive; The Mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley was elected Governor; Howard County Executive Jim Robey completed his final term and was elected to the State Senate; and I will be stepping down as Carroll County's representative on the BMC Board.
I would like to thank my fellow board members for their service to communities across our region and for their hard work in implementing collaborative solutions to address the common challenges we face. As we transition to new leadership on the BMC Board, I'm confident that the new board members will continue to work together and build upon some of the successful initiatives that began over the course of this past year.
In 2006, the region's public information officers worked with BMC staff to develop and launch a campaign to promote household emergency preparedness. The campaign, "Ready? Set? Good," helps educate citizens in the region to prepare for emergencies.
BMC and local law enforcement agencies worked with the Baltimore City Police Department to procure a new Regional Pawn Data Sharing System. In the coming months, this new tool will help local law enforcement agencies work together across jurisdictional boundaries to better recover stolen property and locate criminal suspects in the Baltimore area.
In addition to these regional initiatives, throughout 2006 BMC continued to implement its core programs including: Reservoir Watershed Protection, Transportation Planning, Cooperative Purchasing and Rideshare. And, while we have had much success with these cooperative programs and initiatives, challenges remain ahead.
For one, as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) adjustments that will take place over the next decade, the region will see significant growth in new jobs and households. We need to better understand what the impact will be on our communities. And, we must to work together to make sure that we are ready. I'm sure we're up to the challenge.
It's been a tremendous honor to work with the elected executives of the region by serving as BMC Chair. I wish my colleague, Harford County Executive David Craig, the best as he serves as Chair for 2007.
Other Metropolitan Report articles
Last Updated on Monday, 07 May 2007 06:05