Copyright © 2021
Based in the Baltimore area, Maryland, USA


2051regionbaltimore.org



This Website was initiated on: March 5, 2021
and last updated on September 17, 2021


WHY NOW?

So that, as we continue to confront the Covid-19 Pandemic,
we can think about these ideas today
- for the time coming after the Pandemic;
discuss them; agree or disagree about them;
and suggest needed changes,
improvements, or replacements for them
- in order that we better plan the kind of future
we want in the next generation.

There is a link to FEEDBACK at the very bottom of this page.



WE ARE ALREADY BEGINNING TO WORK TOWARD A FUTURE FOR ALL
IN THE CENTRAL MARYLAND REGION:

  • #1 - Housing, with neighborhoods welcoming new residents.


  • #2 - High-quality schooling and vocational training.


  • #3 - Paid work or other means of support, at a living wage rate which provides a decent rate of pay, and adequate paid leave requirements (sick, parental, vacation). When appropriate, this may also include public financial assistance benefits.


  • #4 - Both child and elder care.


  • #5 - Health care, public health, and sanitation - with a strong orientation toward the prevention of disease and injury.


  • #6 - Robust public transit.


  • #7 - Public utilities (water, sewer, electricity generated by clean energy, internet, and wi-fi access).


  • #8 - Respecting ecology, renewable energy, decarbonization, preserving the natural environment, and slowing down the rate of global warming.


  • #9 - Mandatory alternatives to incarceration, and prison experience training for all sentencing judges, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, and State legislators.


  • #10 - A vibrant culture which fully embraces and celebrates the ethnic and racial diversity of our area.


  • #11 - Local political cooperation and shared taxation across county political boundaries, with publicly-financed elections and publicly-owned, regulated, and financed public services.


This map shows land features and town locations within the Region.





WHAT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES DO WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE CENTRAL MARYLAND REGION THAT HAVE A BEARING ON AND POTENTIAL FOR REGIONAL COVERNANCE IN THE FUTURE?


In terms of governmental officials representing the six local political jurisdictions (five counties and one city), this is a complex and diverse situation:

1) There are four county executives (in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, and Howard counties; Carroll County has a board of commissioners; and Baltimore City has a mayor. Each of these government heads supervises staffs, employees, and various appointed advisory groups. These local governments include key functions such as schooling, health, recreation, public works, law enforcement and many others. Each of these local governments also has a planning staff.

2) Elected local and state legislative official positions for the five counties and the City are as follows (in alphabetical order):

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY has a Council Chair and Vice-Chair, and 5 other councilpersons. It has 5 state senators and 15 state delegates.

BALTIMORE CITY has a Council President and 14 councilpersons. It has 6 state senators and 16 state delegates.

BALTIMORE COUNTY has a Council Chair and 6 other councilpersons. It has 8 state senators and 23 state delegates.

CARROLL COUNTY has a Commission form of local government, with a President, a Vice-President and 3 other commissioners. It has 3 state senators and 8 state delegates.

HARFORD COUNTY has a Council President and 6 other councilpersons, one of whom is also chosen to be Vice-President. It has 3 state senators and 8 state delegates.

HOWARD COUNTY has a President, a Vice-President, and 3 other councilpersons. It has 3 state senators and 9 state delegates.

Of the total of 23 state legislative districts in this region of five counties and Baltimore City, four districts (7, 9. 12. and 44) are shared in some combination of groups of two between the following local jurisdictions: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County.

3) In terms of FEDERAL representation, these six local jurisdictions are represented in the US Congress by representatives from 7 of Maryland's 8 congressional districts, shared and overlapping among these 6 local jurisdictions.

Of course, both state and federal political legislative districts may change as a result of the 2020 census.

________________________

In addition to the local governmental elected and appointed representatives serving the six jurisdictions in the Region, some other governmental and non-governmental work of developing our region has been ongoing for many years. Here are twenty-one (21) various examples of current Central Maryland regional groups:

Governmental:
  • Baltimore Metropolitan Council (includes the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board): https://www.baltometro.org/


  • Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan [NOTE: Carroll County is not included] – part of the Maryland Transit Administration of the Maryland State Department of Transportation: https://rtp.mta.maryland.gov/

Not-for-Profit or Private


THE YEAR 2051

[NOTE: The material below was amended on September 17, 2021
to include a new option of connection
along with the existing option of consolidation]


REGION-BALTIMORE will be ready by the year 2051
for some long-needed political connection or consolidation
- in order to move fully forward on the eleven goals above.
So, just what is so special about the year 2051?

Maryland started as a State in 1776 with its Constitution bearing the same date, and joined the Union in 1788. Maryland had a second Constitutional Convention in 1850, followed by adoption of its second constitution, the Maryland Constitution of 1851, exactly 75 years after its first one. It was by this second constitution that Baltimore City was separated politically from Baltimore County and given its own status equivalent to that of Maryland's 21 other counties at the time (two counties were established later).

It is therefore fitting that we consider some sort of re-connection with or even re-consolidation of Baltimore City into Baltimore County, perhaps also joined by connection or consolidation with any other of the four surrounding counties, be a goal exactly 200 years later – that is, in the year 2051!

That date may seem a long way off, but 30 years can go by pretty quickly! It is important to keep in mind that the process of connection or consolidation can begin to take place in small, lesser ways right now. In fact, it already has for certain functions of government – such as water and wastewater, joint purchasing, some public transportation, etc. These arrangements were put into place many years ago, in order to take advantage of economies of scale. Such connection or consolidation makes good financial sense. They also were created to take advantage of the geographical location of water resources in one area which could be used to serve the water needs of other areas.

Furthermore, many if not most people from all around the region work, shop, visit, attend college, seek medical help, and go to cultural and recreational venues in different locations within the region from where they live. So it makes good sense to connect or consolidate into one region not only for financial and geographical reasons, but reasons of convenience, fairness and equity.

This connection or consolidation process can continue now, and if the local populations of Baltimore City and any or all of the five surrounding counties find it appealing, it can even be completed before the 2051 date.

Just below are two more maps of the region we are talking about.



This map shows the counties and Baltimore City by name within the Region.





This map shows the transportation planning areas within the Region.




Feedback and comments

This Website was first put online in March 2021.

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