Talking
trash in B'more
B'More Green, Baltimore Sun, March 10, 2010
The Inner Harbor is frequently awash in floating and
submerged trash. A City Council committee held an
"informational hearing" Tuesday on how to reduce the torrents of
refuse and debris that flow into the harbor every time it rains.
"It feels like we are in some cases going backwards, not
forwards," said Councilman William H. Cole IV, chief sponsor of
the December 2008 resolution calling for an inquiry into the
harbor's trash problem. More…
March 8, 2010,
Editorial, Baltimore Sun,
A question
of integrity
Councilwoman Helen Holton was reappointed chair of the a
powerful Taxation and Economic Development Committee by the new
city council president, Bernard C. "Jack" Young even though
criminal charges against her remain unresolved. She had
supported Young over Councilman William H. Cole IV in Young’s
bid for City Council president. Many of the plum assignments
Young has made so far have been to council colleagues who
publicly supported him over Cole. Mr. Cole now serves on only
one committee (down from 5, including Acting Chair of the
Taxation and Economic Development Committee). Cole’s top
council supporters saw their responsibilities downgraded, too.
More…
March 5, 2010, Baltimore Sun,
Ethics bill
heads for council consideration - Committee approves
Rawlings-Blake measure
A bill that would reconfigure the city's ethics board was
unanimously approved by a key committee Thursday and will be
considered by the full City Council on Monday. A companion bill
by Councilman William H. Cole IV was also approved by the
committee. Both bills address problems in the city's ethics
policy that came to light during the corruption investigation
that led to former Mayor Sheila Dixon's resignation. More…
March 5, 2010, Investigative
Voice,
NO PARKING!
— City councilmen, residents run out of patience with flawed
parking-pass software -
Online
Registration/Renewal/Payment Program Causes Delays, Frustration
For Area Residents
In the end, it was a constituent in her seventies who drove
Baltimore City Councilman Bill Cole to the brink of frustration
with the residential parking software. In an email to the
freshman councilman, the woman told how a two-minute process
online to pay for her residential parking pass had turned into a
45-minute ordeal. "This is such a mess," said Cole, the day
after he fired off an angry email to Baltimore City Parking
Authority chief Pete Little asking him to junk the software that
has been problematic since the city installed it last April.
More…
February 28, 2010, Baltimore Brew,
Waiting for FiOS, Baltimore? Verizon says ‘Fuhgeddaboutit!
Progressive Maryland is leading the charge on this issue and a
couple of city council members, William H. Cole IV and Mary Pat
Clarke, are involved as well and are planning a hearing on the
matter next month. More…
February 26, 2010, Baltimore Business Journal,
M&T Bank to
foreclose on Hollander 95 Business Park
M&T Bank is planning to foreclose on and auction off the
Hollander 95 Business Park, a 51-acre, city-backed redevelopment
of the former Hollander Ridge public housing project in East
Baltimore. The $32 million project, launched before the
recession set in, promised to bring hundreds of jobs and
millions of dollars in new investment to the city. Baltimore
City Councilman William H. Cole IV said he understands why the
city would pass on the opportunity to buy back Hollander 95
given Baltimore’s financial shortfalls. He said he is
disappointed East Baltimore will not be getting the jobs and
additional investment promised by Hollander Rock, at least for
the immediate future. More…
February 26, 2010, Baltimore Sun, Ethics Board
changes hit snag - Rawlings-Blake's bill doesn't do enough to
curb mayor's power, city councilman says
A push by
Baltimore's new mayor to revamp ethics safeguards after a City
Hall corruption scandal has been temporarily stymied by a City
Council member who says the proposal doesn't go far enough.
When Councilman Henry left the committee meeting early, the
committee lacked the quorum needed to vote on the bill. Councilman William H. Cole IV, a fellow Democrat, described
himself as "shaking with rage" after Henry left the meeting. "It
was abundantly clear that there was at a bare minimum a plan to
move the mayor's bill," he said. More…
February 25, 2010, Baltimore Business Journal,
Baltimore delegate wants to extend last call to 3 a.m.
A Baltimore delegate wants to extend last call at some
downtown bars and clubs by an extra hour, a proposal met with
opposition from some local lawmakers. Baltimore City Councilman
William H. Cole IV, who represents the 46th district, said there
needs to be more communication between the neighborhoods
affected before any law is passed. “I don’t understand why you
would introduce legislation like that without at least
communicating to the neighborhoods and businesses that would be
impacted by the change,” said Cole, adding he has yet to speak
with Oaks regarding the bill. More…
February 25, 2010, Baltimore Sun, Changes proposed
in Baltimore public safety pension plan - Police, firefighters
would have to contribute more, wait longer for benefits
Mayor
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Councilman William H. Cole IV had
requested last year that a task force, led by Greater Baltimore
Committee president Donald C. Fry, review the city’s public
safety pension program. The fixes, which include consolidating
investment funds and eliminating lump-sum payments, would save
the city as much as $60 million, according a report issued
Wednesday by the task force after studying the issue for more
than six months. More…
February 24, 2010, WBAL-TV,
Council
Member Shortage Puts City Ethics Bills On Hold
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and 11th District
Councilman Bill Cole came up with legislation to revamp the
city's business ethics laws. One bill gives a clearer
definition of doing business with the city; the second makes
the city ethics board more independent. When
Councilman Bill Henry left the meeting early, the Council committee
lost the quorum necessary to vote to tighten the ethics rules,
putting progress of both bills on hold. "I just want to put on the record
that this committee is choosing to delay the two most
significant ethics reform bills in the last five years -- if not
the last 20 -- because we do not have enough participants to
vote," More…
February 24, 2010, Baltimore Messenger, What are
we, chopped liver? Where is Baltimore FiOS?
Matthew Weinstein is on the warpath against Verizon, which
has brought FiOS, its heavily advertised brand of high-speed,
fiberoptic Internet service, to much of the state, but not to
Baltimore City. City Council member William Cole IV has
introduced a non-binding resolution calling on Verizon to bring
FiOS to Baltimore. Cole said a coalition of community groups has
formed to call for FiOS in the city, and that a public hearing
on his resolution is being scheduled for March or early April.
More…
February 23, 2010, WBAL-TV, Snow Removal
Focus Of City Legislation
Two historic snow storms -- and the continuing cleanup -- were a
hot topic of discussion at a Monday night City Council meeting.
"I don't think anybody questions that they tried hard and worked
hard," Councilman William Cole IV said of work crews. "The
things we need to look at are how to improve those practices."
Cole put forth a resolution that would bring together
representatives from all city agencies involved in the storms to
figure out what went right and wrong and what needs improvement.
More…
February 22, 2010, Baltimore
Brew, Developer still seeks to knock down historic “Superblock” buildings on Baltimore’s decaying west side – Developers want to demolish the Art Deco McCrory's Building
Some
of the finest examples of historic preservation in Baltimore are
on the rickety west side of downtown, right where the city may
need them most. Local preservationists are frustrated by what
they see: one square block of empty, largely historic buildings,
waiting for a city-designated developer who wants to destroy
many of them to build modern retail buildings. City Council
member William H. Cole IV, whose district includes downtown, has
asked BDC’s director, M. Jay Brodie to “terminate the Superblock
five-year partnership with the developer.” More…
February 19, 2010, Baltimore Sun, Members back
overhaul of Baltimore Ethics Board - Panel also backs bill to
bar officials from taking gifts
The members of Baltimore's Board of Ethics have given their
blessing to a proposed overhaul. Board members also discussed a
bill proposed by Councilman William H. Cole IV that would bar
Baltimore employees from accepting gifts from contractors or
subcontractors for the duration of their contract with the city.
More…
February 15, 2010, Baltimore Sun: B'More Green,
Plastic checkout bags in crosshairs again
Baltimore City Council is scheduled to take another
run Tuesday at reducing the proliferation of plastic bag litter
around the city. A bill, introduced by Council members Henry,
Cole, Kraft, and Clarke, would require merchants to levy a
25-cent fee on every plastic bag dispensed at carryout.
Exceptions would be granted for bagging up fresh fish and meat,
candy, cooked foods, dairy products, fruits and nuts and ice.
More…
January 28, 2010, Editorial, Baltimore Sun,
Ethics make a
comeback
Between the
plea deal and resignation of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and
the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling opening the floodgates of
corporate money in elections, January hasn't been a great month
for open, transparent and ethical government. Efforts signal a
growing consensus that government must be more accountable. City
Councilman William H. Cole IV is proposing reforms to eliminate
the potential loopholes in the ethics law. Both Council
President Blake’s and Mr. Cole's legislation deserve support.
More…
January 26,
2010, Baltimore Sun,
Measures would target ethical issues raised during Dixon probe.
Baltimore City
Council members took the first step toward ethics reform Monday
night when two bills were introduced to address issues that
arose during the criminal investigation of Mayor Sheila Dixon.
Dixon's defense had argued that she did not have to disclose
Lipscomb’s gifts because Lipscomb did not meet the definition of
someone doing business with the city. One measure, introduced
by council member William H. Cole IV, was designed to clarify
the definition and specify what officials are required to
disclose. More…
January 26, 2010, Investigative Voice,
PAYROLL PROBLEMS - Probe of sex offender heats up as City
Council reacts
The investigation into how a convicted sex offender stayed
on the Baltimore City payroll during an eight-month prison stint
entered its second week. "It's disturbing, and concerns me,”
said City Councilman William H. "Bill" Cole 4th (D-11th). “We
need to make certain this doesn't happen in the future... not
put citizens in harm's way." More…
January 25, 2010,
WBALtv.com,
City
To Strengthen Ethics Laws, Ethics Board - Legislation Comes As
Fallout From Dixon Corruption Case
Two bills will
be introduced at Monday night's City Council meeting that are
intended to toughen Baltimore's ethics law and overhaul the
city's ethics board. A measure sponsored by Councilman Bill
Cole, D-District 11, seeks to clarify and expand the ethics law.
“People need to understand that their public officials are
operating above board at all times -- that they're not being
unduly influenced by gifts or by relationships that may in fact
be polluting our process," Cole said. More…
January 23, 2010, Baltimore Sun,
Rawlings-Blake, Bealefeld and citizens patrol Fed Hill bar scene
111th District Councilman Bill Cole joined a group
of about 30 police officers, elected officials and citizens
crowded around the entrance to Arabian Nights, a hookah bar on
Light Street in Federal Hill, at about 1 a.m. as Police
Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III asked the owners what
they were doing to help the community. More…
January 22, 2010,
Baltimore Sun,
Fatal stabbing worries Seton Hill, Orchard Mews
Wednesday night on Franklin Street, at the southern tip of
Seton Hill, someone plunged a knife into the chest of James P.
Jackson, killing the 27-year-old and renewing fears in a
neighborhood that had been on the brink. Police call the slaying
an aberration, that violence primed by the swift drug trade
along Pennsylvania Avenue has dropped, that promises made back
when the mayor visited have not been forgotten and are still
being implemented. City Councilman William H. Cole IV agreed
that change seems incremental. But, he said: "Everything we
talked about at that meeting is being worked on. We haven't had
much violence lately, but there's still a tremendous amount of
drugs along the corridor." More…
WJZ-TV interview:
On Time:
January 17,
2010 Part 1
January 12,
2010,
WBALTV.com,
Double Duty: Mayor, Mayor-To-Be Get To Work
Mayor Sheila
Dixon’s $83,000 pension has sparked an online Facebook frenzy
started by 30-year-old mortgage broker Josh Dowlett, who plans
to lead an in-person protest at City Hall on Tuesday. The
protest was on the radar of Council president Rawlings-Blake
and, according to her spokesman, she asked Councilman Bill Cole
to launch a review of elected officials' pensions.
"If we're talking at a time when fire and police pensions
are in trouble and we're talking about the possibility of having
to cut benefits long-term, shouldn't we be also talking about
the same thing for elected officials?" Cole questioned. More…
January 12, 2010,
Baltimore Sun,
Rawlings-Blake calls anger over Dixon pension 'understandable' –
Incoming mayor asks review of elected officials' benefit plans
Baltimore's
mayor-to-be Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake vowed Monday to
re-examine the city's pension plan for elected leaders in the
wake of outrage over Mayor Sheila Dixon's $83,000-a-year benefit
and to strengthen ethics laws governing city officials.
Rawlings-Blake asked Councilman William H. Cole IV, a close ally
on the council, to lead a review of pension plans for elected
officials across the state. "We're going to look at other
jurisdictions with executive-based government to see if we're in
line or not," said Cole, who chairs the council's taxation and
finance committee. The analysis should be completed within the
next week or two, he said.
More…
January 11, 2010, Investigative Voice,
TOW TIMING — Alleged towing scam targeting Ravens fans leads to
criminal probe
Ravens fans who were lured into a private lot behind the Holiday
Inn off Russell St. in Baltimore were told by a man who
collected a $25 parking fee that their cars would be safe for
the duration of the team’s final home game. Roughly 20 motorists
returned to find that their cars had been towed by Auto Barn, a
city-sanctioned towing company that has a contract to remove
unauthorized cars off the private lot. Councilman Bill Cole said
that, while predatory towing was a constant complaint, many of
the private lots surrounding Ravens Stadium also have failed to
pay parking taxes. The lost revenue is costing the city $100,000
annually for Ravens game days alone.
More…
January 7, 2010, WBALtv.com,
Baltimore
Council Members Vie For Presidency
With Baltimore
City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake about to become
mayor, four council members are vying to replace her. Young and
Cole are believed front-runners. Cole waited until the judicial
process played out before declaring his intentions. "I certainly
would be honored to serve, but I need to discuss it with my
colleagues to find out where they are," he told 11 News I-Team
reporter David Collins.
More…
January 8, 2010, bmorenews.com,
City Councilman Bill Cole comments on mayoral transition:
http://www.bmorenews.com/video/baltimore-city-councilman-bill-cole-comments-on-ma.shtml
January 8, 2010,
Baltimore Sun,
4 council members vie for presidency - Young, Cole seen as front-runners
for Rawlings-Blake's job
Now that City
Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake will become mayor
in February, the job she is leaving is up for grabs and council
members wasted little time expressing their interest in the
office. While four of her colleagues have expressed interest in
the office, two are believed to be the front-runners: Councilmen
Bernard C. "Jack" Young and William H. Cole IV. "The mayor just
resigned [Wednesday]," Cole said. "I need to talk to my
colleagues. I'm more focused in making certain that Stephanie
has a smooth transition."
More…
January 7, 2010, Baltimore Business Journal,
Rawlings-Blake
pledges 'open-door' policy with businesses
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a City Hall news conference
Thursday she’ll take the same “open-door” approach to
Baltimore’s business community that she showed as City Council
president. District 11 Councilman William H. Cole said he
expects Rawlings-Blake to have “a cooperative relationship” with
Baltimore’s business community.
More…
