Selling Of Facilities

Would you support selling some city-owned facilities (e.g., parking garages, hotel, etc.) to raise funds for other public purposes?

	Mack Clifton "ONLY if all of the funds from the sales would actually be used for public purposes. If not, no."
	Shelia Dixon "City facilities fall into three categories. First, the city owns property, considered surplus, that can be returned to productive use, creating jobs, generating taxes and creating spin-off development. Two examples of this are former Eastern Pumping Station which is being converted into the Food Hub and a kitchen incubator and the Hoen Lithographic Building, which will house a bakery and cannery. Surplus city schools are another example. We should move aggressively, working with communities, to redevelop these properties. The second category are city owned buildings that are occupied by city agencies but have private redevelopment potential. For example the city owns historic buildings in Old Goucher that would perfect for residential redevelopment, attracting private investment and growing the population. The uses in these buildings could be relocated to neighborhoods that would benefit from the activity. The third category are city owned assets like the hotel and the Hilton Hotel and parking garages. As long as the value of the hotel is less than the outstanding bonds, I would not advocate selling the Hilton. Do so would require the city to pay out of pocket to complete the transaction. As the hotel’s performance improves, we should reconsider whether selling the hotel is in the best interest of taxpayers, Convention Center and the hospitality and tourism industry."
	Elizabeth Embry "Fundamentally, I would want to study each of the options for the sale of a city-owned facility more closely with my advisors before I reach a conclusion. I hope there is a hearing soon on some of the existing proposals, which should yield additional information about the economics of the proposed deals, and their impact on workers at these businesses and their families. In general, in evaluating any City asset, I would want to ascertain whether its capacity as a revenue source is being optimized."
	Armand Girard "Yes, sell off some things."
	Nick Mosby "City facilities such as garages are on the table for private industry’s purchase, but vital public services like the water system and incredibly valuable assets that will not lose value in the long-term like our conduit system simply cannot be turned over to private industry. It really is a case by case question, but in principle there are city owned facilities that I am willing to sell in order to raise funds for other public purposes."
	Carl Stokes "Yes, if those facilities are not bringing in a consistent revenue stream. Many city-owned facilities are revenue generating and those funds are needed for programs such as rec centers."
	David Warnock "I would not. Selling off city assets sounds like more of the same ideas, from the same statusquo politicians. We have to smash the culture of low expectations, and improve our economy, so that every Baltimore resident has the opportunity to succeed. We have to grow our city’s resources, not sell our seed corn. Politics as usual has been leading our city down a path to financial and spiritual bankruptcy. We need new leadership and a new direction to really turn Baltimore around."