Today, on Midday with the Mayor, Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh joins Tom in Studio A for an exclusive interview. She discusses her nomination of Dr. Joel Fitzgerald, the current police chief in Ft. Worth, Texas, to be Baltimore’s new police commissioner. If the City Council confirms him next month, Fitzgerald will take over a department that is still reeling from frequent leadership changes, a demoralized rank and file, and corruption scandals.
As for the Mayor’s efforts to reduce violence in Baltimore, the Safe Streets program is adding three more locations around town. Mayor Pugh also points to the 52 million-dollar Neighborhood Impact Investment Fund, which she has long championed, as another initiative aimed at transforming economically depressed areas of our city. On Saturday, the Mayor attended a ceremony celebrating three new Habitat for Humanity homes in Sandtown Winchester.
During their hour-long conversation, Tom also questions the Mayor on her efforts to take the bite out of continued water-rate hikes, the future of Pimlico and the Preakness, and other important issues affecting Charm City. And the Mayor addresses listener comments and questions, as well.
This program was live-streamed on WYPR's Facebook page, and the video can be seen here. (The final three minutes of the stream were lost because of a brief Internet service interruption.)
