The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Baltimore County, Maryland:
Robin Hood in Reverse

Feb 12, 2024

The Baltimore County government plans to give local developer P. David Bramble six million dollars and let him negotiate lower property taxes for nearly 1,000 rental units in three apartment complexes. In exchange, Bramble promises to reserve half the units for renters earning less than the local average income, with rents supposedly adjusted down. For years, local governments have let landlords negotiate lower property taxes for this kind of “affordable housing.” But now the county is cutting Bramble a break on the hundreds of other, “market rate” units—and lending him six million dollars they say he won’t have to repay.

With these gifts, county officials mimic city officials. Last year the Baltimore city government sold to Bramble, FOR ONE DOLLAR, an industrial property the city had bought for $2 million. The year before, the city pledged to give him one million dollars for his redevelopment of the Inner Harbor pavilion area.

See how much money a developer can get from politicians—who collect taxes from working people to hand it to the rich!