Connected Developer and “Swift Boater�? Fund RGA Attack Against Baltimore

Baltimore, MD (October 20, 2006) – This morning, the Republican Governors Association launched a new attack ad against Baltimore City on behalf of Bob Ehrlich’s faltering campaign. The RGA ad, which uses images of dead bodies lining the streets, assails Baltimore and seeks to perpetuate negative stereotypes with misleading claims about the city.

“You would think that the Governor of Maryland would be more interested in promoting the largest city in his state, rather than allowing an out-of-state group to promote these tired, corrosive stereotypes about Baltimore,�? said Hari Sevugan, O’Malley/Brown Communications Director. “But, unfortunately, divisive tactics and lies are all we can expect from an increasingly frustrated and desperate Bob Ehrlich.�?

The ad is sponsored by the Republican Governors Association, which just three weeks ago received $100,000 in contributions from real estate developer Kingdon Gould. [IRS Form 8872, Report of Contributions and Expenditures Republican Governor’s Association]. Gould has also contributed over $50,000 to the Ehrlich campaign. As the Washington Post recently reported the timing of some of Gould’s contributions correspond closely to Ehrlich Administration decisions that would benefit Gould’s development projects. [Washington Post, 9/26/06].

Gould’s contributions to the RGA were made on September 29, 2006—just three days after the Post story.

“It’s certainly suspicious that the Ehrlich Administration made decisions that were favorable only to Kingdon Gould’s development interests, and then Kingdon Gould gave $100,000 to the RGA shortly before they launched a malicious attack ad against Ehrlich’s political opponent,�? added Sevugan.

The RGA has also received $1.5 million this year from Texan Bob Perry, who funded Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in the 2004 Presidential Election. [Houston Chronicle, 10/17/06].

The RGA has history of misleading ads and have recently been forced to pull commercials, or been barred from airing ads altogether, in several states including Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Vermont. [Bangor Daily News, 9/9/06; The Associated Press, 10/8/04; The Charlotte Observer, 8/24/04; The Burlington Free Press, 10/29/04]. The RGA is currently also the subject of election law complaints in both Ohio and Florida. [The Associated Press, 10/4/06; Orlando Sentinel, 9/24/06]

To quote Bob Ehrlich, “There is talk and there are facts.�? Here are the facts about this RGA ad:

RGA Claim: “Martin O’Malley’s Baltimore is the most dangerous city in America. As Mayor, O’Malley manages the most dangerous city in America, with a homicide rate 6 times higher than New York City.�?

Graphic: “6 Times More Murders than New York City�?

1. O’Malley cut Baltimore violent crime by 40% since 1999. This is the steepest decline in all U.S. cities since 1999, and Baltimore’s violent crime is at lowest level since 1960’s. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, “2004 Uniform Crime Report,” Crime in the United States by Metropolitan Statistical Area; Baltimore City Police Department, “UCR Crime Total”]

2. O’Malley has reduced average annual homicides by 18% from the 1990s, ending Baltimore’s decade-long string of 300+ homicides per year. [Baltimore City Police Department, “UCR Crime Total”]

3. The ad falsely claims that Baltimore has “six times more murders than New York City.�? In 2005, New York had 539 murders; Baltimore had 269.

4. O’Malley increased police department spending by 47% and placed a system of hundreds of security cameras in troubled neighborhoods to give police more tools in making streets safer. [Baltimore City Police Department]

5. O’Malley has increased police officers salaries to recruit and retain more officers. [The Baltimore Sun, “Hiring now,�? April 3, 2006]

6. O’Malley has made police resources go further in preventing crime. O’Malley’s ComStat initiative allowed Baltimore to hold police department accountable and determine the most effective programs.

7. O’Malley’s Operation Safe Kids, a Baltimore Health Department partnership for at-risk youth, achieved a 43% reduction in arrests for the young people in the program. [Baltimore City Health Department’s Website, “Operation Safe Kids�?]

8. O’Malley led the fight to double available funding for drug treatment. Baltimore has been able to reduce untreated addiction dramatically. [The Associated Press, “O’Malley proposes changes for state juvenile services,�? May 5, 2005; Washington Post, “Drug-Related Deaths Hit 10-Year Low in Baltimore,�? June 9, 2006]

RGA Claim: “And a school system that’s in shambles with the lowest high school graduation rate in the state and the second lowest in the nation.�?

The Truth: According to Bob Ehrlich’s Own State Board of Education, Graduation Rates are on the Rise in Baltimore.

1. Graduation rates are up in Baltimore. Baltimore’s graduation rate has increased to 61%, from 42% ten years ago. Since 1999, when O’Malley was elected, Baltimore City has increased its high school graduation rate from 49% to 61%. [Maryland State Board of Education, www.mdreportcard.org]

2. Test scores are up in Baltimore. “The facts: Test scores and graduation rates are improving in the city.�? [“O’Malley, Brown take on schools, criticism,�? The Baltimore Sun, August 4, 2006]

3. Baltimore’s gains on tests are better than the statewide average. Compared to their statewide peers, students in Baltimore City Public Schools “did outpace their peers statewide�? on the High School Assessment tests. [“Baltimore City schools outpace state in test gains,�? The Baltimore Examiner, August 22, 2006]

4. Attendance rates are up in Baltimore. Since 1999, when O’Malley was elected, Baltimore City has increased its high school attendance rate from 77% to 84%. The elementary school attendance rate is over 94%. [Maryland State Board of Education, www.mdreportcard.org]
Under Martin O’Malley, Baltimore Schools Have Improved Their Management and Finances

5. O’Malley lent the Baltimore City Public School System $42 million from the City’s Rainy Day Fund to protect teachers’ contracts and support our students. While O’Malley stood with Baltimore teachers, Bob Ehrlich supported ending the contracts, which would break faith with our teachers and drive away quality, experienced talent.

6. “There was a sense of vindication in the air yesterday as Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley (D) celebrated the full repayment—a few weeks early, no less—of a $42 million loan that City Hall made to Baltimore’s cash-starved schools two years ago.�? [“Big Check Given to Baltimore Mayor Proves Doubters Wrong,�? The Washington Post, May 11, 2006]

7. O’Malley has taken on the cost of maintaining Baltimore City’s School Facilities. To alleviate the financial strain on the Baltimore City Public School System, O’Malley agreed to spend $3 million to support the school system and take on the maintenance of school facilities. [“School board, Baltimore reach agreement on maintenance,�? The Baltimore Sun, March 15, 2005]
Even Bob Ehrlich admits that blaming Martin O’Malley for the problems in Baltimore City’s Public Schools is not fair.

8. Even Bob Ehrlich himself admits that blaming O’Malley for the problems in Baltimore City’s Public Schools is unfair. “Ehrlich acknowledged yesterday that the problems with the city schools aren’t O’Malley’s fault alone.�? [“Ehrlich, O’Malley set for education clash,�? The Baltimore Sun, July 26, 2006]

RGA Claim: “Baltimore, Martin O’Malley’s legacy of mismanagement. And now he wants a promotion, so he can do for the entire state of Maryland what he did for Baltimore? Maryland can’t afford that reckless approach.�?

The Truth: Martin O’Malley and the City of Baltimore have been lauded for their performance-based focus on management.

1. O’Malley’s CitiStat program won an Innovations in Government Award from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government

2. O’Malley’s Citistat Program has saved Baltimore taxpayers over $350 million dollars

3. O’Malley was named one of America’s Five Best Mayors by Time Magazine

Actually, Maryland families can’t afford more of Bob Ehrlich and George Bush’s failed leadership.

1. Bob Ehrlich has increased tuition by more than 40% at some Maryland universities. [Department of Legislative Services, “Higher Education Fiscal 2006 Budget Overview,�? January 2005]

2. Bob Ehrlich vetoed tuition caps that would have kept higher education affordable for Maryland families. [Office of the Governor of Maryland, veto message for HB 1188, May 25, 2004]

3. Since 2002, over 150,000 more Maryland residents have joined the ranks of the uninsured. The steady rise in the number of uninsured throughout Bob Ehrlich’s term has now taken the total over 800,000 for only the second time in state history. [US Census Bureau, Historical Health Insurance Tables, www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/historic/ hihistt4.html]

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