In the News

Joseph Gribbin, Erickson School, on WYPR-88.1 FM
Joseph Gribbin, an affiliate professor in the Erickson School, was a guest panelist on “The Marc Steiner Show” on WYPR-88.1 FM, for a discussion of the challenges facing the United States in the 21st century. Gribbin, an expert on fiscal issues and fiscal policy, is a loaned executive to the Erickson School from the Social Security Administration, where he has served as associate commissioner since 1987. The live broadcast aired on Sept. 5.
www.wypr.org/M_Steiner.html
Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the News
Across Baltimore, the undecided voter is prevalent. “Typically, you expect the number of undecideds to reduce significantly close to the election, and we’re looking at percentages here that are between a quarter and a third,” Donald Norris, professor of public policy and director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis & Research told the Baltimore Sun. The article, “Decision Time Nears for City’s Undecided,” appeared on Sept. 4.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.undecided04sep04,0,5020148.story
One week before Baltimore’s Democratic primary, the race for City Council president remained tight, with Michael Sarbanes, a longtime activist, and incumbent Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake attracting nearly equal support. “I am very, very surprised that Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is not doing better. (Sarbanes is) doing twice as well as white candidates in the past running against credible black candidates,” Norris told the Baltimore Sun. The story, “Council President Race a Near Tie,” ran on Sept. 3.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.ci.president03sep03,0,7695688.story
Despite recent gains by her nearest rival, Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., Interim Mayor Sheila Dixon continues to lead the race for mayor of Baltimore. “My guess is it’s all over but the final tally as far as the Mitchell campaign is concerned. When you’re down by 27 points with less than two weeks to go, it’s virtually impossible and unheard of to come back,” Norris told the Associated Press in a story carried by the Baltimore Examiner. The article, “Poll: Dixon Keeps Lead in Mayor’s Race, Mitchell Makes Small Gain,” appeared on Sept. 2.
www.examiner.com/a-913302%7EPoll__Dixon_keeps_lead_in_mayor_s_race__Mitchell_makes_small_gain.html
Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun
Associate Professor of Political Science Tom Schaller’s latest column in the Baltimore Sun discussed the recent series of moral stumbles by the Republican Party. Schaller argues that the party “not only has exploited the gay marriage issue with ballot measures and even a proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution but also deigns to stand atop its self-erected pulpits and lecture liberals, Democrats and the rest of the country about the need to affirm and protect America’s ‘ moral values.’ ” The column, “ ‘Moral Values’ Party Stumbles Again,” ran on Sept. 5.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.schaller05sep05,0,7653081.column
Socially conservative voters do not appear to be the major prize in this year’s Republican presidential primaries. Still, Schaller told the Baltimore Sun, “A 10 percent defection in the conservative coalition is enough to prevent the Republicans from holding the White House. And these continued scandals have got to give some of these moral values organizations reasons to take pause.” The story, “GOP Hoping Craig is a Faded Memory by November ’08,” ran on Sept. 1.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.craig01sep01,0,216178.story
John Rennie Short, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
An opinion column in the Baltimore Sun by Professor of Public Policy John Rennie Short examined some of the influences behind the subprime lending crisis. “It is time that we critically evaluate the costs as well as the touted benefits of promoting homeownership. Over the long haul, the gains are not so impressive as advertised,” Short wrote. His commentary, “Homeownership: the Sacred Cow of U.S. Housing Policy,” ran on Sept. 4.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.homeownership04sep04,0,2455100.story
Bill Thomas, Erickson School, in National Real Estate Investors
In a question-and-answer session with National Real Estate Investors magazine, Bill Thomas, a professor in the Erickson School, shared his views on how seniors housing too often fails its residents. He also discussed new models he has developed to foster a sense of community among the elderly. The interview, “Outspoken Geriatrician Says Today’s Seniors Housing Product Lacks a Sense of Community,” appeared on Aug. 27.
http://nreionline.com/news/William_H_Thomas_Q_A/
Renee van der Stelt, CADVC, in the Baltimore Sun
A collection of installations and drawings based on mapping techniques, produced by Renee van der Stelt, projects coordinator in the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, are on view through Oct. 13 at Ellipse Arts Center in Arlington, Va. The Baltimore Sun said the “amazingly precise cut-paper maps (are) so detailed one could easily mistake them for high-resolution photos taken by high-flying reconnaissance satellites.” The article, “Attention to Detail,” ran on Sept. 2.
www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/custom/altoday/bal-al.obsessive02sep02,0,4922516.story