O'Malley's Baltimore

It was billed as a speech to memorialize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

But the speech by Del. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore), a candidate for Baltimore mayor, on the House floor Monday came across as criticism, albeit indirect, of outgoing Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley on the eve of his inauguration as governor.

Carter, who isn't a fan of O'Malley's, never mentioned the governor-elect by name but directed
most of her speech to what she sees as the inequalities in Baltimore. She said there has been a focus on building downtown skyscrapers while neighborhoods had substandard housing.

Carter took jabs at O'Malley by taking issue with the condition of the city's school system, the level of crime and the access to health care.

"It is easier for some pregnant mothers to get heroin than to get healthcare," Carter said. "When
will justice come to all parts of our state? When will justice come to all of Baltimore?"

Carter and Sen. Catherine E. Pugh (D-Baltimore City) was chosen by the Legislative Black Caucus
to address the House and Senate, respectively.

Ovetta Wiggins