Open Thread: What Do You Want From the State of the City Address?

In the past two State of the City Addresses, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake emphasized her desire to grow the city by in a decade, and to be an executive who doesn’t sugar coat the truth.

She previously used the speech to roll out proposals, such as restructuring the quasi-public Baltimore Development Corporation, and increasing the city’s bottle tax to help fund the Better Schools Initiative.

On Feb. 11, the mayor will deliver her next State of the City Address at City Hall.

The mayor faces an improved budget situation, but still must close an expected deficit. She has also been lobbying state lawmakers to guarantee grants so the city can borrow the money needed to begin replacing city schools, the oldest stock in the state.

She has also presided over some major staff changes in city government, the highest profile being the hiring of new Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts. The address also comes after voters essentially decided to give her an extra year in office this fall when they approved a ballot initiative aligning city elections with presidential elections.  

What do you want to hear the mayor talk about in her next State of the City Address? Tell us in the comments.