It’s Midday with the Mayor.  Tom's guest for the hour today is the Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott.

On Tuesday, Mayor Scott sent a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hoganexpressing his great impatience with the pace of vaccinations so far, complaining that the state’s vaccine rollout has been, in Scott’s words, “uncoordinated to say the least.”   And yesterday, Democrats in the MD Congressional Delegation sent the Governor a letter complaining about inefficiency and inequity and calling for a “course correction.”

What can Baltimore do to get shots into arms, given the shortage of doses?  And, what is the city doing to convince those who are hesitant to take the vaccine that it is in their best interest, and the city’s overall interest, for all of us to get inoculated?

Mayor Scott also announced recently that the police department will adjust its Micro Zone strategy to reduce violence.  In these first few weeks of 2021 this year, the City has experienced fatal and non-fatal shootings at a rate that is slightly higher than this time last year.  He’s also initiated a new plan to fix the water billing system, and he has introduced a new website that graphically tracks the progress of his administration.

Mayor Brandon Scott joins Tom on Zoom, and addresses listener questions and comments.