Assuming controls are in place to prevent or detect bribes and kickbacks, there should not be any problem with this guy having money problems, just like many of us sending our kids to the public schools, just like the city of Baltimore, just like the State of Maryland, and just like our country. This is personal, unless he does something that allows it to interfere with his duties.

Everybody has had financial troubles at some time in their life. The fact that he has doesn't concern me. I've had financial problems myself. What does concern me is the sheer amount of legal cases that have been filed against him. Seems like a pattern to me.

Mr. Morris, is that you? Can't afford or find to hire a press flack to make a more articulate defense?

Because, you know, it DOES matter that your financial deeds are a mash of deceit, sloth, and willful ineptitude. Almost all of the bad debts have to do with your business dealings, so yes, it is very relevant how you have been unable to pass one year without a suit or dispute of some sort.

After all, how do we know this new "job" is not a kickback from Alonso/O'M/Dixon?

If you care about BCPS, please step down. Find a job, do a job like the rest of us. (And, Gittings? Get to work yourself and find a way to overturn this awful decision).

This is ridiculous.of course the personal financial affairs of this man should play a role in teh consideration of him being able to handle this position. Who's to say he will not have several scams aka misunderstandings in his professional life since they pervade his personal one. If he had several domestic violence cases pending against him would we say that had nothing to do with his ability to conduct the public school's business?

What a mess. I am not sure how I feel about the article today on personal/business finances, but some of the responses trouble me. Like not knowing if there are judgments against you - this just leads me to believe there have been so many it was easy to lose track?

I am just not sure what the options for moving forward are at this point? Either Morris stays or goes? Or maybe the third option (which I think was mentioned somewhere else here) is to truly open a search, let Morris apply, and let the board see other qualified candidates? $175,000 is so much money that it seems like there would be people interested.

Based on this man's personal and business history, WHAT ON EARTH WOULD GIVE ANY RIGHT-MINDED PERSON THE IDEA THAT HE CAN HANDLE THIS POSITION???
Dr Alonso and the City of Baltimore should be ashamed of themselves. Perhaps Dr Alonso should step down since he clearly can not gauge the qualifications needed to successfully guide City schools.

WHAT A SHAME: ALMOST CRIMINAL...

Thanks for the reporting, very eye opening.

WRITE A LETTER TO THE CITY COUNCIL and YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!!!!
That's what I'm going to do!!! If things keep up at this rate..the city will have one less family to pay taxes. The corruption of this city is crazy. Morris is a successful business man. (Ha-Ha) I wish I could be successful and not PAY MY BILLS!!! Morris rips off hard working people like the Browns. Hello folks.. he collected $1,350 a month for 8 straight months and didn't even own the property. Morris foreclosed on the home and still collected RENT!!! The family had to sue Morris to get the money back and this has nothing to do with his new JOB. How about his ETHICS!!! Evidently he has a dishonest way of doing business and he wants the hard working tax payer of Baltimore to help him out by give him a new JOB!! NO WAY.. He couldn't even get a job with the federal government and pass the background check with the list of legal cases that have been filed against him. I'm going to write my letter and encourage other people to write letters too.

Do Sun reporters write in English anymore or do the Sun's editors allow gratuitous verbifying these days? "Garnisheed" is not a word.

The verb is "to garnish," the past tense of which is "garnished" as in, e.g., "The judgment holder garnished the judgment debtor's wages."
"Garnishee" is a NOUN, the person to whom a garnishment is directed, i.e., the person who may hold money or property belonging to the judgment debtor.

What sticks to me at the first glance?

How in the world can you trust a man in a high ranking position to make correct financial choices, when he cannot even take care of his own personal finances?

He is the deputy CEO and a former director. Two positions that have a direct impact on the financial and management choices for city school system.

I agree with the sentiment that Mr. Morris' legal actions have a direct correlation to his newly-minted position. I believe his actions display an express pattern of neglect and out-right fraud.

I am not pleased that my property taxes are making up a portion of this individuals bloated salary. Nor am happy that his salary will go to satisfying the debt incurred over a decade of willful misconduct.

He will not resign because there will not be nearly enough internal pressure calling for it. This is another example of poor decision-making on behalf of the Baltimore City actors.

"Financial Troubles"? Really? Having outstanding debt is one thing. Going to court for it every year, twice a year is absurd. This is such an embarrassment to the city of Baltimore.

The list is debt and judgments against Mr. Morris is astounding. According the article, Mr. Morris told Mr. Alonso nothing of his past financial issues when Mr. Alonso asked him if there was anything he should know. Well, if that is the case, Mr. Morris lied because his past is utterly relevant to his announced position. Mr. Morris should be asked to resign immediately. This situation should and can be fixed with a swift resignation.

Is Mr. Morris Ethical? Responsible? Trustworthy? Honest.? No. No. No. No. The fact that he was appointed to this position is appalling and embarrassing. The citizens of Baltimore City, and the students, deserve much better.

Wow this guy is a mess. I don't believe it will hinder him from doing a good job for the City. However, I don't know that I trust him because what he is doing seems illegal and is hurting innocent people.

Calling Dr. Powers!!! Calling Dr. Tyrone Powers!!! Will someone have the nerve to call Dr. Powers. He spoke out daily on the mismanagement(or worse) of school funds under O'Malley and Brian Morris on his radio show at Morgan State. Once O'Malley became govenor, Dr. Powers show was suddenly pulled. Something about funds being witheld from Morgan if Dr. Powers was allowed to continue to diagnose the the "sick" patient(Baltimore City Schools) on his radio show. Morgan State caved in, but you can't hide what O'Malley and Brian Morris did to the children of Baltimore. What school system is worse?? And whose pockets are fatter??? Calling Dr. Powers!!! Calling Dr. Tyrone Powers!!! Emergency!!! Emergency!!! They didn't listen then, maybe they will now.

Why was he even on the school board ?

Financial problems can be explained, fraud cannot.

Background checks, background checks, background checks

No wonder Baltimore is in chaos. All the respondents who say his credit history is irrelevant are examples of why the city is in financial disarray. You don't put people under significant financial pressure into roles that provide them the access to and opportunity to abuse their duties.

The real question is why Brian Morris? Aren't there better choices for this $175K/yr job? Frankly, creating the job itself (another high paid administrator) instead of hiring 3 more teachers is representative of the problems running rampant in our larger school systems. Everyone knows this is nothing more than a payback at the exprense of our children. I had hope for Alonso but now I see him for what he is...another insider with his hand in the cookie jar.

Dr. Alonso, due to his proven accomplishments at BCPSS thus far, deserves a second chance. Dr. Alonso could quickly regain what credibility he lost by first apologizing for his judement error, then rescinding the offer to Mr. Morris. He could then conduct a broad public search. However, Dr. Alonso may be right in predicting that he may not find the right candidate to fill a job with such an expansive set of responsibilities. Such is the challenge of all leaders in the public sector, regardless of salary. But without such a process, he will never know. While this hiring process is not appropriate for all "at will" employees, it certainly is for positions at the very top.

Dr. Alonso has earned our goodwill, and if he recognizes his error, this incicent should not detract from his main focus of educating our children. Everyone make mistakes--the key is to acknowledge them honestly and openly, then move on. But to dismiss the overwhelming dissapproval for the way in which he handled Mr. Morris' hiring would undermine his ability to make future bold decisions. It's just not worth it.

The future path for Mr. Morris may be less certain. Should Dr. Alonso advertise the position, Mr. Morris may indeed be an attractive, albeit flawed, candidate. But his qualifications would have to rise so far above everyone else's so as to dispel any notion of favoritism. This probably will not happen. Mr. Morris may be best served if he focused on his legal issues first, while at the same time seeking another position elsewhere. He is a young man who could re-emerge as a much wiser (and effective) leader in just 2-3 years.

You folks talk about fraud like it's a bad thing... this is Baltimore!

Fraud is the oil that greases the wheels of business here, and it's the oil that's making this slope we are on so very slippery.

@Mack - I'm watching and waiting for that info to hit as well... post a link if you have/find anything ! Thanks.

Brian Morris must do the honorable and right thing NOW. He must not take this new job and resign immediately! Oh, wait a minute, did I say honorable? right?
A man who defrauds money from banks, companies and individuals probably doesn't know anything about those qualities.

His personal business dealings do matter! This guy will oversee finance!
If he has stolen from people in his private dealings, he will steal from the taxpayers of Maryland. He is a classic government employee, big salary, big title and no accountability. And to top it off, he has absolutely no experience in education.

This is disgraceful. Given his shoddy track record, Morris is not even qualified to be dog catcher, much less #2 in charge of a $1.2 billion budget.

Not only do these revelations totally disqualify him for any position in the school system, they call into question every decision that was made during his board chairmanship. There needs to be a serious examination of every policy enacted under Alonso, every board member should be called to account for his or her role in the fiasco. A dark cloud now hangs over Alonso's head, and we need some strong sunshine to dispel it.

Morris continuing to manage and operate another business while employed with BCPSS is nothing new for the school system, especially at the administration building on North Ave. There's plenty of administrative staff running side businesses out of the North Ave facility, even using school system computers and phones, as well as taking school pay while doing it.
Welcome to Baltimore!

I have been reading the Sun for the last 40 years and this article is the first one that prompted me to write. How in the world does this man's financial history 1) warrant a top front page story, and 2) have anything to do with his ability to do his job? You guys have crossed the line with this one. In these economic times when most folks are scratching to get by, do you think anyone cares about trying to force a nexus between personal financial history and one's ability to do a job? Please, he even admitted to it. Give the man a break and back off this investigative reporting at its worst.

How can you collect rent on a property that you do not own? Sounds a lot like fraud. This man should be arrested; instead Baltimore City will promote him to run the school system! Perfect!!

Many of the comments on Brian Morris speak gratefully for the progress in the Baltimore Schools. They should remember that Mr. Morris helped acquire Dr Alonso and backed Alonso's highly effective, sometime radical, moves. As an Entrepreneur myself I know that trying to be one is extremely challenging from a financial viewpoint and I am not suprised that Marris ran into the same type of problems I did.. He's a keeper, with deep insights into the BCSS. Who else does?

Dr. Aloso's hiring Mr. Morris with his shady financial and legal background is city politics. Hiring Mr. Morris when he "does not have an academic or professional background in education" is INSANE! He should have never been appointed to the school board in the first place! What idiots are running this show?

Man, only in Baltimore City...you can get a city job unless you have a shady background

Why would you want to hire someone that can't handle their own finances, situations, home life. Since he can't handle his own, how can you expect him to handle anything correctly in the business world. What kind of a fool is running this school system. Perhaps they should be ousted also just for thinking of hiring this man to this important position. Hire me, I've never had any financial issues or lawsuites. There's plenty of people out there like me. Get rid of this guy.....I would not be surprised if you checked is creditentials and found them to be false. WAKE UP!!

The issues about Brian Morris' finances are disturbing but ultimately irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is the lack of transparency and process which gives the appearance of impropriety. Mr. Morris appears dedicated, but in a city that has been the subject of numerous public scandals this is a distraction from the important task of educating Baltimore's Children.

@Sid - Alonso just hired a guy who seems to have a history of shady business dealings, flexible ethics, and questionable financials, and put him into a position to manage not only the way the billion dollar school budget is spent, but to specifically handle new funds coming in from the stimulus....

Yes, his qualifications, including the other business ventures he's involved in (while sitting on the school board) are relevant. Please don't wait another 40 years before writing again !

Fire Alonso
Impeach O'Malley!

Keep digging for the dirt and report what you find, as this city is full of thiefs, idiots and good ole boys.

Nice Job Baltsun.Com!

Agreed! I give the Sun writer huge kudos for bringing this to our attention. Mr. Morris's long history in business is a very good indicator of how he would perform in this postion.

@ Ray Haysbert

As an "Entrepreneur" yourself you should know that that word is often a euphemism for unemployed crook. Calling his crimes "problems" is an act of a veritable Santa Claus.

@Sid Williams

You argue that Morris is somehow a stand-up guy for admitting to what he has done. The facts are already a matter of public record, as The Sun has promptly demonstrated. For Morris not to make such an admission would guarantee him more trouble than he is already in.

Did the Sunpaper make a mistake placing the comma on his salary? He should make 17,500.00 . This entrepeneur hustled someone to get this bogus position and someone(Dixon) said nothing.

Mr. Morris should do the right thing and step down. This is exactly the sort of situation that makes Baltimore schools a national embarrassment.

This is truly a hot mess for the city of Baltimore. No wonder the children in Baltimore City schools don't have the supplies needed and the best, qualified teachers. The City is always willing to throw away money on people with "titles" instead of the ones that are "Qualified." Brian's past financial history has a lot to do with him being an example for our children. Not to mention he had a company that was related to Ronald Lipscomb. We all know the mess that his name and Sheila Dixon are linked to. So why would he be the best person for this position? I agree. He needs to resign and the position needs to be posted for others to apply and let the best qualified person handle the job. If not, hasn't Alonso has handled the job thus far without a Deputy Director? If he can't then he needs to resign,too.

This is ridiulousness of the first order. How do you hire someone to the #2 position via the backroom and expect no one to notice or question the propriety of it? How do you TRUST someone with such an abysmal tract record of financial management with billions of dollars? Dr. Alonso, what does this say about your honesty, integrity, and real commitment to the children of Baltimore City? Was this appointment TRULY in the BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN?

@Mr. Haysbert, I know you mean well, but be truthful and recognize a scam artist, call him on it, and advise him to resign. Even those President Obama nominated gracefully bowed out when their flaws were revealed. Why should the citizens of Baltimore receive less?

It looks like Dr. Alonso was snookered. Happens to the best of us. The problem with Mr.Morris is the sheer blizzard of unethical and fraudulent dealings that mark a good portion of his adult life. The repetitious nature of his dishonest dealings suggest his problems are more than flawed finances. They are characterological. What he needs is a good therapist. And he shouldn't be considered for any job in government until he is pronounced ethically healed.

Posted by: Outraged senior citizen.

Here's a guy who was given preferential treatment in Development deals and could not make money off of that during one of the biggest run-ups in Baltimore Real Estate.

He is a successfully real estate developer with $14 dollars and an old pickup truck. Well, I am a titan of business my self then.

You can expect all sorts financial corruption if this guy has any direct input on the dealings of the BCPS (i.e. 350K to explore public-private partnership to build schools).

As a former creditor, I know how frustrating it can be to watch the debtor walk away paying a fraction of what is owed. The taxpayer usually ends up paying the tab in the form of higher premiums on insurance, less probability of qualifying for a mortgage loan, etc. That a person of such poor character would even be considered for such a prominent and high paying government position is beyond reprehension. I wouldn't only get rid of Morris, I'd get rid of Alosonso as well.

You've got to be kidding me, this is the best the city can come up with? He knows somebody thats for sure.

No question, Brian Morris's personal business and financial dealings have placed him in a questionable light, and my guess is that he will have to withdraw.

However, as a school board member he did do a lot of good by putting in greater accountability measures that have improved the system dramatically - don't forget that.

Dr. Alonso has worked tirelessly on behalf of our children and I wish him luck as he moves past this unfortunate episode. At least he didn't use gift cards like the mayor is accused of! (Ouch!)

This appointment doesn't pass the smell test. I would pray that Mr. Morris and Dr. Alonzo would reevaluate this appointment and develop a more comprehensive search that would include Mr. Morris.

http://dralhathaway.blogspot.com/2009/06/talent-will-take-you-where-character.html

I am applauded to hear some people talking about how Mr. Brian Morris has done a lot for the school system and should keep his job, when Dr. alonso has made decisions to permanently expell students from Baltimore Ctiy Schools who have the right for an education. No one is talking about giving these students antoher chance, but he has hired someone with such poor credibility. This is another one of Dr. Alonso's poor decisions.

I think there should be a great deal of deliberation when considering how deeply to pry into someone's private life. Private lives are just that - private.

Perhaps the most important question to ask about Mr. Morris' financial and legal troubles is this: Has he knowingly harmed or taken advantage of anyone else in the course of his financial and legal problems?

It's one thing to take personal risks and operate at the very edge of your financial margins, but it's another thing completely to dupe someone else.

Two things concern me here: One, the allegation that Mr. Morris knowingly foisted an unpaid water bill on otherwise innocent renters, and; Two, that Dr. Alonso created a position for Morris that itself went unadvertised.

I think those are the two matters that deserve the closest attention.

Howard Bluth wrote: "It looks like Dr. Alonso was snookered. Happens to the best of us."

Howard, I was snookered many years ago at a game of 3 card monte on the streets of New York, but I wasn't being paid $260,000 a year of your and my taxes to be smart back then. Fool me once... There are some things I don't want my public servants to be so naiive about.

With all due respect, I don't think the issue is therapy for Morris. The issue is not even Alonso and the stupendously bad choice he made for Morris for a $175 k job. The real issue is those other O'Malley appointed board members who voted for this stinker. What the heck (for lack of a more colorful word) were they thinking? The whole thing reeks so bad, nobody in his right mind would vote for it unless he was brainwashed or somebody was holding a gun to his head. What the heck (again, for lack of a better word) is going on there in Baltimore that is sucking down our tax dollars? Is everybody on that board corrupt or are they just that incredibly stupid?

Baltimore and its schools deserve such a man.

WELCOME TO BALTIMORE,HON!!!
Not only is the Balto. School systemn an embarassment , Baltimore itself is an embarassment along with the Police Dept. , City hall( aka, thief Dixon) and all the drug dealers openly plying there trade!

I'm appalled by this decision. I don't care about the back door deal- that happens all the time with public jobs. The fact is this person is not qualified to run a billion dollar public agency if he can't take care of his own finances. Simple as that. President Obama lost several Cabinet secretaries because of minor tax mistakes and Morris's transgressions are much worse. Is Baltimore this corrupt and provincial that this type of behavior is ok. And I can't believe Stephanie Rawlings Blake would say his financial problems have nothing to do with his qualifications and that he is being scrutinized because he is black. Seriously??? It has nothing to do with race and everything to do with competence and personal integrity. Shame on her for not recognizing that. Overall, a very embarrasing event for Baltimore and Alonso. He needs to apologize, withdraw the job and move on.

@ Anonymous

You sure sound a lot like Alonso. The language is generic enough that it may not be you, but the tone belongs to a politician who sends those politically correct emails you love to send to teachers. And who but Alonso would bother to put that lame Dr. in front of your name but you or a reporter writing an actual article?

It's funny to think you would try to distract people from this by mentioning old Sheila. Neither of you will go further in politics than you already have.

Morris Haiku

Late Spring thunder storm
Secrets and backroom dealings
A fat job is born

He sounds like a phoney. Has his education been verified?

I have been reading some of the articles in the paper regarding the Morris appointment. Personally, I do not know whether or not the position is necessary to run the school system better. If however it is, than there should be a process of selecting someone for that position that would appear to be more on the fair side. Having said that, the biggest infraction that stands out to me is the fact that Mr. Morris allegedly collected monies for rent on a property he did not own. Had he been a Licensed Realtor he would have been in violation of at least 5 codes subject to a $2000 fine each. Certainly a violation of The Code of Ethics. Do we want someone like that in a position of trust? And NO Ms. Blake it is not because he is brown skinned.

The saddest part of this story is Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's playing the race card. Apparently, in a city inhabited by and governed by blacks, this is only an issue because Morris is an African-American. Apparently, too, it's inappropriate to question an applicant's background and credentials when considering hiring him for a $175,000 job. Pathetic!

The saddest part of this story is Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's playing the race card. Apparently, in a city inhabited by and governed by blacks, this is only an issue because Morris is an African-American. Apparently, too, it's inappropriate to question an applicant's background and credentials when considering hiring him for a $175,000 job. Pathetic!

Gritty city schools
Teachers and students struggle
Morris pockets cash

This is absolutely unbelievable! Whenever I apply for a job and have been offered a position, I must undergo a credit check and criminal background; especially when dealing with finances. Based on Brian Morris' background, he shouldn't be able to get a job even at McDonalds.

What has been the City Counsel's response or any other city or civic leader? It is time to step up to the plate and speak out!

This is absolutely unbelievable! Whenever I apply for a job and have been offered a position, I must undergo a credit check and criminal background; especially when dealing with finances. Based on Brian Morris' background, he shouldn't be able to get a job even at McDonalds.

What has been the City Counsel's response or any other city or civic leader? It is time to step up to the plate and speak out!

Brian Not-for-us must decline this position for BCPS to maintain any of our recent gains in credibility. This entire fiasco is scandalous and dissappointing, and has become a city-wide morale crusher. AAA, shouldn't the standard you set of Great Kids, Great Schools include Great Administrators?????? The smartest move would be to cut your losses and hear us out. Is this really the person you want your legacy tied to?

In all the posts about Brian Morris's new job and his highly troubled finances, I think we've overlooked one important piece: Why is this new position even necessary??!! Alonso said it will allow him to do his "vision thing." But wait a minute--he already has a Chief Academic Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, and a Chief Operations Officer, and who knows how many other important-sounding officers. Their jobs should be to keep their respective systems running smoothly and the CEO's job should be to oversee and ensure that happens. Has anyone seen the job description for this new position? Sounds like it is Alonso's "mini-me."

And to those who say Morris's legal problems are irrelevant, I feel sorry for you. Your world must be a strange little place.

Keep up the investigative reporting, Liz.

Citizens of Maryland, wake up! Baltimore CIty schools have been kept on life support with state tax money for years. Teachers and administrators inside have written eloquently on this blog about how this cabal of thugs is (again) driving the school system into a ditch while waving the banner of radical reform. Everyone now clearly sees how this crowd operates. These are YOUR tax dollars at work!

Go to http://mdelect.net/ , find your elected officials, and tell them you want this mess cleaned up. Throw the bums out!

Stephanie Rawlings-Blakes statement that Morris' financial troubles should have no bearing on his appointment is ridiculous. How can someone who can't handle his own finances responsibly be put in a position to heandle a much bigger budget? B.L. Butler

I just read front page article in today's Sun (& I will be citing some quotes from it here) and find it rather interesting that the City Counil President tried to play a "race card" in Morris' defense as "she...questioned whether Morris' financial issues became and issue only because he is African-American." Stephanie, I believe people are questioning the appointment simply because of the fact that Mr. Morris has such a questionable financial history, has been chased by creditors for quite some time, AND that he has been put in charge of dealing with our financially struggling schools.

Not to mention the fact that you mentioned that "Alonso 'looked at his integrity..." Being an English teacher, the definition of "integrity" can be summed up as "adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; or honesty," all of which Morris does not seem to possess since he has avoided paying taxes, duping others, and avoiding attorney's attempts to serve him papers.

I mean, if there's some new-fangled dictionary with new meanings that I haven't heard about that has changed the definition of this, please, by all means let me read it so I too can be on the same page as the City Council.

I just think it's interesting that I have trouble applying for credit cards, keeping my APR low, paying my bills on time, and being rather underpaid as a teacher. Yet, if I had known that if I avoided paying taxes, running from creditors, and being rather dishonest towards others, I too could be living the cushy life and making six figures. Man, I guess I picked the wrong profession...

The real disgrace of the article in today's SUN was the completely irresponsible,racist and down-right STUPID comment from Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

How dare she try to play the race card in a (using her own words) majority "brown" city, run by a "brown" mayor, with a majority "brown" common council in a nation with a "brown" president!! All put into place with the help of a great many "white" votes!!

Utterly STUPID Ms. Rawlings - Blake. Why can't we just look at the facts surrounding this miscarriage of authority and judge it based upon it merits. Race-baiting and in fact reverse racism, gets this city and society nowhere and only leads to questions regarding the stability, leadership ability and judgement of a woman who obviously brings to her job and decision making a tremendous deal of bias and resentment with regards to race.

Wake up and smarten up!

I would like to add myself to the list of people who are disgusted by Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's comment. I have lost respect for her. There is enough real racism in the world. She doesn't need to weaken the fight for equality by crying, "racism", when the real issue is his Morris' financial dealings. If Mr Morris was my own brother, I wouldn't think he was the right man for the job.

Alonso, in his arrogance, appointed someone without advertising the position and without complete knowledge of his background. Perhaps this will give the general public a glimpse of what many BCPSS employees have been dealing with for the past 2 years.

Fire them all.Especially Alonso.A bunch of animals could run this city
better than those jerks.

Mark today as the first in a string of defeats for Alonso. He hasn't lost a single issue till now, and I predict the walls to start closing in on him. As brilliant as he is, this was a foolish misscalculation on his part. He's made other blunders for sure but this one stuck.

Heck the gang members working in our schools was even blown over. Bundley serving as the director of Alternative Schools has gone virtually unchallenged.

This is ridiculous. This man talks about roll models. What type of roll model is he. He thumbs his nose up at debtors. Tries to drive fancy cars he can't afford. What a joke. Alonzo should be fired for perpetrating this scam on the citizens of Baltimore.

Over decades, our city government and especially City Schools have provided fertile ground for racism, reverse-racism, good ole boys clubs, sorority first, church first, family first, elicit liaison first, and financial supporters first in hiring, promotion and awarding of contracts.

Just when there appeared a glimmer of hope to move forward and away from “business as usual” in Baltimore, we provide an egotistical theorist virtually unlimited power that may well result in additional detriment to achieving quality education for our children and our community relationships.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s comments are both discouraging and an embarrassment. How can we look and listen to Rawlings-Blake and ever believe she can move our city forward when harboring hate in her heart. Her father fought for state resources and improved education for all children. I recall a jubilant coalition led by Pete Rawlings, including Stephanie when O’Malley was elected mayor.

To elicit such a response, one wonders, is there a City Hall, state-wide political or personal connection to Brian Morris? No doubt a benefactor will come forward to hire Brian Morris now that he has resigned from the lucrative position.

Is this the role model we want our students to emulate?

The interesting connection is the reference to Brian Morrison's work with 'helping' direct investments for employees at historically black colleges and unviersities in the late 1990s.. Sounds a lot like the scam of Nate Champman, who played the race card to get a cushy job as minority investment 'advisor' to the state, and ended up going to jail.

I don't mind if Brian Morrison lost a lot of money as a true entrepreneur, but sounds like he was doing the racial hustle to get a lot of set aside from the government. Also the fact that under oath he said his only assests were a pick up truck and a few other things, and now he wants to be a high level excecutive with the school system??? What he said under oath ought to be investigated but now looks like he has pulled the plug from being considered for the job.

'financial problems' is giving him way too much favor. this guy is financially irresponsible and is a chronic abuser of the commerce system. there will be others who have the misfortune to cross his path. he is only 38! spread the word. of course this interpretation of honesty and integrity will appear in his professional life. thanks sun!

I will just say that all of us know people like Morris - people that operate in shady financial practice and without any morals. There is nothing worse than a neighbor who can't bring themselves to ever pay their HOA dues- eventhough they enjoy the benefits of lawn mowing, snow plowing, utilitie's etc. His debts and track record describe a person who is trying to beat the system - and we should not have a place for anyone like that in our system. I don't want anyone like him making decisions on my behalf. Yes, we should do a better job at screening all board members and employees- shame on us for not checking. Ms. Council President says it is racial - we should be more consistent in checking- anyone know what Bill Struevers' backgraound looks like? He was on the School Board.

also - Who is dumber- the phoney that "has it all together" or the people that hire them? Phoneys are all around -just let them be that - keep away from them! Yes- isn't collecting rent on a property that you do not own and are not the landlord illegal? If that isn't fraud/scheming, then what is?

ok- good -he resigned- and he sends us a letter lecturing us how good he was for our school kids. I guess it's our loss. Same with Alonso letter -heaps praises upon this deadbeat. Now the school kids can see the lesson that phoneys and cheaters do not win!
He can return to the underworld of shady development - no job but drives a Mercedes! Now let's keep our eyes on the person who was duped- Mr. Alonso - everything ok Alonso? You got control? What were you thinking? Let's start off with background checks on all current board members and staff - clean them all out- many are looking for work now and would gladly fill their positions.

Of all the posts to this story did anyone take note to the remarks made by City Council President Rawlings-Blake. For whatever reason she found it necessary to play the race card. In her mind that is all this Morris debacle is about. Is this someone who should be in leadership? And she wants to be Mayor?

Morris is the kind of person we try to teach our students to NOT be like. He sounds like the thugs and type who try to get over on everyone. Just the fact that all these people are connected: Morris, O'Malley, Dixon. Rawlings-Blake, and that Alonso would make such a blatent,stupid mistake is scary. But the worst is Rawlings-Blake, and boy have I lost all respect for her. It is insulting and so low-class that she would mention race with all the unethical doings of Morris.

I truly hope that we all learn from this sad tale. There's room to blame almost everyone involved in this debacle. First of all, Dr. Alonso showed poor judgment in hiring someone without vetting their qualifications. By showing transparency, he would have alleviated any doubt of cronyism and prevented the public flogging and castration of Mr. Morris. Mr. Morris by all accounts is a skillful, charismatic and diligent leader with a few character flaws. True, those flaws have a direct correlation with his ability to lead the school system in an executive capacity but HE is the one who should have been honest with himself. You can't take a job making 175k in a recession with teachers and staff being laid off without the proper players, namely the (city and state) legislature and unions, having a say in the matter. He should have known that this scenario would have played out the way it did. As, for the comments of Rawlings Blake, I think they were taken out of context. Yes, there are certain factions that do not live in the Baltimore that enjoy tearing down people of color that do excellent work in our good city. That is a fact. Mr. Morris has done good work in this city. That fact is irrefutable. But the bottom line is you can't pull the race card if you have a situation where a person has liens, judgments, and has taken funds for property that he does not own in a position of fiscal responsibility in the government. That's pure common sense. I think Mr. Morris will learn from this, but this entire situation could have been avoided

One question remains - how 15 years of bad financial dealings goes unnoticed until now? When Brian Morris was recommended by the Maryland State Dept of Education and appointed by then Governor Ehrlich and Mayor O'Malley 6 years ago how is it possible that a background check was not performed at that time. While I agree that if this position is necessary for Dr. Alonso to achieve his work it should be advertised with the effort of identifying the best person for the job I'm not suprised that Dr. Alonso was under the impression that Brian Morris did not have a shady background. The man was appointed to a board of a school system serving over 80,000 school children and overseeing a $1 billion dollar budget having undergone public process! It sounds to me like legislators need to require a more scrupulous process for filling state/local appointed volunteer positions.

So Morris resigned. Big deal. Alonso and the rest of the gang that approved this shady deal are still there.

This is the gang that shuts down schools for supposedly failing, fires principals left and right, rules by terror, preaches about transparency and accountability, and permanently expels 6th graders out on the streets.

And the public statement from Alonso and Duke about the whole thing offers no apology whatsoever. Remarkable. Just more preaching about how much progress they've been making. Hey, guys, watch The Wire, it's called juking the stats.

This whole sorry gang needs to be shut down before trashing the schools any more.

Brian Morris is a very effective advocate for our City Schools. He will be sorely missed from the School Board. Anyone who knows Brian Morris, knows that the School system is losing a visionary leader. Although he has resigned at this point, Brian will find ways to improve our community, as he has done for the past fifteen years.

Are there any psychologists in the house? This whole situation bears an examination of the pathology of arrogance, genetically encoded in extroverted personalities. I don't have a Ph.D. but have always been fascinated by the 16 flavors (Myers-Briggs) that human nature comes in. Understanding people as a whole has helped me understand myself. That being said, it's that paradigm that created the checks and balances system our government and nation have been built upon. Dictators have no place here in Baltimore, Maryland, or the United States. So, I applaud the diligent reporting by Baltimore Sun, and the thoughtful feedback from our citizens/readers. These are the quiet, introverted thinkers who do their homework, calling to task the extroverted mouthpieces who (would like to) appear to be our next savior on horseback (in this case, with a cigarette). Thinkers aim before shooting; quite opposite it seems for those we vote into office--and that, dear reader, is a generalization, of course there are always exceptions, usually with those who are smart enough to surround themselves with people providing a conscience and not letting ego get in their way. You want someone to manage a budget? OK, perhaps you don't need a background in education but you darn sure want someone who can chase numbers down to the last penny. Extroverts don't have that kind of patience. That's why you hire and delegate to someone with the personality suited for the job. Here, one mouth attempted to hire another mouth, and another mouth publicly defended that decision. There are numerous 'quiet storms' who could run circles in effectiveness around these people, yet introverted by nature, we don't take notice nor take them seriously. Look beyond the window dressing Baltimore, and put those who use their minds, not their mouths, in leadership roles. You may not hear the sound bites, but you'd have a paper trail of communication and accomplishments that would stretch beyond the moon!

@John, Rawlings-Blake's comment did not go unnoticed. It was mentioned several times under this post and under the other Morris post on InsideEd.

From a Sun article:

"Andrés Alonso wasn't particularly interested in salary when he took over Baltimore schools two years ago. What he wanted was guaranteed authority, even insisting on a provision in his four-year contract that prohibits the school board from telling him what to do."

Is this TRUE !!!!!!!! Please tell me I am missing something!!!!!

Strike one for the anti-O'Malley, anti-backroom dealing, crooked cronie fighting forces who derailed this appointment. Alonzo is just like the rest of the crooks who use Baltimore's children for personal gain. Who will finally stand up for the children? The people did on this day. Good riddance Mr. Morris!!! And grow a pair mayor Dixon. Contrary to popular belief, you are the mayor now, not your master Martin.

So, Brian has taken his name out of the mix and hopefully this will blow over. I say hopefully because there is so much work to do in the schools and by the system.

Specifically:

1) There are hundreds of current teachers to be placed in positions.

2) There is the question of what to do with the teachers who cannot find placements - AAA has committed to keeping them and that means paying them.

3) There is the need to make sure that any space not able to be filled by one of the surplus teachers gets someone who can do the job well.

4) There is the stimulus money to figure out.

5) There are top spots that need to be filled

6) There's the issue of the COS position that needs to be nationally advertised (see also: nightmare that is Brian Morris)

7) There is the need to ensure that the new 4 person support teams are in place and given the authority to do what needs to be done

8) There is the need to make sure that schools have the funding that they need

And on, and on and on. And the political toll on the system for the Brian mess will be with us as we try and fix the problems.

So, what can be done? How about:

1) Having the Board propose a two year waiting period between service to the board and any position with the system including consulting. This would do away with the appearance of cronyism and back room deals. And this would put the board in a better moral place.

2) How about making a commitment that the numbers that are being tossed around about how many teachers are still without placements are accurate?

3) How about offering those teachers who are without a placement to schools where the funding was cut this coming year as free assistants - co-teachers in difficult classrooms, subs when people are out, general help in the halls and so on?

4) How about the 6 board members that voted for the Morris appointment issuing a separate statement of apology to the city for not doing their jobs?

5) How about Stephaney R-B coming out in favor of full vetting for those who get tax payer funded positions regardless of race?

I am sure that others have ideas - let's share them.

Also, never again doubt the power of the 4th estate. Thanks Liz and the crew at the Sun.

Now that Mr. Morris "was resigned" the position has to be filled. Sadly, Dr. Alonso's decision has put him in a position to fill an unecessary role. 175K/year will have to be awarded to someone, for no reason. Nice move Alonso, way to keep spending down. All this to save your reputation. Remember, its about the students.

OMG Wendell! Wake up! You didn't really need the Sun to report that did you? All the board actions since Alonso's appointment as CEO indicated that he was given-and emphatically uses-carte blanche.
Now, I wonder why the board thought that would be a good idea?

city teacher - I think you're right. Alonso is saying he will start a search to fill the position. The dishonesty of this man is simply breathtaking. The position does not even exist in the org chart that was adopted in March, and now he insists it is essential. So much for transparency. At what point in the past 2 1/2 months did he suddenly realize he needed a deputy CEO? Where is the job description? Where is the new org chart? He continues to compound lie upon lie, and the rubber stamp board that can't tell him no goes along with it. What a sad sad day for the city and its children.

City Teacher: I am confused - why does this position need to exist? What work isn't getting does with the current crop of highly paid heads at 200 E North Ave? There is an organization chart that was put together by Dr. Alonso and the staff that does not include this new position, why now is it necessary? It seems to me that if the new position was needed it would have been mentioned when the reorganization was done. If the positions (not people, but positions) currently a part of the organization aren't enough to move the work forward than the organizational chart isn't working - let that be changed and changed out in the open with clear job descriptions. I thought it was the chief of staff's job to help the chief stay focused on the big picture - isn't that what Dr. Alonso claimed he wanted from the new position? Someone else mentioned that to create a new highly paid position without eliminating a current position or two didn't make much sense - I agree.

In a 1 billion dollar budget, $175,000 doesn't seem like much. But it is - it is enough for 3 one-on-one aids or 3 two teachers or a library full of books or, well, who knows what else. I only hope that this is a lesson well learned.

I bet the teachers are glad the summer is here:-)

The City Council President, who is a heartbeat and/or a conviction away from being the Mayor, is a disgrace. Is she saying that a "brown" person is beyond any background checks? I thought she was smarter than that. Terrible. Dr. Alonso did not gather any respect from the community either for this "pay-back" job. At least Mr. Morris did the right thing for once and resigned the position.

Morris S:

I am not sure how Mr. Morris (no relation I hope:-) did the right thing when he was forced to do the right thing. I am not sure resigning right after 2 - 3 stories about your financial issues and the lack of transparent process came out and moments before a story that outlines that you didn't actually get the degree you claim to have (called lying) comes out is "doing the right thing" Hanging your head in shame would have been the right thing. Not taking the position in the first place would have been the right thing. Not creating a position with the person you are supposed to be supervising and then giving it to yourself would have been the right thing. What Mr. Morris did in this instance is not by my definition the right thing.