Story correctedd to name the propper developer. Greenberg and Gibson is not involved in this.
🗞️ Editorial: When Journalism Becomes Campaign Collateral
By Barry O’Connell
In her recent piece for The Baltimore Banner, Rona Kobell reports that “the book closes” on plans for a Middle River library. But what she doesn’t report—what she artfully avoids—is the real story behind the shelving of this project. It’s not about civic loss. It’s about political gain. And it’s time we asked whether Kobell is functioning less as a journalist and more as the unofficial press secretary for Councilman Izzy Patoka’s campaign.
Let’s start with the developer: St. John Properties. St. John isn’t offering a philanthropic gift to the people of Middle River. He’s offering a lease. A lease on a library that he would build—not to donate, but to retain ownership of—while the county pays rent. Why? Because a state-of-the-art library makes his adjacent real estate development more attractive to potential homebuyers. It’s not a civic gesture. It’s a marketing strategy.
Kobell’s article omits this critical context. Instead, she paints the county’s decision to walk away as a bureaucratic blunder, subtly casting blame on senior advisor Kathy Klausmeier, a longtime public servant who isn’t even running for office. Why the shade? Because Klausmeier’s principled restraint interferes with the Patoka-Marks alliance—a bipartisan convenience built on reputational choreography and transactional governance.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about libraries. It’s about optics. It’s about Patoka and Marks positioning themselves as champions of underserved communities while quietly advancing a developer’s bottom line. And Kobell, knowingly or not, is helping them do it.
Her framing is sympathetic to the developer, dismissive of the county’s rationale, and conspicuously aligned with Patoka’s narrative. She quotes sources from his orbit, echoes his talking points, and leaves out the most important question: Why should taxpayers fund a library that doubles as a sales pitch for a private real estate venture?
If St. John were offering to build the library and donate it to the county, that would be a different conversation. But he’s not. He wants to lease it. He wants to retain ownership. He wants the county to subsidize his marketing strategy. And Kobell wants us to believe this is a missed opportunity for the community.
It’s not. It’s a missed opportunity for a developer.
And perhaps the next County Executive—most likely Julian Jones, a man known for fiscal stewardship and community-first governance—will revisit the proposal. But only if St. John offers something real: a gift to the county, not a lease to himself.
Until then, let’s stop pretending this is about libraries. It’s about reputational theater. And it’s time journalists stopped playing stagehand.
I have no opinion about whether this library is a good or bad idea. I don’t like the schemes of suburban developers — but with all the liquor stores and pot dispensaries everywhere, a library isn’t the worst thing in the world to build. But more importantly, I don’t like the nasty and inappropriate personal tone of this article. I have known Rona Kobell for years and know for a fact that she is an honest, hardworking, talented journalist and author who has never been and would never be any politician’s spokesperson. To imply otherwise, without offering a shred of evidence, is bizarre and disgusting.
Has this method of financing a library branch been done in the past, either in Baltimore County or elsewhere?