Since February, I’ve been volunteering for Josh Cohen’s mayoral campaign. Why did I support Josh?
As the election season began, it was clear Annapolitians of all stripes were deeply upset about an embarrassing string of management blunders. But I think even more significantly, there was a sense among [...]
Yesterday, I went on a cruise of the West and Rhode rivers in Maryland to celebrate the release of Prof. Howard Ernst’s new book, Fight for the Chesapeake Bay.
Below is a brief exceprt from a conversation with Howard I recorded on the boat. He reveals how he answered [...]
There are 12 days until the city election in Annapolis.
In today’s paper, we learned mayoral candidate and current member of the City Council Dave Cordle is introducing legislation that would cap property taxes in the city. A few days ago, Cordle introduced three other bills, [...]
Naval Academy Professor Howard Ernst’s first book, Chesapeake Bay Blues, was a remarkably prescient critique of the politics of cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. In the book, written in 2003, Ernst argued that not nearly enough was being done to make meaningful progress cleaning up the [...]
A somewhat surprising result from a new survey: despite the deep economic downturn, Marylanders still overwhelmingly favor public financing of campaigns. The Baltimore Sun summarizes a new survey by Gonzales research:
According to the survey of 833 registered voters, 77 percent believe that large political contributions have [...]
Maryland is facing a severe energy shortage which could lead to rolling blackouts by 2011 or 2012. Over the coming years, the state will need to invest in new generation and transmission capacity. The easiest and cheapest way, however, to meet our future [...]
There are a lot of people who dismiss political blogs as the ramblings of people with an inflated sense of self importance. Occasionally that’s true, but oftentimes blogs can play a useful role in making government work better.
Recently, Maryland Politics Watch published a post noting that [...]
Here’s a short clip from a campaign event last week in Annapolis with Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. I hope it gives you a sense of the approach that I want to bring to the State House as a Delegate from District 30.
Watch it:
Check out some photos from our fundraiser last night. It was held at Annapolis Sailing Fitness in Eastport with special guest Attorney General Doug Gansler.
Video from the event coming shortly.
[...]
Yesterday, the EPA released a preliminary report outlining a new federal effort to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The Washington Post highlights the key change in the EPA’s approach:
In the fight against such problems, the EPA now serves as a kind of shepherd — [...]
At the Maryland State Education Association in Annapolis:
[...]
To close Maryland’s widening budget gap, the state has slashed spending for cancer research, reduced reimbursements for health-care workers, cut spending for transportation projects, furloughed state workers and raised the sales tax.
Meanwhile, half of the state’s largest for-profits corporations pay zero taxes to [...]
In the latest of a string of cuts necessary to balance Maryland’s budget, O’Malley announced some painful cuts to the state government’s workforce:
More than 200 state workers will lose their jobs as Gov. Martin O’Malley tries to close a nearly $740 million budget gap [...]
Annapolis Alderman Dave Cordle is proposing legislation banning “politics” from the city’s website, saying it should be a “handbook not a soapbox.” The Capital has the details:
Alderman David Cordle plans to introduce legislation that will banish political soapboxes from the city government’s corner of cyberspace, allowing [...]
Substance abuse is a serious drain on Maryland’s financial resources, crowding the courts and filling up jails. A new report by the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute finds that there are insufficient resources for treatment and prevention. The Capital has the details:
There were about 70,000 [...]
Maryland I-270, which runs from the Capital Beltway into Frederick County, is one of the most congested traffic corridors in the state. There is now a major push underway to spend about $4 billion to widen the road up to 12 lanes, which would be the [...]
I want to share with you a short video from a recent campaign event. I hope it gives you a better sense of who I am, why I’m running and how I intend to conduct my campaign for state delegate in District 30.
Watch it:
Now that you’ve heard a little bit [...]
Scott Bowling is a candidate for city council here in Annapolis. Today, someone posing as Scott sent an email to the city clerk asking that he be removed from the ballot. Worse, the email contained derogatory, offensive and personal attacks on Scott.
Scott has responded with a [...]
In a positive development for Maryland, Baltimore Gas & Electric – the state’s leading energy supplier – proposed a new “smart grid initiative” intended to reduce energy use and lower costs. The Maryland Daily Record has the details:
A Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. smart grid initiative [...]
A new report by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation reveals that the Bay has become so polluted that swimming in it may be hazardous to your health. From the report:
The combination of warmer waters, nutrient pollution, and other factors in the Chesapeake Bay are contributing to the [...]
When considering a new public policy, we frequently (and correctly) consider the costs. Less frequently, however, do we consider the costs of maintaining the status quo.
Environment Maryland has recently produced a report examining the costs of maintaining Maryland’s reliance on fossil fuels. From the release:
Between [...]
The Republican Women of Anne Arundel County have removed letter from their president which compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler from their website. The following “urgent message” now appears on their website from the group’s Board of Directors.
The article put on our web site by Joyce [...]
Scott Bowling, a GOP candidate for Alderman in Annapolis, has a issued a press release blasting Joyce Thomann, head of the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County, for comparing President Obama to Hitler. He also announced he was returning Ms. Thomann’s contribution to his campaign. An [...]
The Republican Women of Anne Arundel County, one of Maryland’s most prominent Republican organizations, has launched an outrageous attack on President Barack Obama. The website currently features a letter from Joyce E. Thoman, the organization’s President, comparing Barack Obama to Hitler. An excerpt:
Dear Friends:
Obama and Hitler [...]
WTOP breaks the news that BGE is starting to shut off power to 74,000 Marylanders who are behind on their payments:
BGE says its has started cutting off power to tens of thousands of its customers…
Back in April the Maryland Public Service Commission issued an order that placed [...]
The Maryland League of Conservation Voters just released their annual legislative scorecard for 2009. Executive Director Cindy Schwartz writes, “Ultimately, this scorecard is about YOU — the conservation voter. It is a tool to see how well your representatives performed when it really mattered.”
In my home, District 30, Speaker Mike [...]
It’s an election year here in Annapolis. There are six Democratic candidates running for mayor and all will be at a forum next Wednesday hosted by the District 30 Democratic Club. Here are the details:
Wednesday, June 24, 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6). All declared Democratic candidates [...]
Earlier, I wrote about a new lawsuit that alleges Wells Fargo systematically pushed African-Americans into subprime loans even when they qualified for a prime rate.
Tomorrow, the Baltimore Economic Crisis Response Network is organizing a protest of Wells Fargo. Some info from the organizers:
Where: Wells Fargo [...]
As I get started on a campaign for delegate, I’m spending a lot of time attending events. One of the things I want to do on this blog (with the help of my Flip Mino HD) is to bring you the most interesting moments.
Last night, I attended the [...]
The collapse of the sub-prime mortgage industry is a major cause of the current economic recession. In many instances, these loans went bad because it enabled people to purchase homes they could not afford.
But now, a new law suit alleges that, in Baltimore, Wells Fargo systematically [...]
As part of its new, more aggressive posture, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper are threatening to sue the present and former owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill, the EPA and Maryland Department of the Environment for failing to clean up pollution at [...]
Yesterday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a press release revealing that Maryland, along with 27 other states, has yet to apply for federal education funds available through the stimulus package, potentially leaving billions of dollars on the table. From the release:
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne [...]
Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold is accused of sexually harassing two women. This morning on NPR, the chair of the Anne Arundel County Council, Ed Reilly (R) said that this was a “personal” matter:
John Leopold has done an excellent job of being fiscal manager [...]
Maryland, Virginia and the EPA are preparing to set a new deadline to complete the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay: 2025. The last two deadlines 2000 and 2010 were missed. That experiences illustrates that it’s more important to put in place policies that will improve the health [...]
If you want to know why we need to reduce the influence of lobbyists in Annapolis, read Bruce Bereano’s letter to the Capital over the weekend:
The political cartoon (Sunday Capital, April 26) about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s D report card on the Chesapeake Bay is so [...]
There are now 9 probable cases of swine flu in Maryland, including a White House aide who traveled to Mexico and infected three others in Anne Arundel County. The Governor’s office has responded by creating a dedicated “Swine Flu Preparedness” website and launching a “[...]
The American Lung Association has published a new report on the state of Maryland’s air. The news isn’t good. Here’s the chart for high ozone days in the state:
During orange days, the air is unhealthy for sensitive populations, such as asthmatics or diabetics. (In Maryland there [...]
Yesterday, Gov. Martin O’Malley and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack agreed to increase payments to farmers that plant trees rather than crops along streams or construct fences to keep livestock away from water. These measures help reduce that amount of fertilizer and pesticides that washes into the [...]
Essential viewing tonight for anyone concerned about the health of the Chesapeake Bay. PBS is running a documentary, “Poisoned Waters,” that details the Bay’s perilous condition and outlines the types of changes needed to restore it. Watch the preview:
More details from the press release:
Through interviews with scientists, environmental activists, corporate [...]
The 25-year, multi-billion dollar effort to save the Chesapeake Bay failed. But one of the best things the Bay has going for it now is strong new leadership at the federal level. Our New EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, just announced her support for a new federal law [...]
Today, I went down to the City Dock in Annapolis to check out the local “tea party,” one of many anti-Obama protests occurring around the nation today.
The message of the event was striking. The audience, which was quite large despite a heavy rain, was told that Obama was [...]
Yesterday marked the end of the legislative session. Today, Gov. Martin O’Malley signed 150 pieces of legislation, most notably an emergency bill “giving the state eminent domain rights over the cherished Preakness Stakes horse race.” O’Malley also signed legislation that “would make people who had worked [...]
As part of a nationwide protest of Barack Obama’s fiscal policies, the right-wing is organizing a “tea party” protest in Annapolis. At earlier “tea party” protests, signs were distributed reading: “Obama Bin Lyin’ IMPEACH NOW.” The Capital has the details:
The Annapolis Tax Day Tea Party [...]
Yesterday, Maryland, Virginia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided against importing Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay. It was thought that the heartier species of oysters might help revive the oyster population in Bay, which has declined to just 1% of its historic peak. The [...]
I wanted to let the readers of this blog to know that I’m planning to run for Maryland House of Delegates in District 30.
This blog will stay largely the same. It will continue to feature news and views on Maryland politics on a (almost) daily basis. But I’ll also [...]
Due to expected changes in Maryland licensing requirements, 350,000 state drivers will face the following choice: “Stop driving or get behind the wheel illegally.” [Washington Post]
A proposal increase the scope of internet sales tax gains high-profile supporters. The measure would raise about $7 million annually in [...]
The University of Maryland canceled a midnight showing of a pornographic movie, Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge, after the State Senate threatened to pull hundreds of million of dollars in aid to the public university. [Baltimore Sun]
State Senator E.J. Pipkin introduced an amendment to cut $6 million [...]
In February, Governor O’Malley announced that the federal stimulus package would enable the state to restore planned cuts to education funding. Specifically, “For the first time in the history of Maryland, the Geographic Cost of Education Index, a funding formula which awards more money to districts [...]
House of Delegates adds teeth to Governor O’Malley’s growth bill. An amendment approved yesterday would “spur local governments to corral suburban sprawl - or risk having development projects blocked by the state.” The move was praised by environmentalists. [Bay & Environment]
Speaking to the Anne Arundel County [...]
More than half of Maryland if officially in a drought. [Baltimore Sun]
New legislation proposed by Sen Richard S. Madaleno would grant Maryland victims of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme special tax breaks. [Maryland Gazette]
Gov. O’Malley’s plan for partially re-regulating the electricity industry, including the the to [...]
The Maryland House of Delegates approves substantial restrictions to capital punishment in Maryland. Governor O’Malley wanted a full repeal but will sign the bill. [Baltimore Sun]
The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act, which would “commit the state to reduce its climate-warming emissions of carbon dioxide 25 percent [...]
Public financing legislation supported by the unlikely coalition of Common Cause, Progressive Maryland and Senate President Mike Miller will likely fail. The Baltimore Sun has the details:
A proposal for public financing of General Assembly campaigns appears dead this year after a fiery debate in the Maryland [...]
The EPA’s new Chesapeake Bay Czar, Chuck Fox, “praised the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s decision to sue his own agency in January for failing to keep its promises to reduce pollution.” [Bay Daily]
Eight percent high school seniors in Maryland, 4600 total, have not passed the required standardized [...]
Maryland House speaker Mike Busch is seeking to ban lobbyist-sponsored receptions on legislative property. The move comes after “Sheila Hixson’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party,” hosted and paid for by a lobbyist, was held in the Ways and Means Committee offices. (The event was advertised: “”Food! Friends!! [...]
The head of the University of Maryland system, William Kirwan, says tuition should rise. The Governor’s budget proposes maintaining a tuition freeze for a fourth straight year. Kirwan says the freeze could erode educational quality for students. [AP]
The Army Corps of Engineers still hasn’t decided whether [...]
The EPA released their yearly report on the health of the Chesapeake Bay and it’s not pretty. The bottom line of the report, which some advocates still content is overly optimistic, is that the Bay is very unhealthy and not getting any better. From the report:
The [...]
O’Malley blasts mulit-million dollar bonuses for BGE executives: “It is hard to accept the necessity of paying $32 million in retention bonuses during record unemployment. And it is hard to accept the injustice of paying these bonuses at a time when our State and Federal governments are [...]
Plans to award executives at AIG huge bonuses has created a national uproar over the last few days. Meanwhile, as Marylanders struggle to pay their utility bills, Constellation Energy Group — the parent company of BGE — created a plan to award top executives millions in “performance [...]
Just 17 percent of residents of Anne Arundel County support the sighting of a slots parlor at Arundel Mills Mall. [Maryland Politics]
Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. (D-Montgomery) proposes a five cent tax on all single-use bags distributed by businesses. The proceeds would fund Chesapeake Bay restoration. [...]
Attorney General Doug Gansler says he supports tightening evidence requirements in death penalty cases, but the bill working through the General Assembly is “clumsy” and needs to be “reworked or abandoned.” Any amendments to the bill would likely kill the effort, as Senate President Mike Miller has [...]
Michael Steele, former Lt. Governor of Maryland and now chair of the Republican Party, recently guest hosted Bill Bennett’s radio show. During the show, he announced his belief that the earth is cooling. HuffPost has the transcript:
We are cooling. We are not warming. The warming you [...]
O’Malley abandons his effort to repeal the death penalty this year. [Maryland Daily Record]
Room for improvement on state transparency. Maryland ranks 18th in the nation on making records public online, according to the 2009 Survey of State Government Information. [Baltimore Sun]
Poultry farmers complain about [...]
The Baltimore Sun, following up on a story broken by the New Line, confronted Rep. Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel) about his split from the GOP caucus. At first, Dwyer clams up completely. Eventually, he confirms he will no longer caucus with the GOP but refuses to [...]
Former Rep. Wayne Gilcrest (R) comes to Annapolis to testify in support of same-sex marriage. [Baltimore Sun]
Maryland has lost 39,000 jobs since January 2008 [Gazette.net]
The Maryland House of Delegates revives a controversial domestic violence bill that would allow subjects of temporary restraining orders to have [...]
The New Line has learned from multiple sources that Delegate Don Dwyer (R-Anne Arundel) has left the Republican caucus. The news was confirmed by Delegate Wayne Norman (R-Harford).
Delegate Dwyer, one of the General Assembly’s most conservative members, was apparently upset when the caucus refused to support his [...]
Tumbling tax revenues have created a “$515 million shortfall” in Maryland’s budget. Gov. O’Malley says the new data sends the state’s efforts to balance the budget “back to the drawing board.” Worker layoffs and tuition hikes, which O’Malley hoped to avoid with the help of federal stimulus, [...]
Revenues from slot parlors in Maryland, approved by referendum last November, are lagging far behind projections. Today, the effort was dealt another blow. New data shows gambling revenues nationwide are plummeting. Bloomberg has the details:
Casino gambling revenue dropped 15 percent on the Las Vegas Strip [...]
According to new reports, Annapolitan J. Charles Fox will be tapped to run the beleaguered Chesapeake Bay Program at the Environmental Protection Agency, reporting directly to to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
The program has been the subject to intense criticism recently as the EPA has repeatedly failed to [...]
Maryland’s oyster industry is exploring aquaculture as a way to survive. On the Choptank River “8 million oysters are suspended in sturdy mesh bags floating on the surface.” [The Capital]
As the economy sinks, enrollment in GED classes soars. [WBAL]
The competition for federal stimulus dollars could [...]
Anne Arundel County Council clears the way for slots at Arundel Mills Mall. [Baltimore Sun]
The New York Times profiles former Maryland Lt. Governor and current RNC Chair Michael Steele. [New York Times]
Traditionally, power companies are prohibited from shutting off power to consumers in Maryland during [...]
This afternoon, Common Cause, Progressive Maryland and Senate President Mike Miller announced a public financing compromise. The New Line just spoke with Maryland Common Cause Executive Director Ryan O’Donnell and got the details. First, how candidates qualify for public funds:
– Candidates who seek to qualify for public [...]
Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich launches a new website, fueling speculation that he may seek a rematch against Martin O’Malley in 2010. [Real Clear Politics]
A record number of Marylanders may have their power disconnected next month. Utilities are prohibited from pulling the plug during the winter but [...]
Andy Green at the Baltimore Sun reports that the General Assembly is likely to pass public financing legislation. Senate President Mike Miller, who has blocked attempts at passing public financing in the past, is now on board. The details:
Gadi Dechter is hearing word that Senate President [...]
Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold “exchanged about 200 calls” with the cell phone number of a county employee “between mid-September and mid-February,” according to a public information request. Councilman Ed Middlebrooks suggested on Tuesday that Leopold was with a county employee when police investigated a report [...]
Andy Harris is alrady raising money for his 2010 rematch against Rep. Frank Kratovil. In a fundraising letter, Harris told supporters he hopes to raise $100,000 this month. [Maryland Politics]
At a meeting of the county council, Anne Arundel Police chief defends the response to a report [...]
The Maryland State Senate spent the day debating and amending the Governor’s proposal to repeal the death penalty. Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery County), a strong proponent of repeal, writes the New Line with a good summary of the day’s events:
It is often hard to understand how quickly [...]
The Pew Center on the States has a new report about the number of Americans in the correctional system – either behind bars, in parole or on probation. In Maryland, one out of every 27 citizens is in the system. Here’s the breakdown:
Probation: 98,470
Parole: 13,856
Jail: 13,632
Prison: [...]
O’Malley proposes a partial reregulation of the state electricity market. The new legislation would empower the state to “direct utility companies to build new plants.” Maryland is projected to run out of energy, and face rolling blackouts, in 2011. [Gazette.net]
Will the 2010 census help Frank Kratovil [...]
Snow blankets the region. [WJZ]
Coincidentally, the snowy owl returns to Maryland. [WBAL]
Maryland’s highest court rules that “[o]perators of newspaper Web sites, blogs and chat rooms that allow readers to post anonymous comments using pseudonyms do not have to readily reveal the posters’ identities in defamation [...]
RNC Chairman Michael Steele is under fresh scrutiny for more suspect expenditures from his 2006 Senate campaign. WBAL News reports that, at the end of his 2006 campaign. Steele made $64,000 in questionable payments to a firm named Allied Berton, LLC.
The firm’s website indicates that Allied Berton [...]
Trying to survive is a slumping economy, the Frederick News-Post will stop publishing a Monday edition. [Frederick News-Post]
Starting March 1, The Annapolis Mall will stay open one hour less each day. [WJZ]
Magna Entertainment, the parent company of the Maryland Jockey Club, defaults on its loans. [...]
The big news out of Annapolis today is that the bill to repeal the death penalty, strongly supported by Gov. O’Malley was defeated in committee. The Washington Post has details:
A Maryland Senate committee narrowly voted today to reject Gov. Martin O’Malley’s bill to repeal the death [...]
A new report reveals that “Baltimore Gas and Electric issued 1.9 million shut-off notices in 2008.” Over the last two years “shut-offs jumped 23 percent across the state.” The trends coincided with “a 72 percent rate increase by BGE after the lifting of rate caps imposed at [...]
Gov. O’Malley’s push to repeal the death penalty is likely to get a vote in the entire state senate, even if his legislation fails in committee. The move would be a courtesy by Sen. President Mike Miller, a death penalty supporter, but also “may reflect his confidence [...]
If you’ve missed your daily fix on Maryland political news, fear not. Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to update the site today or yesterday. But please stand by, Legum’s New Line returns in full force Thursday morning.
[...]
Rally in Annapolis calls for in-state tuition for all Maryland residents, regardless of immigration status. [WJZ]
Can Michael Steele expand the reach of the GOP? [TIME]
Obama praises O’Malley in his speech to the National Governors Association. [Maryland Politics]
The federal government may reimburse Maryland for [...]
In recent weeks Twitter — a micro-blogging service that allows you to send short messages to other users — has taken off in national political circles. The use of Twitter by top DC journalists and politicians, including David Gregory, Claire McCaskill and Karl Rove, has been the [...]
O’Malley blasts Republican governors who are refusing to accept federal stimulus funds. [AP]
State legislative analysts recommend eliminating Maryland’s financial assistance program for movie productions. [Maryland Daily Record]
Two delegates from Fort Washington have introduced bills to eliminate the High School Assessment tests required for graduation at [...]
Congressional Quarterly examines the potential political impact of Rep. Frank Kratovil’s vote for stimulus bill. [CQ Politics]
The Washington Post editorial page praises Gov. O’Malley’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay. [Washington Post]
Tonight at 6:30PM, Maryland Public television will run a documentary on sprawl in Maryland, [...]
As Marylanders struggle with skyrocketing electric bills, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. is planning what will surely be a very unpopular request: a rate increase for 2010. The Maryland Daily Record has the details:
BGE will wait to file with the Public Service Commission until later this [...]
Sheila Dixon was “abruptly un-invited” from a meeting of mayors with President Obama at the White House today. The reversal was “Obama’s second visible snub of the city’s beleaguered mayor.” When Obama visited Baltimore on Jan. 17, he did not mention the mayor’s name. [[...]
Today, the House of Delegates considered legislation by Del. Sue Kullen that would impose stiff penalties on tattoo parlors that ink minors without parental consent. The House GOP countered with an amendment to the legislation which would have imposed the same conditions on abortion providers. [...]
The Anne Arundel County Council, at the request of Councilman Ed Middlebrooks (R-Severn), is summoning the county policy chief “to answer questions about how officers handled a report about alleged sexual behavior in the county executive’s official car at an Annapolis mall parking lot. ” [Washington [...]
It only took Governor Martin O’Malley one day to start putting Maryland’s share of the federal stimulus package to use. Today, O’Malley and the Board of Public Works approved $365 million in transportation spending. Maryland Moment has details of the announcement:
Work on some projects will [...]
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was “bothered” that President Obama snubbed her during his pre-inaugural visit to the city. [Baltimore Sun]
Maryland will conduct a statewide survey of all teachers, asking them how to improve schools. [News Channel 8]
Senate President Mike Miller supports permitting slots at BWI [...]
