Corridor Giants

By Andy Rosen, MarylandReporter.com - Alison Asti, the former head of the Maryland Stadium Authority, says she’s ready to take another crack at public office.

In an interview Tuesday, Asti said she’s considering a run for either Attorney General or an Anne Arundel County judgeship. She hasn’t decided which one yet, and is reserving the possibility of staying out of both races. Still, she said she’d be good for either job.

The 55-year-old Pasadena resident left the stadium authority unceremoniously, after the registered Republican was reportedly asked to leave during the early months of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration. The authority owns Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, and handles several other properties for the state. Asti was on the authority’s board of directors beginning in 1990, but became executive director in 2004 during the administration of Gov. Bob Ehrlich.

Read more: Blog: Former MSA head weighs run for judge, attorney general

Think about this:  May 20, 2010

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown wants to turn Maryland into the “Biggest Loser State,” and that’s a good thing.

He’s doing it one slow step at a time – literally. More on that later.

He’s doing what so many businesses are doing in the state by developing and encouraging ‘Wellness Programs.” So many companies are modeling wellness programs off the “Biggest Loser” television show where contestants earn money when they shed pounds.

Read more: Blog: Losing weight could lead to big gains in Corridor economy

May 20, 2010 - You could come up with a rating system of votes to identify the most liberal members of the Maryland General Assembly. Or you could just do it the easy way, and rely on the early endorsements on Wednesday by Progressive Maryland, the broad-based coalition of labor and other activist groups on the left.

“It takes a two-thirds vote of our board to get PM’s endorsement, so our endorsed candidates are truly champions of working families,”  President Elbridge James said in a statement listing the 37 Democratic incumbents and nine challengers.

There are just 51 Republicans out of 188 members of the legislature – 37 in the House, 14 in the Senate – so the endorsement of  37 incumbents shows how strong an influence the Democrats on the left have. The list includes half of the six committee chairs in the House and two vice-chairs.

Montgomery and Prince George’s County have the lion’s share, and the choices are predictable. Sen. Brian Frosh, the Judicial Proceedings chairman is on the list, as are the two remaining delegates in his district. Sen. Jim Rosapepe and his delegates in a Prince George's-Anne Arundel district are included, as is Sen. Paul Pinsky and the three delegates in his Prince George’s district. Sen. Jamie Raskin and the three delegates from Takoma Park made the cut as well.

More endorsements from Progressive Maryland will come later – it endorsed half of the winning members of the legislature in 2006. But in the first round, there is only one each from Anne Arundel and Frederick counties, and two from Baltimore County.

From the other 17 counties, there are no progressive picks in the first round. This pretty much shows that the ideological split in the legislature is both partisan and geographic.

--Len Lazarick
Len@MarylandReporter.com

Think about this:  May 12, 2010

This past Mother’s Day, I had it all planned out except for the actual planning. I was going to buy crabs and shrimp and one of the fine establishments in the Corridor and bring it home so we could eat outside on our deck on a chilly May day.

The Bottom of Bay Seafood in Laurel had a long line but they always have enough crabs – but not today.  No large or medium crabs – just small crabs. But they did have jumbo crabs at $69 a dozen. At one time I recall paying $24 a dozen. But I was willing to pay – after all it was Mom’s day.

When I finally got to be first in line they only had 18 jumbo crabs left.  But then as the cashier left to take a break and someone else stepped in front of another cashier, they took the order of the person behind me. I told him I was ahead of him, but he just smiled. Who can argue on Mother’s Day?  He looked like he had a big family to feed.

So I figured I’d just drive a few miles down the road to Captain Jerry’s off of Route 1.  But they decided because they have a shortage of crabs, there will be no to go orders.  I called my wife and told her it looks like ribs, steak and salmon on the grill. Crabs will have to wait.

What’s going on? It’s the oil spill.

The  spill – now being called, “The Three Mile Island” of the ocean, already is impacting distributers. Frank’s Seafood Market in Jessup couldn’t get crabs from the gulf for Mother’s Day – at least no large crabs.

What’s the big deal?  We still have Maryland crabs and the spill isn’t likely to hit the Chesapeake Bay. The deal is this:  lots of establishments don’t sell Maryland crabs. Captain Treys in Cockeysville and Ocean Pride in Lutherville also rely on the gulf for a majority of their crabs. The reason? These places sell crabs all-year-round and the crabs off of Louisiana tend to be larger.

Nothing stops these corridor businesses from going out-of-state to feed their customers. It’s sort of like slots except Annapolis isn’t all hot and bothered about businesses saying no to local crabbers and going out-of-state to get their big catch.

Who would have figured that Maryland, which prides itself on crabs, is hurting from the spill? Well, I should have known better.
Flashback to a few years ago.  My  mother-in-law visited us from Texas. She couldn’t wait to taste Maryland crabs.

So we took her to O’Brycki’s in Baltimore. The crabs tasted excellent.

I smiled.  “Only in Maryland do you get something like this,” I said proudly.

“Where do you get the crabs?” she asked the manager.

“Texas,” the manager said.

My  Texas mother-in-law smiled.

Tim Maier’s column “Outside the Box,” appears every monthly in Corridor Inc. To contact Tim send an e-mail to scoopmaier13@verizon.net

Think about this:  May 5, 2010

It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.

Don’t you hate that line? It’s the line usually said in the movie before someone gets whacked or fired. Of course it’s personal. It’s always personal.

And that’s how I feel about ending mail. That’s right. I’m taking my mailbox down.  It’s nothing personal. It’s just business. I am going green. I’m ripping the idea from a “Seinfeld” episode – the show that was 10 years ahead of its time.
Remember the “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer decides he no longer wants mail and it causes such a stink that the Postmaster General steps in to stop the nonsense. I’m with Kramer. I’m checking out of mail.

Why do I need mail? I pay everything online. I get paid through direct deposit except the Corridor Inc. check, which is always in the mail. Nothing personal but we have to work on that.  All I get is spam snail mail. I don’t want it. I don’t even get letters anymore.

The art of letter writing has transformed into the art of reading grammatically challenging emails. For some reason those who write emails believe they don’t have to use language skills. It’s informal. Who made up that rule?

Let’s say that everyone did it – even those who go to the library to use the computers, what might happen?  One less holiday present to buy.

The banks love the idea. They keep pushing me to do everything online, including paperless statements. Think about this: Imagine if the banks offered a small incentive to go paperless, how much money they would save in paper cost. No one seems to be doing that – yet.

The banks are always pushing customers to go high tech and the tellers are always encouraging it, but they never seem to understand the consequences of some suggestions.

In fact, when I recently visited a teller at the bank to deposit a check, she offered to teach me how to do it through an ATM.
“If everyone did that, would you still have a job?”  I asked.

Then it dawned on her. Making sure her boss wasn’t looking, she said in a whisper, “I’m glad you came inside the bank. Don’t use the ATM.”

Ok, so what would happen to all those postal workers if we went mailless? Simple, they’d go to places like Federal Express and UPS because business would be booming.

Kramer, I’m with you. No more mail.

Tim Maier’s column “Outside the Box,” appears every monthly in Corridor Inc. To contact Tim send an e-mail to scoopmaier13@verizon.net

Think about this: April 30, 2010

When I was a kid we used to play a car game called, “Count the number of Beetles we would pass on the road. Not a lot of Beetles around today so I’ve changed my counting habits.

I count signs that say, “Business closed,” or “Space for Rent,” or “Going out of business sale.” It makes my commute a little easier.

Let’s first look at my commute from Columbia to Rockville. My GPS, which I affectionately call, “Terry” says it’s a 19.1 mile commute, if I choose to take the beltway and move at a snail’s pace. Beltway driving is too boring. So I gave it up.

Terry leads me down the beaten paths and rural roads to get to my destination so I get to count and count. This morning I drove through Columbia to Route 108 to Baltimore Avenue to Georgia Avenue and then a slight deliberate detour and eventually to Preserver Parkway where my office sits in the Einstein relative theory building.

Turns out a lot a counting can be done. For every mile I drove, I chalked up a sign. After 15 miles, I was thinking I needed a calculator. I was getting a bit depressed so I did a deliberate detour through a neighborhood. That’s to escape “I’m going under with the business feeling.” Problem was I ran into another kind of sign called the “For Sale” or “Home Foreclosure.” I saw five of them. And that’s not even counting the abandoned homes or buildings.

I saw a construction area that always pleases me. I love construction workers because it means we’re back. Give a high five or horn blast to a construction worker because when they are working, everyone seems to be working.

There was a sign there that said, “No hard hat. No work.” Sounds reasonable. Funny thing, no one must have had a hard hat. Maybe they couldn’t afford the hat. You need a hat to have a job, but you need a job to buy a hat.

I then drove on a few more rural roads before hitting Georgia Avenue where I read an encouraging sign that said something like, “Construction Workers Ahead.” This sign was going to make my day not like the hard hat sign because this sign indicated real workers are ahead.

I saw a lot of big cranes, and assorted CATS, which got me a little more excited and I placed my hand on the horn prepared to let it beep, beep, beep. Then it hit me. The Cranes, the CAT were grounded. My horn was silent.

It is a little louder in Annapolis where state officials recently boasted that Maryland led the nation creating about 35,800 jobs. That’s a nice thing to count. I’d like to count that. But I don’t think those jobs are on my daily commute.

Tim Maier’s column “Outside the Box,” appears every monthly in the Corridor. To contact Tim send an e-mail to scoopmaier13@verizon.net

Think about this: April 27, 2010

For those of you follow my column, “Outside the Box,” welcome to the spin-off, “Think about this.” Like it or not blogs are here to stay. Some are very factual and some fall between the cracks of truth. This blog will do neither.

It will deal with little facts and maybe some big facts to keep the editors happy.  Hopefully it will provide insight, coffee break entertainment and gentle direction. At most I hope after you read the blog, it gives you pause to say to your boss, co-workers, friends, spouse and children, “Think about this…” That’s my catch phrase.

So grab your mocha, and put your phone on vibrate so I can take you on a blogosphere ride.

This week the iPad is the latest must have gadget. My wife must have it because she wants a big light monitor screen to read with cool apps.  My son wonders why we even need to have a computer because he reads his e-mail on his phone. He calls it a technical waste. My editor says wait for the second generation. They are all missing the point.

In fact, the right business could actually partner with Apple and make a few bucks. Think about this: Suppose a company decided to gut its direct mail marketing campaign and instead invest in 100,000 iPads at a bulk rate price – say $250 an iPad, or $2.5 million. And suppose they gave away those IPADs with a few conditions to a selected group of customers that they have in their computer system because they are part of a store rewards program.

Free iPads? Got to be a catch? Right. Of course. Here’s the deal. Each customer who agrees to take a free iPad would have to spend at least $150 in the store within a specific time period. If they didn’t spend that amount of money, they would be required to pay for the  iPad, which is placed on a store credit card in their name.

Let’s take it a step farther.  Suppose a newspaper did the same thing with the understanding it would have to subscribe to the newspaper in order for the  iPad to work. Now the newspaper can boost it has 100,000 readers – and they know exactly where they live.  What an attraction for an advertiser who wants to be in that newspaper. The initial investment $2.5 million?  Do that and you can cut your printing cost. Think about that.

OK, so the company is still losing $100 and more for labor. Not so fast. Each iPad would be specifically built so that when it’s turned on, it automatically goes to the company’s home page, or an app that jumps out with a strong sales teaser boasting a great sale.  It could work as a one-click sale with the store credit card.

Ka-Ching.

—    Tim Maier

scoopmaier13@verizon.net
Catch my column “Outside the Box” every month in the Corridor Inc. print publication.

MarylandReporter.com: April 27, 2010

Blaine Taylor was a bit miffed when he read a Friday Baltimore Sun story linked in our roundup Monday morning. It mentioned Republicans hoping to challenge Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski, but no Democrats willing to take on the four-term senator. Actually, it only mentioned those Republicans who had raised some money.

“There WILL be a primary,” said Taylor by e-mail. He is a perennial candidate for Congress, who filed April 16 for U.S. Senate. If money is the qualifier, the reclusive Taylor, who largely runs his campaigns out of his Towson apartment, plans on raising and spending no money.

He has no website, and there already is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate with the same name from Baltimore County, Sanquetta Taylor of Owings Mills. Other candidates in the race are Christopher Garner of Severna Park and Billy Bob Jaworski of Kensington.

Read more: Blog: Mikulski has a primary, miffed challenger reminds us

Corridor Rants & Raves: April 26, 2010

We’re now abut 24 hours out from Martin O’Malley’s official campaign kickoff down in Fells Point. We already know what his key talking points will be, based on this e-mail sent to supporters this morning:


You can see from that first paragraph that “big money” and “special interests” are the key talking points. Fortunately, we have ways of quantifying and qualifying such statements, with campaign finance reports from the State Board of Elections. Unfortunately we won’t see the first reports of this campaign until August 17.

This is not to say the Ehrlich campaign has been without some unverifiable statements. The first one to jump out is the assertion in Ehrlich’s post-session comments that Maryland Democrats will raise your taxes next year. There is literally no way of checking that statement until months after the election is decided. Like all good political rhetoric (and I say “good” here indicating cleverness and efficacy) it’s bought on faith.

— Tom LoBianco
Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

MarylandReporter.com: April 23, 2010

Now that the legislative session is over, some lawmakers — last week's bigwigs with aides and pages at their beck and call — must now answer to their own bosses.

Since Sine Die, most legislators have all returned to their home districts and "real" jobs. Lobbyists no longer stake them out, and fewer reporters are chasing them around for a story that absolutely must run today.

Last week, Dels. Tom Hucker and Warren Miller both had to work around their work schedules to return my phone calls. And some lawmakers who are in the legal profession have been so busy that they have not returned calls at all yet. In times like these, it pays to know a legislator's cell phone number.

Reporters used to be able to catch legislators each morning after session, before committee hearings, or simply by walking to their offices. Now, they must call lawmakers' offices and pray they get a call back that day.

And when that return call comes, it can be hard to get any follow-up information, as lawmakers must finagle ways to find it between meetings and projects.

— Erich Wagner
Erich@MarylandReporter.com

MarylandReporter.com: April 22, 2010

The most controversial item at Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting focused on a disagreement over less than $40,000, a small dispute for a panel that regularly authorizes multi-million dollar state contracts.

But this was an interesting one, as Comptroller Peter Franchot criticized the University System of Maryland for how it valued a property that Coppin State University is trying to buy. The parcel, at 1807 Thomas Ave. in Baltimore, was valued by appraisers who never went inside of the building.

Apparently, the owner would not let either of the two appraisers into his home, which Coppin wants to demolish along with several others to make room for a new science and technology center.

The state approved the contract, which amounts to $150,000. The owner will get $65,000 for his home, and $85,700 to relocate. But Franchot had an issue with the purchase price. A different appraisal had valued the property as low as $28,000, and Franchot wondered why the state had accepted the higher one.

Read more: Blog: State buys Baltimore home without looking inside

MarylandReporter.com: April 21, 2010

If challenger Brian Murphy claims any hope of splitting Republican support with former Gov. Bob Ehrlich in this year's gubernatorial primary, he'll have to get his backing from outside of the General Assembly.

Ehrlich's campaign announced Tuesday that every GOP member of the General Assembly — all 14 senators and each of the 37 delegates — have signed on to support him this September (and one would imagine, November).

Murphy has said he believes Ehrlich would not be a viable candidate to unseat Gov. Martin O'Malley in a rematch, and that Ehrlich is not a fiscal conservative.

Republicans in the Senate disagree, writing that Ehrlich "put Maryland's fiscal house in order," and "stopped billions of dollars of tax increases proposed by Democrats in the General Assembly."

Read more: Blog: It's unanimous: GOP legislators back Ehrlich

Corridor Rants & Raves: April 19, 2010

I’m having bad SAT flashbacks just writing this. But analogies are pertinent and are a pretty good way at drawing an intuitive connection, especially for a public with a short attention span.

So the state Democratic Party has gone hard after Ehrlich ever since it looked like his run for governor was inevitable (a few months ago now.) And the whole RNC sex club spending debacle has proven for very nice ammo (Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele was Ehrlich’s former second-in-command.)

Ehrlich, for his part, has been just as coy as ever when handling tough questions. “Who? Me??” is pretty much de rigeur. (Interestingly, one reporter who attended one of his press gaggles asked a colleague if Ehrlich’s always this weird. The short answer is: yes.)

So as this debate (or what amounts to a debate around here) grows, the pertinent question is who is O’Malley’s Steele? Or to flesh it out some: Who’s the goofball who keeps O’governor’s handlers on edge for fear of some strange sex-club scandal.

Read more: Blog: Steele is to Ehrlich as Dixon is to O’Malley?

MarylandReporter.com: April 7

Newly-minted GOP Gubernatorial hopeful Brian Murphy and the state Democratic Party agree on two things.

“Bob Ehrlich is not a fiscal conservative,” Murphy said, and “he can’t win” in a rematch for governor with Gov. Martin O’Malley, Beyond that, Murphy and the Democrats don’t agree on much else.

Murphy says he is a true-blue pro-business conservative, and he thinks he can beat the incumbent, even though he admits, “in politics, I am a nobody.”

Read more: Blog: Ex-GOP chairman endorses Ehrlich opponent

Corridor Rants & Raves — April 6, 2010

This is exactly what I've been waiting for, a ban on the sale of used underwear. Courtesy of Delegate Aisha Braveboy. You can read the bill here.

— Tom LoBianco
Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

Corridor Rants & Raves — April 6, 2010

Look at all those smilin’ faces. They’re the members of the budget conference committee, hammering out just what the state’s $32 billion spending plan will look like. This is arguably the most important committee in Annapolis because they pretty much have the final say on the budget.

Read more: Blog: Don’t get too excited …

Corridor Rants & Raves: March 29, 2010

Former House Minority Leader and candidate for state Senate Al Redmer is helping his kid pimp a sweet crib down in Middle River. For less than $250,000, no less.

The details are included in a Friday e-mail Redmer sent out from his campaign e-mail account, along with some nice shots of the property.

When I first saw the e-mail — with the subject line: “Perfect Starter Home” — I thought it was some sort of clever hit piece. I was thinking something along the lines of: “So-and-so moved into governor’s mansion, but it’s really just the ‘Perfect Starter Home’ for a guy who only cares about moving in to the White House.”

(Look, the pitches only get more contrived as the campaigns drag on. That sort of ploy will actually sound fresh in a few months.)

But when it turned out to literally be a pitch for a “Perfect Starter Home” I was a little disappointed.

Read more: Looking for a home? Al Redmer has a deal for you!

Corridor Rants & Raves: March 26, 2010

So I filmed this gaggle with Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley yesterday (Maryland Day) using my droid and Qik I asked him what he thought about Bob Ehrlich possibly announcing his run for governor on April 7 and he said he was too busy with the legislative session too really care. (Here’s the video)

That was at 2 p.m. in Annapolis. Two hours later I saw him at the gym in Baltimore.

I asked him about playing hookie (which I was too, though I’m a freelancer) and he responded: “It’s called wellness.”

— Tom LoBianco
Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

March 23, 2010 — Here’s a great little snapshot of Maryland’s left-right politics debate. Conservative activist Mark Newgent going up against Democratic hack Steve Lebowitz, all on Twitter (God bless ‘em.)

Steve Lebowitz argues the Democratic angle from the left

Read more: Red Maryland v. Blue Maryland (Newgent v. Lebowitz)

MarylandReporter.com: March 18, 2010

What happens to property owners who don't pay their water bills? For most people, it means no bathing, because the local government shuts off service.
But that apparently isn't always the case in Baltimore County, where Sen. Jim Brochin was trying to pass a bill to make it harder for counties to seize properties over delinquent water debt.

Read more: BLOG: Brochin water bill gets hosed — so constituents will continue

Wild Maryland: March 18, 2010

Read more: BLOG: How do you really kill the wine shipping bill? Put it to a study!

MarylandReporter.com: March 8, 2010

Sen. Barbara Mikulski has heard the chatter about her alleged retirement after a bad ankle break put her out of commission for months last year.

But the Democrat dismisses the bloggers as she mounts her campaign for a fifth term in the Senate.

“See this ankle,” Mikulski told a crowd of about 85 at an Ellicott City home Sunday. “I’ve got a lot of metal in it and I’m ready to kick butt.”

She is going to put “my metal on the pedal” for health care legislation and jobs bill. “I don’t want to be Hamlet,” said Mikulski, contemplating indecision. “I want to be Joan of Arc,” taking the fight to the insurance companies on health insurance reform.

Mikulski was the lead speaker at a Howard County party fundraiser that also headlined Reps. John Sarbanes, Sen. Ben Cardin, and Rep. Elijah Cummings.

Read more: BLOG: Mikulski says she’s ‘ready to kick butt’

MarylandReporter.com: March 5, 2010

“I regret that I have but one tie to give to my governor,” says I as I stripped off my bright red Van Heusen silk and handed it to Martin O’Malley.

I had hung around the governor’s reception room after a news conference on a teacher survey followed by a “gaggle,” an impromptu question session with mostly TV reporters. As the media questioned O’Malley, the room filled with members of Delta Sigma Theta, the college sorority for women at historically black universities founded at Howard University in 1913.

They were all dressed in various shades of red dresses, suits and jackets, and had come up for a photo opportunity with O’Malley on Delta Day in Annapolis. His appointments secretary, Jeanne Hitchcock, had been Miss Delta at Morgan State University, class of 1968.

I had hung around to see what might transpire as the governor interacted with what you would call a core Democratic constituency.

Read more: BLOG: O’Malley ties one on with Lazarick

MarylandReporter.com: March 4, 2010

Environmental advocates insist that they are not comparable to watermelons, contrary to an Eastern Shore senator's assertion at a recent legislative hearing.

At a delegation meeting on Feb. 15, Sen. Richard Colburn, R-Cambridge, criticized the "river keepers" who push water quality in Maryland's tributaries and streams. He called them "green on the outside and red or socialist on the inside,” according to a story reported here.

Environmentalist and veterans groups are now demanding an apology.

Colburn voiced his opinion during a discussion about how environmental regulations have slowed a number of projects along the Eastern Shore. This week Colburn said he had not been contacted by representatives from either camp.

Read more: BLOG: Environmentalists want an apology for Sen. Colburn's 'watermelon' comment

MarylandReporter.com: March 2, 2010

It looks like there’s finally a deal between business, labor and legislators on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to reform the unemployment system, after weeks of negotiations.

Key business groups have agreed to support a plan that expands benefits to some, while cutting payouts for the jobless who are sick, people who have been fired for misconduct and people who have worked very little.

Read more: BLOG: Finally a deal on unemployment reform

MarylandReporter.com:
March 2, 2010

Legislative leaders have repeatedly pledged to pass no new taxes this election year, but a new poll says half of Maryland voters think they should make an exception for a 10-cent per drink tax on alcohol.

The telephone survey of 402 likely voters last week by the Opinion Works polling firm in Annapolis is part of a push for higher alcohol taxes to support aid to people with developmental disabilities, mental health problems and addictions and to expand health care coverage.

Read more: BLOG: New poll says voters support alcohol tax hike

MarylandReporter.com: March 1, 2010

Sen. Andy Harris’s chief of staff, who has been running for the House of Delegates, will get to keep her job under a compromise reached with Senate President Mike Miller.

Miller had told Harris in a Feb. 16 letter that Kathy Szeliga needed to either stop her campaign or be fired, based on an assistant attorney general’s interpretation of General Assembly personnel policies.

Harris got a contrary opinion from a private attorney, but to resolve the dispute, Szeliga said that until the General Assembly finishes its work on April 12, she would stop campaigning, except for a March 3 fundraiser at which former Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich is expected to speak. She said she would also take down her Web site until April 13, and not accept contributions from lobbyists on political action committees.

Read more: BLOG: Harris’ aide allowed to keep job

MarylandReporter.com: February 26, 2010

The state’s longstanding practice of paying more for Baltimore City roads — then letting the city government handle its own paving — is coming under increasing scrutiny this year as other jurisdictions struggle with reduced state highway aid.

Read more: BLOG: Should the counties help pay for Baltimore City's roads?

Wild Maryland: February 23, 2010

So today we get to see the much-anticipated joint budget hearing where Maryland House Republican leaders are expected to propose a series of budget cuts at Democrat Mike Busch’s request.

So what does the General Assembly’s chief budget guru, Warren Deschenaux think: “In the end it will be anticlimactic.”

Sounds about right, given that all the political rhetoric is bumped up pretty heavy during an election year and that these talking points, from the Dems and the GOPers have been rehashed routinely at least since 2007.

— Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

Wild Maryland: February 19, 2010

We’ve got two major partisan deadlines down here in Annapolis, one up today, the other on Tuesday.

First up, Senate President Thomas V. “Mikezilla” Miller has set today (Friday) as the deadline for Sen. Andy Harris’ chief of staff to step down. The backstory: Harris’ CoS, Kathy Szeliga, is running for delegate and fundraising during the legislative session (one of the few defined no-nos for Maryland pols), Miller says it’s a violation of state ethics rules. Harris says it’s “political bullying” from the top Senate Dem (as, among other things, his CoS has yet to formally file for office.)

UPDATE: Miller said post-morning session that he had a letter on his desk from Andy Harris, but it remains unread.

Read more: Maryland politics deadlines … (Harris chief of staff, Miller updates)

Wild Maryland: February 16, 2010

So, that effigy of Frank Kratovil created by a conservative activist and dangled outside one of his offices last summer is on my radar not for its boorishness, but for its proper referencing.

Here, The Weekly Standard uses “hung” to reference the faux-Kratovil. I would’ve gone with “hanged” … but I also used to lean heavily on copy eds (as evidenced by the God-awful copy you see in this post and elsewhere on my homepage.)

My apologies to The Weekly Standard, as this seems to be rather commonplace. Anyway, here is an interesting discussion on the proverbial hang-up.

— Tom LoBianco
Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

Wild Maryland: February 16, 2010

A handful of Montgomery County Democrats got pretty ticked with the service they were getting last week from state highway cleanup folks, according to this Washington Post report.

So it was with that little shot in mind that Delegate Bill Bronrott apologized to Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley Monday at a legislative hearing Monday afternoon.

“We felt we were treated sort of subpar,” Bronrott said. “That was before part two, which became a historic blizzard. Now we want to thank you.”

Today’s lesson: When still buried under snow, forget that little adage about people who buy paper by the ton and ink by the barrel. It’s the ones buying salt and snowplows ya gotta be nice to.

— Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

MarylandReporter.com: February 12, 2010

Republicans in the House of Delegates say they are willing to participate in a special Feb. 23 hearing to offer their own budget plans, an invitation from Democratic budget chairmen that Senate Republicans formally rejected Tuesday as "a sideshow."

"The House is in a very different position," House GOP Leader Tony O'Donnell said in an interview. "We don't scare so easily."

"We view it as an opportunity to lay out our position, how we've been mismanaged for three years" and to discuss "some areas of opportunities that might be helpful going forward."

He said they plan on proposing their own spending reductions, which O'Donnell would not disclose, and to show where the state would be if budget reductions they offered in previous years had been accepted.

In the Senate, the entire body is now being asked to offer proposals for budget cuts at the special hearing to which only the Republicans were initially invited.

“I want to open it up to everybody,” Senate President Mike Miller told the Senate Wednesday. “Some of you have ideas of what could be cut and be trimmed… I promise you they will be considered by this committee.”

Read more: Blog: House Republicans say they'll offer budget cuts

MarylandReporter.com: February 11, 2010

Gov. Martin O’Malley on Tuesday was collecting thank-you notes to “winter heroes” – more than 2,700 state workers helping to keep the roads open.

But other state officials were tossing snowballs at municipal leaders, the State Highway Administration and the Pepco electric company.

Read more: Blog: Complaints mount as drifts pile up

MarylandReporter.com: February 11, 2010

Republicans in the House of Delegates say they are willing to participate in a special Feb. 23 hearing to offer their own budget plans, an invitation from Democratic budget chairman that Senate Republicans formally rejected Tuesday as "a sideshow."

"The House is in a very different position," House GOP Leader Tony O'Donnell said in an interview. "We don't scare so easily."

"We view it as an opportunity to lay out our position, how we've been mismanaged for three years" and to discuss "some areas of opportunities that might be helpful going forward."

He said they plan on proposing their own spending reductions, which O'Donnell would not disclose, and to show where the state would be if budget reductions they offered in previous years had been accepted.

In the Senate, the entire body is now being asked to offer proposals for budget cuts at the special hearing to which only the Republicans were initially invited.

“I want to open it up to everybody,” Senate President Mike Miller told the Senate Wednesday. “Some of you have ideas of what could be cut and be trimmed… I promise you they will be considered by this committee.”

He conceded that the earlier invitation to the GOP caucuses from the chairmen of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Appropriations Committee had been a “political” move, as Republicans had charged.

Read more: Blog: House Republicans say they'll offer budget cuts

MarylandReporter.com: February 10, 2010

A controversial proposal to lease about 5,000 square feet of state-owned property to the National Sailing Hall of Fame is expected before the Board of Public Works again.

The Department of Natural Resources would lease the land that it owns at City Dock in downtown Annapolis for up to 70 years under the proposed agreement, which was delayed when it came before the board three weeks ago.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in a Board of Public Works document, but the land deal will only be about a quarter of the total land in the deal.

Earl Kelly of The (Annapolis) Capital has reported that the final project would be around 20,000 square feet, but the project remains controversial. Some residents are vehemently opposing the proposal, which includes a land swap that would see the state take over another property and remove it from the tax rolls.

— MarylandReporter.com staff

MarylandReporter.com: February 5, 2010

Lawmakers are pushing for a resolution today on the dispute over an unemployment insurance reform plan proposed by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Senate Finance Chairman Thomas "Mac" Middledon, D-Charles, said he hopes to have a deal in place by Friday though there's still work to do. The idea is to find an offset for $20 million in costs that a reform plan would place on the state's strained unemployment fund.

Read more: Senate pushes for unemployment deal

Wild Maryland: February 4, 2010

Comptroller Peter Franchot is up with a spot on YouTube melding auto-mechanic chefs and tax preparing scams as only Maryland's top taxman can.

The spot raises two interesting dynamics in state politics: the relative quietude of Franchot post-slots referendum and the thin line between public service annoucements and campaign ads.

Read more: The only thing silent is the “t” …

MarylandReporter.com: February 2, 2010

Gov. Martin O’Malley doesn’t give the traditional State of the State address until noon Tuesday, but that hasn’t deterred the GOP from responding to what party leaders think he’s going to say.

Republican Larry Hogan, who officially stopped exploring his race for governor on Monday in an effort to push former Gov. Bob Ehrlich into the race, weighed in last Wednesday, when O’Malley had originally scheduled his speech. Hogan tied the high rate of unemployment to high tax rates increased by O’Malley, coupled with unresolved deficits.

Then the Senate Republican Caucus sent out an e-mail Sunday:

“During the State-of-the-State address this Tuesday, expect Governor Martin O'Malley to repeatedly state that Maryland is ‘better off’ than other states. It is true that most economists believe that the proximity to the federal government and the infusion of federal agency spending props up Maryland's economy. But the federal largess masks the troubling joblessness undercurrent in Maryland's private sector.”

Read more: Blog: GOP responds to State of the State before it's given

Wild Maryland: February 1, 2010

The coulda- shoulda- woulda-been Republican candidates sure are falling fast. Larry Hogan announced a few minutes ago he’s ending his gubernatorial exploratory bid and urging former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich to jump in the race.

From Hogan’s e-mail:

"Today I am officially concluding my exploratory committee and calling on my friend Bob Ehrlich to enter this race for governor. Not only do I believe that Bob Ehrlich should run, but I am convinced he will run and that we should all push in the same direction to elect him as Maryland’s next governor."

Of course, Baltimore County Republican Del. Pat McDonough dropped out of his kinda-race for governor a few months ago to throw his support behind Ehrlich. And Baltimore County lawyer Mike Pappas, the only Republican who had actually declared his candidacy for governor, dropped out to endorse Hogan.

So what lessons can we draw from this? Apparently it is better to have never run and lost, than to ever have run at all.

— Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

Wild Maryland: February 1, 2010

Just got word from Trent Kittleman’s campaign that she’ll be launching her run against Howard County Executive Ken Ulman on February 15.

Trent, a Republican, is Senate Minority Leader Allan Kittleman’s stepmother and a former Ehrlich administration official. Howard County has always been something of a swing county in Maryland, but Republican’s took a drubbing there in the 2006 elections.

This formalizes a fairly interesting proxy battle between the Ehrlich and O’Malley camps. Ulman, one of the state’s youngest Democratic leaders, picked Kevin Enright to run his communications team in 2007. Kevin was brought over to the Ulman team after working for former Attorney General Joseph J. Curran (who is also O’Malley’s father-in-law) and his brother Michael Enright is perhaps O’Malley’s closest confidant.

— Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter@tomlobianco

Wild Maryland Blog: January 29, 2010

At this point (about 1:30 p.m. on Friday) President Barack Obama has been taking questions from a politely hostile crowd of Republican lawmakers for well over an hour at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel downtown.

The talking points from both parties (quite literally) have been omnipresent, from Obama's new war on earmarks to House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence's call for "across-the-board tax cuts."

Obama repeated the "Party of No" attack from behind the podium, and Illinois Republican Rep. Peter Roskam (who served with his old friend Barack in the Illinois state house) derided the "attack machine" which has targeted Republicans.

But some of the best quips have been on the bare-knuckle fighting that keeps us scribes (and you, dear reader) interested.

Talking about everything he'd like not to see, Obama suggested they keep the meeting from becoming a "political steel cage match." About a half hour later he chided House GOPers for painting his healthcare priorities as "some type of Bolshevik plot."

So what of the "substantive" policy debate both Dems and GOPers say they'd like to have - the one unfettered by "obstructionism" and "partisan gridlock"? That will likely have to wait until the cameras stop recording at the Renaissance Harborplace.

— Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

MarylandReporter.com: January 28, 2010

Gov. Martin O'Malley's unemployment insurance proposal faces problems in the Senate Finance Committee, which would have to pass the controversial bill before it comes before the full Senate.

Chairman Thomas Mac Middleton, a Charles County Democrat, said he's trying to find a way to pass the legislation, but one of its key components remains in play. The "alternative base period," which would use an employee's most recent payroll data to calculate benefits, has inflamed business groups who say it would raise costs.

The state would have to pass the change in order to get $127 million in federal assistance for Maryland's shrinking benefits trust fund. O'Malley administration officials said they can use the money to lower taxes, but businesses argue that the change will cost more than that in the long run, and they don't mind paying more now to avoid the shift. The changes are expected to cost around $20 million per year.

Middleton said business groups "made a very, very eye opening observation," during a bill hearing Tuesday, pointing out that they are the ones paying the state unemployment tax.

"I think you have to listen to what they said," he added. "If they don't think it helps them, why are we doing it?"

Middleton said passage may require negotiators to put other things on the table, such as a week-long waiting period before a worker is eligible for benefits. Labor advocates fiercely oppose that idea proposed by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber's position calls for several moves that the organization believes would save the unemployment fund money, including an elimination of the money unemployed workers get per dependent. It also would end the use of unemployment to pay for sick leave.

Read more: Blog: Senate committee a big unemployment hurdle

Wild Maryland Blog: January 27, 2010

Leave it to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to open the doors to all comers, including die-hard Democrats.

A somewhat incredulous Joe Shapiro, a Democrat and spokesman for Comptroller Peter Franchot, recently got Steele's request to donate upward of $25 to the national GOP, upon which he took it straight to your faithful blogger.

"If only I lived or worked in the First District, or was a Republican, I'd be honored," Shapiro said Wednesday.

The RNC reached out to him "because of the high level and steadfast commitment to the Republican Party," read the appeal.

An RNC spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

This is not the first time Shapiro, a hardcore Montgomery County Dem, has been propositioned by the GOPers. The Gazette of Business and Politics reported on Republican Congressional candidate Andy Harris errant attempts to draw cash from Shapiro back in 2008.

At least they're trying.

— Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

Maryland Politics Blog: January 27, 2010

Gov. Martin O'Malley has been having some trouble picking a date for his fourth State of the State Address. The speech was originally scheduled for today but rescheduled so as not to conflict with a little something known as the State of the Union Address that President Barack Obama will be delivering tonight.

So the governor's office pushed the speech back a week to February 4. They then canned that date when they remembered that Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is set to resign her seat that day.

So O'Malley had to reschedule to February 2. No word yet whose toes he'll be stepping on for that date.

The ripples were felt far and wide in Annapolis, as Senate committee chairman announced they would be re-rescheduling their hearings for today, replete with apologies for not announcing the changes sooner.

Senate President Mike Miller had a little fun with the scheduling debacle, saying "I think it was the governor who made a mistake."

Here's The Sun's take from today's paper.

- Tom LoBianco

Read my stories and check for updates at tomlobianco.com and on Twitter @tomlobianco

MarylandReporter.com: January 27, 2010

Senate President Mike Miller, D-Calvert and Prince George's, said Tuesday that his chamber intends to post committee votes online by the time they are brought to the floor for the consideration of amendments.

Several senators have made calls for committee votes to be posted on the state's legislative information Web site, and the House of Delegates has agreed to make a similar move.

“[Senate Minority Leader Allan] Kittleman proposed a rule that we’ve agreed to work with that says that committee votes will be posted within 10 calendar days,” Miller said. “But we hope to have it done much more quickly than that.”

The announcement came at the end of a press conference outlining the Senate Democrats’ policy agenda for this year’s session, which includes a new volunteer-based program for young adults interested in ground-level Chesapeake Bay restoration, as well as a bill barring employers from using people’s credit histories as a basis for denying them employment.

Senator Mike Lenett, D-Montgomery, one of the credit history bill’s sponsors, said that a poor credit history is not a viable indicator of job ability, particularly given the tough economy.

“It’s a vicious cycle,” Lenett said. “More people can’t get jobs, so they can’t get fix their credit, so they can’t jobs, and it goes on and on.”

UPDATE
House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, has made similar plans to make committee votes available online. According to a memo to the House committee chairs, committee votes will be posted to the General Assembly website prior to each bill coming to the House floor.

Busch also authorized testing of software that would provide video streaming of committee hearings, with the intention of unveiling full video streaming of hearings for the public during next year's legislative session.

MarylandReporter.com: January 26, 2010

When I asked Sen. Rich Madaleno, the MoCo budget maven, if anything had surprised him at Monday’s budget briefing, his response was immediate: Wayne Curry was there.

Not that anybody really noticed the former Prince George’s County executive as he stood by the Joint Hearing Room door like a greeter or took up a prominent aisle seat or when he worked the room after the session.

Before the meeting, I asked Curry why he was there. He said he wanted to “see for himself” what the budget was going to do. Then he asked me why I wasn’t at his big birthday bash last Thursday. “I wasn’t invited,” I said lamely – like I never go to a political event without a personal invitation. But, hey, there were thousands at the event. How’d he know I wasn’t there?

In articles that came out after this morning’s State Roundup was put together, Josh Kurtz at Center Maryland has a full blown and typically astute analysis of “Wayne’s world” and Aaron Davis in the Post blog describes Curry's visit to Annapolis.

Not that Curry was there just to get quoted in The Sun, the Post, MarylandReporter.com and whoever else had an open notepad. The Sun’s Annie Linskey repeatedly pressed him about his political plans, and Curry danced around the topic both figuratively and literally, doing a little soft-shoe routine. And why wasn’t Linskey at his birthday party? Curry wanted to know. She gave him the same lame excuse I did.

So is he going to run for governor, run on a ticket with former MoCo exec Doug Duncan or Bob Ehrlich? Or just drumming up business for himself and the Murphy law firm?

I have no idea what Wayne Curry is going to do, and maybe he doesn’t either. But I know what he was clearly doing in Annapolis Monday -- glad-handing politicos, chatting up reporters, getting his digs in at the incumbent governor, generally stirring the pot and trying to drive the O’Malley camp crazy.

Wayne Curry was having FUN.

-Len Lazarick

Len@MarylandReporter.com

MarylandReporter.com: January 20, 2010

Everybody knewcuts are coming to fill a nearly $2 billion shortfall when Gov. Martin O'Malley released his budget, but nobody wants their programs on the chopping block.

Now you can experience how difficult it can be to make the necessary cuts for yourself, all while juggling the colliding interests that make up the electorate. The University of Baltimore and the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute have developed a web-based game for people to try their hand at playing policymaker.

At first glance, this seems this should be a simple task. You just go into the different categories of state government and choose what programs to cut or taxes and fees to raise. The institute has called for some tax hikes to help balance the budget, but the program acknowledges that revenue hikes that even its creators have advocated can anger the virtual business community.

You soon realize that $2 billion is a lot of money, and that every time you cut spending an interest group (or several!) will get angry with you. And by the time you break even, it seems as if the entire state is calling for your head.

You could try to appease some groups by increasing funds in other programs, but that means making more cuts elsewhere, landing you back at square one.

While the game simplifies Maryland's budget situation, it shows just how difficult it will be to balance the budget this year. And it shows how, at the end of the day, lawmakers are more than likely going to be very unpopular going into their reelection campaigns.

Check out the game, and if you find a way to balance the budget without angering every segment of the electorate in the process, let us (and your elected officials) know.

-Erich Wagner

MarylandReporter.com: January 19, 2010

Everybody knows cuts are coming to fill a nearly $2 billion shortfall when Gov. Martin O'Malley releases his budget today, but nobody wants their programs on the chopping block.

Now you can experience how difficult it can be to make the necessary cuts for yourself, all while juggling the colliding interests that make up the electorate. The University of Baltimore and the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute have developed a web-based game for people to try their hand at playing policymaker.

At first glance, this seems this should be a simple task. You just go into the different categories of state government and choose what programs to cut or taxes and fees to raise. The institute has called for some tax hikes to help balance the budget, but the program acknowledges that revenue hikes that even its creators have advocated can anger the virtual business community.

You soon realize that $2 billion is a lot of money, and that every time you cut spending an interest group (or several!) will get angry with you. And by the time you break even, it seems as if the entire state is calling for your head.

You could try to appease some groups by increasing funds in other programs, but that means making more cuts elsewhere, landing you back at square one.

While the game simplifies Maryland's budget situation, it shows just how difficult it will be to balance the budget this year. And it shows how, at the end of the day, lawmakers are more than likely going to be very unpopular going into their reelection campaigns.

Check out the game, and if you find a way to balance the budget without angering every segment of the electorate in the process, let us (and your elected officials) know.

-Erich Wagner
Erich@MarylandReporter.com

MarylandReporter.com: January 18, 2010

What’s this about Del. Tony O’Donnell, the Maryland House minority leader, running against U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer?

Well, it all depends when you talk to O’Donnell.

A new site, Center Maryland, reported Wednesday morning that U.S. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor was spotted at Harry Browne’s restaurant across from the State House. It said “sources” told the site that he was meeting with O’Donnell. The story pondered whether Cantor was recruiting O’Donnell, a Calvert County delegate, to run against Hoyer.

O’Donnell put down the story Thursday speaking to over 200 economic development officials, reworking a Mark Twain quote.

“The reports of my demise – my political suicide – are greatly exaggerated,” he said. Later in the day he told MarylandReporter.com that “it was a chance encounter” with Cantor and he said he didn’t know why the Virginia congressman was in Annapolis. O’Donnell read out loud an e-mail that he fired off to Center Maryland complaining that the author of the article hadn’t bothered to call him to check out the rumor.

But in talking earlier to Alan Brody at the Gazette, O’Donnell’s comments seemed to leave the door open to a congressional run.

What gives, Tony? Friday morning, I showed him the story by Brody, which carried the underliner, “GOP leader could be Hoyer opponent.” O’Donnell laughed, and admitted the quotes were accurate.

"Anything's possible. Time can change anything, but my intention is to run for re-election to the Maryland House of Delegates with the genuine hope that Congressman Hoyer moderates his positions," he said in The Gazette.

O’Donnell said he doesn’t plan to run against the second highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives – but he does enjoy kidding around about it. And he doesn’t mind fueling the speculation of higher office.

However, he swears “political suicide” is not part of his current game plan.

Maryland Reporter.com: Jan. 14, 2010

Gov. Martin O'Malley accused Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels of cowardice in regard to the upcoming Ravens-Colts playoff game. He claims that Daniels has not returned his phone calls.

"Don't be afraid, just pick up the phone, Mitch," O'Malley said. "We'll put up crab cakes or we'll put up Smith Island cake, and you can put up whatever it is that Indiana does."

He said the poor communication is the second indignity, after the Colts fled to Indianapolis.

"Not only did they slink out of town in the middle of the night, but now their governor is afraid to take a bet on who's going to win this game," he said.

O'Malley won a bet with Gov. Deval Patrick last weekend when the Ravens beat the Patriots. He says he hasn't received the lobsters yet.

— Andy Rosen

andy@marylandreporter.com

MarylandReporter.com — I stood in the House chamber today as Del. Adrienne Jones, a Baltimore County Democrat, recognized the state and local dignitaries who came into town for the start of the General Assembly session. Jones had just been re-elected as House speaker pro tem, but she missed an even newer office holder in her rundown: me.

As I stood and listened to the introductions, I had checked into the Maryland State House on Foursquare, a relatively-new, location-based social networking program. Basically, you install Foursquare on your phone, and let it find out where you are. Then it gives you a list of established locations where you can check in. If you visit one place more than anybody else (the network is still relatively small), you can become the mayor of that location.

And that is how I became the mayor of the Maryland State House. Now, journalists are not supposed to hold public office, but I hope my readers will make an exception here. The program is growing in popularity, so we'll see how long I can hold onto the title. I plan to be here every weekday for the entire 90-day legislative session. Can you take me out?

For now I'm looking at Foursquare as a fun application. Comment if you have any tips about how to use it for journalism.

— Andy Rosen

andy@marylandreporter.com

MarylandReporter: January 8, 2009

Del. Pat McDonough, a Baltimore County Republican exploring a race for governor, plans to request Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler to join attorneys general from 13 other states in a threat to file lawsuits against the U.S. government if the federal health care reform bill passes. McDonough has scheduled a Thursday news conference.

The attorneys general, all Republicans led by Henry McMaster of South Carolina, claim the health care reform bill is unconstitutional because it provides specific consideration to certain states. This refers to the deal struck for Nebraska allowing the state to pay lower Medicaid costs. Check out number four on this Time Magazine list for more.

Raquel Guillory, spokesman for Democrat Gansler, would not comment on "a lawsuit that does not exist yet," but said that the Attorney General's office was looking into the issue of the federal bill's constitutionality.

— Erich Wagner

erich@marylandreporter.com

MarylandReporter: January 7, 2009

CAMBRIDGE: I’m down in Cambridge on the Choptank, sitting in my cheap hotel room about ready to head out to the Hyatt for the annual winter meeting of the Maryland Association of Counties.

The governor will speak to the elected and appointed county officials after dinner, as all governors do every year. The General Assembly leaders will give a preview of the upcoming session tomorrow after breakfast.

It was just a year ago at this conference, on Friday, Jan. 9, that the Sun’s Gadi Dechter (now at Bloomberg News) and WBAL TV’s Lowell Meiser were chasing Mayor Sheila Dixon and her chief of staff down a hallway of the hotel to get her reaction to the strong rumor that she would be indicted that day.

Reporters had waited for Dixon outside a ballroom after the legislative preview, hoping to get a word with her. She and her aide looked for a back door, but couldn’t find one.

After a few minutes, as I recall, she decided to plunge ahead, plowing through us and racing up the stairs with Gadi and Lowell in pursuit. I was at the Baltimore Examiner at the time, and we didn’t come out on Saturdays, so I decided to amble along behind the mad dash.

I don’t recall whether the others got a no comment or nothing at all. Dixon was indeed indicted that day, almost a full year ago. That’s a long time for a city or mayor to live under a cloud.

— Len Lazarick

len@marylandreporter.com

MarylandReporter.com: January 7, 2010

First the federal government gave Maryland 15 new and nonexistent congressional districts in its accounting of federal stimulus spending, as reported here in November.

Now, the U.S. government's online site says that over $15 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were spent in six Maryland ZIP codes that do not exist, as well as in ZIP codes that are located in other states.

According to a report on WatchDog.org, 171 nonexistent ZIP codes across the country got a total of $376 million in grants, loans and government contracts, as shown on Recovery.gov.  The Obama administration produced the Web site to encourage transparency in the process of doling out stimulus funds.

Read more: BLOG: Phantom Md. ZIPs get stimulus money

WBAL and The Baltimore Sun are reporting that Baltimore Mayor Shelia Dixon will resign Feb. 4.

David Collins from WBAL reports that the plea agreement has Dixon paying a $45,000 fine and doing 500 hours of community service. Her furs and electronic purchases will be sold with the proceeds going to youth charities.

Liz F. Kay and Liz Bowie report for The Baltimore Sun that Dixon entered an Alford plea to one perjury count. Dixon entered an Alford pleat to one count of perjury and pledged to tender her resignation effective Feb. 1. Meaning that prosecutors had the evidence to find her guilty for not disclosing developer gifts.

WJZ13 has several videos on their web site from the courthouse.

Legal community reaction:

"I suspected from the time of the jury verdict that some sort of agreement would be reached that encompassed the terms that we hear of today that the mayor would be spared of any incarceration and a record of conviction, that she would do community service, and resign as mayor of Baltimore. An Alford Plea is one in which the defendant enters a plea of guilty but does not admit to the criminal conduct. Essentially the defendant is saying, 'I didn't commit the crime; but, if I go to trial I, believe the government has enough evidence to get a conviction and they have made me a plea offer that is too good to turn down.' Despite the caveats, it is a guilty plea that can result in a conviction or, as in this case, probation before judgment (PBJ)."

Andrew Radding, Esq.
Member of Adelberg, Rudow, Dorf & Hendler, LLC

— Jeni Mann

MarylandReporter: January 6

Wow, we've got a high-tech primary brewing in Hagerstown. You've probably read that House Minority Whip Chris Shank plans a challenge to longtime Sen. Don Munson in the Republican primary this year. It should be an interesting race and I'm excited to follow it ... on Twitter.

It appears that both men believe their bases are going to be following the debate online. Shank announced his candidacy on New Year's Eve via his Facebook page. Here's the post, which makes clear that he plans a more formal event on Friday. Still, most of the media covering the news has noted his choice of a digital announcement.

So how is Munson going to respond? Well, today I got an e-mail notifying me that @SenDonMunson is following me on Twitter. He joined on Jan. 3. I wonder if this is his social media response to Shank's newsmaking method. He's got eight tweets already and 28 followers. Not bad. Shank's Twitter handle, @chrisshank, has 64 followers and 14 tweets. he's been on since October, 2008. Munson's Facebook page is here.

I know a lot of other lawmakers use Twitter, and Facebook. Here's one Twitter list you can check out from the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. I'll bet there are more. Send your info our way, and if you don't know, we're @MDReporter.

- Andy@MarylandReporter.com

Editor’s note: While our blogging function isn’t fixed yet a few of our bloggers are ready to write. For the short term comments will not appear with the blog. Comment directly to the reporters at len@marylandreporter.com and andy@marylandreporter.com . Please mention that you read the blog on CorridorInc.com.

MarylandReporter.com: January 5, 2010

As we wait for this year's General Assembly session to begin next week, Maryland is preparing to face down a $2 billion budget deficit. Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget is due soon, and he is trying to keep some of his policy goals in place with little fiscal flexibility.

Maryland lawmakers can take comfort in the fact that other states are also dealing with the same issues. Legislators in 13 states are hunkering down this week to get started, according to an article on Stateline.org that predicts "brutal" legislative sessions.

Read more: Blog: Maryland has company in its fiscal trouble

Editor’s note: While our blogging function isn’t fixed yet a few of our bloggers are ready to write. For the short term comments will not appear with the blog. Comment directly to the reporters at len@marylandreporter.com and andy@marylandreporter.com . Please mention that you read the blog on CorridorInc.com.

MarylandReporter.com: January 5, 2010

This may become a year of opportunity for greater public access and accountability of state government and the state legislature in particular.

What began with a proposal by Montgomery County Del. Saqib Ali to give the public Internet access to committee votes has blossomed into a wider push for more accountability in state government.

Read more: BLOG: Is 2010 a year for greater transparency?

Editor’s note: While our blogging function isn’t fixed yet a few of our bloggers are ready to write. For the short term comments will not appear with the blog. Comment directly to the reporters at len@marylandreporter.com and andy@marylandreporter.com . Please mention that you read the blog on CorridorInc.com.

MarylandReporter.com: December 31, 2009

Members of the Maryland General Assembly are rushing to rake in campaign donations before the legislative session starts Jan. 13 and they may not collect contributions until after it’s over April 12.

According to a list collected by lobbyist Bruce Bereano, the unofficial social secretary of the fundraising circuit, 40 legislators will hold events in the nine days from Jan. 4 to 13. That’s 20 percent of the legislature, including chairmen of four committees and House Speaker Michael Busch.

Thirteen of the events were added since Bereano put out his last list just two weeks ago. It’s a bi-partisan affair, with 12 Republicans holding events.
The speaker has the priciest event, starting at $500 “All-Star” tickets for a breakfast at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. You could be an “MVP” at $1,000 or even a “Hall of Famer” at $2,000.

Read more: BLOG: Legislators rush for cash before session starts

Editor’s note: While our blogging function isn’t fixed yet a few of our bloggers are ready to write. For the short term comments will not appear with the blog. Comment directly to the reporters at len@marylandreporter.com and andy@marylandreporter.com . Please mention that you read the blog on CorridorInc.com.

MarylandReporter.com: December 17, 2009

The fact that many considered the state's $77 million revenue writedown yesterday to be good news says something about the past two years in Maryland government. As the economy tumbled in 2008 the state repeatedly saw disappointments in the hundreds of millions, so officials were understandably happy that the are getting a better handle on where Maryland's economy is headed.

Still, even if there are no further economic declines, as Comptroller Peter Franchot warned there could be, the state's still got a huge hole to dig out. Budget Secretary Eloise Foster said the state is still looking at a deficit of about $2 billion for the fiscal year 2011 budget that must be passed next year.

That means more budget cuts are a prospect, though they don't appear imminent. The state is looking for more help from the federal government. It appears the General Assembly will set tight guidelines for the budget.

The General Assembly's Spending Affordability Committee will meet today to set its goal for state spending in 2011, and it's not looking like they're going to provide much flexibility for the budget.

At a meeting Wednesday with Howard County officials on local budget issues, Sen. Ed Kasemeyer, D-Howard-Baltimore, the vice chair of the Budget & Taxation Committee, said Thursday’s recommendation of the state Spending Affordability Committee “is going to be zero percent.” That would mean there would be no growth at all in the fiscal 2011 state budget. Senate President Mike Miller made the same prediction on Maryland Public Television Wednesday night.

“It’s a grim outlook,” Kasemeyer said.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is not bound by the committee's recommendations when he introduces his budget, but the General Assembly can cut it to the level it desires. And Foster said her intention is "absolutely" to have a proposal that is within the committee recommendations.

"We have always respected the spending affordability limits," she said. "I think obviously they're taking a hard look this year. They're very concerned about the state of the economy. I can't imagine there is going to be much growth or increase."

— Len Lazarick and Andy Rosen

Editor’s note: While our blogging function isn’t fixed yet a few of our bloggers are ready to write. For the short term comments will not appear with the blog. Comment directly to the reporters at len@marylandreporter.com and andy@marylandreporter.com . Please mention that you read the blog on CorridorInc.com.


MarylandReporter.com: December 17, 2009

The head of the state’s largest public employee union reacted angrily on Wednesday to MarylandReporter.com's exclusive story on recommended pay raises for the winner of next year's gubernatorial election.

Meanwhile, Gov. Martin O'Malley said he is not interested in a pay increase while the state continues to struggle with budget deficits.

"I don't intend to take that," O'Malley said of the proposed $5,000 pay raises for 2012 and 2013. He pointed out that he's given back $3,100 already this year as part of the state furlough plan. "Certainly while we're going through furloughs and layoffs and going through this misery, I don't intend to take that."

AFSCME Maryland Director Patrick Moran agreed that the salary increases would not be appropriate.

Read more: BLOG: Union “shocked and disappointed” over pay hike for governor

Sorry folks. Our blogging component is still under construction. If you are interested in blogging for Corridor Inc. please e-mail jmann@corridorinc.com .

— Jeni Mann, editor