State Roundup June 24, 2010

OPEN GOVERNMENT: In the interest of transparency, we’ll get to see General Assembly and Board of Public works meetings on the Internet, writes Barbara Pash on MarylandReporter.com. See the report by John Rydell on WBFF-TV on the streaming here. And read Nicholas Sohr’s article in the Daily Record.

PAGE ELMORE: Del. Page Elmore, who has been hospitalized for the past two weeks, has terminal cancer but intends to serve out the rest of his term, Liz Holland  reports for the Salisbury Times. That paper’s editorial board pays tribute to a man it says has served his Eastern Shore communities well.

FILM TAX CREDIT: Former Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich says he would lure TV and film productions to the state with an expanded tax credit that was cut under the O’Malley administration, blogs Matthew Hay Brown in the Sun.

MASS TRANSIT: Mass transit is needed in Maryland, writes Elizabeth Cupino in the Frederick News-Post, and hopefully the candidates for governor will use the issue as more than a dart to toss at each other.

UGLY FIGHT: Expect the Ehrlich-O’Malley fight for the governor’s mansion “to be ugly,” former first lady Kendel Ehrlich told a group of Republican women during a luncheon in Ellicott City, Len Lazarick reports for MarylandReporter.com

O’MALLEY AD: Laura Vozzella for the Sun blogs that O’Malley attack ad that paints Ehrlich with the “big oil” lobbyist brush doesn’t jibe with what the Dems’ contention that Ehrlich is a golfing slacker.

MORE SLOTS: The state Board of Public Works voted 2-1 to purchase the last 438 slot machines for the Cecil County casino from a single manufacturer, despite Comptroller Peter Franchot’s protests, reports Annie Linskey for the Sun. Nicholas Sohr of the Daily Record also reports on the meeting.

NO INDEPENDENTS: The state Board of Elections has dissolved the Independent Party, Meg Tully writes for the Frederick News-Post.

ELECTION TWIST: The race for Wicomico County state’s attorney took an unexpected turn when the county’s top prosecutor implemented a new policy that forces any employee who files for candidacy in the election to resign, Sharahn Boykin reports for the Salisbury Times.

BARTLETT’S RENT: Del. Joe Bartlett’s state-paid rental arrangements with his girlfriend began earlier than was thought, reports Meg Tully of the Frederick News-Post.

BP STAND: Andrew Gall, a 27-year-old candidate for Maryland’s 5th Congressional District, would like to see a tougher federal stand against oil giant BP, writes Stephanie Woods of the PG Sentinel.

BAY POLLUTION: More than 20 Carroll farmers and agribusinessmen signed onto a 200-signature petition from the Maryland Farm Bureau asking Gov. O’Malley to “resist the sensationalized efforts” to blame all Chesapeake Bay pollution on farmers, Carrie Ann Knauerwrites for the Carroll County Times.

PG FURLOUGHS: The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that Prince George’s County did not violate the Constitution when it furloughed more than 5,000 workers to help close a multimillion-dollar budget gap, reports Jonathan Mummolo of the Washington Post.

ANNAPOLIS MANAGER: Mike Mallinoff, the director of Annapolis’ Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs, is expected to be named its first city manager, reports Joshua Stewart in the Annapolis Capital.

HOUSE RUN: Brien Poffenberger, the only Democrat publicly committed to seeking the Subdistrict 2B seat for the House of Delegates, filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections, reports the Hagerstown Herald-Mail.

NAACP SETTLEMENT: An outside auditor will review “quality of life” arrests made by Baltimore police over the next three years as part of an $870,000 settlement between the city and the NAACP and ACLU, Justin Fenton reports for the Sun.

WATER RATE HIKE: Baltimore County water and fire rates will jump 10 percent beginning July 1, under a deal approved by the city’s spending board, Julie Scharper reports for the Sun.

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