For all their talk on not raising taxes or rolling back increases, neither Hogan nor Brown issue plans to explain; where do they stand on the environment?; Hogan profile outlines his business, government experience; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rallies for Brown; Michelle Obama expected in state on Monday for last-minute Brown push; Hogan stumps in Harford; minorities have a higher rate of using provisional ballots, but thanks to errors, they don’t always get counted; in race for Frederick County exec, growth is a main issue; and the Pentagon formally objects to Eastern Shore wind farm plan.
Month: October 2014
Current plans to restore Chesapeake won’t work without Conowingo cleanup, report says
A new report from the Maryland Public Policy Institute warns that Maryland’s $14.4 billion plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay will not satisfy an EPA mandate—because the plan ignores the Conowingo Dam as the single largest source of sediment and nutrient pollution in the Bay.
The report laments that the lion’s share of the $14.4 billion burden, $13.5 billion, is disproportionately targeted to mitigate nitrogen pollution from sewage plants, stormwater, and septic systems, which only account for 7% of all the pollution into the Bay–and will only reduce nitrogen by a negligible 2% by 2025. The mandate was established in 2010 to meet Clean Water Act standards by 2025.
Don’t mess with Conowingo until you’ve cleaned up your act
If I could amend the federal Clean Water Act, I’d include triple penalties for polluters who spend more energy pointing to other polluters than on cleaning up their own mess.
This “we won’t act till they do” dereliction has colossally delayed action to clean up the Chesapeake, and dodging the real issues has become a prime focus of conservative politicians and rural governments in Maryland.
Until someone musters billions of dollars to dredge centuries of sediment from Pennsylvania trapped behind the giant Conowingo Dam, they whine, it makes no sense for them to spend money on their pollution.
Videos profile statewide candidates
Haven’t voted yet? Haven’t made up your mind on some of the statewide candidates?
Capital News Service broadcast reporters have produced a series of 2 1/2-minute profiles of the statewide candidates. The first two on Democrat Anthony Brown and Republican Larry Hogan Jr. include interviews with Len Lazarick, editor and publisher of MarylandReporter.com and Josh Kurtz, political columnist for Center Maryland.
There are also profiles of Brian Frosh and Jeff Pritzker running for attorney general and Peter Franchot and Bill Campbell running for comptroller. And there is a package of ballot Question 1 on the Transportation Trust Fund.
State Roundup, October 30, 2014
The Republican Governors Association pours almost $300,000 into D.C. ads to tout Hogan for governor; if you missed it, there’s video of N.J. Gov. Christie, who is also head of the RGA, on the hustings with Hogan at the Honey Bee Diner; in a profile for the Post, we learn that Brown didn’t stay in the shadows as a new lawmaker; Mizeur offers an unflattering backing of Brown; problems continue to pile on for Baltimore County delegate candidate Jay Jalisi; Sun editorial board is all in for Frosh for attorney general; early voting ends tonight and hit a record high yesterday; state, Frederick County to answer suit on non-citizen voting and machine irregularities reported; and state to buy historic home in Annapolis.
Mizeur’s implicit support for Brown’s personal and unfair negative campaigning
Democrat Del. Heather Mizeur caused quite a stir among supporters of Anthony Brown Wednesday when she wrote an op-ed for the Sun urging the 104,000 Democrats who voted for her for governor not to write in her name on the general election ballot, but to support Anthony Brown. What upset Brown supporters was not that message, but the lengthy criticism she heaped on Brown and his campaign. Here’s another point of view of the Mizeur article by a Hogan supporter and frequent commentator Rick Vatz.
State Roundup, October 29, 2014
State GOP complains about voting machines in 14 counties flipping votes; Gov. Christie makes third trip to stump for Hogan; Brady Campaign supports Brown for governor; ballot questions may be statewide, but they aren’t for everyone; five former rivals back Tarrant over Del. Conaway; early voter turnout is good in Baltimore County, poor in Montgomery; third parties benefiting from loosened donation laws; and in other news: another delay for medical marijuana panel and Boehner stumps for Alex Mooney (remember him?).
Republicans question faulty voting machines, federal lawsuit says non-citizens have voted
One week into Maryland’s early voting period and six days from Election Day, ballot security and voter fraud are being called into question in a gubernatorial race that is tighter than most expected.
Republican officials and average citizens are expressing concerns over faulty voting equipment, erroneous absentee ballot mailings and the potential for voter fraud by non-citizens.
State Roundup, October 28, 2014
State crafts guidelines to address Ebola situation and eyeing travelers from three West African countries; Board of Elections pulls half a dozen voting machines from service; Gun control advocates hound Hogan for his A- NRA questionnaire; Brown raises $4.1 million in two months, while state Republican Party brings in $700,000 for Hogan; close gubernatorial race draws national attention; Hogan declares war on heroin problem; Josh Kurtz speculates on what a Brown administration would look like; and Watson leads in fund-raising for Howard County exec but Kittleman catching up.
Analysis: State in no hurry to file suit over health exchange, faces disclosure of improper actions
State officials responsible for overseeing construction of the health exchange platform faced two frightful choices under the contract to produce the website in the months preceding the Oct. 1, 2013 ”go live” date:
Terminate Noridian, and fail to bring any health exchange platform to market; or
Keep Noridian on the job while violating major contract provisions designed to maintain equilibrium between payments to Noridian, and the quality and completeness of their work.
The state decided on the latter.
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