The pandering cameras were on at the Maryland State Education Association in Ocean City Friday as four candidates for governor came seeking the endorsement of the largest union in the state with promises in hand.Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown walked away with the prize less from what he promised than for what he and Gov. Martin O’Malley delivered to public schools over the last six years — the most massive increase in funding in Maryland history, $1.5 billion more in school aid, 35% higher over six years.
Month: October 2013
Rascovar commentary: Gansler, Craig stumble in governor’s race
Early stumbles in Maryland governor’s race are expected. Sometimes, though, those slips have lasting consequences. Already, Attorney General Doug Gansler and Harford County Executive David Craig have shot themselves in their political feet — wounds that might prove fatal.
State Roundup, Friday, October 18, 2013
Hopes for surplus fade as $90 million general fund deficit expected; state says moving Department of Housing and Community Development to cost $6 million; parents of developmentally disabled man sue in federal court for wrongful death; poll finds most Marylanders want redistricting handled by an independent body; while state requires new handgun applicants to shoot a gun at a firing range, firing ranges aren’t required to open their doors to the applicants; longshoremen strike at Port of Baltimore; two Fickers file for General Assembly seats; governor candidate Gansler’s running mate Ivey slams Brown over health care signup flubs; and gubernatorial hopeful Mizeur widens pre-K plans.
Voters support independent redistricting commission, poll finds
More than two-thirds of Maryland voters support redrawing legislative district lines using an independent commission, rather than by elected officials, according to a new poll.
State Roundup, October 17, 2013
Trial set for February in challenge to Maryland’s new gun control laws; Gov. O’Malley says businesses to see up to 70% cut in unemployment insurance tax rates; fearing huge financial loss, attorney general seeks Supreme Court review of ruling on how Maryland handles taxing out-of-state income; Lt. Gov. Brown admits to rocky start of Obamacare as lawmakers question website functionality; Maryland becomes a gay wedding destination for the southeast; gas tax pushes O’Malley’s poll numbers down; poll finds Brown leading in Democratic primary, but 33% remain undecided; as expected, Fraser-Hildago named District 15 delegate; and O’Malley hopes Gansler’s backseat reckless driving days are over.
Poll: Unpopular gas tax hike drives down O’Malley approval; Brown leads in gov race; Jon Cardin ahead for AG
Overwhelming voter disapproval of a gas tax hike earlier this year has helped drive Gov. Martin O’Malley’s job approval rating below 50% for the first time in three years, a new poll found. The Gonzales Research poll also found marginal support, 49% to 44%, for the repeal of the death penalty O’Malley pushed, but wider support for the gun control measures the governor also backed, 58% to 40%.
Structural deficit in Md. budget comes back like skin rash
Like a chronic skin rash that keeps coming back, the persistent structural deficits that legislators thought they had almost cured earlier this year are looming again for fiscal 2015, the legislature’s top budget analyst told lawmakers Wednesday. There now appears to be a $400 million potential gap in next year’s budget, Warren Deschenaux, the chief of policy analysis, told the joint Spending Affordability Committee. A nearly $300 million surplus estimated when the fiscal 2014 budget passed in April has disappeared in the face of unplanned expenses and reduced revenues, and there may instead be an $87 million deficit.
State Roundup, October 16, 2013
In denying reckless backseat driving charges, Attorney General Gansler sets off a shootout with MSP by calling one trooper an henchman; Supreme Court refuses to reconsider state’s rules on carry permits; Del. Hough suggests webcasting all floor sessions, committee hearings; statewide fiber-optic network is up and running; more than 81,000 Marylanders eligible for Medicaid under Obamacare; new nutrient management chief named; Fraser-Hildago expected to be named District 15 delegate; gubernatorial hopeful Mizeur picks up endorsements from Wayne Gilchrest, Eastern Shore officials; U.S. Rep. Ruppersberger says he’ll decide run for governor by Thanksgiving; Rep. Van Hollen video goes viral; and National Harbor casino opposition gels.
Eberly commentary: No geographic mistake in Gansler’s pick of Ivey
The latest bit of nonsense in the Maryland governors’ race is the suggestion that Doug Gansler from Montgomery County made a mistake by not balancing his ticket with someone from the Baltimore Region. The only folks who would argue that a PG/Howard ticket is geographically balanced while a MoCo/PG ticket is regional are folks who have never looked at a map of Maryland!
State Roundup, October 15, 2013
Rural counties plan economic summit to tout their importance statewide; six seek to fill District 36 seat vacated by now state Sen. Hershey; gubernatorial candidate Gansler picks Del. Jolene Ivey as running mate, eschewing popular wisdom on picking from Baltimore area and staying mum on “reckless backseat driving” claims; as a light-skinned African-American, Ivey addresses issues of race; meanwhile, rival Brown points to issues where Gansler and Ivey disagree; and in other news, Wicomico County to address communities with tainted wells by extending public water.
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