Len Lazarick, Author at MarylandReporter.com

State Roundup, October 26, 2015

Hogan administration renews “pollution trading” system to clean Chesapeake Bay; while many school districts are overrun by standardized tests, new Maryland assessments expected to bode ill on the college-readiness front; Court of Special Appeals chief works toward more efficiency; BaltimoreLink plan draws skepticism from pundits; Rep. Harris to sit on House panel probing Planned Parenthood; Rep. Edwards leads in poll against Van Hollen but not in money race; O’Malley picks up an endorsement if not the money and overall support to stay in presidential race; and Nick Mosby announces run for Baltimore City mayor, but faces questions of conflict of interest should he win.

O’Malley fundraising takeways

New presidential campaign fundraising totals were released last week that show Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue to dominate former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley in the money race. The third quarter numbers revealed some trends – most of them discouraging – of the O’Malley campaign.

Rascovar on Hogan’s hopes for bus transit

Let’s take Gov. Larry Hogan at his word: He sincerely wants to make Baltimore’s inadequate bus transportation system better. He’s come up with a plan to achieve that goal, too. The odds, though, are stacked against him. He’s given himself an unrealistically short time frame (June 2017) to totally revamp Baltimore’s complex bus network. He’s underestimated the cost ($135 million) of pulling off such a massive turnaround.

State Roundup, October 23, 2015

Gov. Hogan unveils $135 million plan to upgrade Baltimore area bus system as a replacement for killed Red Line, would offer high-frequency routes, raise hours on light rail service; reaction to BaltimoreLink plan mixed; after last chemo treatment, Hogan says he’s getting back into the swing of things; former Howard County Executive Chuck Ecker dies at 86; former first lady Kendel Ehrlich hired by Arundel state’s attorney’s office; O’Malley hopes to shine at Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Iowa; did Benghazi hearings help U.S. Rep. Cummings in possible race for the Senate?; and poll finds Arundel residents support medical pot facilities.

“Transformative” transit or Plan Blech: Hogan rolls out ambitious program

Baltimore’s political, business and media leaders are never going to forgive Hogan’s dismissal of 10 years of planning and $900 million in federal transit aid as a “boondoggle.” They criticized Hogan for having no backup Plan B. When he unveiled Plan B, to them it looked like Plan Blech.

$135m transit plan for Baltimore focuses on new fast bus routes

Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday announced a $135 million investment to improve, expand and connect the transit system in the greater Baltimore area. Hogan said that the current performance of the transit system is “notoriously abysmal,” citing slow buses and long routes that ensure people cannot get from their home to work conveniently.

State Roundup, October 22, 2015

Gov. Hogan to announce new Baltimore City transit plan sans Mayor Rawlings-Blake; legislative panel to recommend cutting police “10-day rule;” Lt. Gov. Rutherford fills in for Hogan at BPW; Maryland found to be proficient at securing federal grants; park commission sets heavy restrictions as gun show returns for first time in two years; former GOP candidate drops out of Central Committee, becomes a Democrat; after harsh remarks, Hogan appointee to Washington County Board of Commissioners doesn’t think he’ll get Senate confirmation; and pro-Muslim groups to hold press conference following “hate-filled” opinion piece by Carroll commissioner.

Well-aged solutions to Maryland’s redistricting problems

As we look back to the future this week, the problems of congressional and legislative redistricting are not new in Maryland, and potential solutions aren’t particularly new either. Maryland’s Constitutional Convention of 1967 dealt with the same issues Gov. Larry Hogan’s Redistricting Reform Commission is grappling with this week: what kind of group should draw the lines, who should serve on it, what standards for the districts should they follow and even whether all the members of the House of Delegates should serve in single-member districts.

Legislative committee works to create criteria for recognizing ethnic caucuses

A Maryland General Assembly ethics panel is weighing criteria for recognizing and allocating resources for official legislative caucuses. The issue of recognizing what makes a caucus is under consideration because of a new, Latino caucus, which wants the same recognition as the black and the women’s caucuses, said Del. Bonnie Cullison, D-Montgomery.

State Roundup, October 21, 2015

In quick lesson, lawmakers learn how to use naloxone while health centers reluctant to screen for drug abuse since so few treatment beds available; panel hopes to cut prison population by reducing aiming at technical violations; Redistricting Commission torn between going bold or not; state high court rules that farm transfer tax must be cut; Attorney General Frosh says theft of children’s IDs now a problem; statewide, job losses for September hit 4,000; AA council considers loosening medical marijuana restrictions; O’Malley chats and sings on The View; and Councilman Mosby may run for Baltimore City mayor.

Len Lazarick

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