Ehrlich urges GOP to bounce back

http://www.examiner.com/a-770031~Ehrlich_urges_GOP_to_bounce_back.html

   Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich tried to buck up the spirits of Republicans at a party fundraiser Wednesday, telling them that though they lost an election last year, they are not defeated.

   “We will compete again,” Ehrlich said.

   “What we need to do is engage” in the political process by cutting checks, writing letters to the editor and lobbying in Annapolis , Ehrlich said. “Disengagement will cost us dearly at this time. This is a new and very extreme Democratic Party.”

   When asked why he’s a Republican, party Chairman James Pelura, an Anne Arundel veterinarian, gave three reasons: “Martin O’Malley, Mike Miller and Mike Busch,” naming the Democratic governor, State Senate president and House of Delegates speaker.

Top is heavy at middle

O’Malley plumbs central Maryland to fill Cabinet and other key appointments

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222818_32335.shtml

   Gov. Martin O’Malley’s latest Cabinet pick — Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence B. Sheridan for state police superintendent — puts in focus how heavily skewed his closest advisers are to the central part of Maryland .

   The top positions of the executive branch include five from Baltimore city, four from Anne Arundel County and two from Baltimore County .

   ‘‘I am very disappointed that nobody at the Cabinet level is from Southern Maryland ,” House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell said.

   O’Donnell’s concerns don’t end with regional boundaries, but with political ones, too.

   ‘‘I realize the Cabinet is a purview of the chief executive, but all the brightest leaders are not from one party,” said O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby. ‘‘There’s a distinct lack of Republicans in this Cabinet, unlike the previous governor, who was very bipartisan.”

   Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley said he, too, was disappointed the O’Malley administration didn’t reach far beyond central Maryland .

   ‘‘I’m of the opinion he’s allowed to have his people in there,” said Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market. ‘‘But it’s a legitimate criticism.”

Legislative leaders ask for review of state budget

Republicans call the move blatantly political

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222900_32347.shtml

   In an effort to show the severity of the state’s projected $1.5 billion deficit, the General Assembly’s presiding officers have asked budget analysts to recommend potential cuts if options to generate new revenues are bypassed.

   ‘‘It’s important that we find out the extent of the problem that the state is facing,” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.

   Republicans were quick to call the maneuver a political ploy aimed at gathering support for new taxes instead of making deep cuts.

   ‘‘It’s typical scare tactics. This is a card that’s been played before in the early 1990s,” said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby, referring to the state’s last major fiscal crisis. ‘‘They’ll threaten all manner of things ahead of time in their desire to raise taxes.”

   Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market is optimistic that the analysis will provide some useful information, but suspects it will primarily be used for political purposes

   ‘‘The likelihood is that certain pet programs will be put on the table and used as leverage for forcing votes on tax increases,” he said.

GOP cries foul over O’Malley firings

Governor says he’s hiring qualified people for state jobs, not replacing people because they’re Republicans

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222901_32348.shtml

   Republicans accused the O’Malley administration this week of laying off state employees for political reasons and ignoring the work of a legislative panel that investigated the hiring and firing practices of Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

   Several newspapers recently reported about state employees who have been dismissed or demoted, allegedly due to their political leanings, since Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) took office in January. It is unclear how many employees have been fired.

   But GOP lawmakers said they have received numerous calls from employees who say they have been laid off unjustly.

   ‘‘It would appear that some of the charges that were levied against Governor Ehrlich could be levied here,” said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market.

   ‘‘It’s kind of a predictable end result after the election,” Brinkley said. ‘‘They wanted the tough scrutiny under a Republican administration, but apparently what’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander.”

   One Republican who sat on the investigative panel complained that O’Malley isn’t being held to the same standard as Ehrlich.

   ‘‘The Democrats aren’t saying a whole lot of anything now that we have a Democratic governor,” said Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Dist. 1) of Grantsville. ‘‘I’m sure their replacements are largely Democrats, and you hear nothing.”

   ‘‘I am increasingly convinced that more investigation into how this process works is probably warranted,” said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.

Driver's License Fee Increase Won't Happen

http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7908&Itemid=35

   WBAL News is reporting an apparent increase in various driver's license fees that were supposed to go up July 1, will not take effect. The Motor Vehicle Administration's website had been listing 30 different fees including driver's license renewals that were set to go up July 1. Governor Martin O'Malley says two laws passed during the Ehrlich Administration, allowed the periodic increases in fees. The governor today even said some Republican lawmakers wanted the fee increase blocked. When asked if he could block the fee hike unilaterally, the governor initially said that he couldn't.

O'Malley confident on budget gap

http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20070607-105402-5804r.htm

    With lawmakers preparing for cuts if new state revenues are not found, Gov. Martin O'Malley said he is confident the state "will choose to invest in solutions that protect our quality of life."

    In other words, said the governor yesterday, Maryland residents will have to deal either with new taxes or face reductions in services and public works projects, given the looming $1.5 billion budget shortfall.

Slots Still A Possibility

http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7910&Itemid=35

   The Maryland legislature passed up the opportunity to approve slot machine legislation while Republican Robert Ehrlich was governor and now it’s anyone’s guess as to whether a slots bill will pass under Democratic governor Martin O’Malley.

   Washington County state senator Alex Mooney, a Republican, says that the position of Speaker of the House Michael Busch remains the key.

Sports Betting Plan Unveiled In Delaware

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=58922

   A bill legalizing sports gambling in Delaware was introduced in the state House on Thursday, one day after Governor Ruth Ann Minner vowed to veto such a measure.

   The bill, with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, directs the state lottery office to establish a sports lottery that would allow wagering on both professional and collegiate events, with the exception of those involving a Delaware college or university.

Table Games Voting Underway In West Virginia

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=58917

   Three years ago, when West Virginia casino executives began pushing in earnest for poker, blackjack and other table games, the specter of competition from neighboring states was just that - a hazy, looming possibility.

   Today, as voters in two counties prepare to consider table games for the Charles Town Races & Slots and Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center , that threat is a reality.

Delegates: Real estate could face new taxes

Weldon, Hecht warn Realtors of options facing General Assembly

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=61084

   The Frederick County Association of Realtors will continue to oppose additional taxes on the industry as a way to bridge a $1.5 billion state deficit.

   Several proposals, including cuts, new revenue from expanded gambling and taxes are on the table and actively being discussed in the summer interim after a session in which lawmakers agreed to give Gov. Martin O'Malley a year's grace period to fix the budget hole.

   Delegate Rick Weldon, Republican chairman of the Frederick County delegation, is certain that a special session will be called later this year to debate the deficit. The only reason it's not been called yet are ongoing renovations to the Senate chamber, he said.

O'Malley adds $5 million to energy-aid program

3,000 more families to get help in paying higher bills for electricity

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.omalley08jun08,0,7412819.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

   An extra 3,000 families will be able to get help from the state to cope with steeply rising electric rates this summer, Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday as he announced $5 million in additional funding for the Electric Universal Service Program.

   O'Malley, who has been under fire from critics for his inability to stop the 50 percent Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. increase that went into effect last week, said his administration will be pushing legislation and conservation initiatives to prevent a repeat of this year's rate shocks.

O’Malley announces increased energy assistance

http://www.examiner.com/a-770010~O_Malley_announces_increased_energy_assistance.html

   Gov. Martin O’Malley on Thursday announced a $5 million increase in funding to help low-income families pay their energy bills.

   The move came six days after a 50 percent BGE electric rate increase went into effect, an increase his appointees to the Public Service Commission were unable to cut, and two days after the governor appointed a new energy administrator to help reduce energy prices and increase conservation.

O'Malley boosts energy assistance

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_07-55/TOP

   On the heels of a 50 percent increase in some Marylanders' electricity rates, Gov. Martin O'Malley placed millions more into energy assistance for low-income families.

   The Electric Universal Service Program, run by the Department of Human Resources, originally had $52 million set aside for fiscal 2008. Mr. O'Malley announced today an additional $5 million will be put in.

O'Malley taps $5 million for BGE customers

http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20070607-105402-4607r.htm

    Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that the state will make available an additional $5 million to Marylanders struggling to pay their electric bills, after a 50 percent rate increase by Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.

    Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said the money will enable 3,000 more families to receive assistance.

BGE trade with parent under scrutiny

PSC pledges close look at how relationship affects supply, price

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.constellation08jun08,0,7962445.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

   As a public utility, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is obligated to get the lowest price possible for customers. By contrast, its corporate owner, Constellation Energy Group, has a duty to stockholders to sell the power it produces for as much as it can get.

   This disconnect is highlighted by the fact that Constellation, which assumed ownership of BGE's former power plants when Maryland adopted electricity deregulation, is the state's biggest seller of power and BGE is its biggest buyer. But what some consumer advocates call a conflict of interest is getting more scrutiny now, as Constellation's profits and stock price soar along with the rates that BGE's 1.1 million customers are paying.

When will Bernie’s sneakers disappear?

Governor expected to bring high-profile attention to annual Patuxent River wade-in

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222834_32338.shtml

   On Sunday, Gov. Martin O’Malley will travel to Calvert County to check out former state senator Bernie Fowler’s sneakers.

   The governor is expected to join Fowler and dozens of others for his annual Patuxent River wade-in at Broomes Island . For 20 years, the wade-in has brought attention to the plight of the threatened river.

Community fights plan for phone tower at school

Lawmakers, activists upset they weren't consulted

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.co.tower08jun08,0,5215629.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

   Angry about a decision they say was made without community consultation, local legislators and advocates are pressing the Baltimore County school board to scrap plans for a cell phone tower to be built at Randallstown High School -- a project that would pump an estimated $450,000 into the school system.

   State Sen. Bobby A. Zirkin said he plans to submit legislation designed to ban cell phone towers from school properties in the county and will file an injunction, if necessary, to stop construction of the 110-foot tower at Randallstown High on Offutt Road.

Despite furor, lawmaker backs ban on wild animals

‘I feel very sorry’ for woman whose pet monkey was seized, Frush says

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222816_32334.shtml

   Del. Barbara A. Frush has watched a Rockville woman cry over her missing monkey on local and national television because of a law Frush co-sponsored.

   In May, Montgomery County Police animal control officers seized the capuchin monkey from Elyse Gazewitz. Since then, Gazewitz has become a staple on news shows.

Leopold’s cancer experience aids funding for colonoscopies

http://www.examiner.com/a-770042~Leopold_s_cancer_experience_aids_funding_for_colonoscopies.html

   County Executive John Leopold said he has an interesting perspective on why he supports the state smoking ban and free colonoscopies.

   “Having been on the operating table for cancer, it makes you very sensitive to the cancer issue,” said Leopold, a survivor of melanoma.

Plastic might get the sack

Baltimore, Annapolis will consider legislation on bags

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-te.ar.plastic08jun08,0,1791647.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

   That standard checkout-line question, "Plastic or paper?" could be rendered moot in the state capital and Baltimore under ordinances being proposed to reduce litter and protect the environment.

   The Baltimore and Annapolis city councils are scheduled to hear legislation that would outlaw common plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing shops and other retailers.

   "This appears to be one of those silly, whimsical pieces of legislation. So like now, we're going to have the plastic bag police?" said Alderman David Cordle. "We have more pressing problems with storm water runoff, erosion and growing greener to help with the air. Getting into the minutia of plastic bags is beyond our scope."

New Sex-Ed Curriculum Is Urged for All Schools

Lessons Cover Homosexuality, Condoms

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060701453.html

   Montgomery County schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast recommended yesterday that new health lessons on sexual orientation and condom use be expanded to all middle and high schools in the fall with only minor revisions, based on the results of field tests at six schools this spring.

   The lessons are the fruit of five years of debate on how, if at all, homosexuality should be addressed in sex-education classes. Approved in January and piloted in March, the teaching materials will reach all eighth- and 10th-grade health classrooms in the fall if Weast's recommendations are adopted Tuesday by the school board.

School board likely to adopt final sex-ed revisions

Appeals, criticism won’t stop curriculum from being approved, Montgomery board members say

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222853_32343.shtml

   The Montgomery County school board is likely to adopt final revisions to a controversial sex-education curriculum, even as the embattled lesson plans are being contested at the state level.

   If approved by the county board, the curriculum — with a 7-minute video on condom usage and two 45-minute lessons on sexual orientation for eighth- and 10th-graders — will be taught in all middle and high schools next year. Superintendent Jerry D. Weast is recommending that the revisions be approved in a memo sent to the board.

Group votes to have Rockville library named for Duncan

Decision has roiled many in city who say the former Montgomery exec was no supporter of libraries

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222855_32344.shtml

   After bitter disagreement, an advisory group has recommended naming the new Rockville library after former Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan.

   Two group members, Rockville City Councilwoman Anne M. Robbins and city resident Gayl Selkin-Gutman, objected to naming the building after the man who they say fought to delay its funding. The new library is set to open formally in November.

Roscoe Nix: Beloved troublemaker by Blair Lee

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polilee210118_32334.shtml

   After church on Sundays, Mom took us kids to the Wheaton newsstand for candy, comic books and my dad’s newspapers (Dad didn’t go to church). The grungy newsstand and its surly proprietor also sold cigars, every magazine imaginable (mostly X-rated) and newspapers from every city in America . It was wonderful.

   Years later, in 1967, I first met Roscoe Nix on the steps of that venerable establishment. He was a U.S. Justice Department employee and I was a first-year law student. Like me, he’d just purchased his armful of out-of-town newspapers and, somehow, we got into an impromptu, hour-long conversation about Maryland politics. I never dreamed that this well-read black dude was someone I’d grow to know, respect and spend 10 years with on a weekly cable TV talk show!

Baltimore’s crucial election by Barry Rascovar

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/poliras210120_32335.shtml

   There’s an important election in Maryland this year — but probably not in your neighborhood.

   Only in Baltimore city do voters go to the polls in the odd-numbered year before presidential elections.

   Baltimoreans choose a mayor at a time when things finally are starting to turn up for city finances — great news for the rest of the state. A non-elected mayor, Sheila Dixon, has been running Baltimore since Martin O’Malley left in January.

Mitchell weighs in on crime

Candidate proposes hiring more police, increasing spending

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.crime08jun08,0,7600202.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

   Amid a recent spate of violence in Baltimore , City Councilman and mayoral candidate Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. yesterday proposed hiring at least 140 more police officers, conducting weekly press conferences to update the public and spending more money on witness protection.

   Though he offered few specifics for how many of his ideas would be funded, Mitchell blasted his opponent, Mayor Sheila Dixon, for her handling of crime over the past four months and suggested that the recent increase in homicides is due to a lack of direction from City Hall.

Mitchell Unveils Multi-Layer Crime Fighting Plan

http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=58896

   Baltimore City councilman and mayoral candidate, Keiffer Mitchell, Jr. has released his crime fighting plan for Baltimore City .

   "The first step in my plan is to hire 300 additional police officers because right now the city police department is short-staffed and in order to be effective in fighting crime from the murder rate all the way down to the nuisance type crimes, we need additional officers on our streets of Baltimore ," he said.  "The eastern district and the western district are the hot spots where you have a tremendous increase in crime, but we want them (police officers) all over the city because crime is starting to seep into neighborhoods that normally don't see crime... neighborhoods that haven't been touched." 

Crime plan puts city's elections more on track by Jean Marbella

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.marbella08jun08,0,1145521.column?coll=bal-local-headlines

   Now we're talking.

   Up to now, the campaigns for this fall's city elections have mostly generated white noise -- some throat clearing here, some schoolyard shoving there -- barely audible outside whatever frequency those who follow City Hall maneuverings tune into.

   To recap, for the rest of you, there was Chairgate -- City Council members Keiffer Mitchell and Kenneth Harris, running, respectively, for mayor and council prez, losing committee chairmanships after announcing their runs. Then there was Bankgate (Mitchell getting put on unpaid leave at Harbor Bank, where his opponent, Mayor Sheila Dixon, keeps her campaign funds), followed by Fliergate (the city canceling a job fair after Mitchell distributed fliers promoting it).

City: No referendum

Petition 136 signatures short after 421 thrown out

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/NEWS01/706080321

   A petition drive to take the property tax rate cap increase to referendum was declared unsuccessful Wednesday by City Clerk Brenda Colegrove.

   However, former City Councilman Bob Caldwell, who spearheaded the petition effort, said he intends to review the rejected signatures to make sure the reasons for throwing them out were valid.

Court of Appeals suspends law license of political gadfly, sports heckler Ficker

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.ficker08jun08,0,4240587.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

   Former Montgomery County delegate, county executive candidate and well-known sports heckler Robin K.A. Ficker is out of the practice of law for at least a year.

   The Maryland Court of Appeals suspended his law license yesterday, saying that despite four previous warnings, he ran his Bethesda law office in a slipshod way to the detriment of clients.

Ficker suspended from practicing law

Appeals court cites lapses in representing clients

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222905_32350.shtml

   Montgomery County lawyer Robin K.A. Ficker, a perennial candidate who has battled for tax reforms, faces an indefinite suspension from practicing law, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.

   The state’s highest court criticized Ficker’s carelessness in running a high-volume practice that specializes in criminal matters primarily in District Court and said he could reapply for permission to practice law in one year.

National News

Early primary means shift in strategies

Incumbents likeliest to benefit in terms of money, ease of re-election

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222810_32331.shtml

   Maryland candidates for Congress kicked off their campaigns this week, eight months ahead of an early primary that experts say will benefit incumbents.

   On Monday, Queen Anne’s County State ’s Attorney Frank M. Kratovil Jr., a Democrat, kicked off his campaign for the 1st Congressional District seat held by nine-term Republican incumbent Wayne T. Gilchrest of Kennedyville.

Senate looks at election tactics

Ehrlich, Steele fliers condemned by judiciary panel

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.intimidation08jun08,0,2739092.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

   Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson said he had planned to spend Election Day visiting polling places and talking with voters last November. But that was before he saw the flier.

   The "Official Voter Guide" produced and distributed by the campaigns of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Michael S. Steele featured a photograph of Johnson and suggested -- incorrectly -- that he and two other prominent African-American Democrats had endorsed the Republicans in the gubernatorial and Senate races.

   Johnson and Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, both Democrats, joined Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Charles E. Schumer at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing chaired by Maryland Democratic Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah was the only Republican at the sparsely attended session.

Cardin Promotes Campaign-Tactics Legislation

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060702142.html

   When Republicans distributed fliers in November suggesting that prominent Maryland Democrats were supporting the GOP's Michael S. Steele for U.S. Senate, Democratic candidate Benjamin L. Cardin could do little more than denounce the tactic.

   When Democratic leaders asked the Justice Department to investigate the Prince George 's County mailings, they were told no federal laws applied.

Asian Americans drawn to Dems, new poll finds

Maryland voters included for the first time, providing a blueprint for campaigns heading into ’08 elections

http://www.gazette.net/stories/060807/polinew222814_32333.shtml

   Asian Americans are voting in greater numbers, making their communities ripe for politicians who are willing to reach out for their votes, experts say.

   A majority of Asian-American voters in Maryland were registered Democrats and voted for Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin in last year’s U.S. Senate election, according to a recent report based on 2006 exit polls conducted by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

House votes to ease limits on stem cell study

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.stemcell08jun08,0,5797407.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines

   The House of Representatives voted yesterday to send legislation that would relax limits on embryonic stem cell research to the White House, where it faced a certain veto by President Bush.

   The vote was 247-176 - 35 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for Congress to make the bill a law over the president's objections.

   Among Maryland House members, Republican Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest joined Democratic Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Chris Van Hollen and Albert R. Wynn in voting to loosen restraints on embryonic stem cell research.

   "We have a moral obligation to provide our scientific community with the tools it needs to save lives, and this legislation accomplishes exactly that," Hoyer, the House majority leader, said before the vote. "This legislation represents the hope of millions of Americans who are waiting for us to take action."

   Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett was the sole Marylander to vote against the bill. Bartlett, who holds a doctorate in human physiology, has encouraged research that does not require the destruction of human embryos.

   "The science has advanced much faster than the political debate in Congress," he said. "It is not necessary to sacrifice the life of human embryos to obtain cells that could become embryonic stem cell lines."

New York mayor wins early round in gun dispute

http://www.wmdt.com/wires/displaystory.asp?id=62400457

   New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has won an early round in his high-profile campaign for greater access to federal gun-tracing data.

   Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski said she would remove language from a massive spending bill that restricts how much information the government can share about the dealers and purchasers of guns used in crimes.

   The language, known as the Tiahrt amendment, has been part of appropriations bills every year since 2003, when Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt first offered it.