2008-07-24T16:12:36Z News and notes from the Maryland political scene. tag:blog.washingtonpost.com,2008:/annapolis/27 Copyright (c) 2008, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2008-07-24T16:12:36Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-24:/annapolis2008/07/students_rally_for_purple_line.html

Joining the ranks of Purple Line supporters, students at the University of Maryland yesterday started a grass roots campaign for the transit line that would traverse the College Park campus. Student government president Jonathan S. Sachs, said the "Terps for the Purple Line" coalition is "one of the broadest we've seen." It includes the campus NAACP chapter, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union, Hispanic Heritage Coalition, Graduate Student Government and the campus chapter of the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Phyllis Jordan 2008-07-23T18:48:54Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-23:/annapolis2008/07/grade_inflation_on_omalley_rep.html

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters yesterday gave Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) an A-minus for his environmental efforts on a "Mid-Term Report Card." That makes O'Malley the first governor to score an "A-grade" since the ratings began in 1997, the group said. But, already, another environmental group is complaining about grade inflation. The league's report card praised O'Malley for his work on climate change, including his decision to join a multi-state pact to reduce...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Phyllis Jordan 2008-07-23T15:01:04Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-23:/annapolis2008/07/omalley_takes_in_1_million_for.html

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) raised more than $1 million last night at their largest fundraiser since their 2006 election, an aide said. Tickets to the event at Silo Point, a newly renovated historic building in Baltimore, started at $4,000. The minimum price of admission was $250. O'Malley and Brown have done some fundraising during their 18 months in office, but last night's event was the largest single-night take...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

John Wagner 2008-07-22T18:21:22Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-22:/annapolis2008/07/omalley_welcomes_hearing_on_wa.html

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said today that he welcomes legislative hearings on state police surveillance of peace activists and death penalty opponents that took place under his Republican predecessor. "I think they want to ask the same questions that all of us have," O'Malley told reporters. "At best, it was a waste of police resources." The governor fielded questions about the hearing following an event in Baltimore County at which he signed an executive...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

John Wagner 2008-07-22T15:34:07Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-22:/annapolis2008/07/should_moco_restrict_large_veh.html

Today, Montgomery County officials will consider a parking ban on commercial vehicles, large pickup trucks and RVs on all residential streets and on roads with schools, hospitals, churches or playgrounds. GaryJean thinks the legislation is long overdue. What do you think?...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

washingtonpost.com editors 2008-07-21T19:24:54Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-21:/annapolis2008/07/leggett_names_climate_change_t.html

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) announced today he is establishing a task force to help the county coordinate programs aimed at cutting down on the county's carbon footprint. "We want to make sure Montgomery County becomes a leader," he said at a press conference announcing the task force. Leggett named 26 people to the panel, which will be co chaired by Department of Environmental Protection director Bob Hoyt and former Maryland environment chief Jane...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Anne Bartlett 2008-07-21T15:54:06Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-21:/annapolis2008/07/mccain_coming_to_maryland_for.html

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is scheduled to make a fundraising stop in Maryland tomorrow night. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is booked at the Centre Club in downtown Baltimore. Tickets start at $1,000 a person. Entrance to a VIP reception, which includes a photo with the senator, is $2,300. The event is being coordinated by Dick Hug, the chief fundraiser for former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R). Tomorrow promises to a busy night in...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

John Wagner 2008-07-18T13:51:12Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-18:/annapolis2008/07/edwards_gets_likely_committee.html

U.S. Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) has received her probable committee assignments. Edwards, who was sworn in to Congress on June.19 after winning a special election in Maryland's 4th Congressional District, was recommended to serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee made the recommendations. In a statement, Edwards called the potential assignments "tremendous" and said she looked forward to working on the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Anne Bartlett 2008-07-16T15:05:42Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-16:/annapolis2008/07/enforcing_mocos_nanny_bill.html

The so-called nanny bill passed unanimously by the Montgomery County Council yesterday is all but certain to become law. County Executive Isiah Leggett has said he will sign the measure and is supportive of the measure's requirement that residents who employ nannies, housekeepers or cooks offer their workers a written contract. But one unanswered question is whether the county would be able to enforce such a law. The Office of Consumer Protection, which would be...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ann Marimow 2008-07-15T20:30:07Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-15:/annapolis2008/07/mcdonough_to_be_secretary_of_s.html

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) tomorrow will name John McDonough, a Prince George's lawyer well-connected in Democratic politics, as Maryland's next secretary of state, according to several people familiar with the pick. WIth the scheduled announcement, O'Malley will fill a Cabinet position that has remained open since he took office in January 2007. The governor and his aides have faced several challenges in filling the post, including a relatively low salary set by statute. McDonough has...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

John Wagner 2008-07-15T20:04:17Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-15:/annapolis2008/07/omalley_opposed_to_offshore_dr.html

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley this morning panned the Bush administration's push for exploration of coastal oil drilling - but said he remains interested in the potential for off-shore wind farms. O'Malley (D) offered few details on the subject, which came up in response to a reporter's question at a news conference called to announce the Maryland Transit Administration's transition to hybrid buses. O'Malley has made utilization of aternative energy a priority for his administration. Earlier...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Phyllis Jordan 2008-07-15T15:34:30Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-15:/annapolis2008/07/prince_georges_employees_clash.html

Members of AFSCME unions that represent 2,000 county employees in Prince George's have voted to reject a request by county leaders to renegotiate the terms of their contract. Facing a $48 million budget shortfall in the tightening economy, County Executive Jack B. Johnson had asked all of the county's employee unions to return to the negotiating table to talk about reducing the sizes of their raises for the coming year. Without new talks, Johnson said...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

2008-07-21T14:34:02Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-14:/annapolis2008/07/antislots_strategists_swear_of.html

Anti-slots strategists sought today to put to rest talk that they may turn to out-of-state gambling interests to help fund their campaign to defeat slots in Maryland. In a conference call with reporters, Aaron Meisner, chairman of StopSlotsMaryland, said the notion has "no basis in reality." Both Meisner and and Scott Arceneaux, a representative of Marylanders United To Stop Slots, another group working to defeat the November referendum, pledged during the call not to take...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

John Wagner 2008-07-12T10:42:39Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-12:/annapolis2008/07/bereano_tops_lobbying_list.html

Bruce C. Bereano, whose lobbying career was derailed only briefly by a 1994 mail fraud conviction, has reclaimed the No. 1 spot on a list of top earners in Annapolis. Bereano reported receiving $806,250 in compensation for lobbying activities between November and April, just edging out another perennial top earner in Maryland's capital, Joel D. Rozner, who reported $801,029. Nine other lobbyists grossed more than $500,000 during the period, which included the most recent legislative...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

John Wagner 2008-07-11T18:41:02Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-07-11:/annapolis2008/07/maryland_maintains_aaa_bond_ra.html

Despite ongoing fiscal challenges, Maryland has retained its AAA bond rating in advance of a $415 million bond sale next week, State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp announced yesterday. Maryland is one of only seven states with a AAA rating from all three major rating agencies, which allows the state to borrow money for construction projects at relatively favorable interest rates. In a statement, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said the bond rating is "an affirmation of...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Phyllis Jordan