News Clips
June 15, 2007
State News
GOP accuses O'Malley of hypocrisy
Personnel moves likened to Ehrlich acts that drew fire
Gov. Martin O'Malley is under fire from Republicans who say he is doing exactly what Democrats spent a year investigating his predecessor for: firing mid-level state employees for political reasons.
An administrative law judge ruled this week that Gregory J. Maddalone - himself a key figure in the personnel probe of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration - was fired illegally. Republicans say his case and others prove that the new administration was just as systematic in its efforts to rid the state ranks of GOP appointees as Ehrlich was accused of being toward Democrats.
"Ehrlich did what previous Democrat governors did, and I think O'Malley is doing the same thing," said Sen. J.
Ehrlich spokesman Henry Fawell defended the Republican administration's record. Rather than eliminating Democrats from government, Ehrlich hired several of them for posts in his Cabinet, Fawell said.
"We never had a judge rule that we fired somebody illegally for their political beliefs, unlike the current administration," Fawell said. (One prominent case involving the firing of a Democratic Baltimore County councilman from his job at Maryland Environmental Service was settled out of court.)
Ehrlich’s skater sticks the landing
Judge says worker was fired wrongly from state job
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212905_32360.shtml
An Ehrlich administration appointee won his state job back this week after an administrative law judge ruled his dismissal violated constitutional protections of assembly and due process.
Gregory J. Maddalone was to be reinstated to his position in the Maryland Department of Transportation and given back pay. He was fired on Jan. 23, less than a week after Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) took office.
“Clearly, there is mismanagement evident very early in this administration with regard to personnel decisions, including illegal political firings,” House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell said.
“The General Assembly ... spent 18 months and $1.1 million and found nothing. Now that they actually have a proven case, the public has a right to know what they intend to do about it,” said Henry P. Fawell, an Ehrlich administration spokesman who now works for the former governor at his law practice with Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice in Linthicum.
“I call on the governor to immediately cease his trips to
State residents deserve better than double standards and political games, Maryland Republican Party Chairman James Pelura said.
“Martin OMalley was in office for not even six days when his Administration unlawfully fired a state employee,” he said in a statement. “Marylanders should be outraged that $1.1 million was wasted last year on investigations and not one penny has been spent on real, documented cases of abuse under Martin O’Malley.”
Senate Minority Whip Allan H. Kittleman said he believes other dismissed state workers would be filing similar suits. “I don’t think this will be the last time well hear about this,” he said.
Kittleman said he wished the decision had come before Tuesday’s meeting of the Legislative Policy Committee, which meets rarely.
“We could have asked the Legislative Policy Committee to have the hirings and firings committee to look into the actions of the current administration,” said Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) of West Friendship.
Former Aide To Ehrlich Wins Round In Firing Case
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061402081.html
When Greg Maddalone worked for then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), he was accused of gleefully draping a T-shirt that read "You're Fired!" over his chair, angering Democrats who said they were being purged from state government for political reasons.
When Martin O'Malley (D) defeated Ehrlich and took over in January, Maddalone was one of the first state employees to get the boot. But a judge this week ruled Maddalone's firing improper -- bringing great cheer to the state's downtrodden GOP, which called him a victim of the same kind of political retaliation Democrats accused Ehrlich of practicing.
The Maryland Republican Party issued a statement yesterday from Chairman James Pelura.
"It is amazing that Democrats spent more than $1.1 million and thirteen months investigating Governor Ehrlich for perceived unlawful firings. . . . Martin O'Malley was in office for not even six days when his administration unlawfully fired a state employee."
State worker sent home after judge's reinstatement
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070614-103227-3799r.htm
A state worker whom the O'Malley administration fired because of his Republican ties returned to work Wednesday in accordance with a judge's ruling, and was told to go home again.
Greg Maddalone, who worked as a homeland security specialist in the transportation secretary's office, was sent home indefinitely Wednesday after he returned to his job, said two sources close to the matter.
O'Malley gets questioned on rate hikes
http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7969&Itemid=35
He continues to criticize BGE's parent company for rising electric rates, but Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley says there is nothing wrong with the state doing business with the utility's parent. The governor was responding to questions from WBAL News about an agreement approved unanimously by the Board of Public Works in April. Under the agreement, state agencies are allowed to work with Constellation Energy, or four other energy companies, to conduct "energy audits" in state and local government buildings. The audits are designed to help the agencies make government buildings more energy efficient.
Republicans pan security restructuring
Local directors say governors changes ease communications, eliminate redundancy
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212907_32361.shtml
Republicans are criticizing Gov. Martin O’Malley for doing away with a Cabinet-level homeland security post and reducing the office from eight to two people.
O’Malley aides say the governor simply restructured the office in a move that key county emergency officials say streamlines homeland security efforts and makes them more efficient.
“I have no idea why the administration is putting such a low priority on homeland security,” said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market. “This was one of the issues that he claimed as a defining issue as a mayor.”
On a road to nowhere by Barry Rascovar
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/poliras204237_32357.shtml
It’s not much of an exaggeration to assert that Martin O’Malley recently tripped over a fee increase on his way to a much larger tax hike - and broke his leg.
Yes, the physical evidence suggests the governor fractured his tibia while attempting a new treadmill routine. But politically, the pratfall he took while killing higher motor vehicle fees caused him pain that won’t subside after he abandons his crutches in six to eight weeks.
Agencies offer cuts, prayers
Departments mum on $200 million in proposed trims; now it’s in O’Malley’s hands
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212903_32359.shtml
State departments have dropped their proposed budget reductions on Gov. Martin O’Malleys desk and are negotiating how much of a bite they have to take.
On May 10, O’Malley (D) ordered his Cabinet secretaries to come up with $200 million in cuts within 30 days. The governor has no timeline in mind to implement the cuts, spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said.
O'Malley says slots will save racing, looks to neighbors
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070614-103229-9439r.htm
Saying that slots are necessary to save the state's racing industry, Gov. Martin O'Malley is sending a delegation to examine gambling operations in neighboring states and is in discussions with legislative leaders on the issue.
"The racing industry and the jobs and the open space that is used by the racing industry -- all these things are threatened by their inability to compete with tracks in states around us who are able to offer slots," Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said. "We can't expect them to thrive, or even survive, ... if we handicap them and don't allow them the tools that the tracks in all the other states are using."
Big Five talk budget strategy
Executives say state should not balance its budget on the backs of the counties
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212855_32358.shtml
Leaders of five of the state’s largest jurisdictions - Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard and
Solutions should have been sought years ago, Craig said in a telephone interview. Craig did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.
“A structural deficit starts years ago, some even four-to-eight years ago,” said Craig, a former state senator and delegate. “For example, the legislators shouldn’t have passed
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold (R) continues to support a “constitutional firewall” that would require money taken out of special funds, such as Program Open Space or the Transportation Trust Fund, to be repaid within a specified time.
“This is to make sure that these state solutions are not at the expense of these special funds that go to the counties,” said Leopold, a former state delegate.
Reporters Notebook
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212936_32372.shtml
New initiative to bring 30 new charter schools to Md.
http://www.examiner.com/a-782115~New_initiative_to_bring_30_new_charter_schools_to_Md_.html
Another public charter school initiative, funded by federal coffers, has paved the way for least 30 new charter schools in
In making the recent announcement, Maryland Department of Education officials say the state was one of 10 to receive funding in the amount of $18.2 million.
Fights quelled at state prison; 16 injured
One inmate hospitalized with stab wounds after melees at
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-prison0615,0,1288767.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
Two large-scale fights that broke out last night at the Maryland Correctional Institution-Hagerstown left 16 inmates injured, including one hospitalized with severe stab wounds, a spokeswoman said this morning.
The medium-security prison in
EMS services respond to fight at MCI
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=168068&format=html
Emergency officials responded to a report of a fight on Thursday night at the Maryland Correctional Institution south of
An emergency services dispatcher said ambulances from Boonsboro, Halfway and Community Rescue Services, as well as personnel from the Washington County Department of Emergency Services, responded to MCI. The original call was dispatched at 8:18 p.m.
What happened to
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polilee204239_32358.shtml
For decades, death penalty opponents assured us that “all serious studies of the death penalty have shown overwhelming evidence that it does not deter violent crime.” Their proof? Some states allowing capital punishment have higher murder rates than some states banning the death penalty.
Huh? Couldn’t differing murder rates depend more on differing demographics and socio-economic factors than on differing death penalty statutes?
Casa gets $50,000 donation for day labor center
Money is a gift from a Leisure World executive and will come in installments over two years
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212929_32370.shtml
Casa of Maryland has received a $50,000 donation to use at a
Norman M. Dreyfuss, an executive with the company that developed Leisure World in
The Rockefeller Republicans Return, Albeit Briefly
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2007/06/the_rockefeller_republicans_re.html
Former congressman Gilbert Gude's funeral at Church of the Little Flower in
"To those of us in
Gude was ‘gold standard’ for GOP
Former congressman was a champion of the
http://www.gazette.net/stories/061507/polinew212914_32365.shtml
Gilbert Gude, a Republican lawmaker who represented
“Gilbert Gude was the gold standard for Republicans in terms of his character, in terms of his intelligence, in terms of constituent services and in term of issues,” said Howard A. Denis, a Republican who worked on Gude’s campaigns before becoming a state senator and a
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman’s green legislation seems like a good idea, but many County Council members say the devil is in the details.
“I do need to see some more details before I feel completely comfortable with it,” said Council Chairman Calvin Ball, D-District 2.
For Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, questions swarmed around striking a balance between mandating green building and encouraging it through tax credits, which Ulman’s plan includes for green-building certifications.
Foot patrols scaled back
Policy reversed; homicide detectives won't walk beats
For two weeks, the homicide unit had been included in a police strategy, backed by Mayor Sheila Dixon, to place 85 detectives on the city's most violent streets.
Rawlings-Blake makes candidacy official
http://www.examiner.com/a-782093~Rawlings_Blake_makes_candidacy_official.html
Flanked by colleagues, union officials and her family, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake formally announced her candidacy for the Baltimore City Council presidency on Thursday, a job she currently holds.
Calling
“We need to be safe so we have a present, and educated so we have a future,” she said.
Editorial: City retirees to bankrupt taxpayers
http://www.examiner.com/a-782073~Editorial__City_retirees_to_bankrupt_taxpayers.html
Earlier this week the Board of Estimates moved to create a trust to pay for an estimated $2.9 billion unfunded health care liability for city retirement benefits. That obligation is $800 million more than the $2.1 billion 2008 city budget.
Mayor vetoes budget again
Increase in size of police force main point of contention
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=61377
With his last offer receiving short shrift from the city's aldermen, Frederick Mayor Jeff Holtzinger is waiting for the board to propose a compromise following his veto Thursday of the roughly $74 million fiscal 2008 budget the board approved May 30.
"I'd rather it not go down to, I keep vetoing (the budget) and it being the budget I proposed," Holtzinger said. "I'd like for (the aldermen) to get some of the things they want."
Mayor, panel call for overhauling election code
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_14-57/CAN
Mayor Ellen O. Moyer is calling for an election overhaul that among other things would allow any voter to request an absentee ballot for any reason.
She wants the election code cleaned up by the next city election, only two years away.
And for a mayoral candidate pool that's already beginning to take shape, making changes now could avoid a repeat performance of the bitter 2005 political race. Ms. Moyer isn't eligible to run again, but several aldermen and community leaders, including Aldermen David H. Cordle, R-Ward 5, Sam Shropshire, D-Ward 7, and Trudy McFall, the chairman of the Annapolis Housing Authority Board through July, have hinted at running, although no one has officially announced his or her candidacy.
Our Say:
Paper-or-plastic issue not as simple as alderman thinks
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/06_14-31/OPN
Older moviegoers remember "The Graduate," and the single word of counsel that a party guest had for Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman: "Plastics."
That was great advice. If Benjamin had invested in plastic grocery bags - introduced a decade after "The Graduate" was in the theaters - he could have retired as a multimillionaire by now. Plastic bags, far cheaper and easier to store than their paper counterparts, have grabbed 80 percent of the market.
Some aldermen will say, with considerable truth, that there are many other things local governments can do for the environment - such as controlling development and stormwater runoff - before they start ordering retailers around, and eliminating a choice customers now take for granted.
National News
Senate panel approves BRAC funding
$984.2 million earmarked for military construction and accommodations in state
A Senate panel approved $984.2 million yesterday for military construction in
The $109.2 billion military construction and veterans affairs bill that was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes includes $287.1 million for Aberdeen Proving Ground, $164 million for
The figures were announced by the office of Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a member of the Appropriations Committee. The Maryland Democrat was not available for comment, a spokeswoman said.
GOP claims victory in earmarks pact
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070614-115558-4140r.htm
House Democratic leaders yesterday bowed to Republican pressure and abandoned their plan to permit the addition of "pork-barrel" projects to annual spending bills after the two chambers had voted on the measures.
The agreement will restore earmark reforms passed by the Republicans last September but will also place some restraints on the amount of debate time allowed for each appropriations bill. The agreement will allow floor votes on earmarks on 10 of the 12 annual appropriations bills that make up the federal budget.
"We are pleased that we have reached a way to go forward," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer,
Disclosures give clue to lawmakers' assets
Assets of many in Congress worth millions; a few have modest incomes and holdings
The political fortunes of new congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid soared last year, and financial disclosure forms revealed yesterday that they're also doing well in personal money matters.
New House Speaker Pelosi, through her investor husband, holds stocks and property worth well into the millions. Senate Majority Leader Reid, a gold miner's son, reported property around his hometown of Searchlight,
Maryland Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, a Democrat, reported earnings of between $48,529 and $153,000 from assets of between $1.52 million and $3.64 million. He also reported income of $23,336 as personal representative of the estate of his father, and $4,880 in pension payments from the state of
Maryland's senior senator, Democrat Barbara A. Mikulski, reported earnings of $7,024 to $17,600 from assets of between $195,000 and $705,000. She also reported an agreement to share in proceeds from the two mystery novels she co-wrote in the 1990s.
Neither Mikulski nor Cardin listed the value of their homes or detailed their salaries as senator, items that are exempt from reporting rules.
President Bush Announces Support For An Amendment That Will Provide $4.4 Billion In Immediate Additional Funding For Border Security And Worksite Enforcement. "'We're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept,' Bush said, two days after launching a personal rescue mission. 'One common concern is whether the government will provide the resources to meet the goals in the bill. They say, "It's fine to talk about it, are you actually going to do something?"' he said. 'To answer these concerns I support an amendment that will provide $4.4 billio n in immediate additional funding for securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site,' he said. 'By matching our benchmarks with these critical funds, we're going to show the American people that the promises in this bill will be kept.'" (David Espo, "Bush Accelerates Border Security Funds," The Associated Press, 6/14/07)
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) Says "Victory Is Still Possible" In
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