20071009 News Clips

News Clips

Oct. 9, 2007

STATE NEWS

O'Malley faces his first test in office
Lawmakers say he must reach out for tax plan
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.governor07oct07,0,2496502.story
When Gov. Martin O'Malley took his oath in January, he spoke of "One Maryland," celebrating an end to the partisan feuding that had beset Annapolis under his Republican predecessor, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. With O'Malley at the helm and strong Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, state business would be less contentious, lawmakers said, even pleasantly efficient.
Last week, the governor heard the first rumblings of discontent over his proposal for solving the state's $1.7 billion budget crisis and his call for a November special legislative session to consider his plan. The criticisms aren't coming from Republicans alone. House Speaker Michael E. Busch bucked the governor by questioning the wisdom of a special session, and the Anne Arundel Democrat has also said that legalized slot machine gambling, a core component of O'Malley's proposal, is not the way to go.O'Malley's quick-fix mentality reveals the pluck that made him appealing to voters during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, but it is an attitude, some say, that requires that everyone get in lock step behind him.
Republican leaders, who had showered praise on O'Malley this year for reaching out to them when he took office, hammered him last week for taking their support for slots for granted. Usually reliable and critical votes for slots, the GOP's Senate leaders threatened to sink any gambling proposal brought to a vote during a special session on taxes. "The whole package has been crafted without our input," said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley, a Frederick County Republican who has voted for slots in the past.

State resists firing ruling
Md. to ask judge to reconsider order reinstating worker in real estate office
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.reinstate09oct09,0,2242422.story
The Maryland attorney general's office plans to ask a Baltimore County judge today to reconsider his ruling that a longtime state employee, who was fired a day after he was quoted in The Sun discussing a Queen Anne's County land deal, should be "restored to his employment position with all its rights and privileges."
Nelson E. Reichart, who had served as the Department of General Services' assistant secretary for real estate, was fired by Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration in June . His attorney, Kathleen J. Masterton, said the judge's order means Reichart's dismissal is wiped out.
A Department of General Services spokesman has said Reichart's remarks to The Sun had no role in his dismissal, saying that Secretary Alvin C. Collins had told Reichart that he wanted a new direction in the office of real estate. A 29-year state employee, Reichart was a year away from qualifying for retirement with full benefits, Masterton said.

GOP senators fight 'nonfactor' label by standing firm against slots
http://www.examiner.com/a-977327~GOP_senators_fight__nonfactor__label_by_standing_firm_against_slots.html
Excluded from private discussions between Gov. Martin O'Malley and Democratic lawmakers about how to erase a $1.7 billion deficit, Republican senators employed the one point of political leverage they had left: slots. Republicans have been key to the passage of every slot machine proposal in the past four years, but they declared they would not back such a plan during a special session. Senate President Thomas Mike Miller said the Republicans' new stance "makes them such a nonfactor in any of the decision-making process," and he could get the needed 24 votes for slots with the GOP, something he has been unable to do so far.
The four slots proposals Miller muscled through the Senate in the last five years got only 15 to 19 Democratic votes, five to nine votes shy of a majority. Republicans such as Senate Republican Leader David Brinkley and Whip Allan Kittleman, along with six other Republicans, made the winning difference every time.
Brinkley made clear that he was willing to support slots again, but only during the regular session, when all the fiscal cards were on the table, including the state budget, in which he wants to see more cuts.
In other words, the Democratic Party charged that Republicans' short-term opposition to slots - not the long-standing principled opposition of many Democrats or the governor's nine-month delay in crafting a plan - somehow undermines the entire O'Malley solution to the deficit.
Not bad for a day's work by "nonfactors" in the decision-making process.

O'Malley, Franchot, Brown donor fined
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071006/METRO/110060036/1004/METRO
A movie producer known for chiding actress Lindsay Lohan for acting like "a spoiled child" during the filming of one of his productions last year has landed in hot water himself for violating Maryland campaign finance law. James G. Robinson has been fined $119,000 after making excessive contributions to the campaigns of Gov. Martin O'Malley, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown and Comptroller Peter Franchot last year, authorities said yesterday. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said yesterday the contributions came in during "a crunch of volume" of other contributions during the last couple of weeks of the campaign. He said the campaign vetting process should have caught them. Mr. Robinson, 71, made $125,000 in illegal contributions between Oct. 6 and Oct. 23, just before statewide elections, according to the state prosecutor's office. Mr. O'Malley's campaign received $34,000; Mr. Robinson gave $58,000 to Mr. Brown's campaign; Mr. Franchot's campaign received $37,000.

Session Would Be Risky for O'Malley
Governor Wants Deficit Solution But Needs Votes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/200 7/10/06/AR2007100601324.html
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who has shown an abundance of caution during his first year in office, is now facing the biggest gamble of his governorship: whether to summon the legislature to Annapolis for a special session on his $1.7 billion deficit-reduction plan. But as O'Malley met privately with lawmakers last week, it became clear that he has yet to bring enough legislators on board to ensure a special session would be a success.
Pulling the plug on a special session would be a political setback for O'Malley. But some lawmakers interviewed last week suggested his leadership would be tarnished far more by a session that ended in a stalemate or dragged on until mid-January, when the legislature is scheduled to convene for its annual 90-day session.
If O'Malley convenes a special session, its success will ultimately rest largely on the ability of Democrats, who dominate both chambers, to pull together as a party, Mil ler predicted. "The Democrats in the General Assembly need to step up and deliver for him, which means voting for things you don't like," he said.

Immigrant Proposal Divides Frederick
Official Suggests Denying Services
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/07/AR2007100701400.html
The immigrant community in Frederick County grew quickly and quietly in the first half of this decade. Priced out of such places as Adams Morgan, Silver Spring and Manassas, many Latinos migrated up Interstate 270, drawn by Frederick's booming construction and retail service industries. But still, people kept quiet -- until a county commissioner suggested in August that Frederick deny public services, including schooling, to immigrants in the United States illegally. Commissioner Charles A. Jenkin s's proposal to follow the lead of Prince William and Loudoun counties in targeting illegal immigrants sparked a firestorm in Frederick, whose foreign-born population has nearly tripled this decade and is the fastest-growing in Maryland.
As the county board prepares to vote tomorrow whether to advance Jenkins's proposal to the state legislature, Frederick is a community deeply divided. Jenkins and his backers say illegal immigrants are sucking up public dollars, especially in the schools, where the cost to teach English has soared. "My proposal was that if you're going to avail yourself of benefits that are provided by taxpayer dollars that you at least demonstrate that you belong in this country legally," said Jenkins, a Republican. It is uncertain whether the proposal will win support from a majority of the commissioners. If it does, the bill will stand little chance before the state's liberal legislature. Even Jenkins acknowledges this m uch.
Jenkins said he was persuaded to introduce his proposal after a series of summer budget meetings in which county officials said they needed more money for interpreters who speak Spanish. The school system asked for $2.9 million for interpreters, up from $2.2 million the year before.
Ultimately, what Jenkins's proposal has accomplished is that community leaders are talking about the demographic changes in Frederick. "We need to embrace it and discuss it as opposed to sweep it under the rug and hope it goes away," said Del. Richard B. Weldon Jr. (R), chairman of the Frederick delegation. "It isn't going to go away."



EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Upping the ante on slots once again in Annapolis
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.fraser07oct07,0,2104316.column
Looks like Gov. Martin O'Malley's slot machines proposal is in trouble, but what else is new? This slots issue is the legislative version of eternal life. It's always on life support, but it never dies. So here's a question: Are slots the big tease of the governor's plan for raising $1.7 billion? Does he really need slots this year?
The answer is no - and yes. So here's a question: Are slots the big tease of the governor's plan for raising $1.7 billion? Does he really need slots this year? The answer is no - and yes.
First, the "no." Projections show the slots money arriving slowly at first, a year or so down the pike. The big money the governor really needs would come from sales an d income tax increases. That would start to flow Jan. 1 if the General Assembly convenes in special session and passes the governor's legislation. Here's the "yes" part of the answer, the part that explains why he's offering the bill: He's doing it for Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. Mr. Miller has made himself into Maryland's biggest slots advocate.

We don't need a special session
http://www.examiner.com/a-977299~We_don_t_need_a_special_session.html
Touchi Senate Republicans! They last week told Gov. Martin O'Malley they would not support any slots proposals in a legislative special session. That all but derails one from the agenda this fall and means Marylanders will have more time to dissect the governor's tax proposals rolled out in recent weeks.
That is good news for everyone.
As Senate Republican leader David Brinkley (Frederick-Carroll) said last week, "We feel that the whole purpose of calling a special session is to raise taxes."
Waiting will help legislators to craft a slots proposal that will bring the most revenue to the state. As we suggested last week, auctioning slots licenses to businesses that would return the highest portion of winnings to Maryland would be the best route to take.
We elect our legislators to deliberate over laws. The regular session is the best forum for proper discussion of the people's business - and especially business designed to drain more money from household budgets.

Gov. O'Malley can't get a handle on state's slots issue
http://www.examiner.com/a-978936~Dan_Gainor__Gov__O_Malley_can_t_get_a_handle_on_state_s_slots_issue.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley. He's using the state's $1.7 billion deficit to try and rework our entire tax structure - and spend a couple hundred million extra. Rather than push for true belt-tightening in government (Does anybody even know what that means?), O'Malley pulled together a hate-the-rich package that raises almost every tax you can imagine and encourages wealthy people to move out of state.
The "plan" is a classic smoke-filled-room result. Now O'Malley expects the legislature and the abused public to acquiesce. And he wants it done in a special session just prior to the regular session to minimize debate.The GOP makes it clear it only approved slots because Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich asked nicely and didn't spend like a teen with her dad's credit card. GOP members say they especially oppose a special session because it's designed to raise taxes. Duh. Of course it is. Everything O'Malley does now is designed to raise taxes.

Special session foes have a good point
http://capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_08-04/OPN
Those legislators you've seen cowering in the corners recently are Republicans and Democrats who fear a special session.
As Gov. Martin O'Malley sent signals that he is poised to call for a special session of the General Assembly sometime in November, legislators began backing away. House Speaker Mike Busch has gone on record opposing it. So have other Democrats, including state Comptroller Peter Franchot. Even if they approve of slots in principle, legislators of both parties have political reasons for not wanting a special session. No lawmaker wants to be remembered for approving revenue increases from gambling without simultaneously voting for spending cuts. Since budget figures won't be re ady until after a fall special session is held, it's likely that the only real legislation on the agenda of a special session would be slots.
A special session is a bad idea and the governor is making a terrible mistake in asking for one. But it is his privilege to do so. If he goes ahead, we can only hope that the unwilling legislators won't do anything stupid.

O'Malley's tax plan is hardly 'progressive'
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_07-07/COL
It's a time-tested script:
Liberals enact mandated spending increases and create a structural deficit, while claiming to be fiscally responsible. The structural deficit becomes a real deficit, and we have a budget crisis.
The liberals bicker over slot machines, and then, finally, reunite to "compromise" and "courageously" pass a tax package. They slightly reduce two taxes, raise every other tax, approve slots, and tell you that only the rich will pay more.
Democrats haven't deviated from this script yet.The governor claims that his revenue reforms will put money in your pocket. But it won't stay there long.
By HERB McMILLAN The writer represented Annapolis in the House of Delegates from 2003 to 2007.

Nickel and dimed
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_04-39/COL
As he sold his new tax plan during a barnstorming tour of Maryland last month, Gov. Martin O'Malley repeatedly stressed its "fairness." "Fair," in this context, is code for: "You don't have to pay; the rich will take care of it."That's because sales taxes are going up, but property taxes are going do wn, along with income taxes for all but the richest 4 percent.
But that's an assumption resting on some dubious and suspiciously precise numbers. And the truth is, a lot of us probably will be paying more.Are the numbers false? Not exactly, but the presentation is carefully calculated to show the poor and middle class saving money. If the chart showed average families paying, say, $50 or $100 more, it wouldn't be so effective.
But then, it's only October. There are plenty of lies, damned lies and statistics still to come.

The Jenkins proposal
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_editorial.htm?StoryID=66118
When County Commissioner Charles Jenkins proposed that Frederick County address its issues with illegal immigrants, his idea was aptly described as DOA.
Jenkins pro posed that Frederick County refuse to provide any local government services to illegal immigrants, including social services and public education. That general concept is nothing new, and has been tested in various court cases. Perhaps the most important service at issue, public education, has been heard by the Supreme Court, which ruled that a local jurisdiction cannot withhold public education from children because of their immigration status.
As we have said before, we supported Jenkins' proposal because it called attention to the kinds of issues and emotions that cities and counties all over the country are facing. The more these local jurisdictions raise the profile of this problem, the more Capitol Hill's hand will be forced to address it. Commissioner David Gray says he'd like to get input from Sen. Barbara Mikulski when she visits Frederick this week. So would we. In fact, we'd like to see Mikulski and her fellow Maryland senator, Ben Cardin, as well as Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, working really hard in coming months to help forge a workable solution within their respective houses of Congress and political parties.
We call on Maryland's U.S. senators and our 6th District congressman to work diligently with their colleagues to pass this legislation in 2008. It simply won't wait another year.


OBITUARIES

Thomas W. Rimrodt
[ Age 41 ] Republican campaign manager
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bal-md.ob.rimrodt09oct09,0,4296956.story?track=rss
Thomas Wayne Rimrodt, a Republican campaign manager who had been an assistant secretary in the Maryland Department of Planning until early this year, died of brain cancer Sunday at St. Joseph Medi cal Center in Towson. The Parkville resident was 41. After serving as the city manager of Atherton, Calif., he moved to Maryland in 2000 and managed Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett's re-election campaign. He then began grass-roots organizing work for Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s successful campaign for governor in 2002.
"He lived life to the fullest," said his friend Casi Tomarchio of Forest Hill. "He loved being around people.
"He was very interested in what grass-roots Republicans had to say and made sure the upper levels of the party heard that," said his wife of 17 years, the former Sheryl Hurston.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church, 6950 Dogwood Road, Windsor Mill, where he was a member.

NATIONAL NEWS

Gilchrest returning from Iraq
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/NEWS01/71009012
First District U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest is on his way back to the U.S. after spending almost a week in Iraq.
Gilchrest went to Iraq to assess the security situation, talk to American troops and commanders and hear from officials on the progress of establishing a stable government. He met with top commander General David Petraeus, the U.S ambassador to Iraq and the Iraqi prime minister.
Gilchrest says his delegation met some Iraqis who were in training in three years ago and are now leading large numbers of Iraqi soldiers. But even with the advancements, Gilchrest says there still remains a great deal of violence.