20071026 News Clips

News Clips

Oct. 26, 2007

STATE NEWS

What's at stake? (We're just asking)
Political futures of lawmakers, O'Malley could depend on success or failure of the special session
http://gazette.net/stories/102607/polinew65912_32356.shtml
The hype has been like the lead-up to a Super Bowl.
Now, with kickoff to the third special legislative session in four years only days away, the eyes of the state will be on how Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and lawmakers resolve the $1.7 billion budget deficit. The stakes, personal and political, are has high as they have ever been. O'Malley has said that building the consensus needed to call the special session is the most difficult thing he has done in his political life.
Still, Republicans are lining up to decry the tax proposals, with a GOP-sp onsored anti-tax rally on Lawyers Mall before the General Assembly convenes Monday. Democrats are set to follow with their own rally in support of education and health care on the State House steps two hours later.
Republicans said they will not use the hole the state finds itself in for political gain, but are determined to influence the process of finding a solution. ''We're not in this to play a cynical game of 'gotcha' politics," said Christopher B. Shank (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown, the House minority whip. ''We're in this to try to solve a problem."
Despite being heavily outnumbered, Republicans say they can influence the proceedings if enough people express their distaste for O'Malley's plan. ''It's not predestined at this point," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.
Republicans are not focused on any electoral gains in 2010 that might result from passage of O'Malley's tax package , O'Donnell said. ''This should not be about partisan advantage. This should be about what's good for Maryland's economy, Maryland's competitiveness with other states, Maryland's working families and Maryland's small businesses," he said. ''Elections come and go, but let's put that stuff aside."

Counties association favors slots
Qualified support based on program of compensation
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.maco26oct26,0,1336255.story
The Maryland Association of Counties offered qualified backing yesterday for Gov. Martin O'Malley's call to legalize slot machine gambling, saying it "could be an acceptable long-term state revenue source, were such a program responsibly crafted."
"A responsible slots program must provide continuing fair and full compensation to the host subdivisions for impact expenses and respect local land use authority," according to a statement distributed at a news conference at the State House.
When asked whether local elected officials there would support slots within their boundaries, Baltimore County Executive James T . Smith, a Democrat, replied: "It's too early to get into where they may be located. We don't know enough about the governor's proposal or the discussions with the speaker and the president of the Senate." Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and the executives of Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Wicomico counties warned of the consequences if the General Assembly were to cut spending instead of raising taxes.
Yesterday, the Maryland Republican Party noted one of those polls, conducted by Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies, that showed O'Malley's disapproval rating rose to 31 percent from 21 percent in March. The change was attributed to a shift among Republican voters. The poll also found that nearly two-thirds of voters opposed the proposed increase in the state sales tax to help reduce the budget deficit. Jim Pelura, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, said in a statement: "Martin O'Malley owns this tax increase plan. As Ma r ylanders learn more about his tax-and-spend scheme, it comes as no surprise that O'Malley's disapproval ratings will soar. Nobody likes tax increases, and O'Malley has compounded the problem by telling folks that they will be better off after the largest tax hike in Maryland history. He has lost all credibility with Marylanders."

Governor announces details of his health care proposal
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.health26oct26,0,7780414.story
Gov. Martin O'Malley rolled out a health care plan yesterday that would expand medical coverage for uninsured residents and commit funding for data exchanges that connect the state's hospitals and allow them to share records.Addressing critics who question the wisdom of expanding programs in the face of the looming deficit, O'Malley stressed the plan's "pay-as-you-go" f e ature and said that residents who have private insurance would save money because the cost of treating the uninsured in Maryland is added to their premiums.
A similar proposal passed the House in the last session but died in the Senate, where President Thomas V. Mike Miller argued that implementing it without a solution to the state's fiscal woes would be irresponsible. Miller says he would support health care legislation during the special session if it doesn't add to the deficit.
But Republican lawmakers said they are still worried about the cost of the proposal and would prefer private-sector solutions. "Our primary concern right now needs to be reducing the structural deficit and chronic overspending, and several hundred million dollars for a new social program is only going to exacerbate the problem," said Del. Christopher B. Shank, House minority whip from Western Maryland. "These are worthwhile goals, but we have to set priorities."

Md. officials violated provision of election law
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.campaign26oct26,0,664903.story
Several state elected officials - including two statewide officeholders - violated an obscure provision of election law that required them to file campaign finance reports more frequently this year because they gave money to Baltimore City candidates.
The review of state records by The Sun found that Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and Comptroller Peter Franchot, along with a half-dozen members of the General Assembly, did not fulfil the filing requirement. But several of the officials vowed to do so after being contacted yesterday by the newspaper.Campaign finance reporting regulations are in place to ensure the public can keep track of who is funding which candi d ates. The donations were reported as receipts by the candidates who received them, but not as expenditures by those who made them.

EPA orders Arundel cleanup
Pharmaceutical plant told to comply or face fines of $32,500 a day
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-te.md.ar.hazardous26oct26,0,6388390.story
The owner of a dormant Brooklyn Park pharmaceutical plant, which was found to have open chemicals and 50,000 gallons of hazardous waste on its property, has been ordered to clean up the site by year's end or face federal fines of up to $32,500 a day. Environmental regulators and Anne Arundel County officials say those pollutants pose a fire hazard and an imminent threat to public health. The warehouse and tank-storage area are within a mile of three schools and a short walk from homes and a neighborhood playground. The fear of a "potentially catastrophic fire" spurred Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold to call this month for swift action by federal regulators, citing numerous violations of the county fire code.
"I am pleased with their recognition of the seriousness of this matter and their willingness to act promptly," Leopold said of the federal order.

Howard County offers free flu shots
Clinic at Gateway Business Park will double as emergency-preparedness exercise
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.ho.flu26oct26,0,3474762.story
Howard County health officials are offering up to 4,000 free flu inoculations next month at a drive-through clinic designed to reach twice as many people as a similar exercise last year. "We want to bring attention to the fact that flu is a serious issue," Beilenson said, noting that twice as many people die of influenza each year as die from antibiotic-resistant staph infections, which have received extensive publicity lately.
Police Chief William McMahon and Fire Chief Joseph Herr said the vaccination event will help first responders practice for a possible avian flu outbreak or an act of biological terrorism.

'Doomsday' budget would slash state aid to convention centers http://www.examiner.com/a-1011225~_Doomsday__budget_would_slash_state_aid_to_convention_centers.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed budget cuts would drop all state aid to Maryland's two major convention centers, funding that comprises two-t h irds of the Baltimore center's annual payments and half of those for the Ocean City center. Local convention officials and national analysts said the cuts could end up costing the state and city far more than they'd ever save. O'Malley on Tuesday unveiled the budget cuts he'd have to make unless the General Assembly passes his proposed tax increases and revenues measures in a special session beginning Monday. The governor's plan would end $4.2 million in state funding toward the Baltimore Convention Center's deficit, and $1.5 million for the Ocean City Convention Center, according to a breakdown of cuts released earlier this week.

O'Malley proposes more to be spent on uninsured
http://www.examiner.com/a-1011260~O_Malley_proposes_more_to_be_spent_on_uninsured.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley is proposing the s tate spend as much as $250 million more each year to offer health insurance to 100,000 uninsured people by adding them to the Medicaid rolls and subsidizing very small businesses that begin offering health insurance to workers. The proposal hinges on passing new taxes and slot machine gambling in a special session of the General Assembly that begins Monday, O'Malley said Thursday. The plan comes two days after he disclosed $1.7 billion in budget cuts he would have to make if the legislature does not raise taxes, including doubling the cigarette tax.
"They are really part of the same mission to make our state a better place," O'Malley said. "There is broad consensus in the General Assembly" for health care improvement. "If we're unable to make progress, we will continue to backslide" on this issue.

Gilchrest accused of 'dirty tricks'
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071026/METRO/110260075/1004 Supporters of state Sen. Andrew P. Harris' campaign to unseat Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest say the incumbent's top aide pushed another candidate into the Republican primary to dilute support for Mr. Harris. "This is [Mr. Gilchrest's] insurance card that he doesn't lose the race," said state Sen. Nancy Jacobs, Harford County Republican. "It's dirty tricks. It's what goes on behind the scenes. But to get caught with your hand in the cookie jar."
Mrs. Jacobs said one of her former staffers now working for the Gilchrest campaign told her about the plan to enlist Mr. Banks, a technology executive. Mr. Banks yesterday denied the accusations. "Absolutely not," he said. "It sounds like a vast right-wing conspiracy."
"This is the worst form of dirty tricks camp a igning," said Chris Meekins, Mr. Harris' campaign manager. "Sadly, that is what we have come to expect from Wayne Gilchrest. This is exactly why Republican voters are looking for new leadership."
Whether Mr. Banks was asked to enter the race remains in dispute, but he clearly opposed Mr. Harris' bid this summer.
He said Mr. Gilchrest was the Republicans' best chance to hold the seat.

Counties Protest Possible Cuts
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/
A dozen county leaders from across Maryland convened in Annapolis yesterday to warn against the consequences of cutting education funding and other local aid as a solution to the state's projected $1.7 billion budget shortfall.
Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said this week that counties could take a big hit if lawmakers do not pass his revenue package in a special session that starts Monday. So m e legislators have argued that counties should be part of the solution, given state aid to local government has swelled in recent years to about 40 percent of Maryland's general fund.
Raises for most county employees have outpaced those of state workers in recent years, and most counties have healthier reserves than the state, making them an attractive target for legislators.

Maryland tax hikes could push business to Delaware
Special session to decide on proposals to increase corporate burden
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071026/NEWS01/710260303
As legislators prepare to negotiate more than a dozen tax changes during a General Assembly Special Session on Monday, Lower Shore business owners anxiously wait to learn if they're going to be impacted and how much. Increasing ta x rates are never a popular topic, but parts of O'Malley's plan could make doing business in Maryland much harder, said Brad Bellacicco, executive director of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Because we're located this close to Delaware with no sales tax, a sales tax increase is especially scary to our members," Bellacicco said. "Several of the proposals do end up shifting a lot of the tax load onto the businesses and a study indicated that businesses statewide could lose jobs." What could alter the local economy the most in Ed Rommel's eyes is not only a bump in the sales tax rate, but the expansion of sales taxes into the service industry such as accounting firms like Twilley, Rommel & Stephens P.A., where he serves as a managing partner. The proximity to Delaware makes him curious about moving operations six miles north on Route 13 to just over the state line in Delmar.
"It appears as if the services which h a ve the least amount of representation in the legislature have been targeted for this tax, as opposed to a more broad based tax that would include all professional services, medical, legal or what have you," Rommel said, adding that Maryland is developing a bad corporate reputation. "I was at a national seminar last week and I heard that Maryland has a reputation for being anti-business. The state of Maryland doesn't perceive it that way, but that's what the business community perceives."These taxes could also make a large dent into the bottom lines of small businesses, and since that's the heart of the Wicomico County economy, the long-term effects could be suffocating.

Md. Jockey Club plans rally for slots
Live racing canceled on Nov. 2 to allow supporters of industry to rally in Annapolis
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-racing1026,0,136.storyThe Maryland Jockey Club has canceled live racing on Nov. 2 to allow employees, horsemen and racing fans to rally in Annapolis in support of bringing slot machines to Maryland, the club announced today.
The General Assembly is scheduled to hold hearings at 11 a.m. that day on various proposals to bring slot machines to the state as part of a special session that begins Monday. The rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. in front of the State House.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Rally for no new taxes
http://www.examiner.com/a-1011220~Rally_for_no_new_taxes.html
Go. Just do it. Head to the anti-tax rally in Annapolis on Monday and let our legislators know raising taxes is not the answer to fixing the state's projected $1.7 billion budget deficit. Gov. Martin O'Malley's doom-and-gloom projections for how cutting the state budget will affect government services are a scare tactic, not reality.
Go to SmartGov.net to download the schedule of events, which start at noon at Lawyers Mall and end at the State House Gallery following the opening ceremony of the special session.
As Mark Twain said, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." Tell legislators to spend the special session cutting waste. It's premature to even contemplate taxes without first eliminating fat from current operations - and having a budget to analyze.

Governor should stop scare tactics
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/10/26/news/opinion/editorial/editorial843.txt
Gov. Martin O'Malley should listen to his own Comptroller instead of trying to scare people into going along with his budget proposals. The Governor on Tuesday ran through a laundry list of ways that residents would suffer if they didn't get behind his proposals. The list included everything from closing two police barracks to cuts in health care for the poor. The doomsday ploy isn't a new tactic.
Even here in Carroll under past administrations we have seen similar tactics. O'Malley needs to listen to his own Comptroller, Peter Franchot, who criticized O'Malley's proposals and the way the Governor was rolling them out. The picture isn't as bleak as the Governor is painting, and Franchot says a more deliberative process of moving addressing issues and resolving the budget problems would be better.We need to take a long hard look at state spending, which is usually done during the legislative session, and we need to look at revenues and expenses together in order to find the best ways to move forward.
O'Malley shouldn't try to bypass the process to push through tax increases, and he shouldn't use scare tactics to try and gain support for his plan.

Odd man out
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.heritage26oct26,0,1415668.story
At first, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett loved the idea of a collective marketing campaign to promote the scores of sites along a four-state corridor from Gettysburg, Pa., to Charlottesville, Va., that bear witness to some of American history's most momentous events.
But when the $15 million proposal got wrapped into a larger measure creating such heritage areas around the nation - and Mr. Bartlett learned that "Virginia-based" environmentalists and wealthy landowners were a driving f orce behind the one for this region - the Western Maryland Republican cried foul. He railed to his House colleagues Wednesday about a "big-government, big-spending philosophy" that threatened local property rights.
Mr. Bartlett should have trusted his initial instincts instead of playing to the inside-the-beltway anti-government crowd.

Tackling the mortgage crisis
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.subprime26oct26,0,2122791.story
A state task force reviewing the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis in Maryland has come up with reasonable proposals that would tighten lending practices and help deter the loss of homes to foreclosure here. But relief won't be swift.
Their recommendations require action by the General Assembly, which won't take up the proposals until it next meets in regular session in January. Foreclosures related to subprime mortgages have an impact on more than lenders and homeowners. They result in lost revenue for governments and diminished property values for communities. It's in Maryland's interest to try to soften the blow.

Gilchrest menhaden proposal worth consideration
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_25-21/OPN
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest is second to none in the state congressional delegation when it comes to putting thought into environmental issues - particularly the health of the Chesapeake Bay. And his proposal for a five-year ban on the harvesting of menhaden deserves serious attention. The ban could easily do much more for the bay's rockfish population than President Bush's suggestion, on a visit to St. Michael's last week, that rockfish - or st r iped bass - be designated a gamefish, and that commercial harvesting cease. Mr. Gilchrest was there, and we hope he got a chance to talk to the president about menhaden. They are not a glamorous fish, being small, bony, oily and inedible to humans. But they are phytoplankton eaters, nourishing themselves by cleaning up the excess algae and plant material clouding the bay. And they are themselves a favorite food of rockfish and bluefish.
Of course, the jobs that would be lost if Omega's Chesapeake Bay operation shuts down are mostly in Virginia, not Mr. Gilchrest's district in Maryland. But saving the menhaden population is not a high-profile issue - just an important one. Mr. Gilchrest deserves credit for paying attention to it, and his legislation deserves consideration.