Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Gov Hogan Larry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gov Hogan Larry. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Md. Gov. Larry Hogan attends this year’s annual Maryland State Firemen’s Association Convention


Longstanding Westminster Fire Co. member Fred Plunkert helps welcome Md. Gov. Larry Hogan to this year's annual Maryland State Firemen's Association Convention Mon. morning, 18June2018. Gov. Hogan has been a great supporter of first responders in Maryland and it was good to see him at the convention.

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Baltimore Sun: Gov. Larry Hogan, Annapolis leaders praise new Baltimore mayor

Baltimore Sun: Gov. Larry Hogan, Annapolis leaders praise new Baltimore mayor http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-hogan-pugh-inauguration-20161206-story.html Article by Erin Cox Wednesday, December 7, 2016

This is a great turn of events. We all benefit and move the ball forward when we set aside partisan politics and work together. Mayor Pugh is where she is today because she works hard, does her homework, is nice to people and does not play partisan politics. She has depth and integrity, knows the issues, and how to put folks together to solve problems.

I actually had expected great things from Mayor Catherine Pugh’s predecessor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. I had worked with her dad, "Pete" Rawlings, in Annapolis on a number of municipal issues and I really enjoyed working with him. Sadly, I was disappointed with SRB’s tenure in office. I sincerely hope she takes advantage of her time in the desert to reflect upon how she may come back, and serve again by building upon her strengths and addressing the lessons learn. Only time will tell. 

For a great article on Mayor Rawlings-Blake, read Barry Rascovar’s story, “The Disappointing Mayoralty of Stephanie Rawlings-Blake: http://politicalmaryland.com/2016/12/05/the-disappointing-mayoralty-of-stephanie-rawlings-blake/ - KED

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Meanwhile, according to Erin Cox:

"Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday delivered an emphatic endorsement of Baltimore's new Democratic Mayor Catherine Pugh, praising her relentless energy and saying the pair 'have a shared purpose and share a commitment' to improve the city.

'This morning, I am incredibly hopeful about the future,' Hogan said during brief remarks at her inauguration ceremony. 'Mayor Pugh and I have a shared vision for Baltimore.' [...]

Hogan called Pugh's inauguration a 'very important day for Baltimore' and suggested her administration would better weather problems that beleaguer the city. He said they both want to eliminate disparities, raze dilapidated houses and invigorate the city's economy.

'Baltimore has endured through some difficult times,' he said. 'But it is when the challenges are greatest that effective leadership is needed the most.'

From the stage, Pugh reciprocated Hogan's promise to work together, turning from the crowd to directly address just him minutes after taking the oath of office...

The exchange, plus the bi-partisan spread of elected officials sharing a stage at the War Memorial ceremony, highlighted the incoming mayor's pragmatism and relationships cemented over two decades in public office."


*****

Monday, July 13, 2015

Mass transit in Baltimore is part of the problem


Mass transit in Baltimore is part of the problem

Kevin E. Dayhoff July 12, 2015

I am a staunch supporter of public transportation, but Mr. Kelly (Jacques Kelly: Baltimore is not a public transportation town, July 10, 2015 Baltimore Sun,) is so right:

"Right off, I'll say that Gov. Larry Hogan's refusal to back the Red Line plan does not shock me. I thought it was expensive and grandiose, involving the construction of deep tunnels and too much infrastructure. I am sorry that neighborhood leaders feel shortchanged, but it was a good idea that over the years went haywire as it grew more complex. Baltimore is a place where it is best not to apply logic or expect much when it comes to public transit..."  [J Kelly: “Baltimore is not a public transportation town:” http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-kelly-column-bus-20150710-column.html]

I have good memories of the trolleys... But I have been all over the world and I have never seen public transportation run worse than the manner in which it is run in Baltimore - and Maryland.

It goes from nowhere to nowhere and the customer service is horrid - you would think it was run by Comcast or Verizon. No wonder it does not enjoy popular support.

++++++++++++++++++++

To which a reader on Facebook asked a fair question, “So what is a reasonable solution for people in the city who cannot afford a car to get work, hospitals, etc.?”

I am not sure that I know the answer, but I am sure that Facebook is ill-equipped to answer this question in depth.

Eventually many folks who do not like Md. Gov. Larry Hogan will rail about the governor’s decision to stop the politically-created boondoggle, the red line; no matter how the metrics and the merits of the decision indicate that the transit line was ill-conceived from the very beginning. Come a little closer…. The whispers in the hallways of Annapolis are that the red line was essentially conceived as a political bone to throw to the folks who bristled at the idea of the mismanaged but nevertheless widely used and poplar DC metro, getting money for the purple line.

Essentially, the current management of mass transit in the Baltimore area does not meet the needs of Baltimore's workforce and has long-since become part of the problem. Again, be sure to read Mr. Kelly’s article: Jacques Kelly: Baltimore is not a public transportation town, July 10, 2015 Baltimore Sun - http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-kelly-column-bus-20150710-column.html.

Employment and economic opportunities do not widely take into consideration locating in Baltimore, in part, because the transportation system put in place to move employees from where they live to where the jobs are located, does not work. Thus perpetuating an endless vicious cycle.

The previous administration in Annapolis recognized that the Potemkin red line was poorly conceived and kept kicking the can down the road because it recognized the political fallout of stopping the project.

There is a solid reason why the purple line was given the go-ahead and the red line was stopped. The purple line makes sense - if some of the extravagant costs can be contained.

The red line was an imaginary illusionary creature of politics from the very beginning. The purple line was a manifestation of a recognized need that will derive a well-utilized return.

The red line looks great on paper and the rhetoric is utopian and wonderful. In the end, it would not have worked or solved any transportation problems. The red line would have robbed precious taxpayer resources and literally thrown money down a very deep tunnel that went from nowhere to nowhere.

The construction of the project alone would have irreparably damaged the local economy, it was supposed to better, beyond recovery and put countless businesses out of business and put many folks out of work.

The previous administration knew full-well that the red line and mass transit lacked popular support because mass transit in Baltimore and Maryland is so poorly run. It lacks critical popular support - except for political astroturfing.

The more the project was studied in order to avoid stopping it, the more convoluted and complicated - and extraordinarily expensive it became. In the end, no matter the cost, the red line would have served very-very few folks at an untenable cost - that would throttled any other future consideration for re-organizing and revitalizing mass transit for many-many years.

If the red line had been appropriately priced, it might have served well as another spoke in the mass transit wheel. But it was never the silver bullet it has been made out to be in the current rhetoric. Perhaps as a light rail – like the old successful trolley lines? Might have been worth the cost? Maybe?

In the big picture, the red line would have served very little of the folks in the city that "cannot afford a car to get to work, hospitals, etc."

Of course the irony is that the escalating costs of owning a car in Maryland, to help pay for a transit system that does not work, only became part of the problem...

And the red line would have certainly not done a darn thing to help alleviate traffic on the beltway - which, of course, is another manifestation of a failed transit system.

This is not going to get figured-out at our pay grade. It is at times like this that we sorely miss Md. Del. Pete Rawlings… I have a great deal of respect for Congressman Elijah Cummings. I disagree with him on the red line… But wholeheartedly agree with his quote about Del. Rawlings, “A politician worries about the next election. A true statesman worries about the next generation, and children yet unborn, and that was Pete Rawlings." -Congressman Elijah Cummings.

I have close friends, whose opinions that I really respect who very much disagree with me and I respect their thoughtful approach. However too many folks in the know, are well aware that the cost of another much-underutilized Potemkin transit line would bode well in a populist campaign for re-election, but set back transportation in Maryland decades - no matter how high you raised taxes to pay for a line very few folks will use.


The reasonable solution is to be a wise steward of finite resources so that they may be spent in a manner that gets the most folks and workers from point-a, to point-b. Look that up in the dictionary and you will not see a picture of the red line. And this analysis come from someone who is a staunch unrepentant supporter of mass transit and has the scars to prove it. Just saying. We now return to our regularly scheduled program of cat videos and cute pictures of dogs and children. 
*****

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Memo to Md Gov. Larry Hogan: Always understand the context in which you serve.


The newly-elected Md. Gov. Larry Hogan, is a likeable-enough guy; but now is the time to stop campaigning and start governing.


Kevin E. Dayhoff, February 9, 2015

Apparently, the Baltimore Sun sees it as many do; now is the time for Gov. Hogan to govern. Gov. Larry Hogan’s State of the State address February 4, 2015 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2015/02/maryland-gov-larry-hogans-state-of.html was a page from the playbook of President Barrack Obama that has failed so miserably.

That is, know when it is the time to be a statesperson and govern and when to stop campaigning.

Now President Obama cannot help himself. He suffers from a destructive narcissistic personality disorder.

But the newly elected Republican governor of Maryland ought to have known better.

As much as many in his base agreed with every comment uttered in the state of the state address, it was mistake to say it. We get it. And it was an unnecessary exposure to say it.

To say much of what he said in the hallowed halls of Md. State Senate President Mike Miller and Md Speaker of the House Mike Busch is tantamount to the old adage, don’t tug on superman’s cape, and don’t spit in the wind….

Now is the time to move-on to the business of governance in the Maryland General Assembly, a government whose feudal middle-ages roots were laid before the birth of the modern Westphalian State in 1648 - a medieval byzantine environment that is ruled by feudal lords of the manor that are inherently hostile to dissent and have no concept of accountability or being held responsible for their behavior.

The governor should take a memo; now is the time to stop preaching to the choir and reach out into the Maryland General Assembly audience and start winning folks over. In this business one accumulates enemies, do not go out of your way to make any.

All the state of the state did was feed red meat to the liberal lions of the Maryland General Assembly and they reacted predictably. It was the mistake of someone who had never held elected office before. It was the sophomoric mistake of a rookie and candidly, the governor is surrounded by enough veterans that the mistake ought to have been avoided.

That said, it is often been stated that the reaction to a problem is often as critical as to the problem itself. Fortunately the governor is a likable-enough guy who roots in real estate transactions have taught him that it is better to be loved than feared.

The Senate President on the other hand, is so powerful – arguably one of the most powerful elected officials in the entire nation - - that he does not care whether or not you like him. He is simply to be feared.

In this case the reaction by the Senate President Mike Miller was the mistake of someone so arrogant as to believe that he so powerful that the rules do not apply - that he would not be held responsible for his actions or behavior. President Miller’s behavior was a manifestation of how dare this conservative Republican upstart tread into my pond and row around spewing such blasphemy.

It brings to mind another rule: Always understand the context in which you serve.

Candidly, if the shoe were on the other foot, and a liberal had rowed into a conservative stronghold and thumbed their nose at the powers-that-be; conservatives probably would not have reacted any better. We hope they would have, but maybe not.

In this case, the case of the Senate President; the reaction was so over-the-top and cringe worthy that even the Baltimore Sun cringed.

Read the first two paragraphs of the Sunpapers’ response here and be sure to go to http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-hogan-miller-20150209-story.html and read the rest. It is well worth the time.

Baltimore Sun Editorial: Miller overreacts, Hogan benefits February 9, 2015


We doubt Gov. Larry Hogan intended to make Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's head explode with his State of the State speech last week, but it might wind up working out for him politically, if not for the people of the state substantively. The governor's address was heavy on recycled bromides from his stump speech and not equal to the occasion, but it looks downright statesmanlike in comparison to the ensuing petulant overreaction from the Senate president and his loyal lieutenants. Nonetheless, it may have given Democrats an excuse to kill legislation they didn't like anyway.

On Friday, the Senate delayed confirmation votes for the first five of Mr. Hogan's cabinet secretary nominees to come before it, and senators were not at all subtle about the connection between that decision and the State of the State speech. The contrast with Mr. Miller's attitude on the opening day of the legislative session, when he predicted before even holding any hearings that all of Mr. Hogan's nominees would be confirmed, is not flattering. It suggests that the Senate's role to advise and consent is a function of the Senate president's mood and not the quality of the nominees… http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-hogan-miller-20150209-story.html

Also be sure to read: Miller’s joke with one appointee could prove prophetic By: Bryan P. Sears Daily Record Business Writer  February 9, 2015 http://thedailyrecord.com/2015/02/09/millers-joke-with-one-appointee-could-prove-prophetic/
*****

Friday, February 06, 2015

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s State of the State address

Text of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s State of the State address courtesy of the Washington Post February 4, 2015

February 4, 2015

The following is the prepared text of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s first State of the State address, delivered to a joint session of the Maryland General Assembly on Feb. 4, 2015 Courtesy of the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/text-of-maryland-gov-larry-hogans-state-of-the-state-address/2015/02/04/dfc4d03c-ac8e-11e4-abe8-e1ef60ca26de_story.html?wprss=rss_local

Speaker Busch, President Miller, members of the General Assembly, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is an honor, and I am truly humbled, for the opportunity to appear before this 435th General Assembly - as Maryland’s new governor - to report on the state of our state.

Marylanders are among the nation’s hardest working and most educated people. We have universities and schools that are among the best in the nation.

No state can match the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay, our beaches and farms, or the mountains of Western Maryland, the Port of Baltimore, or the historic charm of every corner of our state.

But while our assets are many, and our people are strong and hopeful, their state is simply not as strong as it could be - or as it should be.

We have a lot to do, to get Maryland back on track and working again.

The challenges we face are great.

High taxes, over-regulation, and an anti-business attitude are clearly the cause of our economic problems. Our economy is floundering, and too many Marylanders have been struggling, just to get by.

40 consecutive tax hikes have taken an additional $10 billion out of the pockets of struggling Maryland families and small businesses. We’ve lost more than 8,000 businesses, and Maryland’s unemployment nearly doubled.

We’re number three in the nation in foreclosures, and dead last in manufacturing. We’ve had the largest mass exodus of taxpayers fleeing our state - of any state in our region, and one of the worst in the nation.

And, while most states around the country have turned the corner - sadly, Maryland continues to languish behind. The federal government ranked our state’s economy 49th out of 50 states.

That is simply unacceptable.

According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly half of all Marylanders would leave the state if they could. As a lifelong Marylander who loves this state - that just breaks my heart.

We fail all Marylanders if we simply accept these dismal facts as the status quo.

Well - I refuse to accept the status quo, because the people of Maryland deserve better.

Over the past few years, as I traveled across the state, I listened to the concerns of Marylanders from all walks of life. The common theme I kept hearing was frustration. People everywhere feel a real disconnect between Annapolis and the rest of Maryland. They feel that we are way off track, heading in the wrong direction, and that change is desperately needed in Annapolis.

The problems we face aren’t Democratic problems, or Republican problems. These are Maryland’s problems.

And they will require common sense, Maryland solutions. With the will of the people behind us, and with all of us working together, we can put Maryland back on track.

And we will.

Today, Marylanders look to us for leadership. They look to us to put Maryland on a new path, toward opportunity and prosperity for all our citizens.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for us to listen to Maryland’s hard working taxpayers and our job creators.

The people of Maryland simply cannot afford for us to continue on the same path of more spending, more borrowing, more taxes, and politics as usual.

It is time for a new direction for Maryland.

Our administration will chart a new course; one guided by simple, common sense principles. Our focus will be on jobs, struggling Maryland families, and restoring our economy.

And every decision I make as governor will be put to a simple test.

Will this law or action make it easier for families and small businesses to stay in Maryland?

And - will it make more families and small businesses want to come to Maryland?

Our administration will work with all of you to enact the necessary budgets, tax reductions, regulatory reforms, and legislation that is necessary, to ensure that we turn our economy around.

Just 24 hours after being sworn into office, I proposed a budget for Fiscal Year 2016 that fairly and responsibly controls spending.

When my team began the budgeting process, we encountered a baseline budget of $17 billion in expenses and projected revenue of only $16.3 billion. The state was poised to somehow spend $700 million that we simply did not have.

Mandatory payments on state debt had increased by 96 percent just this year. We face an $18.7 billion unfunded pension liability.

Faced with this troubling reality, we revised that script - delivering a fiscally responsible budget that only expends what we take in. This is just common sense. And will come as no surprise to anyone that manages a family’s finances, or runs a small business.

Our team created a structurally balanced budget for the first time in nearly a decade. This budget sends a clear and important message that the days of deficit spending in Maryland are over.

We had to make some very tough decisions in just the first few days of our administration in order to get this state budget under control. But our budget puts Maryland on sound financial footing, without raising taxes or fees, without eliminating agencies, departments, or services, without imposing furloughs and without laying off a single state employee.

Our new budget also funds our priorities, including providing record investment in K-12 education and increased investment in higher education.

This proposed FY2016 budget is just a start. We will have much more to do in the days and months ahead to correct our state’s fiscal course. I am eager to work cooperatively with the General Assembly to meet these challenges head on.

Before I became governor, increases in spending were promised that simply could not be kept. If ever Maryland needed a dose of honesty, it’s now.

The debates that take place in this chamber in the weeks ahead cannot ignore the certainty of our current fiscal situation. We will make every effort to be fair, judicious and thoughtful, and my administration will work hard to preserve jobs and to fund priorities.

Budget choices are never easy, and you may have different ideas and solutions. And we look forward to hearing them, and to working together with you to find common ground.

As long as those solutions don’t include increasing taxes, spending more than we take in, or going further into debt.

And remember, every penny that is added to one program, must be taken from another.

Failing to spend the taxpayer’s money in a responsible way could eventually jeopardize our ability to adequately fund education, transportation, environmental programs, and provide support to the vulnerable and those most in need.

We simply cannot let that happen.

So, how do we begin to change direction, and to improve the state that we all love?

It wont happen overnight, and there will be times and issues that will test us all, but there are a number of initial actions that I believe we must begin working on immediately.

1. Making Maryland More Competitive

Maryland’s anti-business attitude, combined with our onerous tax and regulatory policies have rendered our state unable to compete with any of the states in our region. It’s the reason that businesses, jobs and taxpayers have been fleeing our state at an alarming rate.

It’s at the heart of the fiscal and economic issues we are currently dealing with, and it is something we must find solutions to.

A year ago, I held my second annual Change Maryland Business Summit on Improving Maryland’s Economic Competitiveness.

We became the leading voice on these issues - it’s the reason I have the honor of being your governor, and it will be the primary focus of our administration.

I want to commend Senate President Miller and Speaker Busch for recognizing the need to make Maryland more economically competitive.

A year ago, at their urging, this legislature created the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, also known as the Augustine Commission, to make recommendations to make Maryland competitive. It was a great first step, and we are anxiously awaiting the recommendations of this commission.

But, I am confident that we will find many areas of agreement to make Maryland a more business friendly and more competitive state, so that we can create more jobs and more opportunities for our citizens.

2. Making State Government More Efficient And More Responsive

I’m proud of the experienced, diverse and bipartisan Cabinet that we have assembled to take over the reigns of state government.

Many of them bring fresh, innovative ideas and valuable real world, private-sector management expertise to their agencies. Their primary mission will be to find ways to restructure their agencies and to make state government more efficient, and more cost effective.

But, we also want to change the culture of state government.

The voters have given us an opportunity to build a government that works for the people - and not the other way around.

Comptroller Franchot noted at his swearing-in last week that we must reinstate old-fashioned customer service to every aspect of government.

I completely agree - and together we will.

3. Repealing The Rain Tax

Dealing with the problem of storm water management and working to restore our most treasured asset, the Chesapeake Bay, is a goal we all strongly agree on.

But in my humble opinion, passing a state law that forced certain counties to raise taxes on their citizens - against their will - may not have been the best way to address the issue.

If there was one message that Marylanders have made perfectly clear it was that taxing struggling and already overtaxed Marylanders for the rain that falls on the roof of their homes was a mistake that needs to be corrected.

This week, our administration will submit legislation to repeal the rain tax.

4. Tax Relief For Retirees

Nearly every day I hear from folks who say that they love the state of Maryland, that they have spent their entire lives here, and that they don’t want to leave their kids and grandkids. But, that they simply cannot afford to stay here on a fixed income.

We are losing many of our best and brightest citizens to other states.

Eventually, once we solve our current budget crisis, and turn our economy around, I want to reach the point where we are able to do away with income taxes on all retirement income, just as many other states have done.

This week, we will start heading toward that goal by submitting legislation that repeals income taxes on pensions for retired military, police, fire, and first responders.

These brave men and women have put their lives on the line for us - they deserve it - and they have earned these tax breaks.

5. Tax Relief For Small businesses

I have spent most of my life in the private sector, running a small business in a state that, at times, seemed openly hostile to people like me.

There is much more for us to do, but as a first step, I’m proposing cutting personal property taxes for small businesses.

This burdensome tax and bureaucratic paperwork discourages the creation of new business, and drives small businesses and jobs elsewhere.

This legislation would create a tax exemption on the first $10,000 in personal property, entirely eliminating this tax for more than 70,000 small business owners -- or one-half of all Maryland’s businesses.

6. Repealing Automatic Gas Tax Increases

After syphoning a billion dollars from the Transportation Trust Fund, a decision was made to enact the largest gas tax increase in state history. This legislation also included language that would automatically increase taxes every single year without it ever having a coming up for a vote.

Marylanders deserve the transparency to know how their elected leaders vote every time the state takes a bigger share of their hard-earned dollars. This is a regressive tax that hurts struggling Maryland families and our most vulnerable, and which adds to the cost of almost everything.

These automatic tax increases should be repealed, and we will submit legislation to do so.

7. Improving Transportation

Over the last several years, monies for local road improvements have been slashed by up to 96 percent.

Our administration is committed to restoring the money that was taken from the transportation trust fund, and to making sure that it never happens again.

Today I am pleased to announce a supplemental to our FY2016 budget that will increase Highway User Revenues by $25 million and give counties and municipalities the most money for road improvements that they have received since FY 2009.

Further, we are committed to increasing the local share of Highway User Revenues from 10% today to its original high point of 30% over the next 8 years.

This initial tax relief package is just a starting point in the process of rebuilding our state’s economy, and of course tax relief is only part of the solution. We have other important initiatives as well.

8. Improving Education For All Maryland children

Education is our top priority.

In our proposed budget, we spend more money on education than ever before. We fund K-12 education at record levels and have committed over $290 million to school construction.

And this is the first time in history that any administration has provided additional supplemental funding for education through GCEI in their first year.

We have some great schools here in Maryland, but the gap between the best and the worst schools is dramatic.

I believe that every child in Maryland deserves a world-class education, regardless of what neighborhood they grow up in. We must fix our under-performing schools while also giving parents and children realistic and better alternatives.

So, let’s expand families choices. Let’s encourage more public charter schools to open and operate in Maryland.

This month, our administration will submit legislation to strengthen Maryland’s charter school law. This legislation will expand choices for families and make it easier for more public charter schools to operate in Maryland.

Our administration will also push for the enactment of the “Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers” legislation, also known as “BOAST.”

It provides tax credits to those who make voluntary contributions to private or parochial schools, and it will help free up more money and resources for our students in public schools.

This legislation has been debated in these chambers for more than a decade. The Senate has already voted to support it. We need to work to convince our colleagues in the House that it is the right thing to do.

9. Protecting The Environment

A healthy Bay is key to a strong economy and high quality of life – for all Marylanders. It will be a top priority of our administration.

Even after spending $15 billion in Maryland tax dollars, the health of our Chesapeake Bay has declined. Maryland just received a D+ on a recent report card.

This is just the latest indicator that our current strategy for protecting and restoring our greatest natural asset is failing. Our administration intends to reverse that trend.

It’s time for a new approach. We can, and we must do better.

We all agree on the problem: there’s too much phosphorous, nitrogen, and sediment entering our bay. We must take action to prevent as much of this pollution as possible from entering the bay.

However - restoration of our bay must not fall on one group disproportionately. Placing unreasonable burdens upon Maryland’s farmers will serve only to devastate more rural communities.

We will work with the agricultural and environmental communities to find fair and balanced solutions for limiting phosphorus. In addition, we will take a comprehensive approach to restoring our bay by addressing the long-ignored impact of upstream polluters, and the sediment spilling over the Conowingo Dam.

We will work with all stakeholders to come up with fresh, innovative solutions to protect and restore our greatest natural asset.

10. Tackling Maryland’s Heroin Epidemic

As I travel throughout our state, I hear the devastating stories from our families and friends who hurt from the devastation heroin has wreaked on our communities.

Throughout Maryland, from our smallest town to our biggest city, it has become an epidemic, and it is destroying lives. I have tasked Lt. Governor Rutherford with bringing together all of the stakeholders in order to come up with a plan to tackle this emergency.

Later this month, we will execute an executive order to address this heroin epidemic.

11. Campaign Finance And Election Reform

The strength of our democracy rests on a balanced, honest and open political process that challenges convention and encourages progress.

The Fair Campaign Financing Act for gubernatorial elections provides this balance and opens discord. It levels the playing field and holds our elected leaders accountable.

And while many said we would never elect a governor because of the low spending limits mandated in our public finance laws, I stand before you today as proof that the system does work.

We must replenish this fund as soon as possible and make it available for future candidates. Therefore, we will submit legislation to reinstate the voluntary check-off which allows a taxpayer to make a donation to go towards the public campaign financing system each year.

Finally, we need to address redistricting reform.

We have some of the most gerrymandered districts in the country - this is not a distinction that we should be proud of.

Gerrymandering is a form of political gamesmanship that stifles real political debate and deprives citizens of meaningful choices. Fair and competitive elections - and having checks and balances - make for a more vibrant and responsive citizen republic.

To advance this discussion, I will execute an executive order that creates a bipartisan commission to examine Maryland’s redistricting process with the goal of fully reforming this process and giving this authority to an independent, bipartisan commission.

Though this is an ambitious agenda, I believe that these actions will begin to put Maryland on a new path, one that leads to a new era of opportunity, and prosperity for all our citizens.

Though our visions may differ, our goals are the same: a better, stronger, cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous Maryland. We can’t accomplish these goals alone. We need your help, your ideas, and your support.

And while I’m sure we will disagree on a few points in the coming weeks, I am prepared to create an environment of trust and cooperation, one in which the best ideas rise to the top based upon their merit, regardless of which side of the political debate they come from.

So let us commit ourselves to that goal: to live up to our potential, to work together to solve the big problems with cooperation and good faith, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

Let us renew our sense of optimism, and make Maryland a place of unlimited promise. Together, let’s change Maryland for the better.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the great state of Maryland.

####


*****

Monday, February 02, 2015

Delegates Andrew Serafini and Delegate Justin Ready have been picked to fill vacated seats in Maryland

Delegates Andrew Serafini and Delegate Justin Ready have been picked to fill vacated seats in Maryland

State Senate GOP Welcomes New Senators Serafini and Ready

Two sitting delegates sworn in to replace departing Hogan appointees Shank and Getty


In a statement released on Facebook by Delegate – now-Senator Justin Ready, “Today, Gov. Larry Hogan appointed me to fill the District 5 Senate seat vacated by Sen. Getty. I'll be sworn in in the Senate chamber at 7:00. What an amazing, humbling honor to be able to serve Carroll County in this new capacity. I'll have more on this later but wanted to thank everyone who has supported me in the past. I'm excited to keep working to make Maryland family, retiree, and business friendly again.”

According to the Senate Minority Office, Delegates Andrew Serafini and Delegate Justin Ready have been picked to fill seats vacated by Hogan/Rutherford administration appointments:

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 2, 2015) – In front of friends, family, and colleagues on the floor of the Senate chamber this evening, Delegate Andrew Serafini (R – Washington County) and Delegate Justin Ready (R – Carroll County) were sworn in to fill the Senate seats left vacant by the departure of former Senators Chris Shank and Joe Getty for the Hogan/Rutherford administration.

Senate Minority Leader J.B. Jennings (R – Harford and Baltimore Counties) lauded the appointments of the two new Senators, saying, “If there’s a legislator out there right now with a better understanding of the budget process than Delegate Serafini, I haven’t met them.  He has spent the better part of two terms as one of the chief fiscal minds for the House Republicans, so I think all of us here in the Senate—Republicans and Democrats alike—are eager to see what he can accomplish on this side of the street.”

Senate Minority Whip Steve Hershey (R – Upper Shore) added, “Delegate Ready has in just one term made a name for himself as one of the most ardent advocates for conservative causes in the House of Delegates.  I know that he will thrive as a Senator and that he will represent the people and interests of Carroll County well over the next four years.  I look forward to working with both Senators Ready and Serafini as we strive to change Maryland for the better.”

Delegate Andrew Serafini was appointed to the House of Delegates by Governor Martin O’Malley in 2008 and has served on the House Ways and Means Committee since 2011.  He has run his own financial services company out of Hagerstown since 1990.


Delegate Justin Ready was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2010 and has served on the House Health and Government Operations Committee since 2011.  He previously spent two years as the executive director of the Maryland Republican Party and owns a small advertising, marketing, and printing firm.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Barry Rascovar January 21, 2015 Future looks bright for short-term delegate Cavey

Barry Rascovar January 21, 2015 Future looks bright for short-term delegate Cavey


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Columnist Barry Rascovar discusses Chris Cavey who recently “Cavey served as a Baltimore County delegate for just 16 days. Clearly, some explanation is in order…”

I have worked with Del. Cavey for many years and I have appreciated every moment of it. Del. Cavey is thoughtful, very bright, insightful, a strategic thinker and always seems to easily understand the context in we serve and see the bigger picture. 

In an era when it is not good enough to be the best, Del. Cavey is nice.

And yes, many of us are looking forward to Cavey now “participating in the administrative side of things in Annapolis during Hogan's term as governor…”

At a time when reaching across the aisle and playing nice in order to move the ball forward; Del. Cavey is perfect for leadership in the Hogan administration in Annapolis.

Del. Cavey knows Maryland government and remembers when members of Maryland General Assembly may have disagreed upon various issues; but they always worked together harmoniously for the greater good of Maryland. Remember the name Cavey – it rhymes with civility.

WE are looking forward to many great things from Del. Cavey.

Please enjoy Mr. Rascovar’s column…

Kevin E. Dayhoff - January 27, 2015

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When the Maryland General Assembly kicked off its 90-day session a week ago, two members of the House of Delegates from Baltimore County were missing.

One of them is a familiar name to people living in rural parts of the county — Del. Wade Kach, a fixture in the Maryland State House for four decades. The retired teacher just kept getting reelected.

The other missing delegate is not nearly as familiar — Chris Cavey.

Cavey served as a Baltimore County delegate for just 16 days. Clearly, some explanation is in order.


[…]

Kach did the smart thing and ran for Baltimore County Council instead.

His name recognition and reputation as a diligent, moderate conservative helped him defeat one-term incumbent GOP Councilman Todd Huff of Lutherville.

Kach then won easily in November with 68 percent of the vote.

He was sworn in as a councilman in early December, leaving a void in the county's legislative delegation. By law, the Republican Central Committee for the county gets to appoint a replacement, with the governor's consent.
Enter, Chris Cavey.

The former insurance agent has been a longtime field worker for Republican candidates. He served as chair of the Baltimore County Republican Party for seven years and as first vice-chair of the state Republican Party for 7 1/2 years.


[…]

Hogan and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford attended Cavey's swearing-in ceremony in the House chambers. The interim delegate's grandchildren held the Bible as he took the oath of office.


Now that Chris Cavey's name has been entered in the legislative record book, he can turn to his next assignment — participating in the administrative side of things in Annapolis during Hogan's term as governor…

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Monday, January 26, 2015

Maryland Delegate Susan Krebs R - Carroll County:he Hogan/Rutherford Era Begins!

Md Delegate Susan Krebs R - Carroll County:he Hogan/Rutherford Era Begins! 




The Hogan/Rutherford Era Begins!

 
Dear Friend,

After a week filled with briefings concerning the rise in Medicaid costs and the status of health insurance in Maryland, the activity in the General Assembly will now ramp up into high gear following the historic inauguration of Maryland's 62nd Governor, Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor, Boyd K. Rutherford.

 

My husband, Mark, joined me for the snowy Inauguration ceremonies on Wednesday and for the Gala that evening.

  

The Inauguration had a special significance for Carroll Countians. I was proud to help arrange for Carroll instructor, Lt. Col. Lee Mitchell, and his three daughters, to perform at the Pre-Inauguration Ceremony.

Read the great write up in the Carroll County Times.

   
  
Lt. Col. Mitchell, a former member of the Baltimore Opera, is a world-renown singer and is currently the senior Army Instructor of the JRROTC at Century High School. 
  
He sang a heartwarming rendition of the "God Bless America" and "Impossible Dream," the signature song from the musical "Man of La Mancha." Three of Lt. Col. Mitchell's four daughters, Cierra, 29, Christen, 24, and Chelsea, 14, performed "America the Beautiful."

Having the Mitchell's perform at the Inauguration was one of the true highlights of the day. 

 
Gov. Hogan Presents Budget

In one of his first actions in office, Governor Hogan proposed a common-sense budget that does not raise any taxes or fees. Maryland finally has a Governor who will actually stop spending more than he is taking in in revenue. Our focus will continue to be towards lowering taxes on Maryland's families and ensuring that our business climate is one that will allow our families to get back to work. Our Delegation will be working with Governor Hogan to assure that Carroll County receives its fair share of monies for our schools and infrastructure. You can listen to the budget presentation by clicking on the arrow.

Governor Hogan Announces FY 2016 Budget
Governor Hogan Announces FY 2016 Budget

 
The growth in Medicaid is the single largest pressure on the state budget and there is no end in sight. As a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee, in addition to briefings on the budget and Medicaid, we also heard reports from the Maryland Healthcare Commission on TeleHealth, the Patient Centered Medical Home Pilot Program, a report on MRI study of self-referrals, and a report on Health Insurance Assignment of Benefits & Re-imbursement of Non-Preferred Providers.

  
Delegate Susan Krebs with Governor Larry Hogan 
at Joint Caucus luncheon, January 13, 2015. 


Hogan Administration Seeks Green Bag Appointment

Governor Hogan is seeking candidates for Green Bag Appointments. These positions are civil officers that serve in a variety of capacities across the state, many are Boards and Commissions that may be of interest to you. But it is not enough to be qualified for the position, you must have a passion and want to serve your community. Most of the Boards and Commissions have slots for "Consumer Members" who have no direct relation to the profession it oversees. Give it a try, it may prove to be very interesting.

 
A full listing is available at www.hogantransition.com. Click on "Apply for a Job" and click on the drop-down menu for a full listing.


I am honored to still be serving Carroll County and the state of Maryland as the Delegate from District 5. I am particularly thrilled to have Larry Hogan as our new Governor.

Please feel free to contact me by replying to this e-mail or calling my Annapolis office at 410-841-3200.
Best Regards, 

 


Carroll County | Maryland House of Delegates  

Phone: 410-841-3200 | Fax: 410-841-3349  
6 Bladen Street, Room 405 Lowe House Office Building | Annapolis, MD  21401 
susan.krebs@house.state.md.us | Alicia Luckhardt, Legislative Aide
By Authority:  Friends of Susan Krebs, Kimberly Madeja, Treasurer  
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