In the Maryland Daily Record

In MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., Constellation Energy Group would not only get an owner with access to the vast cash reserves of Berkshire Hathaway Corp., but also one that can be aggressive in pushing its agenda with regulators.

This should set up a true contest of wills.   On the one side, MidAmerican, controlled by investor Warren Buffett, has a history of aggressively spending on electric infrastructure projects, which Maryland sorely needs.  Recent estimates suggest that Maryland will face power blackouts as early as 2011 if more generation or transmission is not developed to meet the increasing demand.

Should MidAmerican use their Iowa model, Maryland could see electricity generated by a mix of coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewable sources.  The Daily Record reports that in Iowa, “55 percent of [MidAmerican's] facilities are fired by coal, 22 percent by natural gas and 10 percent by nuclear power. The remaining 13 percent comes from other sources.”

It would be reasonable to assume that such a model could work in Maryland, which has ready access to coal reserves in western Maryland and West Virginia.

However, this produces a legislative problem for Maryland.  Passage of the Health Air Act in April 2006 requires Maryland coal-fired power plants to install technology to reduce emissions emissions of sulfur dioxides, nitrogen oxides and mercury. It also calls for Maryland to join a regional pact to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 10 percent by 2019.

(more…)

Rep. Wayne Gilchrest has done it again.

Yesterday Gilchrest endorsed Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president in an interview with WYPR, Baltimore’s National Public Radio station.

Earlier this summer, Gilchrest crossed party lines to endorse Democrat Frank Kratovil as his replacement after losing a hotly-contested primary campaign to challenger State Delegate Andy Harris.  This loss forces the veteran Congressman into retirement at the end of this term.

Politico reports

Justifying his endorsement of Obama, Gilchrest said that “we can’t use four more years of the same kind of policy that’s somewhat haphazard, which leads to recklessness.”

After eighteen years of working in Congress, Gilchrest should be intimately familiar with Washington “haphazard” and “reckless” policies.  He would not get off the fence to address the issues of his constituents.  In short, he was part of the problem.

(more…)

From a conservative perspective, the zoning rewrite in Harford County provides residents with considerable upside.

Let’s state the obvious:  With its scenic rural vistas and close proximity to Baltimore, Wilmington and Philadelphia, Harford County proved to be an attractive location for the many families who moved here in the late 80s, taking advantages of the designated growth area and reduced land costs for housing.  With Interstate 95 running through it, it was, and continues to be, an attractive location for businesses looking for ready transport of goods and services to urban population centers.

And with the County currently facing the increased housing, infrastructure and retail pressures associated with the BRAC mandate, officials must determine how to manage the growth efficiently and effectively.

Growth always creates additional business opportunities.  Where there are increased businesses, there are more jobs.  Where there are jobs, there are people.  And with rising consumer uncertainty about fuel costs, more people are choosing to live where they work.  This choice creates demand for housing, schools and additional infrastructure, which in turn create tax revenue at the state and county level.

(more…)

In a series of written exchanges, published by the Baltimore Sun on Saturday, Senate President  Mike Miller and Comptroller Peter Franchot exchanged heated words over the increasing fiscal crisis facing the Maryland legislature.

Trading personal barbs, each accused the other of fiscal mismanagement and blameshifting in what shapes up to be an interesting battle as the State scrounges for revenue in a declining state and national economy.

While both men dance around each other attempting to skirt accountability for the effects of Maryland’s noted tax and spend predilections, those of us on the “sidelines” have the rare privilege of watching the Democrats immolate themselves on the pyre of policies enacted by the Special Assembly earlier this year.

With the increase in the debt ceiling and projected budget deficits that could (and probably will) reach $1 billion dollars, you can bet that the party leadership will be looking for someone to sacrifice himself amid the blaze of public scrutiny.  We just wonder who it will be…?

Apparently my postings on Maryland’s looming fiscal crisis, including failed O’Malley economic policies and graphics depicting Maryland job losses, are getting some attention.  I will be discussing these issues, as well as my experience at the RNC, reaction to Governor Palin and conservative blogging in general.

Tune into the live broadcast tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9 AM on WBAL – 1090 AM!

One good thing about raising the roof is that it provides a good look at what is inside.

The Baltimore Sun reported late Monday that State officials, disregarding the current economic crunch in Maryland, voted to raise the two-decades old the debt limit, allowing borrowing for schools, construction and roads.  Facing weak tax revenues, the O’Malley administration warned that the failing to raise the debt ceiling would require delaying over $800 million in planned construction and other State projects.

In short, despite the dire economic forecast, O’Malley continues to push his spending agenda, making certain that there are adequate monies for his personal project fund.

At least Comptroller Peter Franchot showed some good sense, casting the sole dissenting vote of the five-member Capital Debt Affordability committee.

“I get the need for new capital improvements, but I also think the state and the country are at a particularly perilous moment right now. We have a responsibility to put the brakes on.”

(more…)

The Washington Times reported yesterday that the resignations of 10 board members from the University of Maryland Medical System came after the board selected John P. McDaniel, a former MedStar Health chief executive officer, to serve as chief executive officer of the University of Maryland Medical System over O’Malley’s pick Bob Chrencik.

Apparently with O’Malley as Governor, everything comes with a price.

To disregard his preference will get you fired.

To be appointed to an “independent” board, you have to contribute to the campaign… or subsidize a $500,000 loan.

What is happening here?

“There is a startling trend developing all across Maryland,” James Pelura, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, told the Times in response. “Governor Martin O’Malley has been repeatedly interfering in the affairs of nonpartisan local boards and state boards to extract political vengeance and reward political allies.”

O’Malley’s appetite is out of control.

Since taking office two years ago, Mr. O’Malley has been focused in two areas:  binge spending and political purging. His first, well-documented purging attempt failed to remove state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick.

However, he was successful in removing Alison L. Asti from her job running the Maryland Stadium Authority after an audit showed severe mismanagement of the authority. However, a former authority chairman, Robert L. McKinney, also an Ehrlich appointed, indicated that the problems occurred with the agency prior to Mrs. Asti’s appointment.

Nine of the ten “resignees” reportedly received telephone notice, terminating their board service.

(more…)

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller wants the public to believe that Senator Ulysses S. Currie “made an absent-minded mistake..lobb[ying] the government on behalf of a private entity for personal profit.”

Right.

Whom does he think he is kidding?

The Baltimore Sun reports that the

FBI’s public corruption squad is investigating whether Lanham-based Shoppers Food and Pharmacy paid Currie to use the prestige of his office to secure favorable legislation and action by state agencies.

Currie, chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee, did not disclose his employment with Shoppers in ethics filings with the state as required…and engaged in dozens of meetings and conversations with state officials in an effort to help the grocery chain in its dealings with several agencies.

According to the Maryland Daily Record,

Currie began working for Shoppers in early 2003 and was paid more than $207,000 from that time until 2007, court documents indicate. His activities included prodding state transportation officials on installing traffic signals and approving a parking lot entrance.

“On the surface, it appears clearly an ethics law has not been adhered to,” Miller said. “Regardless of what the federal government does, this will be an issue taken up by the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics.”

The General Assembly’s ethics committee can recommend sanctions, including censure or expulsion. However, there are no civil or criminal penalties associated with violating the state ethics law at issue.

(more…)

This past Friday, State Senator David Brinkley (Frederick County) announced that he will relinquish his leadership position in the Republican Party caucus when leaders are chosen in September. Several names under consideration as his replacement include Senators Nancy Jacobs (Harford County), Allan Kittleman (Howard & Carroll counties) and Alex Mooney (Baltimore and Frederick counties).

So who should be the next Minority Leader of the Senate? First and foremost, the next Leader needs to build strength in the Caucus by strengthening and empowering fellow Senators to build consensus with their constituents on key issues.  This cannot occur by just taking a partisan roll-call.   Senators need help creating opportunities for dialogue with their constituents and building meaningful relationships with and among them in order to communicate clearly and represent accurately the issues facing the state and their constituents’ communities.

Second, this Leader needs to show the same energy level on partisan bills as any other issues. The Republican Party can only keep existing Senators and add to their ranks by strengthening their support at home by communicating clearly on topics of concern to their constituents.  It is hard for a Senator to constantly justify his value in Annapolis by simply counting all of the nay votes against Democratic-led bills.  Constituents want to know that their Senator is pro-active and involved, fighting to benefit their community and not merely grandstanding on partisan issues.

(more…)