Free Republic

When Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. won election as governor in 2002, he was faced with a tricky problem. He had campaigned on a pledge to build the long-delayed Intercounty Connector in suburban Washington. The highway project would cost a fortune, far more than the state could afford out of its Transportation Trust Fund, and the Republican Ehrlich had taken a hard line against new taxes. He had to come up with some way to pay the $2.6 billion it would eventually cost. The answer? He would make it a toll road. And to give his policies a semblance of geographical...

Of the early potential Democratic contenders, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley says he supports gay marriage but stopped short of making a major push for the legislation earlier in the year, while Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is opposed. Hillary Clinton, if she runs, would still have her commitment to civil unions but not gay marriage from the 2008 race hanging over her — and at least until the end of next year, when she’s said she’ll be done at the State Department, she won’t be able to make any new comments on the issue. “It gives him an authenticity and a...

Opponents of a Maryland same-sex marriage bill are preparing for its passage in the General Assembly by directing their efforts to a referendum that would delay implementation of the measure until December 2012 at the earliest. The bill, called the Civil Marriage Protection Act, passed the state Senate on Thursday and is before the House of Delegates, where supporters say they are only a handful of votes short of the 71 needed to approve the measure. Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, has indicated that he would sign the bill. But opponents are also looking beyond the vote to a Maryland...

[Maryland governor] Martin O'Malley is expected to be elected chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in Washington on Wednesday, a position that would give him a turn in the national spotlight. As chairman, O'Malley could fatten his list of donors with names from other states, deepen relationships with a network of emerging Democratic leaders and recruit new faces to the party. It would also afford an opportunity to install loyal staffers in key national positions. The position proved a stepping-stone for former President Bill Clinton, current Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius and current Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, among others.

On Monday, during a gubernatorial debate between current Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., the subject of illegal immigration arose and Gov. O’Malley used a term that surprised even this jaded observer. When referring to the millions of illegal aliens now residing in the United States, O’Malley called them “new Americans.” Apparently, for the open borders Democrat, anyone whose first act in this country is to violate the law and disrespect our sovereignty, deserves the same status as someone who faithfully observes our immigration laws by waiting years to come here legally, and...

Governor Martin O'Malley says Maryland has to "dial up mass transit." His opponent, Bob Ehrlich, says there needs to be a better mix of road and mass transit projects and has been sharply critical of problems on MARC trains. Mike Hellgren takes a closer look at transportation and why it's creating a politically charged controversy. Governor O'Malley says Maryland just doesn't have more room for new road projects, although some are underway, including the Intercounty Connector. His push for mass transit includes the red line in Baltimore and purple line in the DC suburbs. At the center of the debate:...

BETHESDA, Md. - When candidates are vying for votes it can be hard to get them to agree on issues. But WTOP managed to get all the major candidates in the Maryland governor's race to make the same pledge: Not to distract drivers by waving campaign signs at them. This pledge comes after political volunteers created 10 miles of delays on Interstate 270 last week by waving signs from the Falls Road overpass. Some drivers were furious about the delays. Others believe roadside distractions of any kind are a hazard that can cause crashes. "We would never condone stopping traffic."...

Republican challenger Robert Ehrlich now leads Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in the rematch of their 2006 gubernatorial contest, according to a new poll released Friday. Mr. Ehrlich has opened up a 3 percentage point lead over the Democratic governor in one of the nation's more liberal states, according to an automated survey of over 750 likely voters by the polling firm Magellan Strategies. It is the first poll to show the one-term former GOP governor ahead in the race. According to the Magellan poll, Mr. Ehrlich was preferred by 46 percent of state voters to 43 percent for Mr. O'Malley,...

When Walter Carl Abbott Jr. posted comments last year on a Maryland government Web site saying he would "strangle" Gov. Martin O'Malley, he learned there's a difference. The 45-year-old Pikesville construction worker was found guilty of threatening a public official. He is serving two years' probation for his rant against the governor, whom Mr. Abbott blames for personal financial problems that stem from business competition from illegal immigrants. ... Out back, a homemade sign leaning against his partially finished garage says: "Deport Illegals - Imprison Bush! By Order of the American People!!!"

Baltimore Sun: A spokeswoman for Attorney General Doug Gansler said the probe will "involve everything," although she declined to say whether it includes the videos, which could constitute a violation of Maryland's two-party consent law. The article mentions that Gansler asked permission to initiate the investigation from Governor Martin O'Malley, whose office made the announcement via a press release. Neither O'Malley's or Gansler's website has a news release or other announcement about the ACORN probe as of yet. ACORN's spokeswoman told the Sun they "welcome" the investigation as a way to clear their name. Previously, Gansler had said the ACORN...

... Maryland couldn't balance its budget last year, so the state tried to close the shortfall by fleecing the wealthy. Politicians in Annapolis created a millionaire tax bracket, raising the top marginal income-tax rate to 6.25%. And because cities such as Baltimore and Bethesda also impose income taxes, the state-local tax rate can go as high as 9.45%. Governor Martin O'Malley, a dedicated class warrior, declared that these richest 0.3% of filers were "willing and able to pay their fair share." The Baltimore Sun predicted the rich would "grin and bear it." One year later, nobody's grinning. One-third of the...

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 2, 2009) – Governor Martin O’Malley announced today the introduction of legislation that will apply a “rational reregulation” policy for energy markets in Maryland moving forward. The legislation will call for reregulation of electricity markets in Maryland moving forward when the Public Service Commission (PSC) deems it is in the best interest of consumers. “Deregulation has failed us. Today, we announce that the days of blind faith in broken, deregulated markets are over in Maryland,” said Governor O’Malley. “We will reregulate Maryland’s electricity supply going forward whenever it is in the best interests of Maryland consumers and...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith this year secured more than $28 million to build a highway interchange leading to a road serving a commercial property owned by one of their largest campaign donors. Mr. O'Malley and Mr. Smith, close political allies, committed the money a few months ago to build the interchange from Interstate 795 to a road running past the $79 million business development owned by Edward St. John. Mr. St. John was recently fined $55,000 by the state prosecutors office for donating more than $25,000 through his company's vice presidents to Mr. O'Malley...

In the community of Shady Grove Woods, trees are becoming more and more scarce. Residents and other anti-Intercounty Connector activists marched through the neighborhood on Saturday, pointing out the trees that were cut down to make way for the six-lane highway. ‘‘It’s just that we didn’t have a say in it in so many ways and we’re not talking about a two-lane road, we’re talking about a major highway running through here,” resident Sam Chim said of the ICC. ‘‘We have a lot of nice, private woods back here and now we’re going to have a highway running through instead....

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O'Malley acknowledges that the 2008 General Assembly session has been difficult, though mostly a success, as state lawmakers prepare to finish work today. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, recently called his first 14 months as governor worthwhile but the "most unpleasant" of his political career. "We've done a lot of hard work, we've cast a lot of tough votes, and our state is better off for it," he said after a bill-signing ceremony Thursday. Members of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly on Saturday approved a $31.2 billion budget that funds most of Mr. O'Malley's initiatives. They also have...

ANNAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Martin O'Malley urged lawmakers to require DNA samples from people who are arrested for violent crimes and burglary, a significant expansion of current state law. Lawmakers questioned whether the proposal was too broad. Mr. O'Malley described the measure as a badly needed crime-fighting tool for Maryland. He asked lawmakers yesterday to "move to the next generation of what I like to refer to as the modern-day, next-generation fingerprint." "We are the fourth-most violent state in the union, and there's really no good reason for it," Mr. O'Malley testified. "We all need to fight back against violent...

Gov. Martin O'Malley is holding a press conference today at 2 p.m. with state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. No word yet on what they will say, but there's a strong possibilty she will resign. O'Malley has made it clear he wants to oust Grasmick, whom he inherited in his first year as governor, despite a recent study showing Maryland has the fifth-best public school system in the country. The governor's dissatisfaction with Grasmick is perceived by some people as personal, considering she tried to take over Baltimore's troubled school system when O'Malley was mayor. O'Malley and Senate President Thomas...

ne of a variety of tax increases taking effect in Maryland on New Year's Day could help some smokers keep their resolutions to kick the habit this year--a doubling of the cigarette tax from $1 to $2 a pack. The vehicle titling tax also is going up from 5 to 6 percent, and the corporate income tax will rise from 7 percent to 8.25 percent. Other taxes, including a jump in the sales tax from 5 to 6 percent also are going up this week.

ANNAPOLIS — The legislation that Gov. Martin O'Malley recently signed to provide medical insurance to 120,000 Maryland residents puts the state at the forefront of national health care reform, say members of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. However, the plan by Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, will cost taxpayers at least $283 million a year. House Speaker Michael E. Busch, Anne Arundel Democrat, said he is not sure how the state will raise the money if voters reject legalized slot-machine gambling, but "if the [slots] referendum fails, we'll get an alternative source of funding." Mr. Busch said the initiative still keeps Maryland...

ANNAPOLIS — House lawmakers passed a $1.4 billion tax plan early yesterday morning after long weekend debates in which leaders of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly scrambled to find support for the plan. The House version of Gov. Martin O'Malley's tax plan includes an increase in the sales tax, corporate income tax and restructuring of the personal income tax and a plan to spend more than $450 million on transportation projects. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, called state lawmakers back to Annapolis last month for a special Assembly session to pass his plan of tax increases and legalizing slot machines to generate...