B’MORE OFFICIALS HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR THE GOVERNMENT. MOORE: As Governor Larry Hogan and Wes Moore prepare to swap places in the governor’s mansion, Baltimore officials and political analysts are gearing up for a leader they believe will seek greater partnership with a city left stranded. for the past eight years. “With Wes, we can actually have a real partner,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, pointing to a series of decisions Hogan made that he said were damaging Baltimore. Emily Sullivan/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE’S VICTORY WAS HISTORIC, IN NUMBERS: By the time voting closed in Maryland’s election this month, it had been clear for weeks that Democrat Wes Moore would likely score a historic victory. The full scope of this victory is being worked out. With absentee and provisional ballots still counted in some counties, Moore is on course to win by a landslide of at least 31 percentage points, the largest margin since Democrat William Donald Schaefer won 82% of the vote in 1986 for the first of his two terms as governor. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
TRANSITION EFFORTS EXTEND: Lieutenant Governor-elect Aruna Miller (D), leader of Governor-elect Wes Moore’s (D) transition team, announced Thursday that the transition effort is expanding. The Transition Team is adding two new members to the Steering Committee and has also identified individuals who will lead the Transition Policy Committee. The co-chairs will lead nine policy committees with a total of 208 members. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
FITZWATER OVERCOMES HOUGH FOR FREDERICK EXEC: Jessica Fitzwater, a Democrat, was elected to the Frederick County Executive, according to unofficial Frederick County Board of Elections election results Friday. Fitzwater, who has represented the east side of Frederick on the county board since 2014, defeated Maryland State Senator Michael Hough, a Republican who has represented Frederick and Carroll counties since 2015. Jack Hogan/The Frederick News Post.
- The good vibes kept pouring in for Democrats in Maryland on Friday, as the final tally of mail-in ballots showed them winning two hotly contested Senate elections and the Frederick County executive race, between others. The final results also saw a Democratic sweep of all county offices in Anne Arundel’s Purple County, as well as the end of the 40-year-old Kittleman dynasty in Howard County. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
THE EDUCATION MASTER PLAN GIVES PRIORITY TO COMMUNITY SCHOOLS: Wolfe Street Academy principal Mark Gaither runs a community school. That’s at the heart of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Act, the multibillion-dollar public education reform plan, signed into law in 2021. The new law prioritizes pockets of poverty, providing schools with the services they need. need to thrive. Gaither says success in school depends on considering the whole family and issues such as nutrition, health and unemployment, food insecurity and housing. Rosanne Skirble/Maryland Matters.
THE DELAY OF THE HOGAN HIGHWAY PROJECT COULD PUT IT AT RISK: A further delay in contracts to widen portions of the Capital Beltway, Interstate 270 and the American Legion Bridge likely spells the end of a landmark project as envisioned by Gov. Larry Hogan. The Maryland Department of Transportation on Thursday announced Accelerate Maryland Partners’ 10-month extension to prepare a proposal. Bryan Sears / The Daily Record.
NOTICE: HOGAN SHOULD RUN FOR REP. THE SEAT OF HARRIS: If Gov. Larry Hogan really wants to play a role in eliminating the far-right in the GOP, he would consider challenging Congressman Andy Harris in Maryland’s 1st District. Harris is a key part of the far-right Freedom Caucus, which pushed the GOP to extremes and fueled the MAGA movement in our state. Johnathan ‘JJ’ Smith/Maryland Matters.
ELECTION WORKERS STILL COUNT UP TO FRIDAY: Maryland election officials in several major counties exceeded the normal Friday deadline for certifying the results of last week’s election, driving a wave of mail-in votes as some races remained undecided 10 days after Election Day. As of Thursday morning, more than 115,000 mail-in ballots — about 1 in 5 — had gone uncounted statewide, according to the most recent data from the Maryland Board of Elections. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
THE STADIUM AUTHORITY CONTRIBUTED $300,000 IN TAX DOLLARS TO THE RAVEN: For special events such as the Navy-Notre Dame game held at Ravens Stadium, the stadium owner, the Maryland Stadium Authority, and the Ravens, who operate it, share in the profit or loss of the event. The stadium authority also collects an entertainment tax on ticket sales, of which 80% (8% of the total ticket cost) goes to the stadium authority. The stadium authority paid $300,000 of those taxes to the Ravens, according to figures obtained through a Public Information Act request. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Sun.
GROUP OF VICTIMS APPLAUSE FROSH FOR RELEASING THE CHURCH REPORT: A group representing Marylanders sexually abused by priests has applauded Attorney General Brian Frosh’s attempt to release a new report that lists efforts by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore to protect abusers. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
- David Lorenz, director of the Maryland Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said, “I’m afraid they (the archdiocese) have kind of moved a bit towards blocking. Maybe I read more than I should, but I don’t trust these guys. Tim Prudente and Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
JHU REVITALIZES POLICE PLANS DESPITE DROP IN CRIME: Johns Hopkins University relaunched plans for a campus police force earlier this year and said it still plans to hire 100 officers to patrol its Baltimore properties, even as the outbreak of campus crime that prompted the original plan backed off. And there’s also little evidence that Hopkins has been swayed by a flood of critical community feedback as he seeks to strike an operating agreement with the city’s police department, one of the final steps before that the school can hire its own agents, starting next year. Jessica Calefati and Nick Thieme/The Baltimore Banner.
NOTICE: DELEGATE-ELECT SHARES GRATITUDE AND FORGIVENESS: As I near the end of my term as Carroll County Commissioner and prepare to move to the Maryland House of Delegates, I wish to share my gratitude with many and offer my forgiveness to others. Politics is a messy business and many stay out of the profession for very good reasons. … It has been an absolute honor and a learning experience to serve the past four years as County Commissioner with my four colleagues and my staff, regardless of the contentious debates and political turmoil that accompanies the crafting of new policies. Eric Bouchat/The Carroll County Times.
CITY INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ORDINANCES ARE NOT WORKING: Apparently everyone at the Baltimore City Council meeting Thursday night could agree on one thing: the city’s existing inclusive housing ordinance isn’t working. Passed in 2007, the law requires developers of market-priced housing to reserve affordable housing for low-income people, but it has only led to the creation of 37 affordable housing units. Instead, developers contributed to a compensation fund or requested waivers. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
MOSBY SEEKS TO MOVE FEDERAL TRIAL: Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby wants her federal trial moved to the Greenbelt Division of the District of Maryland to combat negative pretrial publicity, according to newly unsealed court records. Mosby first requested a venue change last month in a sealed filing. Documents later filed by Mosby’s defense team and the government were unsealed on Friday following an order from U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby. Madeleine O’Neill/The Daily Record.
