Monday, May 20, 2013
Delaney: 'Doug Duncan’s record speaks for itself and his values and expertise are well-known around our county.'
U.S. Rep. John Delaney on Saturday endorsed Douglas M. Duncan at the former Montgomery County Executive's first major campaign event in his bid to regain his old job. “Doug Duncan’s record speaks for itself and his values and expertise are well-known around our county,” Delaney (D-Dist. 6) of Potomac said in a statement released by Duncan’s campaign. “I know Doug has the long term vision to make our county a great place to work, live, start a business, raise a family, and he has a plan to make Montgomery work.” Duncan, a Democrat, served three terms as county executive from 1994 to 2006. In 2006, he sought the Democratic nomination for governor, before dropping out of the race, citing depression. After a hiatus, Duncan has decided to re-…
Sunday, May 19, 2013
What advice did the first lady give graduates? Will electricity rates go up - again? Get all the Maryland news with one click on Patch.
By Patch Staff It was a big news week in Maryland last week, with a visit by the first lady, a commuter nightmare in Montgomery and a heads up for a sixth casino in the state. All the headlines from 48 Patch sites across Maryland: Berliner Calls for Better Electricity Service with 'Utility 2.0' Montgomery County Council Member Roger Berliner asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to require that substantial changes be made to electricity services in the state. Meanwhile, Pepco is asking for permission to raise rates. Michelle Obama to Bowie State Grads: It's Time to Feel Hungry Again In a speech rich with historical references, the first lady reminded the BSU class of 2013 why education is important. Report: Quince Orchard Students…
Maryland looks to buses to loosen traffic-tied I-270.
By Nicole Macon, Capital News Service When Margie Weaver accepted a job in North Bethesda, she didn’t think much about driving 42 miles from her home in Unionville to her workplace—until a trip she thought would take her about 45 minutes took up to two and a half hours in traffic on Interstate 270. “When you add that [commute] on to an eight-, nine-hour day, you’re 14 hours away from home,” Weaver said. Because she needed her car for work, Weaver had no choice but to drive each day. She tried to change her schedule to avoid peak travel times, but eventually quit her job after about a year to work closer to home. Now Weaver helps link Frederick drivers with others who share similar commutes and helps residents plan routes that reduce the …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Gaithersburg, Ft. Meade, Bethesda, Columbia and College Park could lose some public transportation options.
The Intercounty Connector could lose three of its existing five commuter bus routes by Aug. 1, 2013, according to The Washington Post. Based on low ridership numbers, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is considering axing three commuter bus routes, including: The article notes that initial supporters of the toll highway, which stretches for 18 miles between I-270/I-370 and I-95/US 1, hyped the highway's ability to provide bus transportation. Now, 60 percent of those bus routes, which provided peak-hour weekday service, could end in the coming months. The MTA has scheduled a number of public hearings in the first week of June: If you are unable to attend one of the meetings in person, the MTA will accept comments with a name and …
'People,' 'testified' and 'college' also were big in Nancy Navarro's budget statement.
When Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro summarized the fiscal 2014 county budget, naturally, the words "county," "budget" and "Montgomery" featured prominently in her statement. Council members tentatively approved the spending plan in a unanimous straw vote Thursday. Other words that Navarro was fond of in describing the $4.8 billion plan: "percent," "funding," "college," "testified," "people" and "providing." See what else Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring thinks of the budget in the word cloud above. Read Navarro's statement here. What words would you use to describe the Montgomery County budget? What would be the big words in your word cloud?
Friday, May 17, 2013
High-profile Maryland bills on firearms and funding state transportation projects became law.
Two of the most controversial bills Maryland state lawmakers grappled with this session became law Thursday. Gov. Martin O'Malley, flanked by Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, House Speaker Michael Busch and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, signed 268 bills into law. Among them were the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013 which increases the state's gas tax, and the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a restrictive gun control bill. The gun control measure was an important part of O’Malley’s legislative priorities, but was widely contested by Republicans in the General Assembly. Under the law, more than 40 types of guns are banned in Maryland including most semi-automatic rifles. In addition, digital fingerprints of gun owners are …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The county's property tax will increase by 1.8 cents for every $100 of assessed property value.
The Montgomery County Council voted this week to raise the property tax for a third consecutive year, Council Member Phil Andrews said in a statement. According to a council statement on the budget, "[because] property assessments still reflect the impact of the recession, the weighted property tax rate will increase by 1.8 cents" for every $100 of assessed value of the property, starting on July 1, 2013, the first day of the 2014 fiscal year. That means that the property tax for fiscal year 2014 will be $1.009 for every $100 of assessed property. For fiscal year 2013, it was $0.991 for every $100 of assessed value, Montgomery County Council spokesperson Neil Greenberger explained to Patch. (The state assesses properties every three years…
The plan includes tax increase, more cops in schools and more food resources for the poor.
No one went hungry in the $4.8 billion budget Montgomery County Council members tentatively approved Thursday. Key county agencies, including police, fire and rescue, schools and health and human services will receive more aid and new positions, according to an outline of the tentative spending plan released by the council. The council is scheduled to hold a final vote on the budget May 23, the last council session before a three-week recess. All nine council members voted to give tentative approval to the plan for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1. "Budgets are a reflection of our values. There are always more needs, and more wants, than there are resources available," Council President Nancy Navarro (D-Dist 4) of Silver Spring said in a …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The website, data.maryland.gov, is a movement toward "information-age governing," Gov. Martin O'Malley said.
Ever wondered how many millions of people in Maryland took Metro during the snow-filled month of January 2010? The answer is about 1.1 million. Or, have you found yourself wishing you knew how many acres of farmland Montgomery County has lost in the past two decades? (Nearly 36,000.) A well of data that you'll probably never need, but might nonetheless be glad to have access to, is now available at State Stat, at data.maryland.gov, Maryland's recently launched open government website. Gov. Martin O'Malley said that he patterned the chart and map-filled website after a system he initiated while he was mayor of Baltimore. In a statement, he called the website "a movement away from ideological, hierarchical, bureaucratic governing and …
The New England College poll previewing the 2016 presidential primary shows Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead.
Gov. Martin O'Malley finished last among a field of 2016 Democrat presidential hopefuls, according to a poll released by New England College. The poll released Tuesday by the New Hampshire-based college found that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led the field, with 65 percent of those surveyed saying they would vote for her in 2016. O'Malley finished last among the field of six, with zero percent saying they would vote for the two-term Democratic Maryland governor. Rounding out the field are Vice President Joseph Biden with 10 percent, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 5 percent, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 4 percent and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick with 3 percent. The college surveyed 314 New Hampshire Democratic …
Timothy
8:22 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
I wonder if Delaney will backpedal should Leggett decide to run again. Notice how careful Delaney was NOT to criticize Leggett; Delaney even went out of his way to praise him. Sounds like Delaney is more reciprocating Duncan's endorsement of him than a full evaluation and choice among the potential candidates for Executive. more ›