A Maryland Juice source reports that Delegate Emmett Burns of Baltimore County recently announced his retirement from the House of Delegates. Burns, a District 10 Democrat, reportedly gave notice of his plans at a fundraising event for Rainier Harvey -- a candidate for Delegate in District 44B. Note that we haven't yet confirmed this rumor!
DELEGATE EMMETT BURNS JR: As a Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly and a Baltimore Raven Football fan, I find it inconceivable that one of your players, Mr. Brendon Ayanbadeo, would publicly endorse Same-Sex marriage, specifically, as a Raven Football player....
Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is stricly for pride, entertainment and excitement. I believe Mr. Ayanbadeo should concentrate on football....
I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football Franchise Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employee.... Please give me your immediate response....
Several Maryland Juice readers are breathing a sigh of relief and proclaiming good riddance to Delegate Burns. Onward with 2014!
Earlier today, Maryland Juice reported on breaking news that Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman have decided to team up in the 2014 race for Governor. We now have a few additional factors to consider in the race, starting with news of a mysterious announcement from Rep. Elijah Cummings:
FACTOR #1: REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS TO ENDORSE BROWN-ULMAN TICKET? - Two sources indicate that Congressman Elijah Cummings (who represents the Baltimore region), will likely be making a major "announcement" regarding the Brown-Ulman ticket. I haven't been able to pin down the date, but we can surely guess at what Cummings' mysterious commentary might be.
One interesting thing to note about Cummings' likely endorsement of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown is that it means Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger may not be able to count on the support of his Congressional colleagues should he decide to run for Governor. Ouch!
The second factor noted by politicos lies in the tea-leaves some perceive in former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith's nomination to be the next Transportation Secretary for Maryland. The Baltimore Sun reported on the news today (excerpt below):
BALTIMORE SUN: Gov. Martin O'Malley will turn to a longtime political ally, former Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, to lead the Maryland Department of Transportation as it begins a new era of stepped-up construction, administration officials confirmed Tuesday....
Smith considered running for comptroller or state Senate in 2010 before deciding to sit out the election. Since Smith left office, his political future has been the subject of much speculation. He had more than $550,000 in his still-active campaign account as of January — money he could use toward seeking state or local office....
FACTOR #2: CAN FORMER BALTIMORE COUNTY EXEC JIM SMITH HELP ULMAN-BROWN CARRY HIS REGION?
- A Maryland Juice reader speculated today that Jim Smith being named the new Transportation Secretary would help put Baltimore County into the Brown-Ulman column in the 2014 gubernatorial primary. Bernard John Hayden left the following comment on our blog today:
MARYLAND JUICE READER: With Jim Smith now clearly on the O'Malley-Brown-Ulman team, Baltimore County shifts to Brown in both the primary and general, unless Dutch runs for gov. And, of course, Brown-Ulman carry Prince George's, Howard, and The City by big margins.
One question Maryland Juice has is what will happen to the $550,000 in Jim Smith's bank account. Can and will these funds now be deployed for the benefit of the Brown-Ulman ticket? Can we expect to see Jim Smith stumping for the ticket in Baltimore County? Hmm. Either way, it looks like the Lieutenant Governor is trying to lock down regional bases of support.
Below Maryland Juice presents a round-up of recent tidbits relating
to the 2014 election cycle, including several retirement announcements
that promise to re-align politics in the Howard County area:
JUICE #1: DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR JIM ROBEY NOT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION - District 13 State Senator Jim Robey has announced he will not be running for re-election in 2014. The Baltimore Sun's Blair Ames reported on the development (excerpt below):
BALTIMORE SUN:
The end of the 2014 General Assembly session in Annapolis will mark the
end of 48 years in public service for Howard County Sen. Jim Robey.
Robey, an Elkridge Democrat, confirmed Tuesday, April 16, that he will
retire next year after eight years in the Maryland Senate.... "I just
feel it's time to step aside and let someone else step in."
Robey,
72, has served in the Senate since 2007 representing District 13, which
covers much of southern Howard County. He previously served two terms
as Howard County Executive from 1998 to 2006.... Robey said he
"thoroughly enjoyed" his time in Annapolis, but acknowledged the
legislature has made some tough decisions over the past two years....
Maryland
Juice first caught wind of Sen. Robey's retirement when a reader
pointed us in the direction of the following remark on Howard County
Executive Ken Ulman's Facebook page:
KEN ULMAN:
Senator Jim Robey is a solid public servant who does what he thinks is
right on behalf of others. That's the legacy he'll leave behind. Wishing
him lots of luck on his retirement! Thank you for your service to
Howard County!
JUICE #2: DELEGATES STEVE DEBOY & JIM MALONE ALSO RETIRING // 3 OPEN SEATS IN MARYLAND HOUSE DISTRICT 12
- State Senator Jim Robey's retirement is piled on top of multiple
retirements from politicians representing parts of Howard County.
Indeed, all three House of Delegates seats in Maryland's District 12 will be vacant in 2014. Last September, Delegate Liz Bobo announced she would not seek re-election, and this week Bryan Sears from Catonsville Patch reported that the other two District 12 Delegates Steve DeBoy and Jim Malone are also not running for re-election (excerpt below):
CATONSVILLE PATCH:
Dels. Steve DeBoy and Jim Malone say this term in the House of
Delegates will be their last. In separate interviews, the two Democrats
who represent the Catonsville and Arbutus areas said they have decided
not run for a fourth and fifth term respectively....
DeBoy,
who is finishing his third term, said redistricting and political
changes in the House of Delegates were two factors in his decision.....
Some of the issues that concerned DeBoy was the recent passage of the
repeal of the death penalty and the recent gun control law....
Indeed,
Steve DeBoy attributes his retirement decision to his disagreement with
death penalty repeal and Maryland's new gun regulations. But Deboy's
colleague James Malone was a bit more muted in his response. Shortly
after the Patch article came out, Del. Malone emailed the following public announcement to his supporters:
DEL. JAMES MALONE:
First and foremost, I want to thank you--my family, my friends and my
supporters for your kindness and friendship over almost two decades of
public service in the Maryland House of Delegates. I feel that I have
proudly served with distinction the area where I grew up, live and
continue to raise my children.
After serious and careful consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2014.
As a result, I am canceling my fundraiser scheduled on May 16th, 2013.
I look forward to spending more time with my daughter Danica and my son
Little Jimmy.
Over my and my family's lifetime in
politics, my Dad, Mom and I have met so many wonderful people. Thank
you for sharing with me your time, your stories, your support and your
friendship.
I look forward to continuing to serve the rest of my term and promise to always be a positive influence in our community,
May God Bless each and every one of you!
James E. Malone, Jr.
Delegate, District 12A
Baltimore & Howard counties
REASONS FOR THE RETIREMENT:
Maryland Juice contacted some Annapolis sources for reaction to the
news, and the consensus seems to be that District 12 is likely to elect
three progressive Democrats to the House of Delegates in 2014. But one
source explained some of the backstory to the retirements:
ANONYMOUS SOURCE:
I can't tell you how bizarre this is. DeBoy and Malone were
redistricted into a more Democratic district to give them easy elections
and keep them around. But they were so used to voting conservative that
they literally couldn't become liberal enough for their new districts.
Redistricting
was designed to help these two, but they couldn't have it both ways.
They couldn't have both the easy elections they wanted, AND vote the
conservative way they wanted to. They voted their old districts
perfectly but couldn't seem to make the transition to their new
district. Well, that likely means two more progressive Dems from the
Columbia-area.
Indeed Delegates DeBoy and Malone are
both Democrats but over time have built relatively conservative voting
records for Maryland Democrats. Notably, their current district includes
parts of Baltimore and Howard counties, but starting in the 2014
election cycle their two seats will be merged with the far more liberal
District 12B to create a new three-member House of Delegates District
12. Most importantly, the new D12 is projected to be dominated by the
liberal Democrats in Columbia, Maryland. A second anonymous source
remarked to Maryland Juice: "I think they saw the writing on the wall."
CONSERVATIVE VOTING RECORDS ENDANGER INCUMBENT DEMOCRATS:
The writing on the wall in this instance was that DeBoy and Malone's
voting records were clearly out-of-step with the new District 12.
Delegate Steve DeBoy voted against the Dream Act, marriage
equality, death penalty repeal, the gas tax, gun regulations, and
drivers licenses for undocumented residents. Similarly, Delegate James
Malone voted against the Dream Act, death penalty repeal, gun regulations, and the gas tax.
Given
these voting records, the potential challenges facing DeBoy and Malone
were becoming more real every day. After all, when Del. Bobo announced
her retirement last September, almost a dozen candidates' names emerged as possible challengers for the single open District 12 seat. And in recent weeks, one 2014 candidate even began making an issue out of the incumbents' votes on death penalty repeal. Even still, the two conservative Democrats did themselves no favor with their new voters by continuing
to vote against progressive issues in the face of these challengers.
The race is now on to see what becomes of the new District 12, but one
thing is certain: we are likely to see a stampede of HoCo Democrats running for the three open seats in 2014!
JUICE #3: IS STATE SENATOR BOBBY ZIRKIN CONSIDERING RETIRING?
- Take the following bit of juice with a grain or two of salt, but
several Maryland Juice sources are indicating that State Senator Bobby
Zirkin is also weighing a potential retirement in 2014. I'll believe it
when I see it, but a few sources swear that the District 11 Democrat
sounds like he's serious. To be sure, Zirkin is fairly young for someone
rumored to be weighing retirement, but after two terms in the House and
two terms in the Senate, he will have been in office for 16 years when his current term ends.
If
Zirkin does retire, there could be some interesting dynamics in the
race for his seat. District 11 is currently represented by three
Democratic members in the House of Delegates: Jon Cardin, Dan Morhaim
and Dana Stein. An open Senate seat could provide Delegate Cardin a
fall-back plan for his 2014 Attorney General run -- but sources seem to
think that is an unlikely path for Cardin. Maryland Juice will be keeping an eye on a possible Zirkin retirement!
JUICE #4: TEA PARTY DELEGATE DON DWYER RAFFLING AK-47 AND AR-15 RIFLES FOR 2014 FUNDRAISER
- Tea Party Delegate Don Dwyer faces a difficult re-election in 2014.
First, redistricting drew him into an inhospitable new district, and
then he was involved in a drunk boating accident that left several
children injured. At last check Dwyer was embarking on a quixotic bid to switch parties and try and retain his seat as a Democrat. But Dwyer's latest move might be his strangest stunt yet.
To
fundraise for the 2014 cycle, Dwyer is now raffling the now notorious
AK-47 and AR-15 rifles that were recently banned in Maryland. He is
hosting the event before the state's new gun regulations take effect, so
for $10 Dwyer's supporters have a chance to take him assault weapons. ABC News reported on the development (excerpt below):
ABC NEWS:
Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer has announced a fundraising event in
support of guns rights and his re-election campaign. As part of the
event he is selling raffle tickets for an AR-15 and AK-47. Tickets for
the assault riffles are available for $10 and can even be purchased
online.
JUICE #5: BALTIMORE'S BEST DEMOCRATIC CLUB HOSTS 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATES FORUM - Baltimore's "B.E.S.T. Democratic Club is hosting a forum with candidates for 2014 Attorney General on June 6, 2013. See the event announcement below:
BEST DEMOCRATIC CLUB:
We hope to see everyone at the next general meeting which will be June
6, 2013 from 6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. The location is 4709 Harford Road,
Baltimore, MD 21214. The theme for this meeting is “The Attorney General
Round Table” where we have invited all those that are running for the
Maryland Attorney General seat to have a discussion with Baltimore.
Invited Guest
Delegate Aisha Braveboy
Delegate Jon Cardin - Confirmed
Delegate Bill Frick - Confirmed
Senator Brian Frosh
Below Maryland Juice provides a few updates on the status of the rapidly escalating movement for death penalty repeal in the Free State, but first we provide a little bit of context on the debate.
BACKGROUND: DEATH PENALTY DEBATE CREATES FEELINGS OF DEJAVU - The current drive to make government executions illegal in Maryland is
giving me some serious dejavu. In particular, the fight to persuade lawmakers to support repeal is conjuring up parallels to our recent
ridiculous debate about whether to grant equal marriage rights to
same-sex couples. Just as happened with marriage, Senate President Mike Miller is allowing death penalty repeal to proceed for a floor vote, even though he personally opposes the proposal.
And just as happened with marriage equality last year,
progressives are now breathtakingly close to changing state law to make
Maryland a more civilized state. Meanwhile, many of the same Democrats
who dragged their feet on marriage equality over the years are also
supporters of state executions (surprise, surprise). And once
again, a majority of Democratic voters are on one side of the issue (ie: Maryland state government should not commit murder), while a super-majority of Republican voters are on the other side of the issue (ie: Maryland state government should commit murder).
Similar to the marriage equality debate, there is a strong (but not perfect) correlation between an elected official's choice of party and their views on the death penalty. But just as happened with marriage equality, there are some exceptions to the rule. For example, Republican Senator Allan Kittleman is again thinking about joining a mostly Democratic legislative coalition in support of abolition. Notably, Kittleman was the only Republican to support marriage equality in the
Maryland Senate. And just as with marriage equality, polling numbers are showing a rapid trend in the direction of social justice. Below we explore a few of these themes via JuiceBlender. Enjoy.
JUICE #1: STATE SENATOR ROB GARAGIOLA VS. MARIO CUOMO ON DEATH PENALTY REPEAL - Maryland Juice has been dismayed to see Democratic lawmakers representing safe, liberal districts voluntarily embracing legalized government murder as state policy in Maryland. For example, we've highlighted State Senator Rob Garagiola's support for taxpayer financing of Maryland state government employees committing premeditated murder, but we haven't yet heard why it is he's in favor of the death penalty.
KING MILLER'S POLICY LOGIC: Other pro-death Democrats like State Senator Mike Miller have stated why they want Maryland taxpayers to continue funding government executions. In comments appearing in Patch.com this month, Miller basically stated he believes that some murder victims deserve more justice than others. He supports the death penalty for those who kill teachers in particular (excerpt below):
PATCH: Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller would like to add to the list of capital punishment eligible cases.... "If someone's going to go to an elementary school classroom and kill a teacher, in my opinion teachers are the front line of democracy," Miller said.... Miller said he has six sisters who are teachers.
Though I can appreciate that Miller's consent has allowed the death penalty to repeal effort to proceed, I find it impossible to hold my tongue on this sort of offensive policy logic. Though I value the role of educators immensely, I'm not sure what factor (other than being the profession of the Senate President's family members) warrants the law granting greater or lesser measures of justice to victims based on their profession. It is even more gross considering that we are talking about the application of murder by the state. I don't know about you, but I do not want the Democratic leader of Maryland's Senate making decisions about life or death in such a regal and biased manner.
ROB GARAGIOLA: "I think to myself, 'What if my daughter was a victim of one of these crimes, or a family member?'.... 'It's more from the gut,' Garagiola said."
MARIO CUOMO'S REBUTTAL TO ROB GARAGIOLA'S GUT - Garagiola's explanation is an obvious and common argument from death penalty supporters. Perhaps influenced by Dukakis' fumbles on this issue, politicians often explain their views on capital punishment after imagining what they would want if the victim was their family member. This vengeance-based explanation is closely related to Mike Miller's impulse to expand the death penalty to include those who murder teachers. But former New York Governor Mario Cuomo -- often thought of as the conscience of the Democratic Party -- has handled this argument well for years.
Cuomo essentially asks policymakers not to make their decisions from the viewpoint of a crime victim's grieving loved one. He urges lawmakers to resist their negative impulses and instead govern from the best part of their hearts, rather than from the perspective of their darkest moments. He reiterated this view most recently in a 2011 column that appeared in the NY Daily News. Years after leaving public office in New York, Cuomo is still trying to
get the law off the books, even though the death penalty has been
effectively dismantled in the state. I must admit that his views track very closely to mine on this issue, and as a result, I find myself questioning the fitness for public office from those who believe executions are legitimate public policy tools. I hate to be harsh, but that's honestly how I feel about the matter (see below):
MARIO CUOMO: I have studied the death penalty for more than half my lifetime. I have debated it hundreds of times. I have heard all the arguments, analyzed all the evidence I could find, measured public opinion when it was opposed to the practice, when it was indifferent, and when it was passionately in favor. Always I have concluded the death penalty is wrong because it lowers us all; it is a surrender to the worst that is in us; it uses a power - the official power to kill by execution - that has never elevated a society, never brought back a life, never inspired anything but hate.
And it has killed many innocent people.... All states should do as the bold few have done and officially outlaw this form of punishment....
People have a right to demand a civilized level of law and peace. They have a right to expect it, and when at times it appears to them that a murder has been particularly egregious, it is not surprising that the public anger is great and demands some psychic satisfaction.
I understand that. I have felt the anger myself, more than once. Like too many other citizens, I know what it is to be violated and even to have one's closest family violated through despicable criminal behavior. Even today, I tremble at the thought of how I might react to a killer who took the life of someone in my own family. I know that I might not be able to suppress my anger or put down a desire for revenge, but I also know this society should strive for something better than what it feels at its weakest moments....
Cuomo also wrote about his efforts fending off the death penalty as New York Governor, despite the seeming bloodlust from the New York public:
MARIO CUOMO: For 12 years as governor, I prevented the death penalty from
becoming law in New York by my vetoes. But for all that time, there was a
disconcertingly strong preference for the death penalty in the general
public....
New York returned to the death penalty shortly after I
was defeated by a Republican candidate.... That law is a stain on our
conscience. The 46 executions in the United States in 2008 were, I
believe, an abomination....
Note that Cuomo's condemnation of vengeance-based policymaking is right on target with the death penalty, but it could also be applied to many other areas of policy where a stubborn minority of Democrats disappoint on issues (eg: war and militarism issues). Indeed, the death penalty has always been a primary proxy issue for Maryland Juice; I think it reveals much about a lawmakers policy mindset.
JUICE #2: POLL SHOWS 60% OF MARYLAND DEMOCRATS OPPOSE DEATH PENALTY VS. 77% OF REPUBLICANS IN SUPPORT - Now that we let Mario Cuomo have his say, we can get back to more tacky reasons to support death penalty repeal. Numerous news outlets are buzzing with commentary about the latest poll of Marylanders views on the death penalty. According to a recent Gonzales survey, 60% of Maryland Democrats oppose the death penalty and two in three respondents would support life in prison without parole instead of death. Indeed, support for executions comes heavily from Republicans and then some independents -- two groups that cannot vote in Democratic primaries. Bottom line: the death penalty is not even a winner for candidates in Democratic Primaries, and if anything it would appear to be a liability for a Democrat seeking statewide office in the 2014 primaries. Check out a quick summary from the Gonzales poll below:
Maryland Juice recently appeared (via telephone) on Bruce Depuyt's News Channel 8 show to discuss these and other poll results:
JUICE #4: DEAD MAN WALKING & HEATHER MIZEUR - Del. Heather Mizeur, who is currently exploring a run for Governor, brought some advocacy starpower to the death penalty debate recently. She penned an op. ed. with Sister Helen Prejean of Dead Man Walking fame that appeared in The Baltimore Sun. Their comments highlight numerous policy flaws with the death penalty (excerpt below):
SISTER HELEN PREJEAN & HEATHER MIZEUR: We are all united in the belief that capital punishment is a uniquely severe and irreversible component of our legal system that neither deters crime nor guarantees justice. States that impose capital punishment do not have lower rates of criminal homicide. Indeed, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that states with the death penalty generally have the highest murder rates. A national survey of chiefs of police ranked the death penalty as one of the least effective ways to reduce violent crime....
In Maryland, 76 percent of murder victims are African American, yet all of the men sitting on death row are there for killing a white person. A Maryland commission concluded that black offenders killing white victims were at greater risk of a death sentence because they were more likely to be charged with a capital offense by the state's attorney....
Life in prison is smarter economically, too. Taxpayers are expected to benefit from a $1.4 million reduction in litigation costs after the first year of repeal, and $800,000 in savings the year after.
Put simply, the death penalty does not make us safer; it does not save us money; it does not work; and it cannot be fixed. It must be abandoned....
JUICE #5: FLASHBACK TO KIRK BLOODSWORTH, AMERICA'S FIRST DEATH ROW INMATE EXONERATED THROUGH DNA - Many Free State residents seem unaware that the very first person to be exonerated from death row through DNA testing was a Marylander named Kirk Bloodsworth. CNN had a short summary of his trials and tribulations, and I hope the story gives Maryland Juice readers pause about the death penalty (excerpt below):
CNN: Kirk Bloodsworth is a free man now. He is free to pursue a living as a crab and commercial fisherman in his hometown of Cambridge, on Maryland's rustic Eastern Shore. He got married last year and bought a new fishing boat two years ago.
He lives simply and works hard -- just the type of life he dreamed of when he was incarcerated for nine years, twice convicted of brutally raping and killing a 9-year-old girl outside Baltimore in 1984. He spent one year awaiting trial, two years on death row and six years serving a life sentence.
Bloodsworth, 39, won his freedom after taking a DNA test. In 1992, when the science of forensic DNA testing was in its infancy, Bloodsworth pushed for a test in which the DNA in a small semen stain on the girl's panties would be compared to his DNA. It was not a match. The state of Maryland set him free and paid him $300,000 for wrongful imprisonment.
"They basically railroaded me," Bloodsworth said. "They put me on a rail and let me go where they wanted me to go....I was not involved. It's not fair for Baltimore County to do what they did to me and still not give me an apology. To this day, they won't...."
UPDATE: County Exec Ike Leggett's office has provided a clarification about the impact of Robin Ficker's court victory over a MoCo speed camera. They note that the Judge's decision in the case "does not establish a precedent that will be binding in other cases presented in court, and the decision in this case does not require a modification of Department policy. The Department will not be reviewing other cases in which citations were issued by this speed camera." On another note, gun control activists have created a new organization in Maryland called, Marylanders Against Gun Violence. Their mission states, "MDAGV is a grassroots organization advocating for sensible gun control legislation in the Maryland General Assembly and in Congress." You can find them on Facebook for more information. Additionally, given the surge in interest in gun control from Montgomery County residents, you can watch Ike Leggett discuss Maryland's gun control efforts in a recent News Channel 8 interview:
JUICE #1: MONTGOMERY COUNTY OFFICIALS PUSHING FOR GUN CONTROL IN MARYLAND - With the recent surge in support for gun control measures, Montgomery County politicians are moving quickly to take advantage of the moment. The latest email newsletter from MoCo Council President Nancy Navarro announced a few efforts from MoCo officials relating to gun control efforts (excerpt below):
Council works with Board of Education to accelerate placing new security measures in all county schools: Four years ago, the Council provided funding for MCPS to install access control systems, camera systems, and visitor management systems in County schools.... On Monday, January 7th, Council Education Committee Chair Valerie Ervin and myself sent a letter to Board of Education President Chris Barclay asking MCPS to speed up implementation of new these security measures at schools across the county. The next day, the Board of Education voted to act on our recommendation, and requested that we release about $365,000 earlier than planned so that they can finish installing these systems by the end of the school year....
Message to state and federal lawmakers: we need better gun control laws: On Tuesday, January 22nd, the Council passed a resolution to send a clear message to our representatives in the state legislature and in Congress that Montgomery County wants action on gun control. The resolution calls for the Governor and state legislature to consider and implement the recently released recommendations of the Maryland Task Force to Study Access of Individuals with Mental Illness to Regulated Firearms, and for state and federal officials to take a number of other common sense steps to reduce the number of dangerous guns in the hands of criminals or mentally ill individuals who may harm themselves or others....
Below Maryland Juice highlights a few coming events that may be of interest to politicos, starting with a Towson event highlighting death penalty repeal in 2013:
GERALD STANSBURY/MD NAACP: Four of [the Senate Judiciary committee's] 11 members are from Baltimore County, a large, predominantly white area that borders a large, predominantly African-American urban jurisdiction. Baltimore County is also the jurisdiction that has produced the overwhelming majority of death penalty prosecutions in the state. It is no coincidence that that the four Baltimore County legislators are all "no" votes on allowing the death penalty repeal bill to go to a floor vote....
But unlike some of their elected officials, a core of Democratic Party members in Baltimore County appear to support death penalty repeal and are hosting an event with a Maryland death row survivor in Towson next Tuesday, January 8th. Morever, at least some of them are beginning to call out their elected officials on this social justice/human rights issue. Below you can check out one reader's Facebook post that recently appeared on the Facebook page of the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club (CBCDC). The message (below) urges people to contact State Senators Bobby Zirkin and Jim Brochin about the death penalty. You can also find details on the CBCDC death row exoneree event below:
JANUARY 8TH MEETING –
IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE ISSUES 2013
Our meetings will be held at the Democratic Party Headquarters at301 Allegheny Ave. in Towsonuntil further notice. (Entrance in the back.) Socializing begins at 6:30 and the meeting starts at 7 pm.
Please join us for roundtable discussions of important issues that will confront the Maryland Legislature in its upcoming session.
1)REPEAL OF THE DEATH PENALTYKirk Bloodsworth will join us to tell the story of his wrongful convictions for murder. For those of you who have not heard Mr. Bloodsworth's personal story of how he was convicted twice of a crime he did not commit, and sentenced to the death penalty, we can assure you it is a harrowing tale that will have a profound impact.
2) HYBRID SCHOOL BOARD Laurie Taylor-Mitchell and Julie Sugar, two founding members of ABC Schools: Citizens for an Accountable Baltimore County School Board will let us know about the developments in the effort to create a partially elected school board in the County.
3) OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY Tom Carlson, Maryland Campaign Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will give an update on the status of the development of wind energy in Maryland. He will also be able to address other environmental concerns.
Maryland Juice has seen Kirk Bloodsworth speak before and suggests that this event would be a worthy use of time for readers in the Towson area.
EVENT #2: DEMOCRATIC WOMEN'S PAC HOSTS JAN 12 CANDIDATE TRAINING W/ REP. DONNA EDWARDS- The Democratic Women's PAC is hosting a candidates training at UMBC on January 12th. Rep. Donna Edwards will be presenting, along with several area political consultants and elected officials. Details below:
Please join us for a unique Women's Candidate, Campaign and Leadership Training hosted by the Young Democrats of Maryland Women's Caucus and the Democratic Women's PAC of Maryland on January 12th from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm at UMBC.
Our comprehensive campaign and leadership training will offer women candidates, campaign staff, current elected officials and young women looking to break in to politics an opportunity to learn the art and science of campaign strategy from some of the most successful women consultants in their respective fields.
We will also be featuring Keynote Speaker Congresswoman Donna Edwards and a panel discussion with Maryland's elected women leaders including: Senator Lisa Gladden, Delegate Susan Lee, Delegate Ariana Kelly, Delegate Mary Washington, Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, Howard County Councilwoman Courtney Watson, Cambridge Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley and others.
Below Maryland Juice provides turnout figures from the first day of early voting in the Free State. Yesterday, the ground reports indicated a surge in turnout, and those reports are now confirmed by hard data. Turnout was higher in every jurisdiction, but Democrats appear to be more enthusiastic about voting early. Below you can see the full early vote turnout reports, but first Maryland Juice highlights some key figures:
DEMOCRATIC ADVANTAGE ON DAY 1 OF EARLY VOTING: Democratic turnout on the first day of early vote surged to 2.5 times the turnout on the first day of early voting in 2010. Meanwhile, GOP turnout also surged, but by a much smaller factor of 1.5 times the 2010 figures.
WOMEN TURNOUT IN HIGHER NUMBERS FOR EARLY VOTING: Meanwhile, I am not surprised to see that women are also turning out at significantly higher levels than men. Note that Democrats have an edge among women, so that would make sense:
2012 Turnout (Day 1): 46,436 women vs. 31,935 men
TOP FIVE COUNTIES FOR RAW TURNOUT ON DAY 1: Here are the top six counties for raw early vote turnout on Day 1:
Montgomery County 13,061 (2.12%)
Prince George's 11,151 (1.96%)
Baltimore County 9,418 (1.83%)
Baltimore City 8,995 (2.29%)
Anne Arundel 6,521 (1.87%)
Howard 5,976 (3.17%)
Note that Day 1 early vote turnout in Montgomery was over 3 times higher than in 2010, where a paltry 3,786 voters participated in Day 1 early voting. (.66%) Lastly, the County with the highest percentage of voters using early vote on Day 1 was Talbot County with 1,214 voters on day 1 (4.80%).
Below you can see the full 2012 and 2010 turnout reports from the Maryland Board of Elections:
Maryland Juice is hearing reports of massive interest in early voting today -- the first day that voters can cast ballots for the 2012 federal elections and Maryland ballot questions. It is possible voters are trying to cast their ballots before Hurricane Sandy hits Maryland, but it is equally plausible that folks are fired up to weigh in on the ballot questions and Presidential race.
In fact Maryland Juice is very excited to vote early this year, and we encourage everyone to stay in line and make their voices heard. After all, as I recall, the early vote totals will be the first ballots counted on election night! Below you can see a few random reports from the field: HUGE INTEREST IN DOWNTOWN SILVER SPRING: First, Capitol News Service has been on the ground today at the early voting polls at the Silver Spring Civic Center. Check out their Tweet below:
MASSIVE INTEREST IN GERMANTOWN: The report of high early vote turnout was also confirmed by Senator Ben Cardin on Twitter. The photo below was taken at the Germantown early vote location, and you can see that Democratic officials are out working the polls today. Comptroller Peter Franchot, CD6 candidate John Delaney and Senator Ben Cardin can be seen greeting voters. We hear Governor Martin O'Malley was also out at Germantown today and met hundreds of voters heading into the polls:
HIGH TURNOUT IN PRINCE GEORGE'S AND RANDALLSTOWN: A Maryland Juice source also emailed us while in line at the Rockville
early vote center to report that turnout is looking strong as she gets
ready to vote. But its not just Montgomery County locations that are witnessing high turnout. A knowledgeable source who has been in touch with officials around the state reports that in Frederick, voters were lined up two hours before the opening of polls. Yet another source reports the same early voting surge in Anne Arundel County. Meanwhile, one anonymous Prince George's politico reports high turnout in that County and therefore expects 2012 early vote turnout to blow the 2010 numbers out of the water. Lastly, a source reports that there was an extremely long queue of cars at the Randallstown polling location in Baltimore County.
ANONYMOUS SOURCE: At the Randallstown early voting center this morning, there was an enormous line of cars stretching all the way through to the Home Depot. One person thought it was a funeral procession!
Below you can find information on how to vote early. Don't sit this election out!
All Maryland voters can vote early:
Saturday, October 27 through Thursday, November 1.
Early Voting Hours:
10 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday &
12 to 6 pm on Sunday, October 28.
NOTE: You must vote at one of the early vote centers in the County where you live and are registered to vote. Find your County's early voting locations:
UPDATE: A Facebook user has provided Maryland Juice with a link to a petition that they have started to oppose WBFF's commingling of news and anti-LGBT activism.
Last Friday, Maryland Juice highlighted how WBFF Fox 45 (Baltimore's local Fox affiliate) had turned from journalism to activism by advocating for rightwing policies on their website. Their site banner currently provides direct links to anti-gas tax propaganda and an anti-marriage equality petition. All signs are pointing to these decisions being foisted on the news producers by their corporate masters at Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG). SBG became famous in 2004 during the Bush-Kerry battle. A wiki entry on SBG notes:
For example, in April 2004, the company refused to broadcast a special "Nightline" broadcast, produced by the ABC television network, that was devoted to reading the names of soldiers who had died in Operation Iraqi Freedom....
Sinclair gained further notoriety by ordering its 62 local stations to preempt prime time programming to broadcast an anti-Kerry film just before the November 2, 2004 general election.
Maryland’s marriage equality law hasn’t even been signed yet, but Baltimore Fox News affiliate WBFF-45 has endorsed a referendum effort to repeal the measure.
For those Democrats who live in State Legislative Districts 12A (currently represented by Delegates Steve DeBoy and James Malone) and 12B (currently represented by Delegate Liz Bobo), there will be a fairly significant change in the 2014 election cycle.
As you are likely aware, in the Maryland House, legislative districts have varying numbers of elected officials in them. Some voters only vote for a single member of the House of Delegates in a small district, while others may vote for up to three members in much larger districts.
District 12A is currently a two-member District, which includes parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. District 12B, on the other hand, is a Howard-based district that is dominated by the more liberal community of Columbia, Maryland.
Under the 2012 legislative district plan, all three seats in D12A and D12B are now merged into a three-member-district. Maryland Juice has heard rumors of interest from potential D12 candidates, but I couldn't figure out the impetus. Now it makes sense -- it appears as if liberal Columbia voters may make up a majority of the Democratic Primary population in the new D12 in 2014. Notably, the three Delegates currently representing D12 do not see eye to eye on every issue.
County residents may recall that it was nearly two years ago that Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler issued a letter stating that Maryland should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Yet, six months after the opinion was made public, the two officers had to file grievances through the police union because the county (which had at first deducted spousal premiums from their paychecks) decided to deny coverage altogether.
Perhaps the Gansler letter never made it to Towson because the county's lawyers decided to interpret Maryland law differently, arguing that the state's definition of marriage is "between a man and a woman" only. That's true, but as the attorney general pointed out, that provision does not address out-of-state marriages any more than other restrictions the state puts on wedlock (the age of the couple, for instance) affect the recognition of out-of-state unions.
But even if the legal point is arguable, why do it?
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz shouldn't require more than a nanosecond to dismiss any notion of appealing an independent arbitrator's ruling that two Baltimore County police officers should not be denied health benefits for their same-sex spouses.
