JUICE: Gubernatorial Candidates Trade Barbs, Apply for Ervin Seat by 1/8, MoCo Council Candidates, D18, D15, D12, D11 News

Below Maryland Juice provides a few new items that may be of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: MARYLAND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES TRADE BARBS AT MOCO FORUM - Yesterday Maryland Juice attended the annual "Committee for Montgomery" breakfast, a nonpartisan event attended by numerous business, political and nonprofit leaders in Montgomery County. But the draw for the breakfast gathering was a forum featuring practically all of Maryland's gubernatorial candidates (Democratic & Republican) on stage at the same time. Below we highlight a few interesting statements and thinly veiled attacks from the candidates for Maryland's highest office:

L-R: Moderator Brad Bell, Anthony Brown, Heather Mizeur, Charles Lollar, David Craig, Doug Gansler, Ron George

MoCo County Executive Ike Leggett spoke moments before the gubernatorial candidates took the stage and implored once again for the contenders to help Montgomery County win increased school construction funding in the 2014 legislative session. Calling Montgomery County the economic engine of the state, he also urged the state leaders to help MoCo fund its transportation infrastructure needs. Here's what the candidates had to say about these and other matters:

DOUG GANSLER: Attorney General Doug Gansler may have provided the most notable commentary with a series of not-so-subtle criticisms of the O'Malley-Brown administration. In his opening statement, Gansler noted that this was not his inaugural appearance at the Committee for Montgomery breakfast, and that he didn't just start attending once he started running for office. In responding to Anthony Brown's commentary about Maryland's #1 school system, Gansler stated that the "the books are a little cooked." On Maryland's Obamacare roll-out, Gansler suggested that the state should've put someone in charge that had experience and knew what they were doing. On the state's recent shift of pension costs to counties, Gansler said the O'Malley-Brown administration "shifted the burden to local government and said you figure it out." He also argued that Maryland has an unsustainable situation where we just tax people and that we need to fix our transportation, not just talk about it. He specifically mentioned the Purple Line, Corridor Cities Transitway and the Rapid Transit System.

HEATHER MIZEUR: Delegate Heather Mizeur stayed on the progressive issue track during much of the forum and noted that issues like marijuana reform would not be discussed during the gubernatorial campaign if she wasn't running. She also noted that she fought Annapolis leaders on the pension shift.

ANTHONY BROWN: Lt. Governor Anthony Brown started off by answering Ike Leggett's call for more MoCo school construction dollars and pledged to work in Annapolis this session to make it happen. He also defended the pension shift and stated that the O'Malley-Brown administration made the tough decisions to keep the pensions sustainable.

RON GEORGE: Delegate Ron George, a Republican candidate for Governor, had perhaps the most unusual remarks during the candidates forum. In response to discussion about the educational achievement gap in Montgomery County and surging enrollment from the children of immigrants, George talked about charter schools and suggested that we should temporarily take the immigrant children out of the public schools and put them in a separate school until they are proficient enough to re-join the general population.

DAVID CRAIG: Harford County Executive David Craig (a Republican candidate) stated support for the Purple Line from Bethesda to Silver Spring.

CHARLES LOLLAR: Charles Lollar (a Republican candidate), gave a particularly animated performance at the forum and criticized the fact that Montgomery County sends more tax dollars to Annapolis than it receives back.

JUICE #2: DETAILS ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR VALERIE ERVIN'S DISTRICT 5 MOCO COUNCIL SEAT - Maryland Juice just received the following press release from MoCo Council President Craig Rice detailing the application process for the District 5 Council seat being vacated by Valerie Ervin. Note the January 8th application deadline in the press release below:

PRESS RELEASE

Council President Craig Rice Outlines Process to Fill Montgomery District 5 Vacancy

Application Deadline is Jan. 8, 2014

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 17, 2013—Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice today outlined the process to appoint a new Councilmember for District 5. On Dec. 10 Councilmember Valerie Ervin announced that she will resign from the Council on Jan. 3, 2014 to become executive director of the Center for Working Families.

As provided in Sections 102 and 106 of the County Charter, the Council intends to appoint a new Councilmember for District 5 by Jan. 31, 2014 to complete Councilmember Ervin’s unexpired term, which ends on Dec. 1, 2014. The new Councilmember must reside in District 5 and be registered to vote in the same political party as Councilmember Ervin (Democrat).

The Council intends to select a person who has shown a clear understanding of the issues that are important to residents of District 5.  To assure a level playing field for all persons interested in seeking election to the next full term from District 5, the Council expects to appoint a person who does not plan to run for election to that term.

Applicants should submit letters of interest with a resume to Council President Craig Rice, Montgomery County Council, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014.  Applications can also be submitted via email to: county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Each applicant must be a registered voter in Montgomery County, registered to vote as a Democrat, and, at the time of appointment, a resident of Council District 5.  Each resume submitted should include the applicant’s professional and civic experience, political party affiliation, home and office telephone numbers, and home and email addresses.

Each application letter, recommendation letter, and resume submitted as part of the appointment process will be made available to the public.  Each applicant must submit a confidential County financial disclosure statement for Council review. (The form will be transmitted to each applicant for completion.)  Only the financial disclosure statement of the ultimate appointee will be made available to the public.

The Council will decide which applicants to interview.  Interviews will be scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 at the Council Office Building.  Additional interviews, if necessary, will be scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and Friday, Jan. 24.

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Maryland Juice will soon publish a list of some of the names we have been hearing may be interested in the District 5 interim appointment.


JUICE #3: UPDATE ON POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR PHIL ANDREWS' MOCO COUNCIL DISTRICT 3 SEAT - Councilmember Phil Andrews is the other MoCo official vacating a seat in 2014, and after bumping into people at holiday parties over the weekend, Maryland Juice has an updated list of potential candidates for the June 2014 Democratic Primary:

• Activist Guled Kassim
• Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz
• Gaithersburg Councilmember Ryan Spiegel
• Rockville Councilmember Tom Moore

There is at least one more potential candidate, but they did not respond to our inquiries before publication.


JUICE #4: D18 UPDATE // DELEGATE ANA SOL GUTIERREZ FILES FOR RE-ELECTION - Many MoCo politicos had been speculating that D18 Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez might retire at the end of her current term. But she posted the following message on Facebook last night indicating she has filed for re-election:

Indeed, according to the Board of Elections website, all of the District 18 incumbents have now filed for re-election (Sen. Rich Madaleno and Delegates Al Carr, Ana Sol Gutierrez and Jeff Waldstreicher):

JUICE #5: UPDATE ON DISTRICT 15 DELEGATE CANDIDATES // REP. JOHN DELANEY'S AIDE KEVIN MACK IS OUT - David Fraser-Hidalgo was recently appointed to the District 15 House of Delegates seat vacated by Brian Feldman, and many have been wondering who might run for the D15 seat in the June 2014 Primary. Sources indicate that Congressman John Delaney's aide Kevin Mack has decided not to run for the D15 Delegate seat. But sources indicate Democratic activist Hamza Khan, who previously applied for the D15 appointment, is now weighing a run for the Delegate seat in 2014. Lastly, progressive attorney Bennett Rushkoff is waging a liberal campaign for the D15 seat. I ran into Rushkoff this weekend, and I overheard him describe his platform to someone as one focused on schools and the educational achievement gap, stopping fracking and promoting wind power, and creating a "public option" for Maryland's health care system.


JUICE #6: SHELLY HETTLEMAN (AIDE TO SENATOR BEN CARDIN) ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FOR D11 HOUSE OF DELEGATES - Maryland Juice received the following press release from Shelly Hettleman announcing a campaign for the District 11 House of Delegates seat being vacated by Attorney General candidate Jon Cardin (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Shelly Hettleman announces run for 11th District House of Delegates at Campaign Kick-Off
On Sunday, December 15, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin will introduce his former Campaign Director, Shelly Hettleman, as she announces her candidacy to represent the 11th District in the House of Delegates.  “A woman with Shelly’s character and commitment to public service will represent our community well in Annapolis,” said Senator Cardin.  There is an open seat in the 11th District as Del. Jon Cardin has declared a run for Attorney General.

Ms. Hettleman is committed to public service.  She has worked in numerous community programs, including advocacy groups for parents and abused women. She served as Sen. Cardin’s Campaign Director and as one of the leaders of the 2012 Maryland Democratic Coordinated Campaign, she co-led the re-election campaign of the entire Maryland Democratic congressional delegation.

Shelly has the skills, work ethic, and vision to be an effective legislator. “It’s not about flashy promises,” Ms. Hettleman says, “To get things done, it takes hard work and being in close touch with the needs of children, families and seniors.”

At the Kick-Off, Ms. Hettleman will spell out some of her legislative priorities, among them: better public schools and early childhood education, more and better jobs, a fuller range of services for seniors, protecting the environment, and a series of steps to ensure robust citizen and neighborhood involvement in her work as a Delegate.

“It will be an honor to represent the people of the 11th District, and I will work tirelessly to earn their trust.”   

If elected, Ms. Hettleman would be the first woman to represent the 11th in nearly 30 years....

A graduate of Pikesville High School, Shelly Hettleman and her husband Jeff raised their son and daughter in the Dumbarton community.  In addition to her work with Senator Ben Cardin, she helped found CHANA, an aid network for abused women in the Baltimore region and Parent Action, a grassroots organization dedicated to strengthening early childhood education and family friendly workplaces.

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JUICE #7: RETIRING DISTRICT 12 DELEGATE STEVE DEBOY WEIGHING UN-RETIREMENT? - A few months ago, all three District 12 Delegates announced they would be retiring from office. As a result, several candidates have announced for the D12 race. The district was dramatically altered in the last round of redistricting, so that the more liberal voters in Columbia, MD and Howard County are disproportionately represented in the new D12. But Center Maryland's Josh Kurtz recently reported that one of the retiring Delegates Steve Deboy may be rethinking his retirement decision:

JOSH KURTZ (VIA CENTER MARYLAND): Word on the street in Annapolis is that Baltimore County Del. Steve DeBoy (D) is reconsidering his decision to retire.

DeBoy, the thinking goes, is less than thrilled with the lineup of liberals that has formed to replace him. What’s more, as he ponders a race for Baltimore County sheriff – in 2018, when veteran Sheriff Jay Fisher (D) is expected to retire – he is wondering whether he’ll be in a stronger position to run as an officeholder rather than someone who has been out of the public eye for four years, even with his 32 years of law enforcement experience.

DeBoy did not respond to phone messages and an email left at his Annapolis and district offices. But when he announced his plans not to seek reelection in 2014, just days after the end of this year’s General Assembly session, he made it clear that redistricting was a factor in his decision....

In our previous round-ups of contentious roll call votes, we noted that Delegate Steve Deboy voted against Maryland's recent Dream Act, marriage equality, death penalty repeal, gun control, gas tax, and immigrant drivers licenses bills. The only hot-button liberal issues he seems to have supported recently are medical marijuana and stopping the Lockheed Martin corporate welfare handout.

Q: Who Did Maryland Juice Blogger David Moon Donate To? // A: Cory McCray of Baltimore & Dr. Clarence Lam of Howard Co.

BACKGROUND: Before Maryland Juice begins writing more about a few of the interesting races going on in the state, I decided to remind folks once again that I am not an unbiased observer of politics. In fact, in the "Who Is Juice?" section of this blog, I state quite plainly that I have numerous political ties and strong views on policy. Indeed, I never intended to stop being involved personally just because I also write about politics -- and that's sort of the point of the Maryland Juice ethos.

DISCLOSURE: In any case, with respect to the District 45 House race in Baltimore and the District 12 House race in Howard County, I thought it was worth noting that I recently attended two fundraisers for Delegate candidates in those contests. My attendance (and paid admission) should not be regarded as an endorsement by this blog (as of now we don't do endorsements) or a statement about the other candidates in those races. Even still, I thought it was worth noting why I attended these two particular events. After all, without the constraints placed upon mainstream media writers, this blogger has typically romped around to all manner of overtly political events and gotten involved with issues, campaigns and candidates. Sometimes I have to buy a ticket to gain admission, but as it turns out, both McCray and Lam are also on board with moving a range of tough social & economic justice issues that stalled in Annapolis in recent months. Details below.

Cory McCray at left; Clarence Lam at right (photos from Facebook)

NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT: So when two Delegate candidates from outside of Montgomery County invited me to attend their fundraisers in the Silver Spring region, I couldn't resist the opportunity to dig deeper into their campaigns -- and so close to my home!  Indeed, Maryland Juice has been following the campaigns of Cory McCray in D45 and Dr. Clarence Lam in D12. Both young Democrats, for example, spoke out about various controversial issues during the last legislative session (excerpts below):

CORY MCCRAY & CLARENCE LAM'S VIEWS ON STALLED JUSTICE ISSUES - Maryland Juice had the opportunity to prod both Cory McCray and Clarence Lam about their views on a range of stalled legislative issues, and as of now, both candidates for the Maryland House are on board to move the needle on some of the social and economic justice issues that failed in recent legislative sessions. Obviously things can change (this is politics, after all), but alongside opposing the Lockheed Martin corporate welfare bill, McCray and Lam both indicated support for the following reforms:

• Paid Sick Leave for Maryland Residents
• Minimum Wage Hike in Maryland
• Transgender Non-Discrimination
• Marijuana Decriminalization

Democrat Cory McCray made it onto my radar many months ago when we started corresponding about his work helping form the BEST Democratic Club -- a Baltimore club which works to "promote, empower, and unite a new generation of young voters to participate in elections." McCray currently works for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Democrat Clarence Lam is a physician who works at the Johns Hopkins School of preventative health and also works with Delegate Dan Morhaim in Annapolis. He's also been involved with the Young Democrats in Howard County.

Note that Maryland  Juice's contributions to Lam and McCray should not be seen as any statement about the other candidates in the District 12 and District 45 House races. Indeed, in D12 there will be three open Delegate seats and in D45 there was a recent vacancy that was filled by the appointment process, so there is not currently an elected incumbent running for the open seat there.


FINAL NOTE - Lastly, it should be noted that I donated to my State Senator, Jamie Raskin, for his birthday celebration earlier this year. But that shouldn't surprise anyone, since I ran his very first campaign in 2006. Not to mention, he also had an interesting speakers line-up at his event, including Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Governor Martin O'Malley and Attorney General candidate Brian Frosh.

Maryland House Approves Transportation Funding Plan 76-63 // ROLL CALL: Analysis of How Lawmakers Voted on the Gas Tax

Maryland Juice recently highlighted the state's efforts to raise critical transportation funds to help maintain highways & bridges and build new transit lines (eg: the MoCo/PG Purple Line and Baltimore Red Line). Our sources were indicating that the vote on Maryland's $3.4 billion infrastructure funding bill was going to be very close, since the primary vehicle for raising funds was a proposed gas tax increase. But on Friday afternoon, the House of Delegates did indeed approve the historic transportation funding package in a fairly close 76-63 vote.

22 DEMOCRATIC HOUSE MEMBERS JOINED MARYLAND GOP IN OPPOSING O'MALLEY'S TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PLAN - The Washington Post's  John Wagner printed the full roll call for the vote, but below we analyze the details a bit and highlight the unusual votes. First, it should be noted that every single Republican Delegate voted against Governor O'Malley's revenue plan. Meanwhile, 22 Democrats joined 41 Republicans in opposing transportation funding.

Democratic opposition to Gov. Martin O'Malley's transportation funding plan came mostly from ideologically conservative Dems in the House of Delegates (details below). While some of the members surely have alternate explanations for their votes against the gas tax hike, it is worth noting that of the 22 Democratic House "no" votes, all but four members also cast votes against either the Dream Act, marriage equality or death penalty repeal:

HOUSE DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST MD TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PLAN:

1. Pamela Beidle (Anne Arundel) - also voted against Dream Act & death penalty repeal
2. Aisha Braveboy (Prince George’s) - also voted against marriage equality
3. Eric Bromwell (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act & death penalty repeal
4. Emmett Burns (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act & marriage equality
5. Rudolph Cane (Wicomico) - also voted against marriage equality
6. Frank Conaway (Baltimore)
7. Norman Conway (Wicomico) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
8. Steven DeBoy (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
9. Barbara Frush (Prince George’s)
10. Mary-Dulany James (Harford) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
11. Kevin Kelly (Allegany) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
12. Stephen Lafferty (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act
13. James Malone (Baltimore) - also voted against Dream Act & death penalty repeal
14. Joseph Minnick (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
15. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (Baltimore County)
16. John Olszewski (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act & death penalty repeal
17. David Rudolph (Cecil) - also voted against Dream Act & death penalty repeal
18. Luiz Simmons (Montgomery)
19. Theodore Sophocleus (Anne Arundel) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
20. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (Prince George’s) - also voted against marriage equality
21. Michael Weir (Baltimore County) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal
22. John Wood (St. Mary’s) - also voted against Dream Act, marriage equality & death penalty repeal

DEL. LUIZ SIMMONS CAST THE LONE "NO" VOTE FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY - Meanwhile, in liberal Montgomery County, 23 out of 24 Delegates cast votes in favor of the transportation plan. Only Democratic Delegate Luiz Simmons cast a vote against the gas tax (Note: he previously served in the legislature as a Republican). Simmons represents House District 17, alongside Sen. Jennie Forehand and Delegates Kumar Barve & Jim Gilchrest. But while Simmons voted against the transportation funding plan, his colleagues Barve & Gilchrest voted for the bill. Maryland-based political consultant David Goodman responded to Luiz Simmons' gas tax "no" vote with the following remark on Twitter:

Indeed, Maryland Juice has been hearing buzz about a potential 2014 run for State Senate by District 17 Delegate Luiz Simmons. The seat is currently held by fellow Democrat, State Senator Jennie Forehand.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC "NO" VOTES IN THE MARYLAND HOUSE - Three Prince George's Democrats voted against the revenue package: Delegates Aisha Braveboy, Barbara Frush, and Geraldine Valentino-Smith. Del. Braveboy represents District 25 in a 3-member House District with Dereck Davis and Melony Griffith. But Braveboy parted ways with her D25 colleagues in voting "no" on the transportation plan. It is worth noting that she's also a potential candidate for Attorney General in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Delegates representing District 12 continued to demonstrate ideological differences. House District 12 is currently represented by three Maryland Democrats: retiring Delegate Liz Bobo in subdistrict 12B and Delegates Steve Deboy and Jim Malone in subdistricct 12A. But even those these three Delegates are all Democrats, Deboy and Malone persistently join the Republicans on close votes -- even though their new 2014 district will include liberal Columbia, Maryland and scores of new progressive voters. Naturally, Bobo voted for the transportation funds, while Deboy and Malone voted against the infrastructure money. Some of their 2014 Democratic Primary competitors have taken notice of these political dynamics.

Here are a few more instances of Democrats in the House disagreeing with their legislative district colleagues:

MARYLAND GOP HEADS TO SOUTH CAROLINA DURING GAS TAX DEBATE - Amusingly, while the House of Delegates held a close vote on a Maryland gas tax hike, the Maryland Republican Party was holding press events in South Carolina. The Baltimore Sun's Erin Cox noted that the Maryland GOP's Executive Director David Ferguson drove his truck to Charleston, South Carolina for the weekend (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Gov. Martin O'Malley took the stage Saturday at a high school in this early presidential primary state, telling an auditorium of South Carolina Democrats that his principles worked in Maryland — and they'd work elsewhere....

The Maryland Republican Party's executive director took issue with the achievements O'Malley cited. David Ferguson drove his truck down to Charleston to stage an event outside the West Ashley High School where O'Malley spoke....

MORE ON THE MD TRANSPORTATION DEBATE SOON!

2014 RUMBLE: Anthony Brown Attacks Doug Gansler on Death Penalty // PLUS: HoCo Candidate Highlights Incumbents' Votes

The 2014 campaign season is just beginning to develop, right as the current Maryland legislative session is beginning to wind down. But already we are seeing signs of the battle royale ahead. In the last few hours, Maryland Juice has received two interesting email blasts from candidates in the upcoming Democratic primaries. Both candidates are contrasting themselves with their opponents by highlighting their own opposition to the death penalty:

EMAIL BLAST #1: ANTHONY BROWN ATTACKS DOUG GANSLER FOR SUPPORTING DEATH PENALTY - This morning Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown launched an email blast highlighting an an op. ed. he recently published in support of death penalty repeal in Maryland. But Brown's message also slammed rival gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Doug Gansler for his continued support of taxpayer funded executions (excerpt below):

ANTHONY BROWN: Last week the Maryland Legislature passed legislation abolishing the death penalty. I believe the time has come to repeal the death penalty because it is racially biased, demonstrably unreliable, and not an effective deterrent....

Supporters of the death penalty often rely on false or incomplete information to make their case. Attorney General Doug Gansler is a supporter of the death penalty and he recently attempted to argue that the death penalty was administered in a "fair" and "race neutral" manner. Regrettably, the facts show that the death penalty is anything but fair and race neutral...

Attorney General Gansler suggests that the death penalty is race neutral by stating that in the majority African American jurisdictions of Prince George's County and Baltimore City, the State's Attorneys haven't "traditionally" sought the death penalty. That is simply wrong. In Prince George's County alone, they have sought the death penalty at least 11 times over the last 20 years....

Attorney General Gansler describes the threat of the death penalty as a "wonderful tool for prosecutors" to get a confession and perhaps an eventual plea bargain from a defendant. However, the reality is when presented with the choice of confessing or being sentenced to death, even an innocent person may rationally choose to "confess." The 2008 Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment – led by former U.S. Attorney General Civiletti – found that confessions alone can be unreliable....

EMAIL BLAST #2: HOCO DELEGATE CANDIDATE CLARENCE LAM HIGHLIGHTS D12 INCUMBENTS' SUPPORT FOR DEATH PENALTY - This morning, Maryland Juice also received an email blast from Howard County Democrat Clarence Lam, a candidate for District 12 House of Delegates. Notably, D12 is currently represented by retiring Delegate Liz Bobo (a progressive) and her more conservative colleagues: pro-death penalty Democratic Delegates Steve Deboy and Jim Malone.

In addition to voting against death penalty repeal, Delegate Steve Deboy also voted against the Dream Act and marriage equality, while Delegate Jim Malone also voted against the Dream Act. But D12 has been recently redistricted to increase the influence of the liberal voters in Columbia, Maryland. Clarence Lam has apparently taken note of this fact, judging by his latest email blast (excerpt below):

CLARENCE LAM: Last week, the Maryland General Assembly voted to end the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment against criminals in our state.  As a strong proponent of the repeal of the death penalty, I applaud the delegates and senators who voted to abolish this inhumane practice.  (Click here to see how your state delegate or senator voted.)  My reasons for supporting the repeal are clear and straightforward. 

As a physician, I swore an oath to “do no harm” and committed to saving the life of everyone under my care, regardless of whether the patient was a convicted felon or accused of a heinous crime.  The death penalty is fundamentally at odds with my duty to provide life-saving care to all individuals unequivocally....  For these reasons, many advocacy groups in Maryland such as the ACLU, League of Women Voters, and the NAACP have all expressed support for the repeal of the death penalty.... I’m proud to live in a state where our progressive values continue to be enacted and urge you to support our elected officials who voted in favor of repealing Maryland’s death penalty.... 

Seeing as how neither of the Delegates seeking re-election in Clarence Lam's district supported death penalty repeal, I think his message is loud and clear.


More on the battle for 2014 soon!

RUMORS // Surprising Candidates Emerge to Replace Retiring MD House Members: Delegates Justin Ross & Liz Bobo

Adam Ortiz

TRIPLE-UPDATE: Another Maryland Juice reader adds a name to the list of possible candidates for Del. Justin Ross' District 12 House seat:

• Kisha Brown, a staff member of the Attorney Generals office

DOUBLE-UPDATE: A Maryland Juice reader adds one more name to the list of possible candidates for Del. Liz Bobo's District 12 House seat:

Jason Booms, a pollster and former Republican turned Democrat

UPDATE: An anonymous source adds one more name to our list of possible District 22 appointees. Our source is hearing some buzz around the following name :

Adam Ortiz, the former Mayor of Edmonston and a member of P.G. County Exec. Rushern Baker's staff.

DISTRICT 22 HOUSE CANDIDATES: Last week, Delegate Justin Ross stunned Maryland politicos by announcing his mid-term retirement from the Maryland House. The Prince George's County Democrat's departure will now trigger an appointment process to fill his District 22 House seat for the remainder of his term. A knowledgeable source has informed Maryland Juice that several Prince George's Democrats' names are now circulating as possible appointees to replace Justin Ross in the legislature. Maryland Juice found this list a bit surprising at first, but upon second thought it makes sense. See further discussion below:

• Will Campos, Prince George's County Councilmember (District 2)
• Alonzo Washington, Will Campos' Chief of Staff
• David Sloan, Maryland Democratic Party Executive Director
• Adam Ortiz, former Edmonston Mayor

Note that Will Campos is facing term limits for his County Council seat in 2014. Even more interesting is that Campos currently lives in District 22, but after the 2014 redistricting kicks in, he will be moved to District 47B.


APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR D22 VACANCY: Because Delegate Ross is not finishing out his full four-year term, there is over a year until voters will next elect a District 22 House member. In such an instance, the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee will appoint a temporary House member to replace the vacant D22 seat.

Under Article III, Section 13, of the Maryland Constitution, the Governor is responsible for filling the legislative vacancy within 30 days after the vacancy is created (November 9). The Prince George's Democratic Central Committee shall submit a name to the Governor for the vacancy within the same 30 day period. If the Central Committee doesn't act by the deadline, the Governor will appoint a Democrat within 15 days.

Some are asking whether the new legislative districts or the old lines will be in place for the appointment. Sources indicate that the old lines will be likely used (pending confirmation from attorneys). If this is correct, Will Campos would have to move in order to run for re-election, should he be selected to replace Justin Ross.


JUSTIN ROSS RESIGNATION HIGHLIGHTS STAGNANT HOUSE LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS: Ever since Justin Ross announced his sudden resignation from the Maryland House, numerous legislators have privately blasted the stagnant leadership dynamics in the State legislature. The Washington Post's John Wagner made the following observation when announcing Ross' retirement (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Though Ross attributed his decision to leave mid-term to his family and business situations, some colleagues noted that other leadership opportunities in the House have been limited. That is due in part to several veteran committee chairmen whose continued service in the chamber has limited upward movement among younger delegates....

GRAYING LEGISLATIVE LEADERS CLINGING TO POWER: Indeed, most members of leadership in Maryland's House and Senate have served for decades in the same positions. Occasionally some of the smaller leadership positions have changed hands and legislative leaders have sometimes invented fake leadership positions to placate the rank and file. But the reality is that the top spots have been occupied by the same gang of graying party bosses for many years. Given that not a single top legislative leader has decided to retire, talented Democrats are dropping off like flies, just so that leadership can cling to power for another four years. In fact, both Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Mike Busch shored up their re-election prospects in the last round of redistricting. Those line changes caused a lot of groaning among their colleagues.

And now veteran lawmakers who have been loyal to leadership for years are all packing their bags. Meanwhile, younger, ambitious legislators are become increasingly frustrated with the lack of upward mobility in the Maryland Assembly. Just look at the number of legislators who are contemplating leaving to run for another office in 2014. After Justin Ross' resignation, Maryland Juice received a number of private complaints about these dynamics from politicos. The truly disappointing aspect of this problem is that nobody seems to want to do anything about it. Instead everyone seems to be giving up and is content to leave things be. They seem to not see the massive turnover in both the House and Senate that is possible in 2014....


UPDATE ON DISTRICT 12 HOUSE CANDIDATES: A few weeks ago, Maryland Juice wrote about District 12 Delegate Liz Bobo's planned retirement from the Maryland House. Unlike Delegate Ross, Bobo plans to finish out her term until the next election. But already, a number of names are circulating as potential candidates for her seat in 2014. See a quick round-up from the rumor-mill below:

• Mary Kay Sigaty (Howard County Councilmember)
• Janet Siddiqui (Howard County Board of Education member)
• Alan Klein (ran against Sigaty in 2010 in primary; backed by Bobo and lost)
• Terri Hill (Doctor Ethel Hill's daughter. Ethel is president of HoCo Thurgood Marshall group)
• Dylan Goldberg (works for HoCo delegate in Annapolis, Young Dem)
• Lee Richardson (Chair of the Town Center Community association) 
• Anne De Lacy (HoCo Board of Education candidate)
• Jahantab Siddiqui (former Mikulski aide, nephew of Janet Siddiqui)
• Clarence Lam (Doctor, HoCo Community Action Council Chair, HoCo Dem Central Committee member, DNC Delegate, President of HoCo Young Dems, community activist)
• Jason Booms (pollster and former Republican turned Democrat)

Maryland District 12 to Become More Progressive in 2014 // Columbia-Based District Creates New Electoral Dynamics

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.

See the before and after maps below: