House of Delegates Committee Rosters, MD Congressmen Split on Cromnibus & Business Leaders Launch Purple Line Effort

Friends, this may be one of the final few "Juiceblenders" I publish before being sworn into the General Assembly in January. After that, I plan to turn over curation of this blog to a handful of new Juicers. This would be an all-volunteer project and a potentially time-consuming labor of love, but if you're a progressive Maryland politico who might be interested in joining the team, shoot me a note at david---(AT)---marylandjuice.com, and I can explain what this'll entail. In the meantime, I have a few interesting updates for politicos:

JUICE #1: HOUSE SPEAKER MICHAEL BUSCH ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS // PLUS: MD JUICE CONSTRUCTS FULL LISTS OF NEW ROSTERS - Below we publish a press release from the Speaker's office highlighting which committees the 58 incoming Freshman Delegates will serve on. Note that the press release only indicates where the new members are headed and where incumbents who are changing committees are headed. As a result, below the Speaker's press release, I've constructed lists of each committee's full membership that includes the incumbents staying put alongside the new committee members.

PRESS RELEASE

SPEAKER BUSCH ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
ANNAPOLIS, MD – House Speaker Michael E. Busch today announced committee assignments for six standing committees in the House of Delegates.  In the upcoming session, Appropriations will have 26 members, Health & Government Operations and Economic Matters each will have 24, and Environmental Matters, Ways & Means and Judiciary will have 22 members.

The committees are balanced to reflect the demographic, geographic and party makeup of the legislature.

The following Delegates and Delegates-elect were appointed today.  Delegates not included on this list will maintain their current committee assignments.

APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
Delegate Aruna Miller (District 15)
Delegate Benjamin S. Barnes (District 21)
Delegate-elect Brooke Lierman (District 46)
Delegate-elect Patrick Young (District 44B)
Delegate-elect Shelly Hettleman (District 11)
Delegate-elect Mark Chang (District 32)
Delegate-elect Marc Korman (District 16)
Delegate-elect Michael Jackson (District 27B)
Delegate-elect Carol Krimm (District 3A)
Delegate Andrew Serafini (Delegate 2A)
Delegate-elect Jeff Ghrist (District 36)
Delegate-elect Michael McKay (District 1C)
Delegate-elect Mary Beth Carozza (District 38C)
Delegate-elect David Vogt (District 4)
Delegate-elect Robin Grammer (District 6)

ECONOMIC MATTERS COMMITTEE
Delegate Luke Clippinger (District 46)
Delegate Kris Valderamma (District 26)
Delegate C. William Frick (District 16)
Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher (District 18)
Delegate Talmadge Branch (District 45)
Delegate C.T. Wilson (District 26)
Delegate-elect Mary Ann Lisanti (District 34A)
Delegate-elect Ned Carey (District 31A)
Delegate-elect Benjamin Brooks (District 10)
Delegate Mark Fisher (District 27C)
Delegate Steve Arentz (District 36)
Delegate-elect Christopher Adams (District 37B)
Delegate-elect Seth Howard (District 30B)
Delegate-elect Johnny Mautz (District 37B)

ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Delegate Kathy Szeliga (Delegate 7)
Delegate-elect Tony Knotts (Delegate 26)
Delegate-elect Clarence Lam (District 12)
Delegate-elect Cory McCray (District 45)
Delegate-elect Carl Anderton (District 38B)
Delegate-elect Andrew Cassilly (District 35B )
Delegate-elect Robert Flanagan (District 9B)

HEALTH & GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Delegate Herb McMillan (District 30A)
Delegate-elect Antonio Hayes (District 40)
Delegate-elect Angela Angel (District 25)
Delegate-elect Erek Barron (District 24)
Delegate-elect Terri Hill (District 12)
Delegate-elect Sheree Sample-Hughes (37A)
Delegate-elect Karen Young (District 3A)
Delegate-elect Matt Morgan (District 29A)
Delegate-elect Sid Saab (District 33)
Delegate-elect Christian Miele (District 8)
Delegate-elect Chris West (District 42B)

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Delegate-elect Will Campos (District 47B)
Delegate-elect Will Smith (District 20)
Delegate-elect David Moon (District 20)
Delegate-elect Marice Morales (District 19)
Delegate-elect Vanessa Atterbeary (District 13)
Delegate-elect Charles Sydnor (District 44B)
Delegate-elect Jay Jalisi (District 10)
Delegate-elect Deb Rey (District 29B)
Delegate-elect Brett Wilson (District 2B)
Delegate-elect Trent Kittleman (District 9A)
Delegate-elect William Folden (District 3B)

WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE
Delegate Mary Washington (District 43)
Delegate-elect Andrew Platt (District 17)
Delegate-elect Eric Ebersole (District 12)
Delegate-elect Darryl Barnes (District 25)
Delegate-elect Diana Fennell (District 15)
Delegate-elect Jimmy Tarlau (District 47A)
Delegate-elect Edith Patterson (District 26)
Delegate-elect Bob Long (District 6)
Delegate-elect Ric Metzgar (District 6)
Delegate-elect Jason Buckel (District 1B)
Delegate-elect Meagan Simonaire (District 31B)
Delegate-elect Haven Shoemaker (District 5)
Delegate-elect Kevin Hornberger (District 35A)
Delegate-elect Teresa Reilly (District 35B)

###

The lists above do not tell you what the full memberships of the new committees will look like, so I went ahead and tried to compile this information. If you see any errors, please email me at david---(AT)---marylandjuice.com.

JUDICIARY
1. Joe Vallario (D)
2. Kathleen Dumais (D)
3. Curt Anderson (D
4. Jill Carter (D)
5. Frank Conaway, Jr. (D)
6. Sandy Rosenberg (D)
7. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (D)
8. Will Campos (D)
9. Will Smith (D)
10. David Moon (D)
11. Marice Morales (D)
12. Vanessa Atterbeary (D)
13. Charles Sydnor (D)
14. Jay Jalisi (D)
15. Deb Rey (R)
16. Brett Wilson (R)
17. Trent Kittleman (R)
18. William Folden (R)
19. Glen Glass (R)
20. John Cluster, Jr. (R)
21. Susan McComas (R)
22. Neil Parrott (R)

WAYS AND MEANS
1. Sheila Hixson (D)
2. Frank Turner (D)
3. Carolyn Howard (D)
4. Anne Kaiser (D)
5. Eric Luedtke (D)
6. Jay Walker (D)
7. Alonzo Washington (D)
8. Mary Washington (D)
9. Andrew Platt (D)
10. Eric Ebersole (D)
11. Darryl Barnes (D)
12. Diana Fennell (D)
13. Jimmy Tarlau (D)
14. Edith Patterson (D)
15. Kathy Afzali (R)
16. Bob Long (R)
17. Ric Metzgar (R)
18. Jason Buckel (R)
19. Meagan Simonaire (R)
20. Haven Shoemaker (R)
21. Kevin Hornberger (R)
22. Teresa Reilly (R)

APPROPRIATIONS
1. Maggie McIntosh (D)
2. James Proctor (D)
3. Tawanna Gaines (D)
4. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D)
5. Keith Haynes (D)
6. Adrienne Jones (D)
7. Barbara Robinson (D)
8. Ted Sophocleus (D)
9. Craig Zucker (D)
10. Aruna Miller (D)
11. Ben Barnes (D)
12. Brooke Lierman (D)
13. Pat Young (D)
14. Shelly Hettleman (D)
15. Mark Chang (D)
16. Marc Korman (D)
17. Michael Jackson (D)
18. Carol Krimm (D)
19. Andrew Serafini (R)
20. Jeff Ghrist (R)
21. Michael McKay (R)
22. Mary Beth Carozza (R)
23. David Vogt (R)
24. Robin Grammer (R)
25. Wendell Beitzel (R)
26. Tony McConkey (R)

ECONOMIC MATTERS
1. Dereck Davis (D)
2. Charles Barkley (D)
3. Cheryl Glenn (D)
4. Sally Jameson (D)
5. Ben Kramer (D)
6. Michael Vaughn (D)
7. Luke Clippinger (D)
8. Kris Valderamma (D)
9. Bill Frick (D)
10. Jeff Waldstreicher (D)
11. Talmadge Branch (D)
12. C.T. Wilson (D)
13. Mary Ann Lisanti (D)
14. Ned Carey (D)
15. Ben Brooks (D)
16. Susan Aumann (R)
17. Richard Impallaria (R)
18. Warren Miller (R)
19. Kelly Schulz (R)
20. Mark Fisher (R)
21. Steve Arentz (R)
22. Christopher Adams (R)
23. Seth Howard (R)
24. Johnny Mautz (R)

ENVIRONMENT & TRANSPORTATION
1. Kumar Barve (D)
2. Pam Beidle (D)
3. Al Carr (D)
4. David Fraser-Hidalgo (D)
5. Barbara Frush (D)
6. Jim Gilchrist (D)
7. Anne Healey (D)
8. Marvin Holmes (D)
9. Stephen Lafferty (D)
10. Shane Robinson (D)
11. Dana Stein (D)
12. Tony Knotts (D)
13. Clarence Lam (D)
14. Cory McCray (D)
15. Jay Jacobs (R)
16. Tony O'Donnell (R)
17. Charles Otto (R)
18. Cathy Vitale (R)
19. Kathy Szeliga (R)
20. Carl Anderton (R)
21. Andrew Cassilly (R)
22. Bob Flanagan (R)

HEALTH & GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
1. Pete Hammen (D)
2. Shane Pendergrass (D)
3. Eric Bromwell (D)
4. Bonnie Cullison (D)
5. Ariana Kelly (D)
6. Dan Morhaim (D)
7. Nathaniel Oaks (D)
8. Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D)
9. Kirill Reznik (D)
10. Antonio Hayes (D)
11. Angela Angel (D)
12. Erek Barron (D)
13. Terri Hill (D)
14. Sheree Sample-Hughes (D)
15. Karen Young (D)
16. Herb McMillan (R)
17. Nicholaus Kipke (R)
18. Susan Krebs (R)
19. Pat McDonough (R)
20. Justin Ready (R)
21. Matt Morgan (R)
22. Sid Saab (R)
23. Christian Miele (R)
24. Chris West (R)

JUICE #2: MARYLAND CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION SPLITS OVER CROMNIBUS BUDGET VOTE // WALL STREET WELFARE VS. PASSING A FEDERAL BUDGET? - Last week, members of Congress came dazzlingly close to not passing a budget. But in contrast to past instances of budget showdowns, it was liberal members of Congress (spearheaded by Senator Elizabeth Warren and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi) joined by conservative budget hawks, who were raising a ruckus. The Boston Globe provided a summary of what went down (excerpt below):

BOSTON GLOBE: Last week in Washington was supposed to go like this: The House and Senate would each introduce a $1.1 trillion spending bill to keep the government running through September; Senator Ted Cruz would briefly seize the spotlight with his diva routine; then both houses would pass their respective bills and go home....

Evidently, no one consulted Elizabeth Warren. You’d think by now they would have learned. Warren objected to two provisions slipped into the bill at the last moment. One increased by tenfold the amount of money rich donors can give to party committees. The other unwound a part of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms forbidding banks from gambling on risky swaps using government-guaranteed accounts. Appallingly, as Mother Jones revealed, Citigroup lobbyists wrote the language gutting this protection, a change that will directly benefit the bank.

Warren’s election to the Senate coincided with a change in the way the institution operates that she has masterfully exploited. In the days before crises and shutdowns were standard, senators exerted influence through legislation. But Congress has all but stopped legislating. The current one has passed the fewest bills in 60 years. Today, the senators most effective at influencing the national debate are not Old Bulls like Ted Kennedy but younger figures like Cruz and Warren whose ability to communicate clear, powerful ideas resonates with the public....

Interestingly, Maryland's Congressional Delegation split in half over this vote, with 50% of Maryland House Representative's supporting the budget, and 50% opposing it. The overall vote in the U.S. House was 219-206, and here's how Maryland members voted:

YES ON CROMINBUS

1. Rep. John Delaney (D)
2. Rep. Andy Harris (R)
3. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D)
4. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D)

NO ON CROMNIBUS

1. Rep. Elijah Cummings
2. Rep. Donna Edwards
3. Rep. John Sarbanes
4. Rep. Chris Van Hollen

If you want to hear more about the reason for the split on this vote, you can listen to Sen. Elizabeth Warren's floor speech decrying giving more power to big banks like Citigroup:



JUICE #3: MARYLAND BUSINESS LEADERS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE PURPLE LINE // READ THEIR LETTER TO GOVERNOR-ELECT LARRY HOGAN - With Governor-elect Larry Hogan's stance on the Purple Line coming down soon, Maryland business leaders have launched an effort to make the case for the project. Indeed, maintaining a predictable business environment, creating thousands of new jobs, and bringing millions in investment to Maryland are all goals pegged to keeping the light rail project on track. Below we publish a letter recently sent by business leaders to Mr. Hogan:

Dear Governor-Elect Hogan:

We are the Economic Partners of the Purple Line, a coalition of developers and business groups working in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. We are writing to you in support of the Purple Line light rail project. Many of us have been Purple Line advocates for over the last two decades, and we would like to meet with you to discuss this project’s overwhelming economic benefits to our businesses, our local communities, and the State of Maryland.

After many years of hard work and planning, the Purple Line is almost ready for construction, which is scheduled to begin in 2015. Cancelling or delaying this project at this late stage would have drastic consequences, including the loss of almost $1 billion in federal funding and approximately $170 million in state funds that have already been spent on engineering and right-of-way acquisition.

The federal funds come from the Federal Transit Administration’s “New Starts” program, and thus cannot be used for anything other than the Purple Line light rail project. If the project is delayed or canceled, these federal funds may instead fund another transit project in a different state. In fact, Congress recently approved a budget deal immediately appropriating $100 million for the Purple Line, which the state would have to repay if the project does not go forward. Furthermore, because of the “lockbox” amendment, for which many of us advocated, the Purple Line funds already programmed in the State’s CTP can only be used for transportation.

This transit project connecting Maryland’s first-ring suburbs will generate economic activity that far exceeds the initial investment of $2.45 billion in federal, state, and private dollars. It is projected to carry over 70,000 riders a day along its 16 mile alignment, and will connect Metro’s Red, Green, and Orange lines as well as MARC and local bus services. Essentially, it will function as an expansion of the Metro system at much less cost. Some of the economic benefits this transit enhancement will generate include the following:

• According to a 2014 study by the American Public Transportation Association, roughly every $1 billion spent on transit generates $3.7 billion in economic activity. Between 2003 and 2013, the expansion of Dallas’ light rail system generated $7.4 billion in additional activity, in return for the $4.7 billion investment—this represents a ROI of 157%. 

• Increasingly, residents want to locate or live near transit, and this preference is reflected in higher rental rates and land values. Attracting and retaining these younger, professional residents who want to live in urbanizing, transit-oriented neighborhoods is essential to growing our local economy. 

• The Purple Line will bring jobs to Maryland by making this area more competitive in the increasingly challenging market for federal agencies and private employers. For example, Prince George’s and Fairfax Counties are currently vying for the new FBI headquarters, which would bring 11,000 federal jobs to Maryland. 

• The Purple Line will be delivered as a public-private partnership, leveraging between $500-900 million in private funding for the project. Because the project will be financed, designed, built, operated, and maintained privately, this arrangement will allow for cost savings as a result of multiple efficiencies in labor management, materials, and scheduling. The fact that four multinational consortia, each consisting of several major construction and engineering firms, are bidding on the Purple Line is a strong  indication of the project’s strength and viability. 

• The Purple Line will better connect the researchers and students at the University of Maryland with the employers in Silver Spring and Bethesda— two of the state’s major job centers.

As you know, success in real estate and business requires long-term strategic thinking. Accordingly, many of our companies have made significant investments and business decisions in reliance on the expectation that the Purple Line would be built after so many years of intensive, detailed study. Thousands of hours have been spent scrutinizing and debating a variety of transit options and routes, and the plan that is now moving forward has been thoroughly vetted by community groups, developers, businesses, and local, state, and federal agencies. In addition, the four finalists bidding on the Purple Line have spent tens of millions of dollars preparing their proposals in response to the Maryland Transit Administration’s RFP process.

We are eager to work with you to ensure the project is delivered cost-effectively, and that the opportunity for transit-oriented development around the stations is maximized. However, halting this project at the eleventh hour would further undermine business confidence in Maryland—and we know this is exactly the opposite of your intention.

In Northern Virginia, business leaders successfully rallied to help secure the funding and construction of the Silver Line, which will bring enormous economic benefits to Tysons Corner and Reston. The existing road network inside Maryland’s Capital Beltway is essentially “built out,” so even if we wished to expand it significantly we would be unable to do so—which means that our innermost suburbs cannot continue to grow or compete with Virginia unless we expand our transit capacity. We are one state, and the continued prosperity and economic vitality of Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties benefit all of Maryland.

We sincerely congratulate you on your victory, and share your goals of improving the state’s business climate, growing our economy, and putting Marylanders to work. We look forward to meeting with you to discuss how the Purple Line can help achieve these goals.

Sincerely,

Thomas S. Bozzuto, Chairman and CEO
The Bozzuto Group

Rob Bindeman, President
Landmark Realty, Inc.

Chris Bruch, President and COO
The Donohoe Companies

Desiree A. Callender, President
Prince George’s County Association of REALTORS

Oliver Carr III, CEO
Carr Properties

John F. Collich, Senior Vice President
B.F. Saul Company

Robert O. Eisinger, Managing Member
ProMark Real Estate Services LLC

Thomas M. Farasy, President
Purple Rail Alliance, Inc.

Doug Firstenberg, Principal
StonebridgeCarras

Greg Ford, President
Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS

Georgette Godwin, President and CEO
Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

Evan Goldman, Vice President
Federal Realty Investment Trust

David Harrington, President and CEO
Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce

Lori Graf, Chief Executive Officer
Maryland Building Industry Association

Charles A. Irish, Jr., President
VIKA Maryland, LLC

Ginanne Italiano, President and CEO
The Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce

Rich Jordan, Senior Vice President
The JBG Companies

David Kitchens, Principal
Cooper Carry

Bruce H. Lee, President
Lee Development Group

Sally T. Modjeska, Executive Director
NAIOP Maryland/DC Chapter

Charles K. Nulsen III, President
Washington Property Company

Richard Parsons, Vice Chair
Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance

Jane Redicker, President and CEO
Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce

Thomas L. Regnell, President and CEO
The Chevy Chase Land Company

Stacy Spann, Executive Director
The Housing Opportunities Commission

Bob Youngentob, President
EYA

JuiceBlender: Jamie Raskin Flashmob & Mustard, Garagiola & Hixson Seek MoCo VFW Slots, Doug Duncan: Purple Line Foe?

Below Maryland Juice highlights a few tidbits relating to MoCo politics, starting with a few items regarding Sen. Jamie Raskin's unusual fundraising event last night:

JUICE #1: SEN. JAMIE RASKIN CELEBRATES 50TH BIRTHDAY W/ A FLASH MOB, MUSTARD & SOLD OUT FUNDRAISER - Last night State Senator Jamie Raskin (D20 Democrat) hosted a 50th birthday fundraiser in downtown Silver Spring. The event reportedly sold out with 600 RSVP's on the eve of the celebration. You can see a quick photo from the fundraiser below, but more interesting than the size of the crowd is the flash mob and mustard that accompanied the event. Details after the photo:

A large crowd packs the Silver Spring Civic Center for Sen. Jamie Raskin's 50th Birthday

In conjunction with the birthday fundraiser, Raskin had announced earlier in the week that downtown Silver Spring would be the site of a Jamie Raskin "dance flashmob" on the afternoon of his fundraiser. I did a double-take when I received the following email announcement for the pre-event dance party (excerpt below):

RASKIN FLASH MOB INVITATION: We are now inviting the world to come participate in an historic Rock&Roll Flash-Mob Birthday Dance Eruption at 4:36 PM on Saturday, December 1, just a few hours before my birthday bash, in downtown Silver Spring on Ellsworth Avenue, to be led by the extraordinary Alyce Jenkins and dozens of her students at the Maryland Youth Ballet who are going to take off their Nutcracker ballet slippers, come outside and rock out in the heart of downtown Silver Spring with hundreds of fired-up 50th birthday revelers....

Maryland Juice did not actually get to attend the flashmob, but luckily an attendee posted a video of the dance on YouTube:



Note that prior to joining up with the flashmob, participants had the opportunity to learn the dance steps through an instructional YouTube video:



Perhaps equally as unusual as the Raskin flashmob dance is the party favor that was given to attendees of the birthday party: a bottle of Jamie Raskin mustard (seriously!). I'm not quite sure if there's a story behind this, but I'm told that Raskin is related to the owner of the world's only mustard museum. In any case, see a photo of the limited edition Raskin mustard below:

JUICE #2: SEN. ROB GARAGIOLA & DEL. SHEILA HIXSON SEEK SLOT MACHINES AT MONTGOMERY COUNTY VETERANS HALLS - That didn't take long. Only weeks after the passage of gambling expansion in Maryland, State Senator Rob Garagiola and Delegate Sheila Hixson are proposing a new law allowing slot machines at veterans halls in Montgomery County. The Gazette recently reported on the Democratic lawmakers' insistence on continuing to prioritize gambling expansion in Maryland (excerpt below):

GAZETTE: Veterans’ groups from Montgomery County soon may be allowed to operate gambling machines in their halls, a privilege denied to them during the August special General Assembly session.

When lawmakers voted to expand gambling in the state, they included a provision to allow some gambling machines at veterans organizations west of the Chesapeake Bay — except in Montgomery County, where delegates were reluctant to sign on without local discussion and hearings.

Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) of Germantown and Del. Sheila E. Hixson (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring have prepared a bill to do away with that exemption in the upcoming legislative session.... A hearing on county bills will be held Dec. 3 in Rockville.

HOW ARE WE HELPING VETERANS BY PUSHING THEM TO GAMBLE MORE OF THEIR MONEY? - The supporters of placing slot machines at Montgomery County's neighborhood VFW & American Legion posts argue that only members of the veterans halls will be able to gamble there. Even still, this further expansion of gambling in Maryland has been a controversial issue. Opponents have argued that the definition of a "veterans hall" is very vague and could lead to backdoor slot machines in undesired locations. In a guest column on Maryland Juice, Delegate Doyle Niemann argued that the most recent round of expanded gambling at veterans halls would lead to a creep of neighborhood gambling sites (excerpt below):

DOYLE NIEMANN: ...there is no requirement as to being an established organization....  so presumably anyone can go out and incorporate a new organization and then apply. Expect that to happen....

As to who can play, some veterans organizations may limit admission to members, but there is no requirement under the bill that they do so.  The only limit is that the machines have to be at the place of business of the organization.  So a "veterans" thrift store open to the public might be able to get slot machines and have them available to the public.  Again, expect that....

But even if Doyle Niemann is wrong, I think there is something perverse about the policy logic of trying to help veterans by encouraging them to gamble more -- and to do it by placing slot machines in their neighborhood haunts. Moreover, giving special privileges to veterans nonprofits that will be denied to the numerous other struggling nonprofits in Montgomery County would be completely arbitrary. Veterans halls may be struggling for funds, but so are numerous worthy non-profits offering programs ranging from food assistance and health services, to legal representation and housing for the indigent. Following Hixson and Garagiola's logic, we could give them all a fundraising boost by allowing them to operate slot machines targeted at their members. It is unfortunate that so many Democratic lawmakers seem to love using the lazy and unproductive revenue from gambling as a substitute for actually making tough decisions. I wouldn't exactly call it intelligent policy logic to propose helping retired Armed services members by encouraging them to gamble more. In fact, I was a bit encouraged to see that Montgomery County was exempted from this sort of inept policymaking during the summer's special session. But it turns out that was just a fake-out, and we may not have been spared from the expansion of slots after all.

If Sheila Hixson and Rob Garagiola get their way, I will be sandwiched between two new toeholds of gambling in Maryland. There is an American Legion Post one mile from my house in Silver Spring and a VFW Post one-and-a-half miles from me in Takoma Park:

KEY:  (A) Silver Spring American Legion Post,  (B) Takoma Park VFW Post

If you want to see if there is a "veterans hall" slot parlor proposed for your neighborhood, you can consult the (perhaps incomplete) list I've compiled below:

Montgomery County's American Legion & VFW Posts:

• BETHESDA: 4800 AUBURN AVE (AMERICAN LEGION)
• DAMASCUS: 10201 LEWIS DR (AMERICAN LEGION)
• GAITHERSBURG: 211 N. FREDERICK AVE (VFW)
• POTOMAC: 11511 MACARTHUR BLVD (VFW)
• ROCKVILLE: 621 SOUTHLAWN LN (AMERICAN LEGION)
• ROCKVILLE: 2013 VEIRS MILL RD (AMERICAN LEGION)
• SILVER SPRING: 11316 FERN ST (VFW)
• SILVER SPRING: 905 SLIGO AVE (AMERICAN LEGION)
• TAKOMA PARK: 6420 ORCHARD AVE (VFW)
• WHEATON: 11225 FERN ST (AMERICAN LEGION)

TESTIFY TOMORROW OR SEND AN EMAIL TODAY // TELL HIXSON & GARAGIOLA, NO SLOTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Clearly the expansion of gambling in Maryland is never going to end, unless we speak out and tell them to quit it. Senate President Mike Miller, after all, is already talking about adding even more casinos to neighboring Prince George's County. If you want to speak out against the effort to push MoCo veterans to gamble more, there is a public hearing TOMORROW (MONDAY) at 7:00 pm in Rockville:

Monday, December 3, 2012  - House Hearing for local bills: 7:00 PM - 3rd Floor Hearing Room, Stella Werner Council Office Bldg., 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850 - Local bills refer to legislation affecting issues specific to Montgomery County. Click here to sign up to testify.

You can also email Sen. Rob Garagiola & Del. Sheila Hixson to encourage them to drop their MoCo slot expansion effort at the email addresses below:

• rob.garagiola@senate.state.md.us
• sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us

JUICE #3: DOES DOUG DUNCAN STILL OPPOSE THE PURPLE LINE? - Now that former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan has announced a 2014 bid for the Exec's office, some politicos are raising problems with his take on key issues. Indeed, much of the mainstream media coverage about Duncan thus far has credited him with being forward-thinking about downtown Silver Spring redevelopment, and other such projects. But yesterday a MoCo politico forwarded us a website link and news article indicating that Duncan may not be so forward-thinking on one of Montgomery County's key economic development and transportation priorities: The Purple Line.

The Purple Line is a proposed light rail line that would run East-West between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George's County. The line would stop through College Park, Silver Spring, Chevy Chase and other neighborhoods along the way, with the goal of taking cars off the road and discouraging further sprawl development. Full disclosure: I previously served as a campaign director for Purple Line NOW!

DOUG DUNCAN'S HISTORY OF ADVOCACY AGAINST THE PURPLE LINE - In spite of my personal support for this project, it would not be controversial to suggest that the Purple Line might be MoCo's top transportation priority. The fact that Doug Duncan has historically opposed the Purple Line suggests he might not "get" today's Montgomery County and the evolving dynamics between the area's housing market, jobs, and transit. I made this point on News Channel 8 last Friday. Indeed, Duncan's political coming-of-age occurred during a period when the political battles lines were drawn differently around land-use issues. A MoCo politico who likely agrees, shared with Maryland Juice an unusual page from the website of the Action Committee for Transit (ACT). The MoCo-based transit advocacy group highlights a candidate pledge that "Doug Duncan signed in 1994, when first running for county executive, to oppose light rail between Bethesda and Silver Spring — the core of what is now the Purple Line."

Doug Duncan's 1994 candidate pledge opposing the Purple Line

Our source also points to comments Duncan made in The Washington Post seven years later in 2001, slamming the idea of the Purple Line: "Duncan, who did not attend Glendening's announcement, said the new line would mostly serve people already using transit and do little to get people out of their cars and onto trains. It also would not extend across the Potomac River from Bethesda, something Duncan argues is needed to reduce traffic congestion." The article's headline blared, "Decision to Build Purple Line Inside Beltway Fires Up Duncan." Has Doug Duncan become less car-centric in the last decade? 

VIRGINIA IS BUILDING THE SILVER LINE - Indeed, in 2014 it would be strange for Doug Duncan to campaign on economic development in Montgomery County but continue opposing a potential major driver of job-creation. In remarks to The Washington Post about his candidacy last week, Duncan stated "that he thinks the county is 'slipping' against Northern Virginia when it comes to attracting businesses. 'I’m concerned that Montgomery County is getting a much bigger reputation that it is being anti-business'...."

Duncan, however, should be concerned that Virginia pulled off a major coup by breaking ground on the new Metro Silver Line. If you've driven on a highway to Virginia lately, you've surely seen the metro tracks under construction. The new transit line to Dulles has already sent Herndon home prices soaring, and it promises to give our Confederate neighbors the ability to turn their noses up against MoCo's continual failure to secure transit funding. Indeed, many expect the Silver Line to be a lure for businesses and residents alike. But instead of fighting for transit funding, so many business leaders in Montgomery County are obsessed with their tax rates and have made unrealistic tax cuts their primary policy priority.

WHERE IS DOUG DUNCAN TODAY ON THE PURPLE LINE? - So in a 2014 campaign for Montgomery County Executive, where will Doug Duncan be on the Purple Line? Ike Leggett always seemed fairly lukewarm and cautious on the project, and Duncan's history has shown him to be an active opponent. Meanwhile, more and more of today's Montgomery County residents want transit-friendly, mixed-use walkable neighborhoods. One need only look at local real-estate market trends to note this obvious fact. Likewise, policymakers need to think about these trends in terms of making sure Montgomery County is competitive in maintaining and creating vibrant, desirable neighborhoods. After all, the high quality of life in MoCo is what keeps us strong. That includes our schools, transit access and housing -- but increasingly, housing and transit creation are getting short shrift from politicians. But candidates do often try to re-invent themselves. We shall soon see how Duncan comes out on the issues.

JuiceBlender: 2014 Attorney General Candidates, Martin O'Malley On Tour, Marriage Equality Brings Big Bucks & More

Below Maryland Juice presents a random blend of tidbits from recent political news. We begin with an early peek at Maryland's 2014 Attorney General's race:

JUICE #1: EARLY PEEK AT 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL PRIMARY - Last week, Maryland Juice previewed lists of potential 2014 candidate fields. We did not, however, discuss the 2014 Attorney General's race -- and now Center Maryland's Josh Kurtz has beaten us to the punch! Today, he published a worthwhile analysis of the early dynamics. We print an excerpt from Josh Kurtz's column below, followed by a current list of the potential candidates:

CENTER MARYLAND: ... it’s been widely assumed that state Sen. Jamie Raskin ... will try to replace [Doug Gansler] in the AG’s office when the time comes.

Raskin told me last week that he’s still thinking seriously about it and hopes to make up his mind sometime in the fall (his most immediate electoral priority, he said, is preserving the same-sex marriage law and the DREAM Act on the ballot in November)....

MoCo Executive Ike Leggett Seeks $900K Tax Break for Lockheed Martin // ACT NOW: No New Jobs Projected!

UPDATE: A local activist points out that the County Council has scheduled public hearings on these budget proposals at 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD.  The dates and times are: 1) TUE 4/10 @ 7:00 pm, 2) WED 4/11 @ 1:30 pm, 3) WED 4/11 7:00 pm, 4) THU 4/12 @ 1:30 pm, and 5) THU 4/12 @ 7:00 pm. You can sign up to testify in advance by calling (240) 777-7803.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? - The Examiner's Rachel Baye reports that Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is proposing a $900,000 taxpayer subsidy for defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Notably, the successful multinational company had four back-to-back profitable quarters in 2011, during the recession. Their revenue every quarter last year ranged from $548 million to $698 million. Meanwhile, the County Executive is slashing services for the needy, struggling to find money to revitalize Wheaton, and undermining the county's commitment to smart growth and transit funding. Are they really now proposing taxpayer-funded corporate welfare for Lockheed Martin? REALLY?

Tell the County Council & Economic Development Director Steve Silverman to reject Ike Leggett's proposed waste of tax dollars: The email address below will forward your message to all of them at one time.

Email All 9 Councilmembers & Steve Silverman using the address below:

MontgomeryCounty@LockheedWelfare.com

To be sure, the profitable multi-national company may be facing a reduction in Pentagon contracts -- but the wars had to end eventually, and hopefully they planned for that outcome, like a good corporate manager would, right?  Especially since the troop drawdowns have been discussed for years.

But even putting that aside --  Lockheed is not planning to add any jobs or increase spending in Montgomery County. That leaves many taxpayers wondering what is the purpose of a $900,000 taxpayer giveaway to a wildly profitable company? Can Economic Development Director Steve Silverman offer any articulable economic development or job-creation goals? Can they be backed by any metrics?

There are plenty of small businesses and local employers who are facing issues during the recession, but somehow Lockheed -- which has a much greater ability to weather tough times -- is the proposed recipient of limited County funds. Listen to the ridiculous rationale reported by Ms. Baye in the Examiner:

EXAMINER: Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett wants to give Bethesda defense giant Lockheed Martin a $900,000 tax break while raising taxes on residents and businesses.

Leggett proposed the grant in his fiscal 2013 budget to refund two years of county "hotel-motel" taxes, which Lockheed pays for its Center for Leadership Excellence, a 300,000-square-foot conference center and lodging facility that opened in March 2009. The taxes cost Lockheed about $450,000 a year, said county Finance Director Joe Beach.

The tax should not apply to Lockheed Martin because its facility is used for employees only, said company spokesman Chris Williams.

"We can't be in the business of having one of our major corporations believing that the county and the state is treating them in a way they believe is unfair," Leggett said. "It could have them decide that they're not going to build and enhance what they already have here."

Lockheed Martin does not have any current plans to expand, Williams said....

Leggett's new plan is a tax rebate that could be renewed annually.

In addition to the rebate, Leggett's budget proposal includes a property tax increase and energy tax extension, as well as higher bus and parking fees.

Amazing. Can County leaders really be this tone-deaf? We've seen multiple examples of corporate welfare from Maryland politicians for projects where there appears to be little to no provable benefit for taxpayers. Why is this administration hell-bent on giving money away to companies that aren't creating jobs? The Examiner provides a chart of the other amazing uses of MoCo's economic development dollars:

Source: Examiner.com, Rachel Baye "MontCo executive offers Lockheed Martin $900,000 tax break"

ACT NOW - EMAIL YOUR OFFICIALS: It seems the only accountability for this kind of ridiculous waste of tax dollars is political accountability. Maryland Juice has created an email address that allows you to email all nine members of the Montgomery County Council and Economic Development Director Steve Silverman. Please tell them to oppose welfare for Lockheed Martin:

Email the MoCo Councilmembers & 

Economic Development Director Steve Silverman: 

MontgomeryCounty@LockheedWelfare.com

"REJECT Welfare for Lockheed Martin" 

MontgomeryCounty@lockheedwelfare.com forwards to:

• MoCo Economic Development Director Steve Silverman
• Councilmember Phil Andrews
• Councilmember Roger Berliner
• Councilmember Marc Elrich
• Councilmember Valerie Ervin
• Councilmember Nancy Floreen
• Councilmember George Leventhal
• Councilmember Nancy Navarro
• Councilmember Craig Rice
• Councilmember Hans Riemer

MoCo's Battle Over Building Height Limits // Maryland Juice Makes Cameo Appearance at Rockville City Council Hearing

UPDATE: A reader provides more context to the development battles in Rockville, by way of a recent Gazette article. The City Council is currently weighing changes to their "Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance" -- which creates standards linking infrastructure with development.

A couple days ago, the Rockville City Council held a public hearing to discuss proposed mixed-use development at the Twinbrook Metro. As is becoming the norm, building heights were the topic of much of the discussion. Coincidentally, the February 27th hearing came only days after Maryland Juice published an article lamenting that activists too often fight density near Metro -- and that this could unintentionally thwart environmental and social justice goals.

The fact that Montgomery County is now more expensive to live in than New York City and San Francisco triggered this discussion on Maryland Juice, and we hope that the dialogue continues among policymakers throughout Maryland. But in the meantime, we are humbled to note that a reader reports that our article was invoked by a citizen activist at the hearing. A Rockville juicer testified in favor of the development project in question and for greater height limits near Metro stations.

We provide a short clip of the hearing below (Note: it begins with bits of testimony from an opponent of greater density at Twinbrook Metro):





Keep drinkin' the Juice!

Governor Martin O'Malley: Maryland Created Eight Times More Private Sector Jobs Than Virginia in 2011

The O'Malley-Brown campaign team sent out an email today firing the latest shot in the Maryland vs. Virginia battle. It seems Maryland's Governor is staking a claim to creating eight times as many private sector jobs as Virginia in 2011. See an excerpt below:

Dear Juice,

Now that you've had time to celebrate the New Year, we wanted to share a quick look back at 2011 and give you an idea of what's ahead.

Last week, Governor O'Malley briefed the media on the balanced approach we've taken together over the past year to move forward.

Here are a few highlights:

Alternative Energy Startup Company Quietly Leaves Montgomery for Howard County // While You Were Sleeping....

We need vision, not more kooky trickle-down corporate welfare

As Maryland and local government policymakers turn to old ways of propping up flagging, large industries, we are increasingly missing opportunities to harness the potential of our small businesses, start-ups, tech jobs and other growth sectors. I would suspect that in many instances, economic development dollars spent on small and local businesses would lead to greater local tax revenues and jobs activity than the same dollars spent on large multinational corporations. Indeed, Maryland Juice's first real guest post came from a recent graduate of Montgomery County public schools, who asked State and County leaders to place greater emphasis on startups and encouraging a local innovation economy.

The latest evidence of our lopsided priorities: while everyone was concerned about Maryland's large defense contractors leaving the area, one of Montgomery County's most interesting startups quietly left for neighboring Howard County. You can see a video demo of their MotionPower technology on their website, and news coverage of their solar window tech below:




I first found out about New Energy Technologies through a 2010 Gazette article: "Burtonsville firm finds new ways to utilize Mother Nature, Technology focuses on sun, motion to gather power." The piece noted:

New Energy Technologies Inc., a Burtonsville-based company, formed last year and is developing new alternative-energy products. The company grew out of Octillion Corp., another alternative energy developer that was founded in 1998, and has research sites in New Jersey, Florida and Massachusetts.

"I consider this the next generation of realistic alternative energy," said John Conklin, product and business development manager.

New Energy Technologies is working on two new products: MotionPower, a device laid on top of roads to generate electricity from the cars that drive over it, and SolarWindow, a clear liquid filled with tiny solar cells that can be sprayed onto window surfaces to gather energy.

Both are still in development stages, but the company's goal is to eventually make them commercially available.

Tim Hwang's guest column sparked my memory about the Gazette's article on New Energy Technologies, so I was going to check in on them. But I unfortunately discovered that last year they moved to Columbia, Maryland in nearby Howard County -- which lately is winning accolades as an "innovation county" under County Executive Ken Ulman. Well played, HoCo. Well played.....

In the meantime, Tim Hwang's column also elicited this comment from former candidate for D18 Delegate Dana Beyer: