JUICE: Delaney Polling for Governor?, Van Hollen on Hillary's Hit List, O'Malley for $10/Hr Wage, Updates on Gov Race & More

Below Maryland Juice provides a round-up of news of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: IS CONGRESSMAN JOHN DELANEY POLLING MARYLAND GOVERNOR & US SENATE RACES? - UPDATE: Maryland Juice received the following anonymous response from a source denying that the poll below involved the U.S. Senate race: "I have it on very good authority that Congressman Delaney has not been polling on Senator Mikulski in any way whatsoever. I'd prefer to not be attributed with this update, but wanted to pass the message along to you based on this morning's post."

Over the last week, Maryland Juice sources and readers have been mentioning a mysterious statewide poll surveying opinion about the 2014 Governor's race and U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski. Notably, the poll appears to weigh the status of Congressman John Delaney in both contests. Below you can see some messages we received on Facebook and Twitter regarding the poll. We received the following message on Facebook from Frederick area Democrat Patrick Allen:

PATRICK ALLEN: January 5, 2014 - John Delaney push polls began today in an effort for Mr. Delaney to assess his future political aspirations and / or opportunities. Mr. Delaney currently represents the Maryland 6th Congressional District.

The polling is being conducted by Mountain West Research, based in Pocatello, Idaho, using satellite telemarketers located in Armada, Michigan (1-586-625-1581). This firm is generally known as a telemarketing firm and has a number of complaints filed against it.

It is important to note that the pollsters are asking a number of Gubernatorial questions regarding Mr. Delaney as well as a series of negative questions related to Senator Barbara Mikulski.

One can imagine that Mr. Delaney's Republican-styled legislative experience during his first term as a congressman has him a bit worried regarding his chances of re-election.

After Maryland Juice mentioned rumors of the poll on Twitter, we received the following responses from Karla Raettig, the Executive Director of Maryland's League of Conservation Voters:

KARLA RAETTIG: I can confirm. I was lucky enough to get a call Thursday night. It was pretty interesting.... Just want to clarify that it was clearly Delaney's poll and not a decoy.

Today The Washington Post's John Wagner reported on the development (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Is Rep. John K. Delaney (D-Md.) thinking about running for governor of Maryland? There’s at least some circumstantial evidence. A telephone poll has been conducted in recent days that includes the names of Democrats who’ve already announced they’re running for governor — along with that of Delaney, the freshman congressman....

Karla Raettig, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, happened to be among those who got called as part of the poll. Raettig said she was interviewed Thursday and surprised to hear one of the choices offered for governor.... Raettig said the poll did not identify its sponsor. It included questions about negative aspects of the candidacies of Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) and Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D), Raettig said....

JUICE #2: REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN ON HILLARY CLINTON'S HIT LIST? - One of Congress's insider newspapers, The Hill, released an interesting report this week that Congressman Chris Van Hollen was apparently on a "hit list" created by Hillary Clinton's campaign staff for a perceived betrayal during her 2008 presidential campaign (excerpt below):

THE HILL: A longtime adviser to Hillary Clinton played down the importance of a list drawn up by campaign aides that noted the lawmakers and superdelegates who staffers believed had betrayed the former presidential candidate during the 2008 Democratic primary.

Among those named on the list, and earning the most negative rating from Clinton loyalists under a points system they devised, were Secretary of State John Kerry, the late Edward Kennedy, and a number of other prominent Democrats including Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Jay Rockefeller (W.Va), Bob Casey (Pa.) and Patrick Leahy (Vt.), and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.).... The list, sources tell the authors, was sent to Doug Band, who at the time served as aide de camp to former President Bill Clinton....

JUICE #3: GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY SUPPORTING $10/HOUR MINIMUM WAGE HIKE IN MARYLAND - WTOP reported this week that Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley appears to be getting behind a $10 an hour minimum wage increase (excerpt below):

WTOP: Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is calling for an increase in the state's minimum wage to at least $10 per hour. In an interview Sunday with CNN's "State of the Union", O'Malley said that if the minimum wage had only kept pace with inflation since 1968, it would be a little more than $10 per hour now. He says it would be $20 per hour if the wage had kept pace with productivity....

Correspondingly, O'Malley is now scheduled to speak at an Annapolis rally for a $10.10/hr minimum wage tomorrow. Progressive Maryland circulated the following event announcement (excerpt below):

PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND:  TUES. Stand with working families, PM, allies, leaders in Annapolis to Rally with Gov. O'Malley to 'Raise the Minimum Wage, Raise Maryland!'

Tuesday, Jan. 14th, 5:45 p.m. at Lawyers Mall, State Circle before the State House, Annapolis

• Raise the minimum wage to $10.10
• Index it to the cost of living
• Boost the pay of tipped workers from 50 to 70% of the prevailing wage

More than 500,000 Maryland workers will get a raise, boosting our state's economy for all.

JUICE #4: DOUG GANSLER CALLS FOR PRESS CONFERENCE AS REPORTS REVEAL MD OFFICIALS WERE WARNED ABOUT OBAMACARE ENROLLMENT PROBLEMS - In a lengthy expose, The Washington Post reported this weekend that Maryland officials were warned for at least a year about potential problems with the state's Obamacare enrollment platform (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: More than a year before Maryland launched its health insurance exchange, senior state officials failed to heed warnings that no one was ultimately accountable for the $170 million project and that the state lacked a plausible plan for how it would be ready by Oct. 1.

Over the following months, as political leaders continued to proclaim that the state’s exchange would be a national model, the system went through three different project managers, the feuding between contractors hired to build the online exchange devolved into lawsuits, and key people quit, including a top information technology official because, as he would later say, the project “was a disaster waiting to happen.”

The repeated warnings culminated days before the launch, with one from contractors testing the Web site that said it was “extremely unstable” and another from an outside consultant that urged state officials not to let residents enroll in health plans because there was “no clear picture” of what would happen when the exchange would turn on.

Within moments of its launch at noon Oct. 1, the Web site crashed in a calamitous debut that was supposed to be a crowning moment for Maryland officials who had embraced President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and pledged to build a state-run exchange that would be unparalleled.

Instead, by the next morning only four people had signed up using the Web site — and amazed that anyone had gotten through the system successfully, state officials contacted each of them to make sure they were real. The site’s problems continue to prevent Marylanders from signing up for health insurance. As of Friday, 20,358 people had selected private plans, and state officials have said they do not expect to come close to their initial goal of 150,000 by the end of March....

In response to The Washington Post expose, Attorney General Doug Gansler's campaign has announced a press conference today:

PRESS RELEASE

Doug Gansler to Hold Press Conference Today, Will Address Revelations About State’s Disastrous Health Exchange Rollout

Silver Spring, MARYLAND – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Douglas Gansler and his lieutenant governor candidate Delegate Jolene Ivey will hold a press conference Monday afternoon to address recent revelations in the media about the role of Lt. Governor Anthony Brown in mismanaging the rollout of Maryland’s health exchange.

WHAT:  Press conference with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Gansler and his lieutenant governor candidate Jolene Ivey

WHEN:  Monday, January 13, 2014 at 3 p.m.                

WHERE: Gansler / Ivey Campaign HQ , 1300 Spring Street , Silver Spring, Md.

###

JUICE #5: DOUG GANSLER SAYS EQUALITY MARYLAND TRADED ENDORSEMENT OF ANTHONY BROWN FOR TRANSGENDER NON-DISCRIMINATION BILL - The Washington Blade reported today that Attorney General Doug Gansler believes Equality Maryland (an LGBT rights group) traded an endorsement of Lt. Governor Anthony Brown for support for a stalled transgender non-discrimination bill (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON BLADE: Attorney General Doug Gansler told the Washington Blade last week that Equality Maryland “traded” its endorsement of Lieutenant Gov. Anthony Brown for governor for his support of a bill that would ban discrimination against transgender Marylanders.

Gansler told the Blade during a Jan. 10 telephone interview that Brown should “honor” the Equality Maryland endorsement by making the trans rights measure an administration bill as Gov. Martin O’Malley did in 2012 when he designated the same-sex marriage bill a legislative priority.... “That would be sort of putting his money where his mouth is,” said Gansler. “If it’s not an administration bill, I just don’t know....”

JUICE #6: FEMINIST MAJORITY ENDORSES HEATHER MIZEUR FOR GOVERNOR - Ms Magazine reported today that Delegate Heather Mizeur has received the endorsement of the Feminist Majority in her bid for Governor (excerpt below):

MS MAGAZINE: The Feminist Majority announced today its support for Del. Heather Mizeur in her bid to become governor of Maryland. Mizeur is an established state leader who fights for women's and human rights, health care access and education. If elected, Mizeur will become Maryland's first woman governor and the first openly gay governor in the nation....

"Maryland has a chance to make history by electing Heather Mizeur," said Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal. "I am extremely impressed with Heather's leadership in the General Assembly. If elected as governor, she will surely win advancements for Maryland's women, working families, young people and members of the LGBT community...."

Mizeur, in addition to Feminist Majority, has been endorsed by EMILY's List, Maryland NOW, National NOW and Women's Campaign Fund.

JUICE #7: MCGEO DISCUSSES UPCOMING ELECTION FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE - A Maryland Juice reader flagged the following letter from Bob Stewart the Executive Director of MCGEO (the union representing many Montgomery County government employees). In the following piece in MCGEO's latest newsletter, Stewart discusses the forthcoming Democratic Primary race for members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (excerpt below):

BOB STEWART: In May 2013, we joined our brothers and sisters in the  FOP, the IAFF, the Metro-Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, and the Montgomery County Young Democrats in calling for a boycott and picket of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee’s Spring Ball. Beyond our dissatisfaction with the Committee’s role in eliminating effects bargaining for the County police, we felt that the party had strayed from  core democratic values especially its support for economic fairness and social justice for our most vulnerable citizens.

Fast forward to now, and you can see that our boycott had a tangible effect on the MCDCC and the choices it’s making in moving forward. An article in Bethesda Magazine says that the Committee is trying to produce a “unity slate” to fill upcoming vacancies on the Committee “who are palatable to local labor groups....”

Whether the MCDCC moves back to progressivism remains to be seen, but we are optimistic about these developments. We are happy to see that Dave Kunes, president of the Montgomery County Young Democrats, will likely play a huge role on the Committee. However, if the Committee doesn’t produce a slate that represents our issues we are ready to move forward with our own candidates....

JUICE #8: D29A DELEGATE JOHN WOOD RETIRING  //  PLUS: DEL. STEVE DEBOY RE-CONFIRMS HIS RETIREMENT DECISION - Maryland Reporter announced today that Democratic Delegate John Wood of District 29A is retiring. The article also notes that Delegate Steve DeBoy has re-confirmed his retirement from the Maryland House of Delegates (excerpt below):

MARYLAND REPORTER:  “I’ve had enough,” Del. Johnny Wood told his colleagues in the legislature last week, confirming he would not seek reelection after seven terms in the House of Delegates.... In a way, it’s the legislature that has moved on over three decades, and left Wood a dinosaur among Democrats. Conservative Democrats were plentiful in the House when Wood arrived the same year as House Speaker Michael Busch. But over the years, the Democrats have moved to the left and Wood has found himself one of the few Democrats voting with Republicans on many fiscal, business and social issues....

Another conservative-leaning Democrat, [Del. Steve DeBoy] has been rumored to be reconsidering that move, but Friday he said he did not know who had started that rumor and he was sticking to his decision to leave the House of Delegates....

JUICE #9: D46 SEN. BILL FERGUSON AND DELEGATES PETE HAMMEN & LUKE CLIPPINGER FORM SLATE WITH BROOKE LIERMAN - Maryland Juice received the following press release announcing that District 46 Democratic state legislators have formed a slate with newcomer Brooke Lierman (a high school classmate of Maryland Juice):

PRESS RELEASE

BROOKE LIERMAN JOINS 46TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC TICKET

Brooke Lierman joins Senator Bill Ferguson, Delegates Pete Hammen and Luke Clippinger as a candidate on the 46th District Democratic slate

BALTIMORE – Brooke Lierman, Fell’s Point resident and civil rights attorney, today announced that she is joining the Democratic ticket with incumbent State Senator Bill Ferguson and State Delegates Pete Hammen and Luke Clippinger. Brooke, a mother and community activist, is running as a Democrat.

“As a mother, community activist, and attorney, I have worked in the neighborhoods of our district to build a better City. I'm running for State Delegate to continue that work by making sure that Baltimore families and communities have a strong voice representing them in the State Legislature,” Brooke said. “I know that Bill, Pete and Luke share my commitment to Baltimore communities and families around the 46th District, and I am excited to be on a ticket with them.”

Brooke has been endorsed by former State Senator Perry Sfikas, former State Delegate Carolyn Krysiak, Councilman Ed Reisinger, and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

“I’m thrilled to have Brooke Lierman join the Democratic ticket for the 46th District,” said Senator Ferguson, who has represented the district since 2011. "Since she launched her candidacy, Brooke has worked tirelessly to get to know the voters in our district. She has proven, time and time again, how dedicated she is to our neighbors and all the residents of Baltimore. Pete, Luke and I are thrilled to welcome her to our team.”

Brooke is civil rights attorney with the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein and Levy, where she represents low-wage workers and disabled individuals in wage theft and civil rights abuse cases.  Brooke also provides pro bono representation to homeless individuals and to neighborhood groups advocating in front of the Liquor Board to close dangerous bars. She serves on the boards of the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance, and the Citizens Planning & Housing Association.

Brooke is a resident of the Fell’s Point neighborhood, where she lives with her husband and young son.

The 46th legislative district represents Southeast, South and downtown Baltimore, as well as the Middle Branch neighborhoods. For more information about Brooke and her campaign, visit www.brookelierman.com.
 

# # #

JUICE #10:  REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN'S HELP NEEDED TO STOP THE "TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP," A SECRET BIG-BUSINESS TRADE DEAL - The Huffington Post reported this week that President Obama is working with U.S. House Republicans on passing a secret trade deal that aids big businesses over ordinary consumers. Advocates I've spoken to about the "Trans-Pacific Partnership" (aka TPP) indicate that Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen is a key figure whose help is needed to stop the TPP. Here's some brief background from The Huffington Post which indicates that Van Hollen is receptive to our outreach to stop the TPP (excerpt below):

HUFFINGTON POST: President Barack Obama's international trade agenda is dead in the water if he doesn't do a better job engaging with Democrats in Congress.... "We want transparency. We want to see what's going on there," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters. "We have a problem with that."

As a result, many Democrats fear the actual terms of the deal do not reflect traditional Democratic Party policy priorities. "This is a big problem now," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. "There is inadequate engagement on the substance of what will be in an agreement or out of an agreement."

Democrats in the House and Senate have complained for years about the secrecy standards the Obama administration has applied to the TPP, forcing members to jump over hurdles to see negotiation texts, and blocking staffer involvement. In 2012, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) complained that corporate lobbyists were given easy access while his office was being stymied, and even introduced protest legislation requiring more congressional input.

The issue came to a head Thursday in two ways. In one case, Obama's new nominee for China ambassador, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), angered his party by introducing fast-track trade legislation backed by the White House. The bill would ease the passage of the TPP and is cosponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.). But most Democrats oppose the bill, and ultimately, Baucus and the administration introduced the legislation without a House Democratic co-sponsor -- a public embarrassment that prompted House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to declare Obama needs to get his act together on trade policy....

And most Democrats don't think the pending TPP deal addresses numerous labor, environmental and other issues adequately. Like NAFTA, the TPP would empower foreign corporations to directly challenge the laws and regulations of a country before an international tribunal. Under other trade frameworks, like the World Trade Organization treaties, only nations themselves are permitted to bring trade cases before an international arbiter, meaning companies must first win support from a government before attacking a law. Exxon Mobil, Dow Chemical, Eli Lilly and other corporations have used NAFTA to attempt to overturn Canadian regulations regarding offshore oil drilling, fracking, pesticides, drug patents and other issues....

ACT NOW TO STOP THE TPP CORPORATE POWER GRAB: The online mobilization group Credo Action is calling the TPP a "massive corporate power grab" and has issued the following alert (excerpt below):

CREDO ACTION:  Stop this massive corporate power grab.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a terrible "trade" deal being negotiated in secret by the governments of a dozen countries (including ours) colluding with corporate interests.

Under the TPP, more American jobs would be offshored. Internet freedom would be a joke. Developing countries would lose access to lifesaving medicines. Unsafe foods and products could pour into our country. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Our best shot to stop the TPP is right now. The enactment of the TPP will hinge upon the passage of so-called “fast-track trade authority,” which would allow the president to sign off on the TPP before the American people or Congress ever have a chance to read it. A fast-track bill was introduced in Congress last week. So we need to speak out today....

[ SIGN THE CREDO ACTION PETITION AGAINST THE TPP ]

JuiceBlender: MCGEO Raises History of Race in MoCo Politics, Anthony Brown Campaign Chairs, Confusion Over Gansler Staff

UPDATE: In the news roundup below, we flagged an article from PR Week noting that Attorney General Doug Gansler was bringing a former GOP aide onto his gubernatorial campaign team. But a spokesperson for Gansler contacted Maryland Juice to indicate that the PR Week article is mistaken and Johanna Schneider will not be joining Gansler's staff roster. The Gansler campaign states that Ms. Schneider merely offered her services as a volunteer.

Below Maryland Juice highlights a few items that may be of interest to Free State politicos:

JUICE #1: MOCO COUNTY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES UNION RAISES ISSUE OF RACE IN POLITICS - With all of the attention that the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee has received in recent months, there has been much discussion about the role of race and other demographic factors in how we build a local political farm team. At last night's MCDCC meeting to appoint a District 15 Delegate, MCGEO (a union representing MoCo government employees) handed out the following feisty letter re-opening the topic:

MCGEO Letter to MCDCC Regarding Race in Montgomery County Politics

JUICE #2: LT. GOVERNOR ANTHONY BROWN RELEASES LIST OF COUNTY CAMPAIGN CHAIRS FOR GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN - Today Maryland Juice received a press release from Anthony Brown's gubernatorial campaign announcing the names of the various campaign co-chairs he has assembled in each Maryland county (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Brown Ulman campaign announces Campaign Chairs in all 23 Counties and Baltimore City

Upper Marlboro, MD: Today, the Brown Ulman campaign announced its County Campaign Chairs, a broad cross-section of community leaders, small business owners, and state, county, and local elected officials who will work together to build and organize the surging grassroots support for Lt. Governor Anthony Brown for Governor. The 45 County Chairs and co-chairs, who represent all 23 Maryland counties plus Baltimore City, are united in backing Anthony Brown for Governor because of his record of real results including his work to expand access to healthcare, reduce domestic violence, spur middle-class job creation and help lead our public schools to be ranked #1 in the nation for five years in a row.....

The Brown Ulman Campaign Co-Chairs

• Jim Bestpitch, Allegany County Co-Chair
• Mayor Brian Grim, Allegany County Co-Chair
• Alderwoman Sheila M. Finlayson, Anne Arundel County Co-Chair
• Mike Miller, Anne Arundel County Co-Chair
• Tim O’Malley, Jr., Anne Arundel County Co-Chair
• Speaker Pro-Tem Adrienne Jones, Baltimore County Co-Chair
• Councilmember Johnny Olszewski, Baltimore County Co-Chair
• Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, Baltimore County Co-Chair
• Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Baltimore City Co-Chair
• Del. Maggie McIntosh, Baltimore City Co-Chair
• Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, Baltimore City Co-Chair
• Marie Duffield, Calvert County Co-Chair
• Eloise Evans, Calvert County Co-Chair
• Mayor Debbie Rowe, Caroline County Chair
• Greg Pecoraro, Carroll County Chair
• Commissioner Travis Marion, Cecil County Chair
• Sen. Thomas “Mac” Middleton, Charles County Co-Chair
• Reverend Reginald Kearney, Charles County Co-Chair
• Reverend Yvonne Wallace Penn, Dorchester County Co-Chair
• Dion Banks, Dorchester County Co-Chair
• Geb Byron, Frederick County Co-Chair
• Elizabeth Chung, Frederick County Co-Chair
• Catrina Aquilino, Garrett County Chair
• Councilmember Mary Ann Lisanti, Harford County Chair
• Councilmember Calvin Ball, Howard County Co-Chair
• Del. Guy Guzzone, Howard County Co-Chair
• Mary Marker, Howard County Co-Chair
• Art Hock, Kent County Chair
• Councilmember Valerie Ervin, Montgomery County Co-Chair
• Mayor Peter Fosselman, Montgomery County Co-Chair
• Council President Nancy Navarro, Montgomery County Co-Chair
• State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George’s County Co-Chair
• Councilmember Derrick Leon Davis, Prince George’s County Co-Chair
• Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, Prince George’s County Co-Chair
• Stephen Meehan, Queen Anne’s County Chair
• Commissioner Craig Mathies, Somerset County Chair
• Commission President Jack Russell, St. Mary’s County Chair
• Carl Widell, Talbot County Co-Chair
• Joyce Scharch, Talbot County Co-Chair
• Del. John Donoghue, Washington County Co-Chair
• Bruce Poole, Washington County Co-Chair
• Carolyn Brooks, Washington County Co-Chair
• County Executive Rick Pollitt, Wicomico County Co-Chair
• Councilmember Sheree Sample-Hughes, Wicomico County Co-Chair
• Commissioner James Purnell, Worcester County Chair

JUICE #3: ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG GANSLER HIRES GOP CAMPAIGN AIDE FOR GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN - NOTE: See an update to this news item at the top of this post.  PR Week reported today Attorney General Doug Gansler has added a staff member with an interesting resume to his gubernatorial campaign team (excerpt below):

PR WEEK: Johanna Schneider is exiting her post as MD and market leader of Burson-Marsteller's Washington, DC, office to join the gubernatorial campaign of Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler.

Schneider will leave the position by the month's end, she told PRWeek. Beyond the fact that she will provide communications support for Gansler's fundraising efforts, other specifics of her work, including her title, are still being discussed, she said. Burson is determining who will succeed her....

“It's a real passion project for me to support my friend, who I share a lot of values with,” she said. Schneider added that she was also drawn to his pro-business initiatives, such as his plan to cut corporate taxes should he be elected as Maryland's governor.

It's also a chance for Schneider to re-enter the political world. She previously served as press secretary for former Republican Rep. Robert Michel (R-IL) and worked on an unsuccessful congressional campaign in the early 1980s....

Race to Replace Delegate Brian Feldman in D15 Heats Up // Saqib Ali Wins Endorsements from Progressive MD & MCGEO

This Tuesday, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee will select a replacement for Delegate Brian Feldman's District 15 seat. With multiple contenders vying for the appointment, the race is heating up quickly. Below we provide letters from Progressive Maryland and MCGEO (the union representing MoCo government employees) endorsing Saqib Ali for the D15 vacancy:

PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT

Dear Montgomery County Central Committee Member:

On behalf of the 23,000 members and supporters and 25 affiliated organizations of Progressive Maryland, I am writing to ask you to appoint former Delegate Saqib Ali to the District 15 House of Delegates vacancy created by the appointment of Delegate Brian Feldman to the Maryland Senate.

As you likely know, Progressive Maryland builds power for working families by mounting issue campaigns and organizing people to take action on issues that will improve the lives of working families in our state. Through research, public education, and direct political action in Annapolis and communities statewide, we strive to build a strong middle class, reduce income inequality, and improve the lives of Maryland’s working families. We believe that former Delegate Ali will support our work towards those important goals when appointed.

It was our pleasure to get to know the candidates who spent time talking with us this week. We truly appreciate their time. It’s always wonderful getting to know people with a strong desire to serve the public. After careful consideration, we decided to recommend former Delegate Ali to the District 15 House of Delegates vacancy. Delegate Ali shares our progressive values and has a long history of fighting to improve the lives of working families in Maryland.

We are most appreciative to you for weighing our recommendation as you make your final decision. Please know that we are counting on you to appoint Delegate Ali to the Maryland House of Delegates.

Respectfully,

Elbridge James
President

cc: Senator Brian Feldman
 Delegate Aruna Miller
 Delegate Kathleen Dumas

MCGEO Letter Endorsing Saqib Ali for District 15 Delegate

UNMASKED: Creators of Anonymous Website Attacking Valerie Ervin Revealed // But There's More Than Meets The Eye Here

MOCO POLITICAL WHODUNIT DEVELOPING: IS SOMEONE IN ROCKVILLE FUELING ANTI-ERVIN EFFORTS?

MYSTERY SOLVED? - This week Maryland Juice discussed an anonymous website attacking Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, a potential County Exec candidate in 2014. Incumbent County Executive Ike Leggett condemned the faceless assault, and yesterday Ervin's colleague Councilmember Phil Andrews also released a statement against the anonymous attacks. For what it's worth, Ervin told The Examiner that she "approached legal counsel on action she can take against the perpetrators." But last night The Washington Post reported on the identity of the consultant who created the website at www.Valerie-Ervin-Unmasked.com (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: An anonymous Web site that targets Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin ... is connected to a public relations firm whose clients include a county government employees union that has clashed with Ervin over labor issues....

The number attached to the text did not accept phone calls, and the site’s home page has no indication of who paid for it. But a review of the site’s internal code shows the user name of a principal at Kenefick Communications, a public relations and graphic design firm in Annapolis. It specializes in union communications and works regularly for the Municipal and County Government Employees Organization. The local, affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers, represents about 3,700 non-public safety workers in Montgomery. President Gino Renne has been outspokenly critical of Ervin. He did not return phone messages Wednesday.

Tara Landis, the Kenefick principal whose name appears in the code, did not return a phone message to her home Wednesday. Lisa Gebbia, another firm principal, denied involvement but said Kenefick has “done anti-Valerie sites before...”

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE - Below Maryland Juice dissects The Washington Post's trail of evidence unveiling the creators of the Valerie Ervin attack website. Their reporter Bill Turque thinks the trail of clues leads to MCGEO, a union representing many Montgomery County government employees. But after our analysis of the WaPo evidence, Maryland Juice presents an alternate (and potentially more interesting) theory.

CLUES IN THE SOURCE CODE: Let's begin by examining the evidence outlined in The Washington Post's story linking MCGEO to the valunmasked.com website. The Post states that the site's internal code points to Kenefick Communications, but Maryland Juice will show you exactly what that means. A normal visitor to the site will see the following image:

But it appears as if the website's creator accidentally left a draft version of the website online at: http://www.valerie-ervin-unmasked.com/html. Visitors to that url see the following draft website:

If you look at the source code to this web page (right-click and "view page source"), you begin to see clues about the identity of its creator:

This is what the source code for the valunmasked.com site looks like (I highlighted the interesting part):

Notably, embedded within the anonymous website are references to the following Macintosh owner: file:///Macintosh HD/Users/taralandis/Desktop/. A search of LinkedIn.com reveals three people named Tara Landis in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area:




The third Tara Landis to appear in the search results is listed as the owner of Kenefick Communications, which denied involvement in the Ervin website to The Washington Post. But the WaPo also noted that UFCW Local 1994 (aka MCGEO) is listed as a client of Kenefick Communications:

WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON HERE? - Maryland Juice thinks it seems highly unlikely that MCGEO (if involved) is acting alone in its attacks on Valerie Ervin. Indeed, I believe that a closer look at the available evidence debunks the single-shooter theory. All signs indicate that a "6th Floor" insider or two may have assisted in the anonymous attacks. For those who are unaware, "6th Floor" refers to the floor of the Montgomery County government building in Rockville where all of the County Councilmembers and their aides work. There are several reasons why I think this to be the case.

ODDITY #1: INCONSISTENT USE OF ANONYMOUS AND PUBLIC WEBSITES: First of all, MCGEO's spat with Councilmember Ervin is not a secret to anybody. In fact, the union has tried to be as public as possible about their disagreements with Ervin. For example, in 2011 MCGEO union created an attack website at therealvalerieervin.com, but they did so with their name on it:

This 2011 website was created by Kennefick Communications' client MCGEO

Why would MCGEO create a wildly aggressive campaign website against Valerie Ervin in 2011, but only two years later hide behind the cloak of anonymity? And if this really is just another MCGEO project, why is their consulting firm Kennefick Communications denying involvement in the attack site? Something doesn't make sense here.


ODDITY #2: A STRANGE LIST OF PEOPLE NOT RELATED TO MCGEO RECEIVED NOTICE OF THE ATTACK WEBSITE - There is one big clue that whoever did this was working with inside assistance from within Rockville political circles: the list of people that were notified about the launch of the website. Remember that the way in which many politicos found out about the valunmasked.com website was they received a text message to their cell phone numbers. Indeed, the creators of the website about Ervin appear to have sent a mass-blast text message to many people at one time, Maryland Juice included.

WHOSE ROLODEX INCLUDES CELL PHONE NUMBERS FOR JUNIOR COUNCIL AIDES? - Interestingly, the very first person who reported to me that they had received an anti-Valerie Ervin text message was a junior staff member for a County Councilmember. This immediately struck me as strange, because this particular legislative aide would not be a likely target to receive such a message (ie: they are not the Chief of Staff or Communications Director). In fact, it seemed highly unlikely that MCGEO would have had the personal cell phone number for this particular Council employee. Moroever, this source also told Maryland Juice directly that their personal cellphone number is never given out publicly for work purposes.

I poked around a bit to see who else in Rockville received the text messages, and the list is really pretty random. To be sure, some Councilmembers and their Chiefs of Staff received the anonymous messages, but not all of them. Moreover a few oddly random Council aides/schedulers received the text -- but again, not all of them. I reiterate that it is unlikely that a labor organization would have personal cell phone numbers for all of these employees.

One source noted, however, that Council aides are given an emergency card with the cellphone numbers of all 6th Floor staff and officials. In fact, Maryland Juice still has the card he was given when working on the 6th Floor (see below). If such a document was used to build the list of recipients for the anti-Ervin message, it still would've had to have come from a 6th Floor source. But in reality, it seems a lot more plausible that the distribution list for the anti-Ervin message appears random because it simply reflects the real-life randomness of a particular person(s) available contacts.

Maryland Juice's worn out pocket card w/ 6th Floor phone numbers

TRIANGULATE: FOLLOW THE TRAIL OF CELL PHONE NUMBERS - The presence of certain County Council aides' cellphone numbers on the anti-Ervin list is a pretty interesting fact to consider. But they are not the only ones who received the message. Maryland Juice poked around to see who else received texts, and the list includes many MoCo political insiders. To be fair, some of these people's cell phone numbers could plausibly be in a MCGEO rolodex, but for others, you'll have to make your own judgment. Here are a few examples from Facebook:

STEVE SIMON is a PR professional who formerly ran communications for Montgomery College and MCPS. He is also a 2006 graduate of Leadership Montgomery, a network of connected folks in MoCo.

Facebook Source

BARBARA GOLDBERG GOLDMAN is a politically connected land use consultant and co-chair of Montgomery County's Affordable Housing Conference.

Facebook Source

JEANNE ELLINPORT was a teacher-backed candidate for Board of Education last year. She lost her race to the MCGEO-backed candidate Rebecca Smondrowki.

Facebook Source

HEARSAY - For the purposes of this discussion, let me briefly state some pure hearsay. Maryland Juice fanned out to try and discover what other types of people received the anti-Ervin text messages, and our sources reported that people ranging from County Council Deputy Staff Director Glenn Orlin to former Doug Duncan aide Jerry Pasternak reportedly also received the messages. So here's the real question: who made the list of recipients for the anti-Ervin text message? And to be very specific, the question rephrased is: who has the cell phone numbers for a random assortment of high-level and junior County Council aides, politically involved MoCo figures, elected officials, and other random folks.

Some of the people that have confirmed receiving the message make it very difficult to believe that a labor union would have had their cell number. Now I could be completely off-base in my analysis here, and so I will gladly hear out any alternate theories or evidence to the contrary. But until then, all of this smells like more chaos on the 6th Floor!

MORE ON THE MOCO WHODUNIT SOON!

MoCo Question B Update: Labor Leaders Urge County Voters to Oppose "Effects Bargaining" Repeal & "Scott Walker" Efforts

Yesterday, labor leaders and some MoCo Democratic politicos held a press event to urge residents to "vote against" Question B on Montgomery County's November ballot and to fight "Scott Walker" efforts. A "vote against" would protect "effects bargaining" rights for MoCo police officers. See an excerpt from The Gazette's coverage, as well as a press statement from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35:

GAZETTE: Union advocates Wednesday urged residents to vote against ballot Question B this November, and retain the process by which the Montgomery County police union negotiates the effects of management decisions.

“The [Fraternal Order of Police], the [International Association of] Fire Fighters and every other union that represents individuals in the state of Maryland are part of the greater Maryland labor family. And if you attack one, you are going to fight us all,” said Gino Renne, president of the county employee’s union....

Thirty years ago Montgomery County made a promise to its police when it established a process for negotiating the effects management decisions have on police and their families, said state Sen. Roger Manno (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring....

Below you can also read the police union's press statement about the event:

MOCO POLICY WAR: County Council Divided on Protections for Janitors // Chambers of Commerce & Rival Unions Weigh In

UPDATE: Montgomery County Council passes the displaced workers bill in a divided 5-4 vote. See the vote split below.

• Voting FOR: Valerie Ervin, Marc Elrich, Nancy Navarro, Hans Riemer & Craig Rice. 
• Voting AGAINST: Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal, Phil Andrews & Roger Berliner.
  

MOCO COUNCIL DEBATES WORKER PROTECTIONS FOR JANITORS - Today, the Montgomery County Council is scheduled to vote on legislation that would grant janitors and other low-wage service workers temporary protections in the event that their employer suddenly terminates their contract. Indeed, it is a common story to hear about janitors and other service workers whose lives are upended after their contracts are suddenly terminated. The proposed MoCo bill would simply provide a 90-day transitional period for the displaced janitors and service workers to stay employed while seeking new employment or transitioning to unemployment.

NOTE: Any workers (ie: bad employees) could still be fired for cause, and the provisions of the law are only temporary. This policy is the law in numerous bastions of "socialism" like D.C., New York, and Los Angeles. In fact, in 2010 the Obama administration created similar temporary protections for federal contractors.

Montgomery County Workers Pound Ike Leggett Over $900,000 Tax Cut Plan for Lockheed Martin // #OccupyMoCo Plans Protest

A source within Montgomery County's government reports that MCGEO -- the union representing thousands of county government employees -- is generating a large number of emails to county politicians today: "FYI. The email below was just sent out and the emails are already flooding into the council."

The trigger for MCGEO's advocacy campaign is a proposal from County Executive Ike Leggett to give defense contractor Lockheed Martin nearly one million dollars a year in tax cuts. In an email blast today, the government workers condemn Leggett's proposal and ask members to write to county officials. They also invite readers to attend a protest this Thursday at the County Council that is being organized by a local #Occupy group. Notably, the Council is holding public hearings on the budget this week. Maryland Juice prints MCGEO's email blast and the #Occupy invitation below:

April 11, 2012 Oppose Corporate Welfare to Lockheed Martin! Mr. Leggett is at it again. The County Executive has proposed a corporate welfare package totalling $5 MILLION dollars - giving a $900,000 grant to corporate giant Lockheed Martin, no strings attached! Read more here. Two years ago, the Montgomery County Council tried to pass a bill that would forgive $450,000 in hotel taxes to Lockheed. Because of community outrage, the Council tabled the bill and the proposal failed! This latest attempt at coddling  an ultra-rich corporation without regard to the County's taxpayers who end up paying the freight is downright outrageous! MCGEO is testifying against this ridiculous example of corporate welfare on tomorrow at 1:30pm when the County Council will take up Mr. Leggett’s budget.  It is outrageous to offer this super-rich corporation a gift of almost a million dollars when Montgomery County is cutting all kinds of services and is asking the average taxpayer to pay more. Click here to tell Mr. Leggett and the County Council that you object to this proposal. Unjustifiable Corporate Welfare "The only justification – ever – for corporate welfare is ironclad proof that the alternative is a net loss of wealth – in jobs and tax revenue – for the unwealthy. Not an iota of evidence exits for either in this case." The "Lockheed Tax" Most of Lockheed's revenue comes from contracts with the federal government. In 2008, $36 billion of their sales came from federal contracts and $29 billion from the Pentagon. One expert calculated that each taxpaying household contributes roughly $260 in the “Lockheed tax.” And Mr. Leggett wants US TO SUBSIDIZE THEM MORE? Click here to tell Mr. Leggett and the County Council that you object to this proposal. Send a letter! Tell the county council you object to this corporate give-away! Click here to send a letter to the County Council. Protest this plan! Occupy Montgomery County is organizing a protest outside the Council offices, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville. Join the protest outside, from 6 to 8 p.m.

MEDIA ADVISORY for Thursday April 12, 2012

Occupy Montgomery County To Protest Tax Giveaway To Lockheed Martin

As schools are forced to trim budgets, county considers cutting taxes for war profiteer

ROCKVILLE, MD – Occupy Montgomery County, a group of residents who have joined together to build community and amplify voices of the 99% in America’s 12th richest county, are protesting a proposed tax giveaway to Lockheed Martin in the 2013 county budget.

The Montgomery County Council is holding public hearings this week on County Executive Ike Leggett’s 2013 budget proposal. Among Leggett’s proposals is a recommendation to grant Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin a controversial $900,000 tax grant. The county council has rejected such giveaways for the company in the past. And the newly formed Occupy Montgomery County will be taking action to make sure they do the same this year.

The following is a statement from the group:

 “A company that in 2010 derived fully 84 percent of its profit from taxpayer dollars has absolutely no business siphoning much-needed resources from the people of Montgomery County. At a time when teachers are being laid off and schoolchildren are being stuffed into overcrowded classrooms, Lockheed Martin needs to pay its fair share. They can certainly afford to: the company paid its CEO $21.9 million and spent another $15.9 million on lobbying. The question is this: will our elected county officials invest in war profiteering merchants of death? Or a future for our children? We intend to make sure they make the right choice.”

WHERE: 100 Maryland Ave, Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, Rockville, MD

WHEN: Thursday, April 12 6 pm

FOR MORE INFORMATION: visit www.occupymocomd.org