ISSUE JUICE: Roll Calls on Transgender, Minimum Wage, Estate Tax & Pot Bills // PLUS: Purple Line, School $, Privacy & More!

Below Maryland Juice provides a round of updates regarding hot button legislation in the Free State:

JUICE #1: ROLL CALL // TRANSGENDER NONDISCRIMINATION BILL PASSES STATE SENATE - After years of stalled efforts, the Maryland Senate passed the "Fairness for All Marylanders Act" (32-15) to provide transgender residents protection from discrimination. 4 Democrats joined 11 Republicans in voting against the nondiscrimination bill, while only 1 Republican voted in favor of transgender nondiscrimination. See the names of lawmakers who broke party lines below:

Democrats who voted against transgender nondiscrimination:

• John Astle (D30)
• Ed DeGrange (D32)
• Roy Dyson (D29)
• Jim Mathias (D38)

Republicans who voted for transgender nondiscrimination:

• Allan Kittleman (D9)

The measure now awaits consideration in the House of Delegates, where we expect it to pass, given its broad support (eg: 61 members co-sponsoring the bill).


JUICE #2: ROLL CALL // $10.10 MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE PASSES HOUSE OF DELEGATES WITHOUT INDEXING - Last week the Maryland House of Delegates approved an increase in the state's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. The vote was 89-46 (via Washington Post), but according to a press release from Raise Maryland, the bill was watered down a bit along the way (excerpt below):

RAISE MARYLAND: Key provisions of the Maryland Minimum Wage Act of 2014 were stripped out during consideration of the bill in the House Economic Matters Committee.  A proposal to index the minimum wage so that it would rise during to keep pace with the cost of living was amended out of the bill. A measure to raise wages for tipped workers from 50 to 70 percent of the minimum wage has been changed to freeze tipped wages at $3.63, the current rate. This amendment means that as the minimum wage rises, tipped worker’s pay would remain at the current level, giving them a pay cut. Advocates are working to keep address these issues in the Senate version of the bill, as well as an amendment that broadly exempts amusement parks....

Every Republican Delegate voted against the minimum wage increase, along with 7 Democratic members of the House. See the names of lawmakers who broke party lines below, along with a few members for whom there is no vote recorded either way:

Democrats who voted against a $10.10/hour minimum wage:

• Pamela Beidle (D32)
• Eric Bromwell (D8)
• Norm Conway (D38B)
• Kevin Kelly (D1B)
• Joseph Minnick (D6)
• David Rudolph (D34B)
• John Wood (D29A)

Democrats with no recorded final vote on a $10.10/hour minimum wage

• Luiz Simmons (D17) - NOTE: Simmons had an excused absence due to the death of his father
• Theodore Sophocleus (D32)

MIZEUR AMENDMENT: Delegate Heather Mizeur, a gubernatorial candidate, offered a last-minute amendment to try and revive indexing in the minimum wage bill through a 2% annual increase after the wage reached $10.10. Mizeur's amendment was defeated in a 8-124 vote, but here are the names of the seven other Delegates who supported her effort. Note that Doug Gansler's running-mate, Jolene Ivey, voted for Mizeur's amendment:

• Liz Bobo (D12)
• Jolene Ivey (D47)
• Doyle Niemann (D47)
• Shane Robinson (D39)
• Mary Washington (D43)
• Ana Sol Gutierrez (D18)
• Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D21)

The minimum wage increase now awaits consideration in the Maryland Senate.


JUICE #3: ROLL CALL // MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION PASSES MARYLAND SENATE COMMITTEE - Last week the Maryland Senate's Judicial Proceedings committee approved legislation to remove jail time as a penalty for marijuana possession. State Senator Bobby Zirkin (a bill sponsor) issued the following press release explaining the legislation (excerpt below):

BOBBY ZIRKIN: The bill will create a civil fine not to exceed $100 for adults possessing a small quantity of marijuana. In addition, minors who are found in possession are subject to the $100 fine but also must appear in court in front of a judge or a juvenile master. Juvenile offenders could be ordered to participate in community service or participate in drug education programs.

The bi-partisan vote in the Judicial Proceedings committee was 8-3. Here are the Senators who voted for and against the bill:

Senators who voted for marijuana decriminalization in committee:

• Jim Brochin (D42 Democrat)
• Jennie Forehand (D17 Democrat)
• Brian Frosh  (D16 Democrat)
• Nancy Jacobs (D34 Republican)
• Anthony Muse (D26 Democrat)
• Jamie Raskin (D20 Democrat)
• Chris Shank (D2 Republican)
• Bobby Zirkin (D11 Democrat)

Senators who voted against marijuana decriminalization in committee:

• Steve Hershey (D26 Republican)
• Norm Stone (D6 Democrat)
• Lisa Gladden (D41 Democrat)

The measure now awaits consideration by the full Senate and action in the House, though it is worth noting that decriminalization legislation passed the Senate last year. Meanwhile, officials in neighboring Washington, DC have decriminalized pot.


JUICE #4: FEDS APPROVE FUNDING FOR PURPLE LINE // LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM WILL OPEN IN 2020 - Maryland's light rail Purple Line project was approved for federal funding last week. The transit line would run from Bethesda to New Carrolton, with numerous stops in Montgomery and Prince George's counties. The Washington Post's Katie Shaver reported on the development (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: A proposed light-rail Purple Line project has been recommended for $100 million in federal money in the next fiscal year as part of President Obama’s budget released Tuesday.... Just as significant to the project’s future is that the Purple Line was included on a list of seven large transit projects nationwide that the Federal Transit Administration recommends for a “full funding grant agreement,” a ­longer-term commitment by the federal government to help pay for the project’s construction.... “This is really good news,” said Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), whose district includes part of the proposed Purple Line route in Prince George’s County. “This really keeps the Purple Line on the trajectory we need.” The 16-mile light-rail line would have 21 stations from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s. Maryland transit officials have said they hope to begin construction in 2015 and begin service in 2020.

JUICE #5: ROLL CALL // ESTATE TAX CUT APPROVED BY MARYLAND HOUSE OF DELEGATES - Progressive Maryland and some labor allies launched a campaign to stop a cut to Maryland's estate tax. Last week a Maryland Juice reader reported that Progressive Maryland had even launched calls to voters offering to patch them through to their lawmakers. But the organization reported on Facebook last week that the House of Delegates approved the estate tax cut (excerpt below):

PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND: Maryland House of Delegates just voted 120-13 in favor of cutting taxes for the wealthiest 3% of Maryland estates via HB 739. This vote came just 1 day after the State disclosed that it is in a budget hole and is weighing a $300 million cut to teachers and other state employees' pensions....

Progressive Maryland reported that 13 Democrats opposed cutting the estate tax, and we learned that a 14th Delegate added their name to the "no" votes:

• Charles Barkley (D39)
• Liz Bobo (D12)
• Al Carr (D18)
• Jill Carter (D41)
• David Fraser-Hidalgo (D15)
• Ana Sol Gutierrez (D18)
• Carolyn Howard (D24)
• Tom Hucker (D20)
• Eric Luedtke (D14)
• Heather Mizeur (D20)
• Shane Robinson (D39)
• Jeff Waldstreicher (D18)
• Alonzo Washington (D22)
• Mary Washington (D43)

The tax cut bill is now awaiting action in the State Senate.


JUICE #6: IN MIDST OF MEDIA AND NONPROFIT CRITICISM, LAWMAKERS ABANDON BILL TO BAN ACADEMIC BOYCOTTS - Maryland Juice previously reported on a controversial bill (HB998 & SB647) pitting the politics of the Middle East against academic freedom. The Washington Post recently editorialized against the bill, as it would prohibit state funding for academics engaged in boycotts (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: When an academic group announced it would boycott Israel’s higher-education institutions, the president of the University of Maryland, like dozens of his peers across the country, condemned the move. “A breach of the principle of academic freedom” said Wallace D. Loh in a joint statement with the school’s provost. We completely agree. However, legislation being advanced by state lawmakers to bar participation in the boycott goes too far and constitutes its own insidious assault on academic freedom. The Maryland General Assembly is considering legislation that would bar public universities from providing funds to academic organizations that support boycotts of Israel.....

Academicians, including those who abhor the boycott, are right to be alarmed by this kind of legislation. The American Association of University Professors argue that the measure would impose a political litmus test on faculty members seeking university support for research meetings and travel.... At a hearing this week before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, an official from the American Civil Liberties of Union termed the bill “inimical to democratic principals.” This bill is ill-advised and should be killed. If it advances out of the General Assembly, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) should veto it.

As a result of the backlash over the bill to ban academic boycotts, at least two sponsors are withdrawing support for the effort. A Maryland Juice reader sent us comments from the offices of two bill sponsors who are now opposing the effort:

OFFICE OF KUMAR BARVE: ... although the delegate co-sponsored HB 998 (Public Higher Education- Use of Funds- Prohibition), he has decided to vote against it if it reaches the House floor.

OFFICE OF MARY WASHINGTON: After further research on the bill, Delegate Washington is no longer supporting HB 998 and has asked to be removed as a cosponsor.

JUICE #7: GOOD BILLS TO SUPPORT // TIME TO PASS BLACK LIQUOR BILL, SECOND CHANCE ACT & PACKAGE OF PRIVACY LEGISLATION - Over the last few years, progressive lawmakers have attempted to pass a few common-sense bills but have been rebuffed time and again.

BLACK LIQUOR: The first bill is a bill to end Maryland subsidies for a dirty energy source called "black liquor" that is produced from wood and paper waste (SB734 & HB747). The Chesapeake Climate Action Network describes the 2014 legislative effort as follows (excerpt below):

CHESAPEAKE CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK: A massive loophole in Maryland's renewable energy law is forcing ratepayers to reward the creation of greenhouse gases and harmful air pollutants. In the 2014 General Assembly, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Qualifying Biomass bill (SB 734/HB 747) would eliminate that loophole to ensure that Maryland's clean energy is actually clean.

In 2004, Maryland became one of the first states in the country to create a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).... However, while fellow Mid-Atlantic States like Delaware and New Jersey get over 70% of their renewable energy portfolios from the wind and sun, these resources make up only 15% of Maryland's portfolio. The primary reason is a flaw in the renewable energy law that supports out-of-state, high-emission black liquor and wood waste facilities that have been in operation for over 32 years on average. These old, polluting facilities are receiving more of our renewable energy dollars than true clean energy sources like wind and solar.

EXPUNGING CRIMINAL RECORDS: The second bill "good bill" we're highlighting is called the Maryland Second Chance Act. This is an effort to allow residents with minor nonviolent criminal convictions to be able to shield them from public view after a number of years (SB1056 & HB1166). The Job Opportunities Task Force provided the following update on the status of this bill:

JOB OPPORTUNITIES TASK FORCE: This Tuesday the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will consider the Maryland Second Chance Act of 2014. This important legislation would permit the shielding of certain nonviolent misdemeanor convictions from the public. For many Marylanders this means their criminal record would no longer stand in the way of getting a job.

Please take a minute to contact your lawmakers and share your support for SB 1056/ HB 1166. Phone calls are best, but please feel free to send an email using templates for the Senate Judicial Proceedings and House Judiciary Committees.

In a press release yesterday, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler (a candidate for Governor) announced that he would be testifying in support of the Second Chance Act at the Senate hearing today (TUE 3/11/14) (excerpt below):

DOUG GANSLER: Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler will tour the Community Kitchen in East Baltimore at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday March 11 to learn how the Episcopal Community Services program uses its catering service to train and certify formerly incarcerated persons and prepare them for employment and careers in food service....

Following the tour, Attorney General Gansler will hold a news conference on site at 11:30 a.m. to discuss his support of The Maryland Second Chance Act of 2014 (SB 1056 and HB 1166) before heading to Annapolis to testify in House and Senate committee hearings on the legislation....

ELECTRONIC PRIVACY LEGISLATION: Lastly, civil liberties advocates are promoting a package of legislation aimed at increasing privacy protections for Marylanders. The Cumberland Times-News reported on the effort (excerpt below):

CUMBERLAND TIMES-NEWS: While technology that tracks cellphones and cars has made work easier for some law enforcement officials, a bundle of proposed laws would ensure that the same technology could not violate Marylanders’ protections from unwarranted searches and seizures.

Members of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland testified last week  in the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in favor of four bills aimed at curbing law enforcement officials’ ability to electronically monitor citizens. If passed, the bills would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before reading electronic communication and tracking a cellphone.

“Your phone can tell the government where you are at any moment,” said Del. Jeff Waldstreicher, D-Montgomery, who sponsored the bill on cellphone tracking. The proposed bills would also limit the ability of police to use drones, and would place parameters on how long law enforcement officials can keep records based on license plate readers. David Rocah, senior staff attorney with the ACLU, said he is concerned that laws requiring warrants did not yet exist when smartphones be-came available to the public.

JUICE #8: MOCO LAWMAKERS RALLY FOR MORE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FUNDING AS COUNTY EXEC CANDIDATES JOCKEY - Montgomery County officials have been pushing for increased school construction dollars from Annapolis this year. In response to surging enrollment, MoCo electeds have joined with lawmakers in Baltimore and Prince George's counties to present a united front for increased modernization funds. But The Gazette's Kate Alexander reported a couple weeks ago that the funding push was facing an uphill battle in the General Assembly. Since then, MoCo officials and residents held a rally in Annapolis, and County Executive Ike Leggett issued an action alert calling on residents to contact the Governor and leaders of the House and Senate. Rival County Exec candidate Doug Duncan also released a letter he sent to MoCo's Del. Anne Kaiser and Sen. Jamie Raskin (MoCo's House & Senate leaders) declaring an absence of "strong, local leadership" on school funding. Below we provide a few excerpts from the relevant statements, starting with dueling releases from Ike Leggett and Doug Duncan:

IKE LEGGETT ACTION ALERT

Overcrowding in County Schools Requires More State Construction Dollars:
Pass Senate Bill 927 and House Bill 1323
Montgomery County is working closely with Baltimore County and Prince George’s County to win a state program where every $2 of County money will be matched by $1 in State money. Together, the three counties represent 44 percent of the State’s students and 46 percent of students eligible for free and reduced meals....

Montgomery County is already planning to invest another $1.1 billion of our own County money for school construction – a record high. Over the last eight years, County funding for school construction has increased by 36 percent.

Montgomery County needs the State of Maryland to step up with a matched program for resources over and above what the County normally receives. Investing in our future teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and innovators - and our kids' quality education - is absolutely essential for Montgomery County and is a smart investment for the whole State of Maryland.

For more details on this campaign: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/schoolfunding/

Send messages to:

• Governor Martin O’Malley - governor.mail@maryland.gov
• Lt. Governor Anthony Brown - lt.governor.mail@maryland.gov
• Senate President Mike Miller - Thomas.v.miller@senate.state.md.us
• House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch - Michael.busch@house.state.md.us

Thank them for their past support and tell these State of Maryland leaders why investing in our schools is critically important and why we need Senate Bill 927 and House Bill 1323.

DOUG DUNCAN'S LETTER TO SEN. RASKIN & DEL. KAISER

Dear Senator Raskin/Delegate Kaiser,

I was disappointed to read last week that Montgomery County local officials are already declaring defeat on our number one priority in Annapolis - obtaining additional school construction funding to address the public school’s system’s severe overcrowding.  I am writing to ask you and your colleagues to take decisive action and provide the leadership needed to secure this critical funding approved this year - not later as some have suggested.

Montgomery County faces a public school overcrowding crisis, with approximately 2,500 additional students entering the school system each year for the next several years.   We owe every child in Montgomery County the opportunity to learn in a clean, safe, modern, and uncrowded classroom.

As you know, during the debate over increasing the gas tax in 2012, Baltimore City delegation members leveraged their support to get more school construction money – funds they will now receive.  Unfortunately, largely due to the absence of strong, local leadership, Montgomery County did not secure a similar funding package to address our significant overcrowding.  In fact, it appears that effort was given little consideration until just before this year’s legislative session began.

As a life-long resident of Montgomery County and someone who has always made education my top priority, I respectfully ask that you and your colleagues take over where the local officials have failed, and enact legislation that will lead to Montgomery County receiving its fair share of state school construction funding.

Respectfully,

Douglas Duncan

The Montgomery Sentinel's Holden Wilen covered the jousting over the school funding fight, including commentary from some of the figures above (excerpt below):

MONTGOMERY SENTINEL: Doug Duncan and Ike Leggett are finding themselves at odds again, this time because Duncan says Leggett has not done enough to get Montgomery County its fair share of state construction funding....

[Delegate Anne] Kaiser also shrugged off Duncan’s comments about poor leadership, saying “he should know better.” “(Duncan) knows these things take time,” Kaiser said. “There is no question everyone thinks this is important....”

Leggett campaign officials defended the current county executive’s efforts. According to Scott Goldberg, Leggett’s campaign manager, Leggett has helped secure $262 million in school construction funds during the last seven years. “That is $60 million more than the county received under (Duncan’s) previous seven years—during which the economy was booming and budgets much easier...."

Lastly, the Montgomery County Council released a video last week making the case for increased school construction funding:

CAMPAIGN JUICE: Brown & Gansler Launch TV Ads, Hucker v Barclay, Kagan v Simmons, D13 & Analysis of MoCo Exec Race

Below Maryland Juice has a few quick updates regarding campaigns of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: GUBERNATORIAL AD WARS BEGIN // WATCH ANTHONY BROWN & DOUG GANSLER'S FIRST TV SPOTS - Begun the ad wars have. Gubernatorial candidates Anthony Brown and Doug Gansler are beginning to unload their multi-million dollars war chests on the television airwaves. Below you can see their first ads in the race for Maryland Governor:





HEADLINE UPDATE: Notably, these early ads are soft and fluffy. But I fully expect the tone of future ads to take a downward spiral, based on the headlines of recent press releases I've been receiving. See a few examples below:

• DOUG GANSLER:  Lt. Gov. Brown Says, “Leadership is About Inspiring People to Achieve Goals” – Really?

• HEATHER MIZEUR:  Mizeur Questions Gansler’s Commitment to Middle Class Families

• ANTHONY BROWN:  Doug Gansler yet to explain why he refuses to support funding full-day Pre-K for all Maryland children

JUICE #2: TOM HUCKER VS. CHRIS BARCLAY // DUELING UNION ENDORSEMENTS IN MOCO COUNCIL DISTRICT 5 - With the filing deadline closed, the race for Montgomery County Council District 5 is beginning to take shape. Board of Education President Chris Barclay received an endorsement from MoCo's teachers union, while Delegate Tom Hucker received the support of the MoCo government employees union. Check out the MCEA Tweet and MCGEO press release excerpt below:

PRESS RELEASE

UFCW LOCAL 1994 MCGEO ENDORSES TOM HUCKER IN BID 

FOR VACANT DISTRICT 5 COUNTY COUNCIL SEAT

Praises his work as state delegate advocating for women, children, and working families

Silver Spring, MD. - Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 MCGEO announced its enthusiastic support of Tom Hucker for the vacant seat in the Montgomery County Council District 5 race. Key to the endorsement, said Local 1994 President Gino Renne, was “Tom’s tireless work to protect and fight for legislation that protects our most vulnerable residents – our working moms, our children, our seniors....” MCGEO plans to make the District 5 race its top priority this election season, and will launch a robust political program including weekend door knocking and phone banks.

JUICE #3: ENDORSEMENTS IN DISTRICT 17 SENATE RACE BETWEEN CHERYL KAGAN AND LUIZ SIMMONS - Two new endorsements have been announced in the District 17 State Senate slugfest between Delegate Luiz Simmons and former Delegate Cheryl Kagan. Kagan received the support of retiring D17 Senator Jennie Forehand, while Simmons was endorsed by the MoCo government employees union MCGEO. See press release excerpts below:

PRESS RELEASE

Statement by Senator Jennie M. Forehand

My friends and supporters have been asking me which Senate candidate I believe should represent District 17. I am proud to announce my enthusiastic endorsement of my former colleague, Cheryl Kagan, who will best reflect my views and priorities in the State Senate.

... I am delighted to endorse Cheryl Kagan for State Senate. Cheryl is the clear choice, and I look forward to campaigning together toward victory in the June 24th Democratic primary. I strongly urge my friends and neighbors in Rockville and Gaithersburg to join me in supporting Cheryl.

PRESS RELEASE

Montgomery County Public Employees Endorse Simmons for State Senate

Simmons is UFCW 1994 MCGEO First Legislative Endorsement of 2014 Political Cycle

Rockville, MD – Today, Del. Luiz Simmons received the endorsement of UFCW 1994 MCGEO, the Montgomery County Public Employees, in his run to be the next State Senator for District 17.  The support of Simmons is MCGEO’s first legislative endorsement of the 2014 political cycle.  MCGEO represents 8,000 public employees in Montgomery County and beyond.

Gino Renne, President of UFCW 1994 MCGEO released the following statement praising Simmons for his hard work on behalf of Maryland working families, “Delegate Simmons has proven himself time and again to be a strong advocate for working families in Montgomery County and beyond.  I am confident that as a state senator, Luiz will continue to fight and address the problems plaguing our poor and middle class....”

JUICE #4: POLITICAL CHESS IN DISTRICT 13 DELEGATE RACE - David Lublin, who has rebooted the Maryland Politics Watch blog at www.theseventhstate.com, has an interesting write-up about the political chess match in District 13's Delegate race (excerpt below):

SEVENTH STATE: Long story short, a husband and wife both filed for delegate as did an uncle and his niece. The wife, School Board Member Janet Siddiqui, withdrew at the last minute to refile for School Board but her husband, Nayab Siddiqui, stayed in the race.

Both Vanessa Atterbeary, formerly a candidate in District 18, and her uncle, incumbent Del. Frank Turner filed and neither dropped out. Del. Guy Guzzone, who is running for Senate, originally planned to form a slate with incumbent Del. Shane Pendergrass, Del. Frank Turner, and Janet Siddiqui.

Now, Guzzone, Pendergrass, and Turner have decided to put Vanessa Atterbeary on their ticket as its third candidate for delegate after a series of interviews with the prospective candidates. Nayab Siddiqui and Vanessa Atterbeary both had inside knowledge that someone was going to drop out–or else why on earth would they have filed? And now Team 13 has added the niece of an incumbent delegate to the slate....

JUICE #5: MY THOUGHTS ON THE RACE FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE - There are a few months left to go until the June Democratic Primary for Montgomery County Executive. After the January campaign finance filings, incumbent Exec Ike Leggett had a sizeable cash advantage over challengers Doug Duncan and Phil Andrews:

• County Executive Ike Leggett (incumbent) = $971,159.00
• Former County Executive Doug Duncan = $330,120.86
• Councilmember Phil Andrews = $118,805.41

Between the power of incumbency and the heft of his war chest, Leggett may be sitting in a decent spot right now. But it is worth noting that even after the campaign finance reports came out, Duncan picked up endorsements from the MoCo police and firefighters unions. Meanwhile, a few major groups have yet to weigh in on the race, and Duncan may have decent residual name id from his previous terms as County Executive.

On the financial front, history also demonstrates that money is not decisive in these races. When Leggett first won in 2006, he was heavily outspent by rival candidate Steve Silverman ($770,000 to $1.9 million according to The Gazette). Even still, there is likely a threshold amount of spending a countywide candidate needs to meet in order to get their basic message out. Perhaps recognizing these challenges, in recent campaign debates Duncan has attempted to draw sharp contrasts with his rivals (Leggett especially) by criticizing their records on school construction funding and other issues.

DUNCAN JABS: In the latest bout of sparring, Duncan has taken to attacking Leggett for the stalled opening of the Silver Spring Transit Center. Though I can't speak for the rest of the parts of the county, I've spoken to lots of voters in the downtown Silver Spring area, and it is true that they frequently raise the Transit Center as an issue of concern. For those interested in further details on the Silver Spring Transit Center delays, the Action Committee for Transit has a chronology of news coverage at its website. In any case, the key question at hand is whether this and other issues like school funding will come to define the race, and whether any blame will be pinned on Leggett. Perhaps that's why Duncan held a press conference this week to raise questions about county officials' roles in the Transit Center controversy (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE 

Duncan Urges Completion of Silver Spring Transit Center;

Calls on County to Provide Answers, Plan of Action

SILVER SPRING, Maryland – Standing on the site of the long-delayed Silver Spring Transit Center, Democratic candidate for County Executive, Doug Duncan, today called on Montgomery County officials to stop making excuses, offer up a plan of action, and move swiftly to complete a critically important transportation hub that serves thousands of Washington area commuters. Duncan, who, as County Executive, oversaw the successful revitalization of downtown Silver Spring[1], said taxpayers deserve to know when the transit center will open – and how much more it will cost to complete it.... The Silver Spring Transit Center is currently two and a half years overdue and tens of millions over budget....

Duncan called on the County Executive and County Council to promptly give the public answers to these questions. "It’s time for answers.  Silver Spring residents and community leaders fought too long and hard for a vibrant downtown to have to wait for this mess to be cleaned up, before they have access to the state-of-the-art transit center they were expecting," said Duncan. "This failure on the part of the County government to get the job done here leaves pedestrians at risk, commuters frustrated and hurts the economic vitality of Silver Spring.  The people of Montgomery County deserve better."

LEGGETT HITS BACK: Patrick Lacefield, a spokesperson for Ike Leggett, responded in turn with the following statement:

PATRICK LACEFIELD: This is nothing more than the previous County Executive playing politics by seeking publicity for his campaign. If he had been following this issue, he would know that we are awaiting warmer temperatures to resume the remaining work on the private contractor’s faulty concrete work. All other things being equal, the facility could be completed, turned over to WMATA and opened by the summer. The detailed plan to fix it is embodied in the KCE Report made public last year and discussed by the Council. The cost for the concrete overlay is estimated at $2 million, costs which the County will ensure would be borne by the private parties at fault for construction, design and inspection flaws, not by County taxpayers.

The County continues to work with WMATA and the designer about the possible need to further strengthen interior beams and girders, as was discussed with the County Council last November.  Again, the County would work to ensure that any additional costs for fixing flaws would be borne by the private parties responsible.

It is heartening that the former County Executive is interested in the safety of the facility since previously he had expressed the view that he would simply have covered over the faulty workmanship and moved on, notwithstanding the more profound safety flaws that were discovered by KCE, with findings endorsed by three independent engineers. The County Executive has stated that he will turn over to WMATA a structure that is both safe and durable and that he will not let politics get in the way of safety, period.

The interesting thing about Duncan raising the Transit Center controversy is that he worked for one of the parties involved in its construction. The Washington Post's Bill Turque reported on the connection yesterday (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Duncan has worked as a consultant for Foulger-Pratt, the general contractor on the project. KCE held the firm responsible for the absence of reinforcing steel in two critical 10-foot-by-40-foot slabs in the center of the bus roadway. Foulger was also accountable for unacceptably thin concrete covering in some portions of the building, KCE said. Duncan said that contractors and engineers “did not perform as expected,” but declined to criticize Foulger directly.

THE PHIL ANDREWS EXPERIMENT: While Doug Duncan and Ike Leggett take turns punching each other, Councilmember Phil Andrews is embarking upon an interesting political experiment. He is essentially testing whether a candidate can win a countywide race in MoCo almost entirely by door-knocking. It seems clear at this point that Andrews will be outspent (heavily perhaps?), but in his literature (scanned below) he claims that he's knocked 17,000 doors in the last year or so. By comparison, there were 104,979 votes cast in the 2006 Democratic Primary when Leggett received 64,382 votes to Steve Silverman's 37,279. Notably, my wife reports that some of her co-workers (who are not plugged in to local politics) report having spoken to Phil Andrews personally when he canvassed their neighborhoods. In any case, you can read Andrews' literature below (click on the images to expand them):

JUICE: Governor Poll Results, MoCo Exec Debate, Minimum Wage Status, D17, Deportations, Pot, Reporter Shield, MD vs VA

Below Maryland Juice provides a quick round of updates on the status of high-profile legislative initiatives and campaigns of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: GUBERNATORIAL POLL RESULTS - BROWN 35%, GANSLER 14%, MIZEUR 10% // PLUS: AG POLL RESULTS - CARDIN 18%, FROSH 6%, BRAVEBOY 4%, FRICK 3% - This week, The Baltimore Sun released results of a poll they commissioned showing the status of the Democratic Primaries for Governor and Attorney General. Take these numbers with a grain of salt, because candidates in both races have not yet spent funds on media. Correspondingly, there are large numbers of undecided voters in the races for Governor and AG, but the early results are still pretty interesting. Here's a snapshot of The Baltimore Sun's survey results:

Democratic Primary for Governor

• Undecided - 40%
• Anthony Brown & Ken Ulman - 35%
• Doug Gansler & Jolene Ivey - 14%
• Heather Mizeur & Delman Coates - 10%

Democratic Primary for Attorney General

• Undecided - 69%
• Jon Cardin - 18%
• Brian Frosh - 6%
• Aisha Braveboy - 4%
• Bill Frick - 3%

Meanwhile, Bethesda Magazine's Lou Peck had a different analysis of the Governor's race. In an article last week, he sorted out support for Brown and Gansler in their home counties (excerpt below):

BETHESDA MAGAZINE: Gansler has the backing of 16 of Montgomery County’s 32-member General Assembly contingent, with four senators (Brian Feldman of Potomac, Jennie Forehand of Rockville, Richard Madaleno of Kensington, and Karen Montgomery of Brookeville) and 12 delegates publicly behind him. By the same token, Brown has the backing of 15 members (five senators, 10 delegates) from among the 30-member Prince George’s delegation.... 

There is, however, a striking disparity in the level of support for Brown and Gansler among their home county councils: While Brown has the public backing of six of the nine members of the Prince Georges Council, Gansler has yet to attract the endorsement of a single member of the Montgomery council....

Privately, it appears that policy differences are keeping some officials in the state’s most avowedly liberal jurisdiction from embracing native son Gansler, a long-time death penalty supporter who more recently has called for a corporate tax cut....

Lastly, Gansler announced in a press release today that he received the endorsement of the Montgomery County Firefighters union (excerpt below):

DOUG GANSLER (VIA PRESS RELEASE): During his remarks, Gansler announced that the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1664, AFL-CIO, CLC has endorsed the Gansler/Ivey ticket.

“It is with great excitement that the firefighters right here in this county are getting behind Attorney General Gansler’s campaign for governor. Doug’s strong record on public safety, his support for firefighters, dating all the way back to when he first became State’s Attorney in 1998, and his willingness to fight for the people of Maryland make him our choice for Governor,” said IAFF Local 1664 President Jeffrey Buddle. “We look forward to campaigning with him, making calls, knocking doors, whatever it takes....”

JUICE #2: MARYLAND IS BEATING VIRGINIA IN JOB GROWTH  / / PLUS: MARYLAND HAS MOST MILLIONAIRES IN THE NATION (PER CAPITA)  - In recent years, some Maryland politicians have justified regressive policy proposals and corporate welfare by pointing to the economic threat posed by the anti-tax politics of Virginia. But is all that hysteria and race-to-the-bottom policymaking actually connected to the real world? Two studies released this year would suggest not:

FIRST: Gallup this week released a study ranking states in job creation and retention. Though Maryland is by no means leading the nation in this category, we are ahead of Virginia. I repeat, Maryland is ahead of Virginia for job growth. Maryland is #22 in the nation for job growth, while Virginia is tied for #32. North Dakota is #1 for job growth right now, and Washington, DC is #2.

SECOND: Earlier this year, Phoenix Marketing International released a report ranking the states with the most millionaires (per capita). It turns out Maryland is #1 in the nation for millionaires, while Virginia is #7.

JUICE #3: DEBATE BETWEEN MOCO EXEC CANDIDATES GETS HOT AS DUNCAN, ANDREWS & LEGGETT SPAR // PLUS: SEE VIDEOS OF THE CLOSING STATEMENTS - Maryland Juice attended an interesting debate between Montgomery County Executive candidates last week. The MoCo teachers union (MCEA), hosted a school policy forum with County Executive Ike Leggett, former County Executive Doug Duncan, Councilmember Phil Andrews, and GOP candidate Jim Shalleck. Though Shalleck (the lone Republican candidate) presented as an amusing and likeable guy, the sparks started flying between the Democratic candidates. The Washington Post's Bill Turque captured a few of the heated jabs in an article last week (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: The question was when, not if, Doug Duncan would start throwing punches during Wednesday night’s first joint appearance of candidates for Montgomery County executive.... He consequently took every opportunity to depict County Executive Isiah Leggett as weak and ineffective, especially when it came to securing school funding from Annapolis....

Calmly but firmly, Leggett gave as good as he got, dismissing Duncan’s version of recent county history as “a parallel universe.” Money was easier to find in the go-go economy that existed during much of Duncan’s three-term tenure, he said. “The good old days are gone,” Leggett said. “It is the real days today.”

Duncan came prepared to make school overcrowding and construction issues the centerpiece of his attack..... “This is a problem we’ve known about for several years,” Duncan said. “What took you so long?...” “We’re in this mess because of a lack of leadership by my two primary opponents,” Duncan said.

“I think we need a little bit of reality,” Leggett responded.... Leggett framed the larger issue as Duncan’s triumphal view of his own record, which he said ignores profligate spending that placed the county in a serious financial hole even before the Great Recession.

“When I assumed this office [in 2007], the county was broke and getting broker,” Leggett said, referring to large deficits that he and the County Council had to close. Leggett touted significant increases in capital spending for schools during his tenure, along with reductions in emergency response times, advances in affordable housing and record cash reserves as proof of the sound management ability he brought to the job....

VIDEOS OF THE CLOSING STATEMENTS: Montgomery Community Media posted videos of the closing statements from all four County Executive candidates, and I encourage you to check out their comments below. You can see the back and forth between Doug Duncan and Ike Leggett in their final comments, but Phil Andrews closing statement is also worth a watch. Andrews lists a series of progressive legislation he authored, such as a living wage law, public smoking ban, and clean elections bill for local campaigns. He also takes a jab at Annapolis, stating that MoCo has increased costs because of "bad decisions by the General Assembly."

Doug Duncan Closing Statement

  Ike Leggett Closing Statement
  Phil Andrews Closing Statement

Jim Shalleck Closing Statement


JUICE #4: DELEGATE LUIZ SIMMONS SENDS ANOTHER MAIL PIECE IN D17 SENATE RACE - Delegate Luiz Simmons is running against former Delegate Cheryl Kagan for the District 17 State Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jennie Forehand. He sent the following direct mail piece to voters last week:

District 17 Direct Mail from Del. Luiz Simmons

JUICE #5: GOV. O'MALLEY QUESTIONING WHY MD'S SO-CALLED "SECURE COMMUNITIES" PROGRAM IS DEPORTING MANY NON-CRIMINALS - A few years ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched a sketchy new program called "Secure Communities" that gave local police the power to check the immigration status of people they encountered, and to process for deportation those without proper documentation. The program was built during the xenophobic policy wave that emerged during the recession, but in 2011 The New York Times reported that several states tried to resist participation in the program (excerpt below):

NEW YORK TIMES: A program that is central to President Obama’s strategy to toughen enforcement of immigration laws is facing growing resistance from state governments and police officials across the country.

Late Wednesday, Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois said he was pulling his state out of the program, known as Secure Communities, the first time a state has sought to withdraw entirely. In California, where the program is already under way throughout the state, the Legislature is considering a bill that would allow counties or police agencies to choose whether to participate.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick has held a series of heavily attended and sometimes raucous meetings on the program in an effort to vent criticism and build support for the administration’s approach. In Maryland, Montgomery County considered withdrawing, then concluded reluctantly that it had to take part....

Three years later, Maryland Juice is not surprised to see that the hysteria-driven "Secure Communities" program is doing exactly what we feared -- deporting residents who are not dangerous criminals. The Baltimore Sun reported on the unfortunate (yet predictable) policy developments, and that Governor O'Malley is now questioning the Department of Homeland Security's implementation of the program (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday demanded that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security explain why federal officials are deporting a higher share of noncriminals from Maryland than from most other states under a controversial immigration program called Secure Communities.

In a sharply worded letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, the governor called on the federal agency to document why the program has led to the deportation of undocumented immigrants with either no criminal record or only misdemeanor convictions, when its long-stated intent is to target dangerous criminals.

O'Malley, a Democrat, wrote to Johnson days after The Baltimore Sun reported that the share of noncriminals deported under Secure Communities in Maryland is twice the national average.

More than 40 percent of the immigrants who have been deported from Maryland under the program since 2009 had no prior criminal record, according to government data.

And the governor signaled that he is weighing legislation in the General Assembly that would limit the circumstances under which local jails agree to hold immigrants who have not been arrested for or previously convicted of serious crimes. Democratic governors in California and Connecticut have signed similar measures recently....

JUICE #6: DC COUNCIL PASSES MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION WHILE MARYLAND HOUSE SPEAKER FORMS COMMITTEE TO STUDY MARIJUANA ISSUES - The future of marijuana policy in Maryland is beginning to take shape, as House of Delegates Speaker Mike Busch recently appointed a legislative task force to study the various reform bills being proposed. The Washington Post reported on the development earlier this month (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: With the aim of taking a broad look at a range of proposed legislation on marijuana usage, Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch said Wednesday that he plans to appoint a work group of a dozen delegates to recommend a path forward this session.

A flurry of bills have been introduced since the 90-day session began last month that would either legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana or reclassify its use as a civil offense, rather than a criminal offense, subject only to fines of $100 or less....

“We want to fashion a work group to get as much information as we can on the full spectrum of ideas,” Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said in an interview. He said it is likely that legislation will emerge on medical marijuana and unlikely that a bill will pass this session legalizing marijuana for recreational use, as Colorado and Washington state have done. Busch said he expects robust debate on “decriminalization....”

In recent years, the House has been the more conservative chamber on reform of marijuana laws. Last year, the Senate passed a bill that would have done away with jail time or other criminal sanctions for those who use or possess only small amounts of marijuana. That legislation died in the House....

While Maryland continues studying this criminal justice reform issue, the District of Columbia is proceeding with marijuana decriminalization. CNN reported on the development this month (excerpt below):

CNN: The Washington City Council passed a measure on Tuesday that would move the District of Columbia one step closer to decriminalizing marijuana in most cases. Members approved the bill 11-to-1 in the first of two votes likely this month....

Despite the late change, the proposal is expected to receive final passage and become law because it has the support of a majority of and Mayor Vincent Gray.... For the council members who supported the plan, decriminalizing marijuana has become just as much about racial disparities as about sanctioning use of the drug....

JUICE #7: LIST OF MD LAWMAKERS WHO ARE SUPPORTING A $10.10 MINIMUM WAGE // PROPOSAL HAS MAJORITY IN HOUSE AND NEAR-MAJORITY IN SENATE  - Maryland lawmakers have been holding hearings on proposals to raise the state's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, indexed to inflation. Though it is currently unclear what the outcome of this debate will be, below Maryland Juice provides a list of the co-sponsors for the $10.10 legislation. Notably, the minimum wage increase appears to have a majority in the House and is one vote shy of a majority in the Senate. The list below includes lawmakers who have publicly endorsed a Raise Maryland minimum wage hike letter, alongside lawmakers who are co-sponsoring the minimum wage bills SB 331 and HB 295:

UPDATE: The list below did not originally include three additional minimum wage supporters, Delegates Jon Cardin, Frank Turner & Joe Vallario. These three Delegates are not listed as co-sponsors of HB295 (the administration's minimum wage bill), but they are co-sponsors of  HB187 (Del. Aisha Braveboy's $10.10 minimum wage bill). We have added their names below:

House of Delegates

1. Frank Turner
2. Joe Vallario
3. Jon Cardin
4. Emmett C. Burns Jr.
5. Benjamin F. Kramer
6. Tom Hucker
7. Benjamin S. 'Ben' Barnes
8. Michael L. Vaughn
9. Aisha N. Braveboy
10. Mary Ann 'MaryAnn' Love
11. Keiffer Jackson Mitchell Jr.
12. Cheryl D. Glenn
13. Brian K. McHale
14. John A. 'Johnny O' Olszewski Jr. *
15. Charles E. Barkley *
16. Adrienne A. Jones
17. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam
18. Dan K. Morhaim
19. Dana M. Stein
20. James E. Malone Jr.
21. Elizabeth 'Liz' Bobo
22. Guy J. Guzzone
23. Anne R. Kaiser
24. Craig J. Zucker
25. Eric G. Luedtke
26. Aruna Miller
27. David Fraser-Hidalgo
28. Kathleen M. Dumais
29. Ariana B. Kelly
30. C. William 'Bill' Frick
31. Susan C. Lee
32. Luiz R. S. Simmons
33. Alfred Clinton 'Al' Carr Jr.
34. Ana Sol Gutierrez
35. Jeffrey D. 'Jeff' Waldstreicher
36. Bonnie L. Cullison
37. Heather R. Mizeur
38. Sheila Ellis Hixson
39. Barbara A. Frush
40. Joseline A. Pena- Melnyk
41. Alonzo T. Washington
42. Anne Healey
43. Tawanna P. Gaines
44. Geraldine Valentino- Smith
45. James W. Hubbard
46. Marvin E. Holmes Jr.
47. Carolyn J.B. Howard
48. Darren M. Swain
49. Kriselda 'Kris' Valderrama
50. Veronica L. Turner
51. James E. Proctor Jr.
52. Peter F. Murphy
53. Theodore John 'Ted' Sophocleus
54. Rudolph C. Cane
55. A. Shane Robinson
56. Kirill Reznik
57. Barbara A. Robinson
58. Frank M. Conaway Jr.
59. Shawn Z. Tarrant
60. Jill P. Carter
61. Nathaniel T. Oaks
62. Samuel I. 'Sandy' Rosenberg
63. Stephen W. Lafferty
64. Curtis Stovall 'Curt' Anderson
65. Maggie L. McIntosh
66. Mary L. Washington
67. Keith E. Haynes
68. Melvin L. Stukes
69. Nina R. Harper
70. Luke H. Clippinger
71. Doyle L. Niemann
72. Jolene Ivey
73. Michael G. Summers
74. James W. 'Jim' Gilchrist *
75. Kumar P. Barve *
76. Jay 'Sky' Walker *
77. Talmadge Branch *
78. Peter A. Hammen *

* Co-sponsored 2014 Raise Maryland bill but did not sign letter.

Senate

1. Brian J. Feldman
2. Catherine E. Pugh
3. Victor R. Ramirez
4. Richard S. Madaleno Jr.
5. Roger Manno
6. Douglas J.J. Peters
7. Ulysses Currie
8. Nancy J. King
9. Verna L. Jones-Rodwell
10. Nathaniel J. McFadden
11. Ronald N. Young
12. Norman R. Stone Jr.
13. Karen S. Montgomery
14. Brian E. Frosh
15. Jennie M. Forehand
16. Jamie Raskin
17. Jim Rosapepe
18. Paul G. Pinsky
19. Joanne C. Benson
20. C. Anthony Muse
21. Lisa A. Gladden
22. Joan Carter Conway
23. William C. 'Bill' Ferguson IV

JUICE #8: DEL. SANDY ROSENBERG PROPOSES LAW TO PROTECT ONLINE NEWSMAKERS & THEIR SOURCES - Maryland Juice has been operating for the last few years without a budget or staff, but has been able to keep insider information flowing to the public due to a network of anonymous sources. Delegate Sandy Rosenberg is now proposing a law (HB385) to protect the confidentiality between newsmakers and their sources. The Baltimore Brew blog recently testified in favor of this effort (which Maryland Juice supports) and wrote about their experience (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE BREW: ... Turns out, Maryland’s shield law for reporters does not fully include online journalists. Aiming to correct the problem, Del. Samuel I. “Sandy” (D-Baltimore) introduced HB-385. I agreed to go down, as the editor/publisher of Baltimore Brew, and chime in on its behalf....

The current Maryland law defines the news media as “newspapers, magazines, journals, press associations, news services, wire services, radio, television and any printed photographic, mechanical, or electronic means of disseminating news and information to the public....”

Rosenberg’s bill would add another category: “An independent contractor or agent of the news media in any news gathering or disseminating capacity, including a self-employed journalist....”

“What you may not know,” I told the House Judiciary Committee, “is the degree to which non-print, non-broadcast, web-only publications have become equal members of the national and local press corps....”

I talked about the downsizing of mainstream media and how The Brew puts more professional journalistic boots on the ground in Baltimore, participating in news conferences with our peers in print and broadcast, and regularly breaking stories they follow, etc....

After our presentation, Del. Luiz R. S. Simmons (D-Montgomery) led the cross examination. While organizations like The Brew might deserve shield protection ... others, Simmons thought, maybe don’t.... “I don’t like to see things so loosey-goosey,” Simmons said. “I’m unsettled by the reach of this bill.” Shield protection is “a privilege,” he observed, “not a right....” Simmons might have a low opinion of bloggers and freelancers but cash-strapped mainstream media organizations are using them more and more....

Some in the debate say that shield laws should protect journalism, not journalists. A remark by Rosenberg yesterday suggests he might be one of them. “Wasn’t the First Amendment set up to protect the rights of pamphleteers?”

JUICE #9: GLENN GREENWALD (JOURNALIST WHO BROKE NSA SPYING STORY) SPARS WITH REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER OVER CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT - Maryland Juice just caught an interesting sparring match between Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger and Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardian journalist who broke the story on the NSA's mass surveillance program. Ruppersberger took issue with Greenwald's suggestion that the NSA failed to provide members of Congress with the information necessary to conduct proper oversight of the spying program. Greenwald responded with the following blistering commentary:



JUICE #10: HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY // THE GAZETTE PROFILES FORMER MOCO DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR STAN GILDENHORN - To commemorate President's Day today, The Gazette ran a profile of former MCDCC Chair Stan Gildenhorn, who provided memories of President John F. Kennedy (excerpt below):

GAZETTE: Stanton Gildenhorn remembers the first time he met John F. Kennedy. It was 1958, and Gildenhorn had stopped at Kennedy’s Senate office on Capitol Hill to pick up a gift from his friend Evelyn Lincoln, the Massachusetts senator’s secretary. As Gildenhorn and Lincoln stood in the outer office, the door opened and out walked the future president.

Lincoln introduced Gildenhorn, and Kennedy greeted him warmly before apologizing that he didn’t have more time to talk and hurrying off to the next appointment on his schedule. The brief meeting left a mark on Gildenhorn, who would later work inside Kennedy’s White House. As the nation prepares to honor all its presidents Monday, Gildenhorn reflected on his time working with the 35th president.

“He was my hero then, and to get to meet him was one of the greatest moments of my life,” said Gildenhorn, 71, a longtime Montgomery County Democratic activist who lives in North Bethesda.

After Kennedy beat Richard Nixon in the 1960 election, Gildenhorn went to work for Larry O’Brien, one of Kennedy’s “Irish Mafia,” in a job for the Democratic National Committee.... Kennedy had a certain aura about him, Gildenhorn said. When he walked into a room, all eyes turned to him.

In a lifetime spent around politics, he said, he’s never met anyone else with that type of charisma. The president was down-to-earth, with a good sense of humor, Gildenhorn said. He was a voracious reader, devouring reports and memos....

MEASURING CONTEST: Maryland Juice's Round-Up of Cash in Statewide Races, All of MoCo's Campaigns & Some Hot Primaries

UPDATE: A few of the late fundraising reports have finally been posted, so we're updating the post below. Here are the campaigns we've added:

• Attorney General Race - Aisha Braveboy: $42,918.44
• D12 Delegate - Brian Bailey: $977.35
• D17 Delegate - Jim Gilchrist (incumbent): $11,602.65
• D19 Delegate - Melodye Berry: $152.00
• D40 Delegate - Doc Cheatham: $87.00
• D44 Senate - Verna Jones-Rodwell (incumbent): $62,843.00

We've also added on more race to our round-up -- the Democratic Primary battle between District 42 Sen. Jim Brochin and O'Malley ally Connie DeJuliis:

• Jim Brochin (incumbent): $228,744.52 
• Connie DeJuliis: $41,745.06

CASH ON HAND: Over the last few months, candidates have announced for various races in the upcoming June primary elections. But yesterday, politicos had the opportunity to start assessing the various Democratic candidate fields through an age-old measurement: cash on hand. Indeed, January 15th was the due date for candidates across the state to show their hands and disclose the state of their finances. There is much you can learn from the reports that have been posted online, but below Maryland Juice provides a simple round-up of how much cash various campaigns now have available. Also note that where there were discrepancies between bank balances and cash on hand figures, I've listed the larger of the two numbers. Our report below includes "cash on hand" figures for many high-profile races, along with all of Montgomery County's Democratic Primary races. (Full Disclosure: My own campaign appears below). The non-Montgomery County races are at the bottom of this list:

STATEWIDE RACES

Governor

1. Anthony Brown + Ken Ulman = $7,093,647.94
2. Doug Gansler + Jolene Ivey  = $6,304,091.99
3. Heather Mizeur + Delman Coates = $750,000 *

* Note: It is very difficult to calculate funds raised and cash on hand for this committee by looking at the accounts of Friends of Heather Mizeur, Mizeur-Coates for Maryland, and the public matching fund report. I had to pick up the phone to get this number. For the other gubernatorial campaigns, I added up the totals reported for the teammates' individual accounts, joint accounts, and slates.


Attorney General

1. Sen. Brian Frosh = $795,909.69
2. Del. Jon Cardin = $374,269.65
3. Del. Bill Frick = $133,546.28
4. Del. Aisha Braveboy = $42,918.44

Comptroller

1. Peter Franchot (incumbent) = $1,457,657.31

MONTGOMERY COUNTY RACES

Montgomery County Executive

1. Ike Leggett (incumbent) = $971,159.00
2. Doug Duncan = $330,120.86
3. Councilmember Phil Andrews = $118,805.41

Montgomery County Council At Large

1. Nancy Floreen (incumbent) = $144,908.57
2. Hans Riemer (incumbent) = $122,859.93
3. George Leventhal (incumbent) = $117,467.90
4. Beth Daly = $98,640.89
5. Marc Elrich (incumbent) = $52,232.01
6. Vivian Malloy = $10,195.87

Montgomery County Council District 1

1. Roger Berliner (incumbent) = $52,368.60

Montgomery County Council District 2

1. Craig Rice (incumbent) = $60,996.81
2. Neda Bolourian = Affidavit Filed (under $1,000)

Montgomery County Council District 3

1. Gaithersburg Councilmember Ryan Spiegel = $17,374.81
2. Guled Kassim = No Report Filed
3. Gaithersburg Mayor Sid Katz = No Committee Exists
4. Rockville Councilmember Tom Moore = No Committee Exists

Montgomery County Council District 4

1. Nancy Navarro (incumbent) = $16,707.26

Montgomery County Council District 5

1. Del. Tom Hucker = $146,904.57 (Note: Also weighing re-election in District 20)
2. Evan Glass = $57,115.43
3. Terrill North = $25,409.91
4. Board of Education Member Chris Barclay = $5,000

State Senate District 14

1. Karen Montgomery (incumbent)  = $43,278.80

State Senate District 15

1. Brian Feldman (appointed incumbent) = $112,197.59

State Senate District 16

1. Del. Susan Lee = $220,359.81

State Senate District 17

1. Del. Luiz Simmons = $101,569.63
2. Cheryl Kagan = $49,934.34

State Senate District 18

1. Rich Madaleno (incumbent) = $36,869.66

State Senate District 19

1. Roger Manno (incumbent) = $120,168.32

State Senate District 20

1. Jamie Raskin (incumbent) = $155,253.95

State Senate District 39

1. Nancy King (incumbent) =  $91,050.39

State House District 14 (3 seats)

1. Craig Zucker (incumbent) = $42,412.75
2. Anne Kaiser (incumbent) = $37,025.67
3. Eric Luedtke (incumbent) = $25,865.47
4. John Evans = Affidavit Filed (under $1,000)

State House District 15 (3 seats)

1. Aruna Miller (incumbent) =  $108,790.30
2. Bennett Rushkoff = $53,470.77
3. Kathleen Dumais (incumbent) = $52,291.12
4. David Fraser-Hidalgo (appointed incumbent) = $32,974.12

State House District 16 (3 seats)

1. Ariana Kelly (incumbent) = $122,964.88
2. Marc Korman = $120,791.41
3. Hrant Jamgochian = $116,698.81
4. Kevin Walling = $30,653.11
5. Jordan Cooper = $26,908.82
6. Gareth Murray = $2,474.32

State House District 17 (3 seats)

1. Kumar Barve (incumbent) = $78,363.07
2. Andrew Platt = $36,141.02
3. Laurie Anne Sayles = $22,092.75 or $44,185.50 (Note: There are two reports posted for this account)
4. Jim Gilchrist (incumbent) = $11,602.65
5. Susan Hoffman = $11,109.51

State House District 18 (3 seats)

1. Jeff Waldstreicher (incumbent) = $113,873.00
2. Rick Kessler = $68,782.37
3. Al Carr (incumbent) = $42,107.65
4. Ana Sol Gutierrez (incumbent) = $28,270.44
5. Liz Matory = $17,435.88
6. Emily Shetty = $10,463.28
7. Natali Fani-Gonzalez = Affidavit Filed (under $1,000)

State House District 19 (3 seats)

1. Bonnie Cullison (incumbent) = $33,395.13
2. Ben Kramer (incumbent) = $33,174.71
3. Marice Morales = $15,498.99
4. Melodye Berry = $152.00
5. Charlotte Crutchfield = No Committee Exists

State House District 20 (3 seats)

1. Tom Hucker (incumbent) = $146,904.57 (Note: Also weighing County Council District 5 race)
2. Jonathan Shurberg = $65,423.79
3. David Moon = $52,340.84
4. Will Jawando = $45,916.09
5. Sheila Hixson (incumbent) = $32,303.96
6. Will Smith = $28,311.45
7. Darian Unger = $24,937.19
8. George Zokle = $15,880.05
9. D'Juan Hopewell = $8,942.39
10. Justin Chappell = $38.18
11. Saschane Stephenson = Affidavit Filed (under $1,000)

State House District 39 (3 seats)

1. Charles Barkley (incumbent) = $91,538.35
2. Kirill Reznik (incumbent) = $46,379.65
3. Shane Robinson (incumbent) = $26,025.53

SOME CONTESTED DEM PRIMARIES OUTSIDE OF MOCO

State House District 12 (3 seats)

1. Clarence Lam = $60,594.65
2. Terri Hill = $49,491.08
3. Nick Stewart = $27,799.69
4. Eric Ebersole = $17,023.40
5. Rebecca Dongarra = $9,342.63
6. Renee McGuirk = $9,011.30
7. Adam Sachs = $1,291.02
8. Brian Bailey = $977.35
9. Michael Gisriel = No Report Filed

State House District 13 (3 seats)

1. Shane Pendergrass (incumbent) = $111,718.04
2. Frank Turner (incumbent) = $56,245.78
3. Janet Siddiqui = $45,233.50
4. Fred Eiland = Affidavit Filed (under $1,000)

State House District 22 (3 seats)

1. Anne Healey (incumbent) = $51,046.65
2. Alonzo Washington (appointed incumbent) = $27,041.00
3. Rushern Baker IV = $26,542.99
4. Tawanna Gaines (incumbent) = $16,179.37

State Senate District 26

1. Anthony Muse (incumbent) = $78,810.25
2. Brian Woolfolk = $50,117.17
3. Del. Veronica Turner = $25,249.06

State House District 37A

1. Rudolph Cane (incumbent): $47,742.40
2. Wicomico Councilmember Sheree Sample-Hughes = $7,147.04

State House District 40 (3 seats)

1. Frank Conaway Jr (incumbent) = $33,247.29
2. Shawn Tarrant (incumbent) = $29,603.91
3. Barbara Robinson (incumbent) = $20,837.51
4. Rob LaPin = $7,124.20
5. Doc Cheatham = $87.00
6. Quianna Cooke = No Report Filed

State Senate District 42

1. Jim Brochin (incumbent) = $228,744.52
2. Connie DeJuliis = $41,745.06

State Senate District 44

1. Del. Shirley Nathan-Pulliam = $79,983.43
2. Verna Jones Rodwell (incumbent) - $62,843.00

State House District 45 (3 Seats)

1. Cheryl Glenn (incumbent) = $52,103.58
2. Talmadge Branch (incumbent) = $50,473.52
3. Cory McCray = $40,651.07
4. Nina Harper (appointed incumbent) = No Report Filed

JUICE: Mizeur Calls for Marijuana Legalization, Gansler Disses Brown on Obamacare, Duncan vs. Leggett at Our Reader Party

Below Maryland Juice provides a few news items that may be of interest to politicos, including a summary of what happened during the sometimes feisty Q&A at our "Million Views Party" Monday night:

JUICE #1: GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE HEATHER MIZEUR CALLS FOR MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION // PLUS: GANSLER & BROWN RESPOND - This week Delegate Heather Mizeur unveiled a plan to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in Maryland. The Washington Post received an advanced copy of the plan and published responses from the rival gubernatorial campaigns of Doug Gansler and Anthony Brown (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Maryland Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Heather R. Mizeur on Tuesday will propose legalizing marijuana and using the tax revenue it generates to fund pre-kindergarten education, according to an advance copy of her plan.... She estimates that taxing the drug could yield up to $157.5 million in new revenue for the state each year....

Mizeur’s two better-known Democratic opponents reacted cautiously to word of her plan.

“The attorney general recognizes that public sentiment is slowly shifting toward limited, prescribed medicinal use of marijuana and, in some states, even toward decriminalization of marijuana,” said Gansler campaign spokesman Bob Wheelock. “There does not appear to be a groundswell toward full scale legalization here in Maryland, nor does the attorney general feel that unrestrained legalization would be appropriate.”

Justin Schall, Brown’s campaign manager, said Brown “welcomes a continued discussion and analysis on how decriminalizing negligible amounts of marijuana would impact the ability of our law enforcement agencies to focus on more violent crimes and criminals....”

SUMMARY OF GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES' VIEWS THUS FAR ON MARIJUANA - Based on the candidates' commentary in The Washington Post, it appears that while Mizeur supports full-on pot legalization, Gansler opposes the proposal and is silent on decriminalization (aka the proposal to simply change the penalty for possession from jail time to a fine). Meanwhile, Anthony Brown's campaign appears to be silent on legalization but may be keeping the door open to supporting decriminalization.  You can read Mizeur's press release announcing her proposal below:

PRESS RELEASE

Mizeur Proposes Marijuana Legalization in Maryland
SILVER SPRING, Maryland – This morning, Heather Mizeur, Democratic candidate for governor, released her plan to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in Maryland.

“A majority of Marylanders and Americans support the legalization of marijuana because of its impact on public safety and its ability to generate badly needed revenue for critical state priorities,” said Mizeur. “Legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana similar to the way we regulate alcohol will provide our state with increased revenue, enhance public safety, and improve environmental and economic outcomes.”

Under Mizeur’s proposal, taxation of marijuana would generate $157.5 million annually to be spent on early childhood education.

“Legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana will provide Maryland with a dedicated revenue stream to make overdue and critical investments in early childhood education. Our plan will help ensure that prekindergarten is available to all children in our state.”

“Finally, a Maryland gubernatorial candidate who understands the linkage between drug policy, crime and human rights,” said Neill Franklin, a retired Maryland State Police Officer who served for 33 years in law enforcement. We now have a chance to focus our limited police resources on violent crime and to end mass incarceration.”

To read Mizeur’s entire plan to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana, visit www.heathermizeur.com/marijuana. 

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JUICE #2: DOUG GANSLER DISSES ANTHONY BROWN ON OBAMACARE, SAYING THE LT. GOVERNOR IS "DROPPING THE BALL" - Maryland Juice received the following press release from the gubernatorial campaign of Doug Gansler stating that Lt. Governor Anthony Brown is "dropping the ball" on Obamacare enrollment in Maryland:

PRESS RELEASE

DROPPING THE BALL: Lt. Governor Anthony Brown Mismanages Maryland Health Exchange Rollout, Calls Insurance Company Cancellations "Renewal Notices”
Silver Spring, MARYLAND - Lieutenant Governor Brown said Sunday that the 73,000 Marylanders who have had their health insurance cancelled by insurance companies should know “It’s not really a cancellation,” and that “they are renewal notices.” This blatant, factual inaccuracy is part of an emerging pattern: Brown mismanaged the rollout of the Maryland Health Exchange and has yet to be clear about his failure to oversee the program or what he is doing to fix it.

“Attorney General Gansler and I strongly support Obamacare. Some states managed this process well and are succeeding. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Governor Brown, given the job of managing the rollout, mismanaged it, and has given Obamacare critics ammunition to attack it.,” said Delegate Jolene Ivey, Gansler’s Lt. Governor running mate. “Hopefully the Governor has taken this over,” she added.

Bob Wheelock, Gansler’s Communications Director added, “Today Lt. Gov. Brown is appearing with local athletes to highlight efforts to get people to enroll.  We support that.  But he dropped the ball when it came to actually getting the rollout right and I think the voters of Maryland would prefer he fix it instead of posing for photo opportunities.”

Wheelock also noted that in a recent WBAL interview, Brown admitted to knowing that pre-rollout testing of Maryland’s health care exchange had technical challenges. “Why didn’t Brown stand up and do something to protect Obamacare, fixing the problem here in Maryland before it happened?” Wheelock asked. Brown’s statement on WBAL also contradicts what he said previously when he claimed not to know of any problems with the system until the opening day of the rollout.

“He has constantly ducked responsibility and has refused to be straight about the problems and what he’s doing to fix them,” added Ivey.

Wheelock added that unlike Brown, who is making excuses for insurance companies, Democratic candidate for Governor Doug Gansler is taking them on.  His office yesterday called on eight Maryland health insurance companies to comply with the letter of the law under the Affordable Care Act and spelled out the information that every Maryland consumer should receive if their insurance carrier opts to cancel their policy.

In that letter, Attorney General Gansler noted that "Our office will not stand for the abuses and fear-mongering that has been documented in other states."

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Notably, today Anthony Brown's campaign issued a press release indicating that the Lt. Governor would be promoting health care in Prince George's County (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Lt. Governor Brown to Promote Health Care and Education in Prince George's County

Brown to Participate in Health Care Outreach Announcement and Tour Local Elementary School

CAPITOL HEIGHTS & UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (November 19, 2013) – TODAY, Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown will participate in two events in Prince George’s County, where he’ll continue his efforts to expand access to quality, affordable health care for all Marylanders. He will also tour a local elementary school as part of American Education Week, as he continues his efforts to provide every child in Maryland with a world-class education.

JUICE #3: SPARKS FLY BETWEEN MOCO EXEC IKE LEGGETT, DOUG DUNCAN & COUNCILMEMBER GEORGE LEVENTHAL AT MARYLAND JUICE'S READER PARTY - On Monday night Maryland Juice hosted a "million views" party for readers in Rockville, Maryland. Dozens of Free State politicos and candidates joined us for some informal conversations about state and local issues, and attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and rival candidate Doug Duncan (former Montgomery County Executive). Congressman John Delaney also dropped by and answered questions from readers. A special thanks again to Delaney and Progressive Maryland for sponsoring food at the event!

The Washington Post's Bill Turque attended our celebration and published a good summary of the remarks from the rival County Executive candidates Doug Duncan and incumbent Ike Leggett, which includes candidates' commentary on the Silver Spring Transit Center delays, marijuana decriminalization, and a proposal for a minimum wage hike in Montgomery County. Turque's write-up of the Maryland Juice party also includes coverage of an unexpected exchange of words involving Doug Duncan and Councilmembers George Leventhal and Roger Berliner that occurred during our Q&A (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: “Who’s accountable for this fiasco?” asked [Doug] Duncan, decrying the construction flaws and delays that have placed the [Silver Spring Transit Center] project more than two years behind schedule and tens of millions of dollars over budget.... “We need to hold someone accountable for this....”

Leggett, who appeared first, was not asked about the transit center. But he ended his stint by quizzing himself....  “I accept responsibility,” he said, contending that the delay was a product not of lax oversight....  I had a full-scale investigation into what some deemed to be a minor problem,” Leggett said. It was a not-so-subtle slap at general contractor Foulger-Pratt....

Questions from the audience drew a few nuggets. Talking about incarceration rates among young African Americans, Leggett said the state should long ago have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. He also said that while the state needed to step up and finance new construction to address public school overcrowding, MCPS leadership could have done more on its own to mitigate the impact of unprecedented enrollment growth....

Duncan said the county needed to be more assertive in securing money from Annapolis and “quit being the county that takes the leftovers....” He cautioned against the county going on its own to raise the minimum wage because it was “not an economic island....” Duncan said he wanted to change a sluggish political culture of “paralysis by analysis” that had taken hold in the Leggett years....

One bit of drama toward the end of Duncan’s Q-and-A was triggered by a pointed query from Council member George Leventhal (D-At-Large). Leventhal ... noted reports that Duncan was seeking a new slate of candidates to oust all council opponents. Leventhal asked how that was going.

“George has misquoted me,” Duncan replied, saying that he never said he wanted to oust all incumbents.... “I do think we need new faces on the council,” Duncan added. “This county council is known for their bickering, their fighting. We need a change.

But Duncan then recognized Council member Roger Berliner (D-District 1) as someone he would be happy to see continue. But when asked about Leventhal, Duncan said he had no comment..... “I thought we were on good terms,” Leventhal said, adding: “He doesn’t take criticism well.”

Several officials and candidates for office dropped by the event and/or made brief remarks, including: MoCo Councilmember Roger Berliner, MoCo Councilmember George Leventhal, newly appointed D15 Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, Liz Matory (D18 Delegate candidate), Shelly Hettleman (D11 Delegate candidate), Charlotte Crutchfield (D19 Delegate candidate), Clarence Lam (D12 Delegate candidate), Marc Korman (D16 Delegate candidate), Cheryl Kagan (D17 Senate candidate), Almina Khorakiwala (D16 MCDCC member), Hamza Khan (D15 MCDCC candidate) and more. Maryland Reporter's Len Lazarick, The Washington Post's Bill Turque, and a rep from Congressman Chris Van Hollen's office also joined us for the shenanigans.

Below we provide more commentary and photos from the event:

Commentary from Congressman John Delaney

• Delaney laid out a series of policy priorities including seeking to incentivize infrastructure investment in America and to mitigate risks in various areas
• Delaney predicted that if U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi were to leave tomorrow, Rep. Steny Hoyer would likely be chosen as her replacement -- but if the leadership contest were held in a year, he declined to comment on what might happen
• Delaney noted a tough political climate for immigration reform and stated that a desire to get something passed leads him to support the U.S. Senate bill on the topic: "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good"
• Delaney provided a nuanced response on whether to change social security policies, noting that raising the retirement age would negatively impact poor people

Below you can see some live Tweets from readers at the event, along with some photos that were posted to social media:

MoCo politico Kevin Gillogly posted the following photo of new candidates for Delegate in 2014 who did a quick round of Q&A:

Liz Matory (D18), Shelly Hettleman (D11), Charlotte Crutchfield (D19), Clarence Lam (D12), David Fraser-Hidalgo (D15)

Prolific MoCo political photographer Ed Kimmel also has an album of shots from the event up on Facebook: