INTERESTING: Does Del. Jolene Ivey Want to Join Atty General Doug Gansler's Gubernatorial Ticket? // PLUS: More Tea Leaves

The big political news of the week has been that Lt. Governor Anthony Brown has chosen Howard County Executive Ken Ulman to serve as his running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial battle. Politicos are now chattering over the developing dynamics of the race, and commentary is coming in from some interesting figures. Below Maryland Juice dissects recent commentary on the state of the gubernatorial race from Delegate Jolene Ivey (Democrat, Prince George's). But first, Maryland Juice had a chance to chat with The Daily Record's Alexander Pyles about the implications of the Brown-Ulman ticket (excerpt below):

DAILY RECORD:  David Moon, a Democratic political consultant and blogger for MarylandJuice.com, said Gansler and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown appear to be taking opposite paths in their quest to succeed Gov. Martin O’Malley.... Brown became the first hopeful to officially announce his candidacy this month, taking cues from lessons apparently learned during O’Malley’s first campaign for governor prior to the 2006 election.

Gansler’s strategy has been different, Moon said, because of a belief in his camp that a campaign could lose steam or peak too early.... That strategy could backfire, Moon said, as Brown and new running mate Ken Ulman are being talked about as frontrunners....

JUICE #1: TEA LEAVES IN DELEGATE JOLENE IVEY'S COMMENTS ABOUT MARYLAND GOVERNOR'S RACE  //  DOES SHE WANT TO JOIN TEAM GANSLER? - Maryland Juice was very, very intrigued by Delegate Jolene Ivey's recent appearance on Bruce DePuyt's morning news show on News Channel 8. The point of interest is that I had recently written about possible running mates for Attorney General Doug Gansler, and some of my sources mentioned Del. Ivey (see Juice #4). But I had no clue whether she would want to leave Annapolis to gamble on a statewide run. Judging by her comments below, I would say Delegate Jolene Ivey definitely seems interested in teaming up with Gansler:



MARYLAND JUICE ANALYSIS: In the video above, Del. Ivey appears to be positioning herself to run with Doug Gansler. She offers lukewarm praise for Ken Ulman ("he's nice"), dismisses Mizeur's candidacy ("can't see her winning"), questions Ruppersberger's vigor ("does he have the energy?") -- and to top it all off, Ivey suggests that Gansler would do best to choose someone from Prince George's County, who (....wait for it....) is a woman and/or an African American candidate. Could she be describing .... herself?  Interesting tea leaves. But given the glacial pace of Doug Gansler's campaign roll-out, we could be waiting a lot longer to see how this story unfolds! Oy vey.


JUICE #2: GAZETTE COLUMNIST RACIALIZES ANTHONY BROWN'S CAMPAIGN, MOCO SENATORS GARAGIOLA & KING RESPOND? // MORE TEA LEAVES - Rightwing, old-school Gazette columnist Blair Lee recently rattled cages (again), by putting the gubernatorial campaign of Anthony Brown through a purely racial lens (excerpt below):

BLAIR LEE VIA GAZETTE: So, as the contenders come to the starting gate, let’s handicap the Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls while mindful that next year’s primary is largely about race and place — about racial and regional rivalries and balance....

Lt. Gov. Brown kicked off his bid for the top spot last week. He has a solid gold resume (Harvard twice over, Iraq war vet, state legislature, etc.) and he’s African-American (ok, Jamaican-American) in a state where blacks can be up to 35 percent of the primary vote.... Apparently Brown’s strategy is to build a leftist coalition of blacks, guilty white liberals and remnants of the O’Malley machine echoing both O’Malley and Obama....

Who will pay for all this? The rich (which in Maryland means incomes over $100,000). And who will benefit? All those lower-income minorities whose votes Brown covets? And just in case minority voters miss the racial pitch, Brown’s campaign colors are, you guessed it, brown. Brown says his campaign is “more about results than race,” but it’s really more about race than results....

More interesting than Lee's latest screed is that the response to his piece came from State Senators Rob Garagiola & Nancy King of Montgomery County (excerpt below):

SENATORS GARAGIOLA & KING:  We were very disturbed by Blair Lee’s recent column [“2014 is about race and place,” May 17] about Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown launching his campaign for governor. It’s clear that rather than attending, reading or watching the speech of Brown’s announcement, Mr. Lee presented his own distorted world view as fact and resorted to what is essentially race baiting....

Throughout his speech, Anthony Brown made it clear that he is running for governor because he will fight for families that are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession, he will fight for better opportunities for our children, and he will fight to help businesses succeed in every corner of Maryland so people who want good jobs can find them. These are areas where families of all races and incomes live, and Brown made it quite clear that he wants to represent all of them should he be elected governor.

Does this mean the pair of State Senators who drafted this letter will soon be joining the Brown-Ulman team?

JUICE #3: BETHESDA MAGAZINE PROFILES DEL. HEATHER MIZEUR // MORE TROUBLE FOR GANSLER? - While running mate gossip has been the big news with the Brown and Gansler campaigns, Del. Heather Mizeur has been diligently traveling the state on her quest to become Governor. Bethesda Magazine's Lou Peck recently interviewed her for her thoughts on the race (excerpt below):

BETHESDA MAGAZINE:  The odometer on Heather Mizeur’s Chevy Volt has racked up 15,000 miles since she purchased it last October. “Every evening, I’m in some different corner of the state, and Saturdays and Sundays are usually filled with three to five events in any one day,” the two-term Takoma Park delegate related in an interview this week....

While saying a “formal decision” won’t come until this summer, Mizeur is holding house parties across the state to introduce herself to voters, while working actively to raise funds for a gubernatorial run...

Mizeur touted the precedent-setting aspects of her candidacy as she expressed confidence in her ability to narrow this gap. “The energy that is behind a candidacy like mine and the interest in breaking a few historic barriers – I would be Maryland’s first woman governor and the nation’s first openly gay one – opens up an energized donor network that is interested in helping to move this campaign forward,” she said....

Gansler’s life could be further complicated if Mizeur ends up as the only credible contender in the contest besides himself and Brown....

JUICE #4: HOCO DEMOCRATS RALLYING AROUND KEN ULMAN - While the rival campaigns start ramping up, the Brown-Ulman campaign is moving quickly on setting up their team. Judging by a report in today's Maryland Reporter, it appears that high profile Howard County Democrats are rallying behind the Brown-Ulman ticket (excerpt below):

MARYLAND REPORTER: After they declared “Ken Ulman Day” in Howard County Thursday, the four Democrats on the five-member County Council unofficially declared Monday “Ken Ulman and a Secret Partner Day.” This was a joking reference to the not-so-secret announcement planned on Monday by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown that Howard County Executive Ulman would join his ticket as candidate for lieutenant governor in the 2014 gubernatorial race.

Howard County Democrats returning home from the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Clarksville Thursday night even found a robo-call from Brown on their answering machines inviting them to the announcement on Columbia’s lakefront Monday morning. There would be coffee and doughnuts along with a “a big campaign announcement” of his running mate, promised Brown, who formally declared his run for governor at a rally three weeks ago....

While Ulman himself still wasn’t disclosing his plans, McPherson referred to him as “lieutenant governor” and suggested he put an award he received on his desk on the second floor of the State House. “We’ve been hearing a lot about Ken Ulman,” [HoCo Democratic Party Chair Michael McPherson] said. “We look forward to hearing great thing about Ken for years to come....”

MUCH MORE ON MARYLAND GOVERNOR'S RACE SOON!

JUICE: Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's Shortlist of Running-Mates // PLUS: Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger Weighs Run for MD Governor

The 2014 Maryland Governor's race is just about to enter into high gear. Maryland Juice recently reported that Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown has scheduled a May 10th kickoff for his 2014 gubernatorial campaign. We also mentioned that rumors indicate Brown will appear at his Prince George's campaign rally with a running-mate beside him. Below we leak a few names on Anthony Brown's shortlist for Lt. Governor. But first another development is threatening to seriously alter the playing field in 2014. Indeed, there may be a new entrant on the battle field! We knew that a dark horse candidate for statewide office might emerge eventually....

CONGRESSMAN DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER IS CONSIDERING RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR - In a surprise move, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger is apparently thinking about leaving Congress to run for Governor in 2014. The Baltimore Sun's Dan Rodricks reported on the wild development this evening (excerpt below):

DAN RODRICKS (VIA BALTIMORE SUN) - Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the six-term congressman and former Baltimore County executive, "is considering it," says his spokeswoman, Jaime Lennon.

Ruppersberger is the ranking Democratic member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, a great assignment but one that has a term limit and ends when the current Congress does, in two years....

INCOMPLETE SHORTLIST OF ANTHONY BROWN'S POSSIBLE RUNNING-MATES - Below Maryland Juice provides a shortlist of several possible 2014 running-mates for Anthony Brown's gubernatorial campaign. NOTE: This is not a complete list of all of the possible candidates on Brown's shortlist. However, each of the names below have been mentioned to me by knowledgeable sources, and at least some of them appear to be going through some level of vetting.

Rival gubernatorial candidate Ken Ulman's name is included below for obvious reasons, but it is unclear if he's even considering teaming up with Brown for the #2 spot. Similarly, Howard County Councilmember Courtney Watson is listed below, but she is also a candidate for Howard County Executive in 2014. It is therefore also unclear whether she would be willing to abandon her campaign for an unplanned run for LG. Okay, enough blabbering on my part. Without further ado here are some of the possible running-mates for Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown:

• OPTION #1:  Vicki Almond - Baltimore County Councilmember
• OPTION #2:  Bill Cole - Baltimore City Councilmember

• OPTION #3:  Kathleen Dumais - District 15 Delegate (Montgomery County)

• OPTION #4:  Nancy King - District 39 State Senator (Montgomery County)

• OPTION #5:  Roger Manno - District 19 State Senator (Montgomery County)

• OPTION #6:  Nancy Navarro - Montgomery County Council President

• OPTION #7:  Ken Ulman - Howard County Executive

• OPTION #8:  Courtney Watson - Howard County Council

QUICK NOTES: Of the eight names listed above, it is worth noting that five are women. It is also worth noting that only one option would be history-making for any racial or ethnic group. On the geographic front, 50% of the names on my shortlist are from Montgomery County, and the next runner-up is Howard County with two possible running-mates (if you count Ken Ulman). Baltimore City and County each have one name on my list, but remember that there could be more candidates on the shortlist than I have been able to discover. In any case, the names above still provide an interesting window into the considerations Brown's team might be making. None of their choices so far are shocking though, given that the DC suburbs alone could make up almost 40% of the Democratic Primary electorate, and women outnumber men in the Democratic Party.


OPTION #1:  VICKI ALMOND, BALTIMORE COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER - Baltimore County Councilmember Vicki Almond provides the following biography on her website:

Councilwoman Vicki Almond took the oath of office on December 6, 2010, to represent the Second District on the Baltimore County Council. She became the first woman to hold this seat and only the third woman to serve on the Baltimore County Council. She made history, along with Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, by being the first women to serve together on the Baltimore County Council. In January 2012, she became the first woman to Chair the Baltimore County Council in more than 20 years.

Vicki Almond, Baltimore County Council

Vicki Almond's 30 years of leadership in public schools, working with our police and fire departments, leading community groups, in state government and in Baltimore County Democratic politics, prepared her to provide our community with thoughtful, responsible, and ethical leadership.

Prior to her campaign, Councilwoman Almond served as Chief of Staff to Senator Bobby Zirkin. She also managed Delegate Dana Stein's successful campaign for his first term in 2006. County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger appointed her to the Baltimore County Women's Commission and she served on the Rosewood Advisory Board. She also was instrumental in the creation of Baltimore County's School Resource Officer (SRO) Program which places a police officer in our public middle and high schools.

Councilwoman Almond has an extensive community resume. She served as PTA President at both Franklin Middle School and Franklin High School. She was the President of the Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council on two occasions. She has been a leader in the Garrision and Franklin Police Community Relations Councils and an organizer of the Reister's Towne Festival.

Through serving the community all of these years Councilwoman Almond has had the opportunity to not only get to know the people of the community, but to fully understand their needs. She is committed to Baltimore County's future and believes that the key to a prosperous community is one in which people want to live and raise a family, where companies both large and small want to locate, where our seniors are treated with the respect and dignity, and where we are strengthened by our religious, cultural and ethnic diversity.

She believes in a balanced approach to development that encourages growth in our commercial corridors while both protecting the integrity of our existing residential communities and preserving our district's sensitive environmental areas.

Councilwoman Almond currently lives in Reisterstown with her husband Joe. She has two daughters, both of whom attended Cedarmere Elementary, Franklin Middle and Franklin High Schools, and now has six beautiful grandchildren.

OPTION #2:  BILL COLE, BALTIMORE CITY COUNCILMEMBER - Councilmember Bill Cole provides the following biography on his website:

Councilman Bill Cole began his career in government as an intern in the Maryland State Senate in 1994, then served two sessions as  a legislative aide to former State Senator Walter Baker. In 1996, he was hired by newly elected Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07) as Staff Assistant and later Special Assistant.  Cole managed one of three district offices, remaining on the Congressman’s staff until 2003. 

Bill Cole, Baltimore City Council

In 1998, Bill was elected to the Democratic State Central Committee and a few months later selected to fill the District 47 Maryland House of Delegates seat vacated by Judge Timothy D. Murphy.  The 2002 legislative redistricting process eliminated Baltimore’s 47th Legislative District and Bill lost to three incumbents in the newly formed 46th Legislative District. 

Bill was first elected to the Baltimore City Council in 2007, and re-elected in 2011 wining 75% of the vote. 

After receiving a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland College Park in 1994, and a M.A. in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore in 1996, Bill was admitted to Alpha Epsilon Lambda, the national honor society for graduate and professional students. 

Born  in Cecil County, Bill has lived in downtown Baltimore for more than 25 years. He and his wife Michelle, an assistant Maryland Attorney General, live in the Otterbein neighborhood where he has served as president of the community association. Their three children attend Baltimore City Public Schools.

OPTION #3:  KATHLEEN DUMAIS, DISTRICT 15 DELEGATE - District 15 Delegate Kathleen Dumais provides the following biography on her website:

Kathleen M. Dumais is a member of the Litigation Practice Group of Ethridge, Quinn, Kemp, McAuliffe, Rowan & Hartinger in Rockville, Maryland and concentrates in family law. Her practice includes complex divorce and custody matters. Kathleen often serves as a court-appointed Best Interest Attorney for children in custody disputes. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Additionally, Kathleen is an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 15 in Montgomery County. Speaker Michael Busch appointed Kathleen as the Parliamentarian for the House of Delegates in 2006. She also serves as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and is the Chair of the Family Law subcommittee.

Kathleen Dumais, District 15 Delegate

Recently, Kathleen received the prestigious 2010 Beverly A. Groner Family Law Award from the Maryland State Bar Association Family & Juvenile Law Section. She will also receive the 2010 Rita C. Davidson Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland and the 2010 Dorothy Beatty Memorial Award from the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, Inc.

Kathleen was included in the May/June 2010 “Top Divorce Lawyers” article in Bethesda Magazine. She was named one of the top 50 divorce lawyers in the Washington Metropolitan area by the Washingtonian magazine in February 2000 and February 2004, and was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2005, 2007 and 2009 by the Daily Record. Kathleen is now a member of the Daily Record’s “Circle of Excellence.” She was named the “2005 Woman of the Year” by the Montgomery County Business and Professional Women (BPW). In 2006, she received the Professionalism Award from the Montgomery County Bar Association.

Additionally, Ms. Dumais received the 2005 Legislative Award from the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV); the 2007 Public Policy Award from the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA); the 2008 Legislator of the Year Award from the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women (MLAW); and the 2009 Public Policy Award from the Maryland Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).

She also served on the Board of the Montgomery County Bar Foundation and was formerly the Treasurer of the Foundation and the Montgomery County Bar Association. She was Co-Chair of the Family Law Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association during 1997-98. Further, she is a past president of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Montgomery County Chapter, and was an elected member of that Executive Committee from 1995 to 2006. She formerly chaired the New Practitioner’s Section of the Montgomery County Bar Association, and has been a member of numerous Bar Association special committees and task forces.

As a former high school teacher, she continues to work with young adults through the High School Mock Trial program, a joint effort of the Montgomery County Public Schools and Bar Association. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland, her alma mater.

Ms. Dumais received her undergraduate degree (cum laude) from Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and her J.D. from the University of Maryland, School of Law in 1983. She is a member of the Maryland Bar, 1987; the bar of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 1990; and the District of Columbia Bar, 1993.

OPTION #4:  NANCY KING, DISTRICT 39 STATE SENATOR - District 39 State Senator Nancy King provides the following biography on her website:

Senator Nancy King was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York. She graduated from the Niagara Falls public school system and attended Niagara County Community College.

Nancy King, District 39 State Senate

Upon moving to Maryland in 1981, King became involved in a number of civic organizations. In 1987 she became Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Trecor, Inc., a family-owned consulting and forensic engineering company. Senator King continues in that position today.

King's children attended Montgomery County public schools, and it was during that time that she began volunteering in the school system. In 1993, she became President of the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs).

In 1994, King was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education representing District 1 and quickly rose through the leadership ranks, and served for two years as President. Mrs. King continued to serve on the School Board until 2002, until she was elected to Maryland's House of Delegates representing District 39.

As a member of the House of Delegates, King served on the Ways and Means Committee where, in 2006, she became the Chair of the Education sub-committee. In August of 2007, King was elected by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Senator P.J. Hogan. Subsequently, Governor Martin O'Malley approved the appointment and she was sworn in as Senator for District 39 on September 6, 2007. In November of 2010 Senator King won the election to continue representing District 39 in the Senate.

King has become an active leader in the Senate and was recognized as the State Legislator of the Year by the National Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Technology Advocate of the Year by the Tech Council of Maryland in 2011. Senator King was chosen to serve on the Budget and Taxation Committee including the Capital Budget and Education, Business, & Administration sub-committees. King is also the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth & Families.

OPTION #5:  ROGER MANNO, DISTRICT 19 STATE SENATOR - District 19 State Senator Roger Manno provides the following biography on his website (excerpt below):

Senator Roger Manno was sworn-in to the Maryland State Senate on January 12th, 2011, after previously serving four years in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Roger Manno, District 19 Senate

Roger is a member of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, serves as one of four Senators on the Health and Human Services Subcommittee, and is a member of the Pension Subcommittee. He is the only freshman Senator on the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the only attorney, and the first Senator from the 19th District to ever serve on the important committee.

Roger also serves on the Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing, the Joint Committee on Federal Relations, the Joint Committee on Pensions, the State Advisory Council on Hereditary and Congenital Disorders, the Maryland Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission, and is the Senate Chairman of both the Maryland Task Force to Study Financial Matters Relation to Long-Term Care Facilities, and the Maryland Youth Advisory Council.

In 2009, Roger was appointed to serve on the Working Group of State Legislators for Health Reform. Convened by President Obama's White House, the Working Group played an active role in advising the White House during the development and implementation of the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" -- the largest expansion of health care since the implementation of Medicare -- and the group continues to serve as an advisory panel to facilitate implementation of the pending health care Exchanges. Outside of the legislature, Roger serves on the national steering committee of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care, and the board of B'nai B'rith International (Chesapeake Bay Region)....

Prior to his election to the legislature, Roger served as a Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel/Senior Counsel in the United States Congress.   In that capacity Roger drafted numerous legislative initiatives, including:  legislation ensuring thorough health care screenings for all U.S. troops; several post-9/11 Homeland Security bills and amendments strengthening security and civil rights; alternative U.S. Budgets sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus; and was an organizer of issue forums for the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference.  Additionally, as a staff member handling International Relations issues and Foreign Operations Appropriations, in 2005 Roger traveled to Israel with a congressional staff delegation during Israel’s "Disengagement" from Israel's West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Immediately following the attacks on September 11, 2001, Roger served as a key staff member on the House of Representatives Homeland Security Task Force (Democratic Caucus), drafting Homeland Security amendments and alternatives to The Patriot Act. While his work dealt with a broad range of Homeland Security issues, his specific contributions were in the area of Domestic Law Enforcement.

Prior to law school Roger worked in public schools with academically, emotionally, and socially challenged special-needs students....

Roger earned his law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center (University of New Hampshire) and was the Chair of the Democratic Law Caucus. In addition, Roger earned a Masters in Intellectual Property Law, an area of the law dealing with prescription drug patents and obtaining affordable prescription drugs....

Roger is married to his childhood sweetheart, Marjorie.  Roger's parents, Bea and John reside in New York City, and Roger's sister, Shana, lives in Israel. Roger, Marjorie, and their two cats, Chester and Ms. LuLu, live in the Silver Spring area bordering Olney and Sandy Spring. They are members of Temple Emanuel in Kensington, Maryland.

OPTION #6:  NANCY NAVARRO, MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL PRESIDENT - Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro provides the following biography on her website:

Nancy Navarro currently serves as President of the Montgomery County Council. She was elected to represent District 4 on the Council in a special election on May 19, 2009 and re-elected in the general election on November 4, 2010. Since December 2010, she has chaired the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee and serves on the Health and Human Services Committee. She served as Council Vice President for the 2011-2012 session, and has been elected Council President for the 2012-2013 session of the Council.

Nancy Navarro, Montgomery County Council

In October 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Nancy as a member of the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where she serves on the Early Childhood Education Committee.

Prior to joining the Council, Nancy was a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education, where she served two consecutive terms as Board President. She was first appointed to the Board of Education in October 2004 to fill a vacant seat. On Nov. 7, 2006, she was elected to a full four-year term. Nancy was a member of the Board’s Strategic Planning Committee and chaired the Communications and Public Engagement Committee.

Before entering public office, Nancy co-founded a non-profit, community-based organization with a mission to assist the economic and educational development of Latino and other immigrant communities. School readiness, healthy family development, and academic achievement was the primary focus of the organization. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, she participated in the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) at Harvard University, where the Montgomery County Public Schools team focused on race, poverty and the academic achievement gap.

Nancy has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles, including PTSA co-president; chair of the Youth, Schools, and Childcare Work Group of the Long Branch Revitalization Task Force; co-founder of the Montgomery County Non-Profit Village; member of the Montgomery County Gang Prevention Task Force; member of the National Child Care Action Campaign; Member of the Advisory Committee for the Washington Area Foundation Portrait Project. She also served as a bilingual classroom parent volunteer.

Nancy has received numerous awards and recognitions, including: the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County’s Leadership Award; the Maryland State Department of Education’s Women Who Dare Leadership Award; the Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County’s Poder con Ganas Award; the U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education’s Hispanic Hero Award; the Montgomery County Business and Professional Women Association’s Women of Achievement 2007 Award; the Community Teachers Institute’s Heart of the Community Award; the 2009 and 2013 Maryland’s Top 100 Women Award; and the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Elected Local Government Official of the Year Award.

Nancy graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Missouri (Columbia). She was born in Caracas, Venezuela and has lived in Montgomery County for more than two decades with her husband, Reginald, and two daughters.

OPTION #7:  KEN ULMAN, HOWARD COUNTY EXECUTIVE - Howard County Executive Ken Ulman provides the following biography on his website (excerpt below):

On Dec. 6, 2010, Ulman was sworn in as County Executive for a second term, reaffirming his commitment to the citizens of Howard County with energy, passion, and innovation.

Ken Ulman, Howard County Executive

Ulman’s practical approach to governing and fiscal responsibility saves taxpayers dollars without sacrificing core public services, while also allowing his administration to focus on initiatives in strategic areas like environmental sustainability, healthcare, technology, and economic development efforts.

In one of his first actions as County Executive, Ulman created the Howard County Office of Environmental Sustainability with a mission to protect and enhance natural resources and the quality of life in our community through the conservation, preservation and restoration of our land, air and water. Through this office, Ulman has enacted many measures that have reduced the County’s environmental footprint, such as the transformation of the County’s fleet of vehicles to hybrids wherever possible, enactment of green building standards and a single-stream recycling program that serves as a model for neighboring jurisdictions.

In addition to environmental issues, Ulman has a strong commitment to public health. At a young age, he witnessed his younger brother battle and beat cancer.  Driven by this personal experience and the belief that everyone should have access to affordable and preventive healthcare, Ulman and Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson launched Healthy Howard.

In 2008, Howard County became one of the first in the nation to offer affordable access to health care for uninsured residents. The Healthy Howard Access Plan has earned numerous awards, including the “Government Innovation Award” from the Maryland Society of Public Administration and was the winner of the “Bright Ideas” award from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  In 2008 The Daily Record recognized Ulman and Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson with the “Innovator of the Year Award"....

Ulman currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), an organization that makes sure Maryland’s 23 counties and the City of Baltimore are heard when decisions are made in the state’s capital....

Ulman is a graduate of The University of Maryland, College Park and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.  He and his wife, Jacqueline, reside in Columbia with their two daughters, Maddie and Lily.

Ulman is also the Vice-Chair of Health Policy for the National Association of Counties, Treasurer for the National Democratic County Officials, and a member of the Democratic National Committee.

OPTION #8:  COURTNEY WATSON, HOWARD COUNTY COUNCIL - Howard County Councilmember Courtney Watson provides the following biography on her website (excerpt below):

Courtney Watson was first elected to the County Council in November, 2006 to represent the First Council District which includes portions of Ellicott City, Elkridge and Hanover. She has also served as Council Chairperson.

Courtney Watson, Howard County Council

Mrs. Watson is a lifelong Howard County resident raised in Clarksville. She was educated in the Howard County Public School System and graduated from Atholton High School.

After several years as a community activist, Mrs. Watson was elected in 2002 to the Board of Education, completing a four year term and serving two years as Chairman. During this time a new superintendent, Dr. Sydney L. Cousin, was hired, the cultural proficiency program was begun, and six new schools were constructed.

Mrs. Watson served on the county’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Committee, the Ellicott City Master Plan Steering Committee, and the Economic Development Authority Strategic Plan Committee. She has served on the Spending and Bond Affordability Committee.  Ms. Watson serves as the President of the Women of MACo (Maryland Association of Counties).  She served on the 2007 MACo Education Subcommittee.

Mrs. Watson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Sellinger School of Business at Loyola.

Mrs. Watson and her husband, Richard, have lived in Ellicott City for over 20 years. They have three children.

 More on the 2014 Battle for Governor soon!

Maryland Senate Votes to Decriminalize Pot Possession While House Approves Medical Marijuana // ROLL CALL ANALYSIS

UPDATE: Maryland Juice just received the following legislative tidbit from a reader on Facebook encouraging Marylanders to contact Delegate Joe Vallario and urge him to stop holding up marijuana decriminalization:  joseph.vallario@house.state.md.us or (410) 841-3488.

READER: Students for Sensible Drug Policy sent out an email blast calling on its MD members to "Urge Chairman Vallario to pass marijuana decriminalization in Maryland" etc. with some indication that he as the committee chairman "has been the main obstacle to passing positive marijuana legislation in Maryland." Let's hope this common sense reform makes it through!

Reforms to Maryland's draconian laws regarding marijuana are finally advancing in the State Senate and House of Delegates. After years of severe lag-time, Maryland Democrats have finally caught on that the world is moving on after blindly experimenting with the last generation's failed "War on Drugs."

Maryland currently spends roughly $226 million a year on marijuana enforcement -- with little meaningful impact on the public's use of recreational drugs.  Meanwhile, young Marylanders and people of color are arbitrarily and disproportionately welcomed into the criminal justice system, subjecting them to potential ineligibility for student loans and persistent problems finding employment.

MARYLAND SENATE APPROVES MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION - Last week the Maryland Senate approved a bill to eliminate the possibility of jail terms for "de minimis" marijuana possession (aka a few joints or less). A bill sponsored by Senator Bobby Zirkin proposes to reduce the penalty for minor pot possession to no more than a $100 fine with no jail time at all. The bill was approved by a vote of 30-16 in a surprisingly smooth vote, and The Washington Post editorial board recently encouraged the House of Delegates to join the Senate in decriminalizing pot (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: The Maryland Senate’s vote to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana would not, as some critics warn, make it okay to use the drug. Such use would still be illegal, but it would be a civil offense, punishable by fines rather than imprisonment. Not only would this save law enforcement valuable resources but also prevent the lives of many young people from being ruined. We hope the House of Delegates follows the Senate’s lead and that Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signs this sensible measure into law....

Currently Maryland law allows for up to a shocking 90 days in prison and a $500 fine for possession of minor amounts of pot. But despite the common-sense nature of this "decriminalization" law, the vote to start ending the War on Drugs in Maryland revealed interesting divisions between lawmakers. You can see the full roll call online, but below Maryland Juice highlights a few notable tidbits.

NINE SENATE DEMOCRATS VOTED TO MAINTAIN 90 DAY JAIL TERMS FOR MARIJUANA - The vast majority of Senate Democrats voted to eliminate the possibility of 90 day jail terms for residents caught with small amounts of marijuana.  Democratic leaders --  including Senate President Mike Miller -- voted for marijuana decriminalization, and only nine of Maryland's thirty-five Democratic Senators voted to support continued incarceration of people caught with pot. But surprisingly, two of the "no" votes came from Senators Nancy King and Roger Manno, who represent liberal Montgomery County. Below you can see the nine Democratic Senators who voted against peeling back the War on Drugs in Maryland:

1. John Astle (Anne Arundel County)
2. Ed Degrange (Anne Arundel County)
3. Roy Dyson (Calvert, Charles & St. Mary's Counties)
4. Nancy King (Montgomery County)
5. Katherine Klausmeier (Baltimore County)
6. Roger Manno (Montgomery County)
7. Jim Mathias (Somerset, Wicomico & Worcester Counties)
8. Jim Robey (Howard County)
9. Norm Stone (Baltimore County)

SENATOR ROGER MANNO EXPLAINS VOTE TO MAINTAIN POSSIBILITY OF JAIL FOR POT POSSESSION - Interestingly, shortly after the historic marijuana reform vote, Senator Roger Manno explained to Maryland Juice why he voted to maintain possible 90 day jail terms for minor pot possession. Manno stated that he thought the War on Drugs was a failure but that it was arbitrary to only roll back penalties on marijuana. I'm still a little confused by this argument, but if drug reform advocates take Senator Manno at his word, that means he should be approached to sponsor an even larger unraveling of the War on Drugs in Maryland  -- perhaps a bill that comprehensively audits and revisits jail terms assigned to all cases of simple possession?


NEARLY 50% OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS VOTED AGAINST 90 DAY JAIL TERMS FOR POT - While some Democrats struggled to stay on top of shifting public sentiment on marijuana, the Republicans are beginning to catch on. Notably, five out of twelve Republican Senators (or nearly 50%) voted to eliminate the threat of 90 day jail terms for minor pot possession:

1. David Brinkley (Carroll & Frederick Counties)
2. Richard Colburn (Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties)
3. Nancy Jacobs (Cecil & Harford Counties)
4. Alan Kittleman (Carroll & Howard Counties)
5. Ed Reilly (Anne Arundel County)

MEANWHILE, MD SENATE VOTES TO MAKE POSSESSION OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA PUNISHABLE BY FOUR YEARS IN JAIL - In one of the signs of how dysfunctional and irrational drug policy is in America, only days after the Maryland Senate voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize pot possession -- Senators also voted unanimously to make possession of synthetic marijuana punishable by up to four years in prison. Last week, Maryland Senators voted to add synthetic marijuana to the state's list of "Schedule I" substances -- making simple possession a crime that could land you in jail for years. This may have been a pro-forma step to conform Maryland's criminal code with the Federal Schedule I, but we are already beginning to move away from compliance with Barack Obama's broken campaign promises on drug reform. One step forward, two steps back on ending the failed War on Drugs in Maryland? Oy!


MARYLAND HOUSE FINALLY APPROVES MODEST MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW - While the Maryland Senate was busy decriminalizing possession of minor amounts of pot, the House of Delegates was debating whether to allow medical marijuana in Maryland. But today they finally voted to approve a modest program to allow distribution of marijuana for medical purposes. The medical marijuana bill passed by a whopping margin in a 108 to 28 vote. The Capital Gazette reported on the break in the logjam (excerpt below):

CAPITAL GAZETTE: The House of Delegates passed a bill Monday to allow a small number of academic medical centers to distribute marijuana to patients beginning in 2016. Delegates voted 108-28 to pass House Bill 1101, introduced by Del. Dan K. Morhaim, D-Baltimore County. The bill would create a commission through which academic medical research centers could apply to operate medical marijuana programs. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it could get a hearing as soon as this week....

With just 15 days left in the General Assembly's 90-day session, marijuana will be an important issue in both chambers. On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to take up Senate Bill 297, which would decriminalize possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana. The Senate passed that bill on March 19....

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING IN THE AIR - Most Americans consider the War on Drugs a policy failure, and Maryland Juice has been pointing out for months that a super-majority of Democrats and liberals nationally now support full-on taxation and regulation of pot (even Senate President Mike Miller). Indeed, a 2012 Huffington Post/YouGov opinion survey confirmed the clear shift in attitudes:

HUFFINGTON POST: A solid majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana, either with or without taxes and regulations similar to those imposed on alcoholic beverages, according to a new survey conducted by YouGov for The Huffington Post.

The poll found that 51 percent of adults support legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol.... Only 26 percent of respondents said that marijuana should not be legalized.... Those under age 29 and between ages 45 and 64 were most likely to support legalization pure and simple...

The poll found more variation among people of different political parties. Sixty-four percent of Democrats ...  said they supported legalization with taxes and regulations. Overall, opposition was highest among Republicans, but even so, more Republicans favored one of the two legalization options (47 percent) than opposed legalization entirely (44 percent).

A 2011 Gallup poll also verified new majority support for marijuana reform and noted that a whopping 69% of liberals support the legalization effort. Check out a few summary tables below:

Are Maryland politicians figuring out that public sentiment has changed? More on the War on Drugs soon!

OUTRAGE: MD Politicians Urge Millions In Corporate Welfare for Lockheed Martin / PLUS: Bill Sponsor Dating Their Lobbyist?

BACKGROUND - The following true story is a textbook example of what makes voters sick and tired of our current political system. Though the controversy below concerns the state of Maryland, it is a damning snapshot of how policy decisions too often get made all around the nation. The story is that the uber-successful multi-national Pentagon contractor Lockheed Martin is lobbying aggressively for a multi-million dollar taxpayer giveaway from Montgomery County, Maryland (where they are headquartered). This sort of crony capitalism is nothing new and shouldn't shock voters -- except that this time the hackery has gone too far, and Lockheed clearly thinks it owns Maryland's Democratic politicians. It's time for Marylanders to prove them wrong (again).

Lockheed has been trying for three years in a row to persuade Democratic lawmakers to give them a handout of millions of dollars in exchange for nothing at all (ie: no new jobs), and twice already the Montgomery County Council has rejected this proposal. But Lockheed has not given up and is now trying to circumvent the decisions already made by MoCo's elected Councilmembers.

A handful of State Senators and Delegates (including some Democrats from Montgomery County!) have introduced a law trying to force Montgomery County to give Lockheed $1.8 million, and another $450,000 every year in the future. Of course, our elected state lawmakers have not proposed how MoCo would pay for this or what the county should cut from its social services budget as a result of the new financial obligation. The fiscal note for the bill itself calls this handout a "mandate on a unit of local government":

Local Effect: Hotel rental tax revenues in Montgomery County decrease by $1.8 million in FY 2014 and by $450,000 annually thereafter. Hotel rental tax revenues in other jurisdictions may be affected to the extent specified corporate training centers are located in other jurisdictions. Expenditures are not affected. The bill imposes a mandate on a unit of local government.

In 2012, Lockheed recorded sales of $47 billion, netting them $5.6 billion in profits. They paid their shareholders $2.4 billion in dividends in 2012 and have a backlog of $82 billion of future contracts already lined up. But for Lockheed, apparently that's not enough taxpayer money.

NOTE: This bill may come up for a vote at any moment. Please contact your State Senators & Delegates and urge them to reject Lockheed Martin corporate welfare. Please also contact Montgomery County Councilmembers and urge them to speak out against this plan. You can email all nine Councilmembers by sending a message to: montgomerycounty@lockheedwelfare.com.

PROCEDURAL SHENANIGANS - To be clear, the proposed corporate welfare bill applies only to Lockheed Martin's private hotel in Montgomery County. So why does the bill and the fiscal note act like "hotel rental tax revenues in other jurisdictions may be affected"? The answer is shenanigans. Indeed, no other business in the state of Maryland has had the resources to build their own private hotel and conference center -- certainly not one that costs $100 million. And since this law only affects one county, it would normally be filed as a "local bill" and would therefore originate with Montgomery County's state legislative delegation. In turn, the MoCo delegation's decisions would ordinarily be respected by the full House and Senate. But apparently those customs do not apply to Lockheed Martin.

Notably, the MoCo State Senate delegation is chaired by Senator Jamie Raskin, an outspoken opponent of the Lockheed welfare plan. But it appears that this year, the State Senate is trying to shotgun the bill through the legislative process, and Lockheed backers are using a truly shady tactic to circumvent the Montgomery County legislative delegation. Some State Senators are now disingenuously claiming that the Lockheed welfare bill applies to many other counties, like Anne Arundel County, thus allowing Senate President Mike Miller (a bill sponsor) to try and ram this through to passage. But lawmakers from counties mentioned in the bill are puzzled as to why their jurisdictions are included. Remember that the bill only applies to a single building in Montgomery County. As a result, during a State Senate debate on the bill last week, Sen. Bryan Simonaire of Anne Arundel County objected to Anne Arundel's inclusion in the Lockheed welfare plan, noting that nobody from his County had requested that. Shady, indeed.

A BILL SPONSOR FOR THE LOCKHEED WELFARE PROPOSAL MAY BE ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH A LOCKHEED LOBBYIST - Clearly, Lockheed's political allies planned out an aggressive strategy to obtain taxpayer dollars for their favorite weapons manufacturer -- and they still might get away with it. According to ethics filings with the state government, Lockheed's lobbyists include powerful Maryland figures, like Cas Taylor, Maryland's former House Speaker. But even more interesting is the allegation that a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin may be dating one of the bill's sponsors in the State Senate. Several Annapolis sources are now indicating to Maryland Juice that State Senator Rob Garagiola is currently romantically involved with lobbyist Hannah Powers of the Alexander & Cleaver firm. But Garagiola is a sponsor of the Lockheed welfare bill, and Powers is a lobbyist for Lockheed. If true, this seems like a conflict of interest. See the public filings below:

This list of sponsors of the Lockheed bill includes Sen. Rob Garagiola

This lobbyist filing shows Hannah Powers working for Lockheed Martin

LOCKHEED WELFARE PLAN BECOMING A CAMPAIGN ISSUE - Political opponents of some of the sponsors of the Lockheed welfare bill are clearly gearing up to make a campaign issue out of this proposal. Notably, the bill's lead sponsor in the State Senate is Nancy King of Montgomery County, but she barely beat her 2010 primary opponent, former Delegate Saqib Ali. King won her primary by a mere 227 votes, and now Saqib Ali has provided Maryland Juice with a statement about the Lockheed welfare proposal:

SAQIB ALI: As one of her constituents, I really can't figure out why Nancy King is pushing corporate welfare for Lockheed Martin -- one of the world's most profitable companies. We have been told innumerable times that state and county budgets are very tight. She even voted to raise taxes on Maryland citizens for this reason. And she will soon vote for an increased gas tax. So why does she now want to give Lockheed Martin a $1.4 million gift?

To be fair, Maryland Juice received an email newsletter this week from Senator King, and she suggests she's been going line-by-line in the budget to eliminate inefficiencies, but this seems like a major omission:

SEN. NANCY KING: For the past nine weeks, my colleagues and I on the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee have participated in over 147 budget hearings and briefings, and we have gone through the budget line-by-line to evaluate government programs and to eliminate inefficiency. Our counterparts in the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee have been going through the same process and they will be presenting their recommendations to the full House this coming week.

But its not just Saqib Ali who is challenging King on her sponsorship of the Lockheed welfare bill. County Councilmember George Leventhal has been posting criticism on Facebook:

Source: Facebook

Source: Facebook

THIS IS A TWO-PART STORY: Up Next, Debunking the Policy Myths of Lockheed Welfare Supporters & How You Can Get Involved!

Saqib Ali Announces 2014 Run for State Legislature on Facebook // Former Delegate Seeks Office in District 39

UPDATES: The Facebook post has now been taken down. Also, I just noticed that the message below doesn't specify a run for State House or State Senate. Hmm.

Lastly, it is worth noting that there doesn't appear to be any campaign finance activity from Saqib Ali yet. That means he will likely be starting his fundraising from scratch. More on this story soon!


A Maryland Juice source has tipped us off to a notable post on former Delegate Saqib Ali's Facebook page.  Through a message sent via mobile phone, Ali announced, "I'll be running for a seat in Maryland's State Legislature from Maryland's 39th District in 2014" (see image below).

District 39 is currently represented by State Senator Nancy King (who defeated Saqib Ali in a 2010 Democratic Primary), and three incumbent Delegates: Charles Barkley, Kirill Reznik and Shane Robinson. Notably, to my knowledge, none of the incumbents has announced they are retiring.

Since the most recent campaign reports just got posted, I thought it might be interesting to take a look and see how much money the incumbents had in the bank.

Sen. Nancy King

• 2012: Raised $31,815
• 2013 Cash on Hand: $49,214

Del. Charles Barkley 

• 2012: Raised $37,000 
• 2013 Cash on Hand: $59,631

Del. Kirill Reznik

• 2012: Raised $20,101
• 2013 Cash on Hand $28,592

Del. Shane Robinson

• 2012: Raised $3,030
• 2013 Cash on Hand: $2,123