JUICE: Status Check on Governor, MoCo Exec and Council Races // PLUS: Takoma Park Special Election, Hot Bills & More!

Below Maryland Juice provides a status check on a few campaigns of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1:  THE LATEST ON MARYLAND'S GOVERNOR'S RACE // BILL CLINTON ENDORSEMENT, TV AD WARS & MORE - A few interesting things have happened since we last reported on the status of Maryland's race for Governor. First, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown reported in a press release yesterday that former President Bill Clinton endorsed his campaign (excerpt below):

BILL CLINTON: “Anthony Brown’s lengthy record of public service to our nation and the state of Maryland is a powerful testament to his character and leadership... As Lt. Governor, Anthony has worked to create thousands of jobs, to make quality health care more accessible and affordable, to secure passage of some of the nation’s toughest gun safety laws, to protect women and children from domestic violence, and to make record investments in Maryland’s public schools. He is uniquely qualified to lead Maryland, and I am proud to support him for Governor.”

Meanwhile, Delegate Heather Mizeur continues her effort to wage an issue campaign on progressive causes with recent policy proposals to legalize marijuana, start school later, index the minimum wage, fully fund retiree pensions, reform redistricting, tackle women's pay equity and more. An interesting thing to note about Mizeur's platform is that it seems obvious that having a statewide candidate out front on these types of issues can help lead to a more robust discussion of them in Annapolis and create the political space for positive (albeit compromise) efforts to move forward. That being said, as the race heads into the home stretch, Mizeur has also taken to criticizing the positions of her rivals, including highlighting Doug Gansler's support for an estate tax cut and questioning Anthony Brown's leadership of Maryland's health exchange.

Lastly, Attorney General Doug Gansler and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown are up on the air in different regional markets with television advertising. Check out a couple recent examples below:





JUICE #2: THE LATEST ON MOCO EXEC // IKE LEGGETT HIGHLIGHTS FLIP FLOP, DOUG DUNCAN CALLS OUT TRANSIT CENTER & PHIL ANDREWS QUESTIONS MOCO BUDGET    - In Montgomery County's three-way race for County Executive, several themes are emerging. So far, much of the press coverage has been centered around rival candidates putting incumbent Executive Ike Leggett's eight-year record on trial. Former County Executive Doug Duncan, for example, recently released the following snarky video criticizing Leggett's handling of the Silver Spring Transit Center:



IKE LEGGETT HITS BACK: But Leggett has fired back with multiple data points casting the blame for budget difficulties on Doug Duncan's previous tenure as County Executive. The Washington Post's Bill Turque highlighted an example of the tit-for-tat (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: ... In his budget letter to the County Council on Monday, Leggett never identifies his predecessor and opponent in the June Democratic primary. But he depicts Duncan as a profligate and reckless spender during Duncan’s three terms from 1994 to 2006. It’s certainly no mystery who Leggett is talking about....

“First, the County had to stop spending beyond its means,” he said. “Under the prior administration, tax supported County government spending increased by 36 percent in the three years immediately before I assumed office.” From there, Leggett piles on the data points. County payroll: up 28 percent. Tax-supported county spending: up 128 percent. Total budget growth: up 112 percent. “We have brought down the rate of growth in County government from the unsustainable levels prior to my taking office,” he said....

Leggett also highlighted a potential flip-flop by Doug Duncan on the county's recently approved $11.50/hour minimum wage increase. Duncan previously stated the state rather than the county should set minimum wage rates. Bethesda Magazine's Lou Peck captured Leggett's criticism in an article last month (excerpt below):

BETHESDA MAGAZINE: ... “We’re rewriting history here this morning,” Leggett snapped after Duncan had answered a question on a minimum wage increase, as Leggett suggested that Duncan had changed his position from an earlier appearance.

PHIL ANDREWS CRITICIZES LEGGETT BUDGET: Lastly, the third County Executive candidate, Phil Andrews, has taken to criticizing Leggett's proposed 2015 budget by describing it as a "fiscal straightjacket." Andrews issued a litany of complaints in a press release (excerpt below):

PHIL ANDREWS: The budget proposed by County Executive Leggett would put County taxpayers in a fiscal straightjacket because it exceeds the amount required by the State’s Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law. This law requires funding MCPS at $28 million more than last year. Going above that amount by an additional $26 million, as proposed by Mr. Leggett, would lock County taxpayers into that amount year after year.... This is the second straight year that Mr. Leggett’s budget includes excessive pay raises for County employees of 6.75 to 9.75 percent, at a cost of approximately $33 million in FY15 and an annualized cost of $88.7 million.

In 2010, Mr. Leggett proposed a 100 percent increase in the County’s energy tax, and proposed it sunset after two years. In 2012 and 2013, I led efforts on the County Council that reduced the 2010 increase in the energy tax by 10 percent each year. The Council should continue to reduce the energy tax rate until it reaches its 2010 level. The cost of continuing to reduce it by an additional 10 percent in FY15 is $11.8 million....

JUICE #3: TURNOUT BELLWETHERS FROM APRIL'S TAKOMA PARK & DC ELECTIONS  // CONGRATS TO NEW TAKOMA COUNCILMEMBER KATE STEWART - Yesterday voters in Takoma Park's Ward 3 participated in a special election for a vacant City Council seat. City Councilmember Kay Daniels-Cohen passed away in February, triggering a race to fill her seat for the remainder of her term.

KATE STEWART WINS TAKOMA PARK SPECIAL ELECTION WITH 8 VOTE MARGIN: Congratulations to newly elected City Councilmember Kate Stewart, who won her race by a hair-splitting eight votes. Kate is an executive at the nonprofit organization Advocates for Youth, where she promotes youth education for reproductive and sexual health.

Kate Stewart (left) at election night party with supporter Howard Kohn

EXPLANATION OF THE FASCINATING TAKOMA PARK SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS - There are many interesting aspects to the Takoma Park special elections to dig into, but first Maryland Juice explains the city's unique election methods. Notably, the city's elections are nonpartisan and both 16-year-olds and noncitizens can vote in the municipal races. Most importantly, the city uses a ranked voting election system known as "instant runoff voting" (aka IRV) for its races. Here's how it works: voters rank candidates in order of preference (eg: 1st choice, 2nd choice, etc). If a candidate wins a majority of first choices, the race is over. But if no candidate gets a majority, the last place candidate is eliminated and their votes are instead counted for the 2nd choices of the eliminated candidate. This is precisely what happened in last night's Takoma Park election count. The IRV system is designed to eliminate the so-called "spoiler" problem where election results can be tipped away from the ideology of the majority through vote-splitting dynamics.

In the Ward 3 Special Election, there were three candidates: Kate Stewart, Roger Schlegel and Jeffrey Noel-Nosbaum. Stewart earned the support of Delegate Heather Mizeur and City Councilmembers Tim Male and Seth Grimes. But Schlegel was a former Mayoral candidate in 2009, when he earned roughly 40% of the vote. In any case, here's how the Takoma Park election counts went:

FIRST ROUND OF TABULATION

1. Kate Stewart - 323 votes
2. Roger Schlegel - 315 votes
3. Jeffrey Noel-Nosbaum - 20 votes

SECOND ROUND OF TABULATION

1. Kate Stewart - 332 votes
2. Roger Schlegel - 324 votes
3. Jeffrey Noel-Nosbaum - ELIMINATED

In the first round of counting, no candidate won a majority of the vote, so the last place candidate's supporters determined the outcome of the race. After Jeffrey Noel-Nosbaum was eliminated, his 20 votes were recounted for his supporters second choice candidates: 9 for Kate Stewart and 9 for Roger Schlegel. After this process was completed, Kate Stewart maintained her 8 vote lead and will be the next Ward 3 Councilmember for Takoma Park.

TURNOUT BELLWETHERS FROM TAKOMA PARK AND DC'S MAYORAL ELECTION? - One interesting thing to note in the Takoma Park results is the turnout figures. Indeed, a few candidates and operatives I've talked to this cycle have been trying to predict what turnout might look like in Maryland's upcoming June Democratic Primary. This is a bit of an x-factor, given that this is the first year Maryland is not holding its primaries in September. Here are a couple data points to consider. In 2011, Ward 3 had 2,241 voters, and turnout for this week's special election was 660 voters (or roughly 30%).

Meanwhile, nearby Washington, DC held Democratic Primary elections last Tuesday, April 1st. Like in Maryland, the early primary was a new feature for DC voters. In a post-election analysis, The Washington Post reported historic low-turnout for the April elections and attributed part of this to the new date (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: A historically small swath of the city decided the race, with Tuesday’s turnout appearing to rival elections in 1986 and 1998 for the lowest in a mayoral primary in 40 years of District home rule. In part, the lower turnout reflected a new, earlier schedule for the city primaries, dictated by a federal law mandating more time between primary and general elections to expand absentee balloting.

Indeed, turnout in DC was about 25%, even with a crowded field of candidates, multiple contested races, high profile political scandals, and heavy spending. Though in maps of voter turnout that I've seen, it is clear that the turnout drop was concentrated in a few Wards in DC. It remains to be seen whether any of these indicators are bellwethers for June turnout in Montgomery County and Maryland.


JUICE #4: STATUS CHECK ON MOCO COUNCIL RACES // ENDORSEMENTS BEGIN TO TRICKLE IN  - There are numerous competitive races for the Montgomery County Council this cycle. Here is a very quick round-up of developments in each of the contests. Note that a number of high-profile endorsements have not yet been announced in some of the county races.

DISTRICT 1: In District 1, incumbent Roger Berliner is facing off against former at-large Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg. Berliner has received the backing of the Sierra Club, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, State Senators Brian Frosh, Rich Madaleno and Brian Feldman, and other community leaders. Meanwhile, Trachtenberg has been endorsed by a range of developers and business leaders, one of whom described the Sierra Club as a "vicious" organization. One report also indicates Trachtenberg is wooing labor unions with promises to restore "effects bargaining" for MoCo police officers.

DISTRICT 3: In the District 3 open seat race, candidates include Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz, Gaithersburg Councilmember Ryan Spiegel, Rockville Councilmember Tom Moore, and activist Guled Kassim. In the D3 race, Ryan Spiegel has earned the support of the teachers (aka MCEA) and public school retirees, while Tom Moore has the backing of the Sierra Club and the volunteer firefighters.

DISTRICT 5: In the District 5 open seat race, candidates include Delegate Tom Hucker, school board member Chris Barclay, and activists Evan Glass, Terrill North and Jeffrey Thames. Tom Hucker has earned endorsements from NARAL, Sierra Club, public school retirees and labor unions representing firefighters, police, county employees, electricians and more. Meanwhile, Chris Barclay has been endorsed by the teachers, alongside current and former Councilmembers: Valerie Ervin, Craig Rice, Cherri Branson and Nancy Navarro. Evan Glass has the support of Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams and City Councilmember Seth Grimes.Terrill North has endorsements from Takoma Park Councilmembers Jarrett Smith and Fred Schultz, along with former Takoma Park Councilmembers Kay Daniels Cohen, Hank Prensky and Donna Victoria.

AT-LARGE: Lastly, Montgomery County elects four at-large County Councilmembers, and all four incumbents are seeking re-election: Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and Hans Riemer. Two challengers have entered the race: Beth Daly & Vivian Malloy. In previous election cycles, one at-large Councilmember typically loses, but it seems too early to size up the state of this race. So far newcomer Beth Daly has earned endorsements from the Sierra Club, public school retirees, Delegate Charles Barkley and Gaithersburg Councilmember Mike Sesma. Marc Elrich also has the support of the Sierra Club, while George Leventhal's supporters include Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams and City Councilmember Seth Grimes.

JUICE #5: MOCO SCHOOL BOARD RACES GETTING INTERESTING AS CANDIDATES ANNOUNCE ENDORSEMENTS - There is an unusual amount of activity in Montgomery County's non-partisan Board of Education races this year. All seats are contested, and the top two vote-getters in each race will advance to the General Election ballot to determine a winner in November. Note that in some of the races, there are only two candidates, meaning both will automatically advance to the General Election ballot. Here's a quick run-down of the races:

AT LARGE (OPEN SEAT): The open seat race for at-large school board has drawn four contenders: Edward Amatetti, Shebra Evans, Merry Eisner-Heidorn and Jill Ortman-Fouse. Shebra Evans is the choice of the teachers union, Merry Eisner-Heidorn has the support of the public school retirees, and Jill Ortman-Fouse has the support of Attorney General Doug Gansler, Sen. Jamie Raskin, and County Councilmember George Leventhal.

DISTRICT 1: Incumbent school board member Judy Docca is facing off against Kristin Trible. Docca has the support of the teachers.

DISTRICT 3: Incumbent school board member Pat O'Neill is facing off against Laurie Halverson. O'Neill has the support of the teachers, public school retirees, and Coalition of Asian-Pacific American Democrats of Maryland.

DISTRICT 5: Incumbent school board member Mike Durso is facing off against Larry Edmonds. Durso has the support of the teachers. 

JUICE #6: BILLS THAT PASSED & FAILED THIS SESSION // ROLL CALL LINKS FOR MINIMUM WAGE, TRANSGENDER RIGHTS, MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION & MORE - Maryland's legislative session adjourned last Monday. Below we provide an update on the status of a few interesting and high-profile bills debated in Annapolis this session:

BILLS THAT PASSED

• $10.10 Minimum Wage:  Roll Calls  [ Senate 34-13 ] & [ House 87-47 ]
• Marijuana Decriminalization:  Roll Calls  [ Senate 36-8 ] & [ House 78-55 ]
• Transgender Nondiscrimination:  Roll Calls  [ Senate 32-15 ] & [ House 82-57 ]
• Tax Cut for Wealthy Estates: Roll Calls [ Senate 36-10 ] & [ House 119-14 ]
• Ban on Shackling Pregnant Inmates: Roll Calls  [ Senate 47-0 ] & [ House 135-0 ]
• License Plate Scanner Rules: Roll Calls [ Senate 46-0 ] & [ House 136-0 ]
• Requiring Court Order for Electronic Surveillance: Roll Calls [ Senate 46-0 ] & [ House 134-0 ]

BILLS THAT FAILED

• Shielding of Nonviolent Convictions:  Roll Call [ Senate 44-3 ] & [ No House Floor Vote ]
• Ban on Academic Boycotts:  [ No Floor Votes ]

A final interesting bill worth mentioning is the proposed subsidy for the Netflix TV series "House of Cards." Though lawmakers approved $15 million in tax credits, the House and Senate were unable to agree on the full $18.5 million requested by the producers. The Washington Post provided a blow-by-blow on how the bill failed during the closing minutes of the Annapolis legislative session.

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....

JUICE: Branson for Ervin's Seat, MoCo Public Financing, LCV Endorses, NARAL 4 Kagan, Van Hollen 4 Leggett, Delaney 4 Gov

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

Cherri Branson

JUICE #1: CHERRI BRANSON IS THE LIKELY REPLACEMENT FOR VALERIE ERVIN'S MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL SEAT -  Montgomery County Councilmembers are poised to appoint a replacement for Valerie Ervin's vacant District 5 seat. Knowledgeable sources close to the appointment process believe that Cherri Branson will soon be selected by the 8 voting Councilmembers (Note: Ervin cannot vote for her replacement). Ms. Branson is an attorney who serves as Chief Counsel for Oversight at the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. She formerly served as President of the MoCo African American Democratic Club.

Sources also tell us that Branson is a consensus candidate who emerged after a stalemate between Andrew Kleine and former Delegate Herman Taylor. Citing an anti-choice voting record in Annapolis, reproductive rights advocates apparently succeeded in pushing back against a potential Taylor appointment.

The vote for a Council appointee has not yet been taken (so anything can still happen), but our sources sound pretty clear that we've likely got the scoop!


JUICE #2: MORE SPECULATION ABOUT WHETHER REP. JOHN DELANEY WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR // PLUS: ANALYSES FROM JOURNALISTS & BLOGGERS - Maryland Juice recently reported that it appears Congressman John Delaney conducted a poll to gauge his chances in a campaign for Governor. But since then, The Washington Post asked Delaney about the matter, and he (sort-of) dispelled the rumors (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Rep. John K. Delaney (D-Md.) on Saturday addressed rumors that he is considering running for governor of Maryland by issuing a statement that did not categorically rule out the possibility out but said he expects to continue serving in Congress next year.

“Many people I trust and respect have asked me to consider running for governor, and of course I always think about where I may best serve,” Delaney said. “But I love my job, and my expectation is that I will continue to serve in Congress and represent my district....”

Some journalists think Delaney's response is not a definitive statement that he won't enter the Governor's race. Take, for example, the following comment from Matt Bush of WAMU on Twitter:

The Front Line State blog began gaming out how the dominoes may fall if Delaney runs for governor, and they have a bit of wild speculation about the race (excerpt below):

FRONT LINE STATE: Sources are telling Front Line State that a major shakeup in Maryland electoral politics is in the offing. We reported earlier in the week that Representative John Delaney (D) might be jumping into the Governor’s race. Now we are hearing from sources in Annapolis that John Delaney is definitely going after the Democrat nomination for governor and will be announcing the move as early as next week. The new wrinkle to the story is that District 16 Delegate Bill Frick (D) will be running for Congress in MD-6 in place of Delaney....

For now, I would take the Front Line State story with a huge pound of salt, because Delaney running for governor is a big "if," and the theorizing about Frick is likely just speculation. In the meantime, Bruce DePuyt of News Channel 8 provided his take on the state of the race in a Washington Post op-ed this weekend (excerpt below):

BRUCE DEPUYT (VIA WASHINGTON POST): To make history, Anthony G. Brown (D) must buck history. Brown’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland has significant momentum. He has pulled ahead of his primary rival — Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler — in fundraising. He’s racked up a formidable list of endorsements from big-name politicians and influential organizations. And his political partner for the past eight years, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), has a vested interest in helping the Prince George’s resident prevail in the Democratic primary in June....

But a cautionary note is needed: No lieutenant governor has ever managed to grab the top spot in Maryland. It happens in other states, of course, but in Maryland, the office has not served as a steppingstone to the governor’s mansion.

Maryland’s primary is still five months off, and a lot will happen. Brown must weather the negative headlines generated by the balky health-insurance exchange Web portal set up in Maryland as part of the Affordable Care Act, which he was assigned to oversee by O’Malley...

JUICE #3: REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN ENDORSES IKE LEGGETT FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE - Maryland Juice received the following email blast from the re-election campaign of MoCo Executive Ike Leggett announcing an endorsement from Rep. Chris Van Hollen (excerpt below):

CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: I proudly endorse Ike Leggett for reelection as Montgomery County Executive. As we move into the future, Montgomery County continues to need a visionary and principled leader who can deliver results. Our County Executive, Ike Leggett, has demonstrated that, time and again, he is that leader.

During the recent recession, Ike guided our County with a firm and balanced hand. He showed that he was not afraid to make the hard choices that would lead our County out of the recession, build a stronger economic foundation, maintain the highest financial reserves in our history, and preserve our AAA bond rating. Today, the County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, has strong job growth, remains committed to a top-rated school system, and has embraced a vision for a global economy for the future....

Working hand-in-hand with State legislators last year, Ike’s leadership was instrumental in bringing home an unprecedented amount of State funding for County transportation projects. And even during the most challenging fiscal years, Ike was resolute in his commitment to Montgomery County Public Schools, funding nearly 100 percent of its budget requests....

JUICE #4: MOCO COUNCILMEMBER PHIL ANDREWS INTRODUCES PUBLIC FINANCING BILL FOR COUNTY CAMPAIGNS - The Washington Post's Bill Turque reported this week that Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews (also a candidate for County Executive) introduced legislation to establish a public financing system for MoCo elections (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: ... Andrews (D-Rockville-Gaithersburg), a candidate in the June Democratic primary for county executive, said he sees public financing as an essential counter­weight to the influence of special-interest money in Montgomery elections, primarily from real estate developers and public employee unions....

Andrews’s plan is completely voluntary. Candidates who want to raise money in the traditional manner could do so without penalty. Those opting into the public system would have to raise an initial amount of “seed money” to qualify: $40,000 for a county executive candidate, $20,000 for an at-large council candidate, $10,000 for a district council seat. The maximum individual donation would be $150. No PAC money or corporate donations would be allowed.... Small donations would be matched at a higher rate — as high as a 6-to-1 ratio in some cases — to encourage many modest individual donations.

“I think we absolutely need to do this,” said council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large).... Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) said he wants to know more about the details but believes the county needs to take advantage of the opportunity the General Assembly has provided....

JUICE #5: DOUG GANSLER ENDORSES MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION // FLOOR VOTE NEEDED: ALL THREE GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGNS SUPPORT ZIRKIN-MIZEUR-SMIGIEL BILL - All three Democratic gubernatorial candidates now support reform of Maryland's marijuana laws. Delegate Heather Mizeur favors taxing and regulating pot similar to alcohol, while Lt. Governor Anthony Brown recently endorsed removing the 90-day jail penalty attached to marijuana possession. Over the weekend, Maryland Juice finally pinned down the positions of Attorney General Doug Gansler and his runningmate Del. Jolene Ivey:

ACT NOW: URGE YOUR MARYLAND LAWMAKERS TO SUPPORT MARIJUANA REFORM - Momentum is surging to roll back the expensive and failed War on Drugs in Maryland, and now all of the Democratic candidates for Governor and Attorney General have endorsed either decriminalization or legalization of pot. There are two simple actions you can take right now to help capitalize on this political opportunity:

1. TELL YOUR DELEGATES TO URGE A FLOOR VOTE FOR MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION - State Senator Bobby Zirkin and Delegates Heather Mizeur & Mike Smigiel have introduced a marijuana decriminalization bill this session. The measure passed the State Senate last year, but it is stuck in the House of Delegates. Many politicos believe the bill would pass in the House if it was released for a floor vote. Please contact your members in the Maryland House of Delegates and urge them to call for a floor vote for marijuana decriminalization legislation:

[ CONTACT YOUR DELEGATES FOR A DECRIM FLOOR VOTE ] 

2. URGE STATE LEGISLATORS TO CO-SPONSOR LEGISLATION TO TAX & REGULATE MARIJUANA LIKE ALCOHOL - Removing jail penalties associated with simple marijuana possession (aka decriminalization) is just the first step toward creating public interest drug reform in Maryland. But we should all be aware that this a compromise position on the road to moving Maryland to tax and regulate marijuana like it does with alcohol. The legalization movement is quickly picking up steam in Maryland, as legislation to achieve this has been introduced by State Senator Jamie Raskin and Delegate Curt Anderson. The effort has support from powerful Democratic lawmakers including Senate President Mike Miller, House Ways & Means committee Chair Sheila Hixson, House Environmental Matters committee Chair Maggie McIntosh and more. Please urge your state legislators to co-sponsor the "tax and regulate" legislation:

[ CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS TO CO-SPONSOR LEGALIZATION ]

UPDATE: Below you can read a letter Delegate Heather Mizeur sent to her colleagues urging them to get behind the effort to remove jail time as a penalty for pot possession this year:

Del. Heather Mizeur Letter to MD Lawmakers Urging Support for Marijuana Decriminalization

JUICE #6: MARYLAND LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS MAKES ENDORSEMENTS IN D6, D13, D26, D27C & D46 - Maryland Juice received the following press release from the League of Conservation Voters announcing the following endorsements in open seat and contested races (excerpt below, "bold" emphasis added):

PRESS RELEASE

Maryland League of Conservation Voters Announces Key Endorsements for New Green Maryland Senators and Delegates

Candidates Are the Clear Choice for the Environment

                                                                                                                                                          

(Annapolis, MD) Today the Maryland League of Conservation Voters (Maryland LCV) released its next round of endorsed candidates for General Assembly 2014 state primary elections. The organization said the 3 Senate seats and 2 delegate seats are priority races for the organization and present exciting opportunities to put candidates with much stronger environmental records in all of these seats.

“These candidates will increase the conservation majority in the General Assembly,” said Karla Raettig, Executive Director of Maryland LCV. “Marylanders care about our air, land and water and vote for candidates who lead on the environment. These candidates are, without a doubt, the best choice for the environment in the Maryland General Assembly.”

Raettig went on to say:

• “Maryland LCV endorses Johnny Olszewski for District 6 Senate.  He holds a 88% lifetime score and Senator Stone is retiring with a 66% score.  He’s a champion for clean energy and we’re excited to endorse his move to the Senate.”
• “Maryland LCV endorses Guy Guzzone for his bid to the District 13 Senate which is also open.  Delegate Guzzone holds a 93% lifetime score while the predecessor, Senator Robey held a 70%.  He’s a big champion on environmental budget issues.”
• “Maryland LCV endorses Veronica Turner for her bid against Anthony Muse in District 26.  Delegate Turner holds a 92% lifetime score while Senator Muse has a 62% lifetime score.  We’re looking forward to helping her move to the Senate chamber.”
• “Maryland LCV endorses Sue Kullen for delegate in district 27C in Calvert County.  It’s an open seat and with her previous environmental lifetime score of 88%, we’re elated to endorse her to re-enter the Maryland General Assembly.”
• “Maryland LCV endorses Brooke Lierman for delegate in district 46 in Baltimore City.  She will replace retiring Delegate McHale with a lifetime score of 75%.  While this will be her first bid to the Maryland General Assembly, she is strongly prioritizing the environment and we’re proud to endorse her.”

###

JUICE #7: NARAL ENDORSES CHERYL KAGAN FOR DISTRICT 17 STATE SENATE - Maryland Juice received the following press release from D17 Senate candidate Cheryl Kagan announcing an endorsement from NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Cheryl Kagan Announces Senate Endorsement by NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland on 

41st Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Today, former Delegate Cheryl Kagan announced that she has been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC for State Senate, District 17.

"On behalf of the members of the NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC, I am pleased to announce our organization's endorsement of your candidacy," said Wendy Royalty, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC Chair. "Your leadership as a member of the House of Delegates and your ongoing commitment to women's reproductive choice and to women's health and safety made this an easy decision for our board."

Cheryl has worked on reproductive rights and privacy issues for almost 30 years on the state and federal levels, both as a staffer for NARAL Pro-Choice America and as a leader on reproductive choice while serving in the House of Delegates....

###

JUICE: Gansler's MoCo Endorsers (& Misfire), Gaithersburg Mayor Sid Katz for Council, Caretaker to Replace Valerie Ervin

Below Maryland Juice provides a quick round-up of news items that may interest politicos:

JUICE #1: MOCO COUNCIL PRESIDENT SAYS BODY WILL APPOINT A CARETAKER TO REPLACE VALERIE ERVIN - Yesterday we speculated that Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin's seat would be filled by a caretaker appointee who would agree not to run in the 2014 election cycle. At Large Councilmember George Leventhal disagreed with the decision on Facebook:

Nevertheless, today, MoCo Council President Craig Rice confirmed the new consensus decision in the following press release:

PRESS RELEASE

Statement of Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice on Process to Fill District 5 Vacancy
Councilmember Valerie Ervin announced on Dec. 10 that she will resign from the Council on Jan. 3, 2014 to become executive director of the Center for Working Families.  We wish her the best in this new position.

Under Section 106 of the County Charter (shown below), the Council intends to appoint a new Councilmember for District 5 by Jan. 31, 2014 to complete Councilmember Ervin’s unexpired term, which ends on Dec. 1, 2014.  The Council intends to select a person who has shown a clear understanding of the issues that are important to residents of District 5.  To assure a level playing field for all persons interested in seeking election to the next full term from District 5, the Council intends to appoint a person who does not intend to run for election to that term.

Excerpt from Section 106 of the County Charter regarding a vacancy on the Council in the final year of a term:

When a vacancy has occurred, a majority of the remaining members of the Council shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy within thirty days. An appointee to fill a vacancy, when succeeding a party member, shall be a member of the same political party as the person elected to such office at the time of election.

# # # #

JUICE #2: GAITHERSBURG MAYOR SIDNEY KATZ WEIGHING RUN FOR MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL - Yesterday, Montgomery County Community Media reported that Gaithersburg Mayor Sid Katz is weighing a run for the District 3 County Council seat being vacated by Phil Andrews (excerpt below):

MOCO COMMUNITY MEDIA: Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz has confirmed he is considering a run for Montgomery County Council. In a telephone conversation today (Dec. 10), Katz said he will make his decision about running for the District 3 seat shortly after the holidays.

Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews currently holds the seat but has previously announced that he is running for county executive in 2014, and would not seek reelection to his Council seat....

Although he has not officially filed, Gaithersburg City Councilmember Ryan Spiegel, an attorney, said earlier this month he plans to seek the District 3 seat....

JUICE #3: DOUG GANSLER ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENTS FROM MOCO OFFICIALS // PLUS: 2 ENDORSERS REMOVED FROM GANSLER'S LIST - Yesterday, Attorney General Doug Gansler announced a list of over 40 MoCo endorsers for his gubernatorial campaign (see below). Two of the officials on the list were listed in a transcription error (Sen. Roger Manno & Del. Jeff Waldstreicher), however one of them quickly released an email blast clarifying that he had in fact endorsed Anthony Brown. The initial press release from Gansler is below:

PRESS RELEASE

Gansler Announces Endorsements From Over Forty Montgomery County Officials

Silver Spring, MARYLAND – Today, candidate for Governor Douglas Gansler and his running mate Jolene Ivey, announced the endorsements of over forty current and former Montgomery County elected officials, including, among others, state senators and delegates, the "Courthouse Team," and the current sheriff and former sheriff.

"I am pleased to have the support of so many Montgomery County elected officials, present and past.  Ours is a relationship forged over many years and I am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together for the people of Maryland; but there is still more to do with respect to education, transportation and job creation. As Governor, I will continue working with the leaders of the county to best serve the people, because, in the end, it is the people's endorsement and only their endorsement that truly matters," said Gansler.

Montgomery County Endorsements (as of 12/9/13)

Former Congressman Michael Barnes

State Senator Brian J. Feldman (Dist. 15)
State Senator Jennie M. Forehand (Dist. 17)
State Senator Richard S. Madaleno, Jr. (Dist. 18)
State Senator Roger Manno (Dist. 19)
State Senator Karen S. Montgomery (Dist. 14)
Former State Senator Sharon M. Grosfeld (Dist. 18)
Former State Senator Laurence Levitan (Dist. 15)
Former State Senator Leonard H. Teitelbaum (Dist. 19)

State Delegate Sam Arora (Dist. 19)
State Delegate Charles E. Barkley (Dist. 39)
State Delegate Alfred C. Carr, Jr. (Dist. 18)
State Delegate Kathleen Dumais (Dist. 15)
State Delegate David Fraser-Hildalgo (Dist. 15)
State Delegate James W. Gilchrist (Dist. 17)
State Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez (Dist. 18)
State Delegate Ariana B. Kelly (Dist. 16)
State Delegate Susan C. Lee (Dist. 16)
State Delegate Aruna Miller (Dist. 15)
State Delegate Luiz R.S. Simmons (Dist. 17)
State Delegate Jeffrey D Waldstreicher (Dist. 26)
State Delegate Craig J. Zucker (Dist. 14)
Former State Delegate Saqib Ali (Dist. 39)
Former State Delegate Leon G. Billings (Dist. 18)
Former State Delegate Marilyn R. Goldwater (Dist. 16)
Former State Delegate Henry B. Heller (Dist. 19)
Former State Delegate Adrienne A. Mandel (Dist. 19)
Former State Delegate Carol S. Petzold (Dist. 19)
Former State Delegate Tod D. Sher (Dist 14A)

State’s Attorney John J. McCarthy
Sheriff Darren M. Popkin
Clerk of the Court Loretta E. Knight
Register of Wills Joseph M. Griffin
Former Sheriff Ray Kight
Former Clerk of the Court Molly Ruhl

Former Montgomery County Councilmember Bill Sher

Board of Education Member Patricia O’Neill (District 3)
Board of Education Member Rebecca Smondrowski (District 2)

Former Mayor of Rockville Rose Krasnow
Former Mayor of Rockville Steve Van Grack

Former MCDCC Chair Jay Bernstein
Former MCDCC Chair Stanton Gildenhorn
Former MCDCC Chair Michael Gildea

Note: Current county council, municipal, and central committee endorsements to be released at a separate occasion.

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The Washington Post's John Wagner caught the errors in Gansler's list (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Hours after the initial list was released, two names were removed: Del. Jeffrey D. Waldstreicher and Sen. Roger Manno. In an interview, Waldstreicher said his name was “erroneously listed.” “I have not endorsed Doug Gansler for governor,” Waldstreicher said. “In fact, I’m endorsing Anthony Brown.”

Manno did not immediately return a call seeking comment. A Gansler aide conceded that Manno’s inclusion was a mistake as well....

Several hours after Gansler's erroneous press release went out, Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher sent out the following email alert announcing an endorsement of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown:

JEFF WALDSTREICHER: Dear Juice, Today I made an important decision.  I'm proud to endorse Anthony Brown for Governor of our great state.  Anthony represents the same brand of progressive politics that I do, including strong support for public education and decisive leadership for economic justice.  Make no mistake, I know and respect Anthony's competitors, and count them among my friends.  I believe that when it comes to both Montgomery County and the State of Maryland, Anthony is the best choice.  Please see my official announcement below.

Yours,

Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher

PRESS RELEASE

Del. Jeff Waldstreicher Endorses Anthony Brown for Governor

Del. Waldstreicher: Brown’s leadership in education, economic justice make him best choice for Montgomery County
SILVER SPRING, MD. – Today, Del. Jeff Waldstreicher endorsed Anthony Brown for Governor and Ken Ulman for Lt. Governor, citing Brown’s strong commitment to public education and bold support for economic justice as key to his decision. Earlier in the day, another candidate for Governor issued a release erroneously claiming Waldstreicher’s backing in his bid for Governor.

“Supporting Anthony Brown for Governor was the right decision, as his fierce leadership in public education and decisive commitment to increasing the minimum wage makes him the best choice for Montgomery County,” said Del. Jeff Waldstreicher. “Anthony has worked hard to ensure Maryland’s schools have remained the best in the country for five years running, and his commitment to economic justice is key to the vitality of our county. I look forward to joining with so many other Montgomery County leaders in working to elect Anthony and Ken Ulman over the next year.”

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I'll be working hard to elect Anthony Brown.  Want to support Anthony, too?  Click the logo below to learn more, contribute, or volunteer on Anthony's campaign.