JUICE: Frick Exits AG Race To Run for Re-Election, Challengers for Susan Lee & Joe Vallario, Trachtenberg vs. Berliner & More!

Below Maryland Juice has a quick round of updates of interest to politicos:

UPDATE: The Baltimore Sun's Michael Dresser reported tonight that former Delegate Tiffany Alston is running to regain her District 24 seat (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Tiffany Alston, the former Prince George's County delegate who was ousted from her House seat in 2013 after a theft conviction, is running to get her old job back.... The 36-year-old former lawmaker pleaded guilty in June 2012 to misconduct in office and the theft of $800 from her delegate office account to pay expenses of her law firm.... O'Malley appointed former Del. Darren M. Swain to the vacated seat. He is seeking re-election in a crowded Democratic field.

JUICE #1: DELEGATE BILL FRICK EXITS ATTORNEY GENERAL RACE TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION IN D16 - Maryland Juice just received the following statement from District 16 Delegate Bill Frick announcing he's exiting the race for Attorney General to run for re-election to the House of Delegates:

BILL FRICK: Today I will withdraw my candidacy for the Democratic Nomination for State Attorney General and file for re-election to the Maryland House of Delegates.

My two terms in the House have been exceptional.  I’ve been a part of a team that has enacted marriage equality for all Maryland couples, repealed the death penalty, protected consumers from abuses, and begun the task of reforming our tax code. 

While I know that I could have been a valuable asset to the State as Attorney General, there is still much to be done as a member of the House representing District 16.

JUICE #2: FORMER MOCO COUNCILMEMBER DUCHY TRACHTENBERG CHALLENGING COUNCILMEMBER ROGER BERLINER - Bethesda Now's Aaron Kraut reported today that former MoCo Councilmember At Large Duchy Trachtenberg is challenging District 1 Councilmember Roger Berliner (excerpt below):

BETHESDA NOW: Trachtenberg, a Democrat who was an at-large council member from 2006-2010, will take on incumbent Roger Berliner, who until Tuesday looked to have a clear path to his third term representing District 1. The last minute filing for District 1 comes as something as a surprise....

Communications consultant and former Trachtenberg advisor Eric Hensal tweeted a photo of Trachtenberg making her run official at 2 p.m. Tuesday.... According to state campaign finance records, Trachtenberg has $122,574 in campaign funds on hand, all left over from previous campaigns.... The press release on Tuesday boasted that Trachtenberg will have the help of high profile Democratic political advisors Celinda Lake and presidential campaign veteran Joe Trippi....

JUICE #3: D16 DEL. SUSAN LEE TO FACE TWO DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS FOR STATE SENATE - Today was the last day for candidates to file for office, and Del. Susan Lee now has two Democratic challengers for the D16 Senate seat: J'aime Drayton & Hugh Hill.


JUICE #4: HOUSE JUDICIARY CHAIR JOE VALLARIO TO FACE TWO DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS FOR DELEGATE - House of Delegates Judiciary Chair Joe Vallario is in a newly redrawn District 23B, and he's now facing two challengers in his re-election bid: former school board member Ron Watson and Thea Wilson, a minister at First Baptist Church of Glenarden. 


JUICE #5: FORMER CONGRESSMAN ROSCOE BARTLETT'S WIFE RUNNING FOR FREDERICK COUNTY COUNCIL - The Frederick News Post's Bethany Rodgers reported today that former GOP Congressman Roscoe Bartlett's wife Ellen Bartlett is running for Frederick County Council District 1.


JUICE #6: ANNAPOLIS POLICE CHIEF TESTIFIES AGAINST MARIJUANA REFORM CITING HOAX ARTICLE CLAIMING 37 POT-RELATED DEATHS IN COLORADO - The Carroll County Times' Alex Jackson today reported that law enforcement officials are continuing the "Reefer Madness" style justifications for continuing the failed War on Drugs in Maryland. Annapolis police chief Michael Pristoop cited a hoax article claiming that 37 people died in Colorado on the first day of legalization, and Sen. Raskin put the smack down on the false claims (excerpt below):

CARROLL COUNTY TIMES: Testifying against bills proposed in Maryland to legalize and decriminalize marijuana, Annapolis Police Chief Michael Pristoop cited a hoax story that claimed 37 people died the first day marijuana was legalized in Colorado.

"The first day of legalization, that's when Colorado experienced 37 deaths that day from overdose on marijuana," Pristoop said in testimony at Tuesday's Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing. "I remember the first day it was decriminalized there were 37 deaths."

But Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, who has proposed a bill that would legalize, regulate and tax the drug, immediately fact-checked Pristoop. "Unless you have some other source for this, I'm afraid I've got to spoil the party here," Raskin said. "Your assertion that 37 people died of a marijuana overdose in Colorado was a hoax on the DailyCurrant and the Comedy Central website...."

ACT NOW: One Vote Needed to Pass MoCo Minimum Wage // Fate of Prince George's & DC Hike Rests on $11.50/Hr in MoCo

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS NOW:  In recent weeks, a battle has been brewing among government officials in Montgomery County, Prince George's County and the District of Columbia over efforts to pass minimum wage increases at the local level. Councilmembers in all three jurisdictions are poised to move a "regional minimum wage" of $11.50/hour that is indexed to the consumer price index (aka a minimum wage that increases as the cost of living rises). Note that a person working 40 hours week and who takes no vacations would make $23,920/year under the proposed $11.50/hour rate -- keeping them just above the $20,000 poverty line. Given the record high wealth inequality we've witnessed over the past few decades, this hardly seems like a radical proposal.

But efforts are afoot to weaken the bills in a way that threatens to derail the tenuous arrangement between a coalition of Councilmembers in MoCo, Prince George's & DC, who have all agreed to move an $11.50/hour minimum wage. While compromising on the amount of the wage increase would normally seem like fair game, in this instance, Prince George's lawmakers have a ready majority for $11.50 an hour but are waiting for Montgomery to act before pulling the trigger. A failure to pass the same rate increase will throw all sorts of unpredictability in the process and threaten to derail a historic economic justice pact between governments in the ever-expensive DC Metro region.

WHIP COUNT: Here's the current status of the $11.50/hour minimum wage proposals within the three participating jurisdictions:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY: The $11.50/hour minimum wage bill in MoCo is being sponsored by Councilmember Marc Elrich and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Nancy Navarro and Valerie Ervin. Additionally, Councilmember George Leventhal has publicly supported an $11.50/hour minimum wage but tells Maryland Juice he would support a lower amount, "if that's what it takes to get a bill out of the full Council." That means there are currently four votes for an $11.50/hour minimum wage in MoCo, but one more vote is needed to pass the bill without weakening amendments. We also need to shore up Councilmember Leventhal's vote. The full MoCo Council votes on Tuesday and the members need to start hearing from you now - you can email all nine Councilmembers and the office of the County Executive by sending a message to montgomerycounty@lockheedwelfare.com. In the meantime, here's a whip count for the nine Councilmembers:

• Marc Elrich - Sponsor of an $11.50/hour minimum wage - councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Nancy Navarro - Co-sponsor of an $11.50/hour minimum wage - councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Valerie Ervin - Co-sponsor of an $11.50/hour minimum wage - councilmember.ervin@montgomerycountymd.gov

• George Leventhal - Would support $11.50/hour or less if the votes aren't there - councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Hans Riemer - Sponsoring an amendment to lower the rate to $10.75/hour or $1 over the state minimum wage - councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Nancy Floreen - Position unknown - councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Roger Berliner - Position unknown - councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Craig Rice - Position unknown, but stated he would prefer to table the bill until the state acts - councilmember.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov

• Phil Andrews - Position unknown, but stated he would prefer to table the bill until the state acts - councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov

Note that a key element to the MoCo wage hike is a plan to index the pay rate to the cost of living, so that we don't have to have this fight every few years. But all Councilmembers need to hear that you support an "indexed $11.50/hour minimum wage."

Meanwhile, County Executive Ike Leggett has indicated he will sign a minimum wage hike into law but prefers a $10.75/hour increase with no increase with rises in the cost of living. He has not yet declared whether he would veto an $11.50/hour minimum wage if approved by the County Council. Former County Executive Doug Duncan has stated he has problems with a county minimum wage increase and wants to wait for the state to act. The County Council votes this TUESDAY, so please email all nine Councilmembers and the office of the County Executive NOW by sending a message to montgomerycounty@lockheedwelfare.com.

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY: Montgomery County Councilmember Marc Elrich, the sponsor of MoCo $11.50/hour proposal, indicates that a majority of the Prince George's County Council is prepared to approve the same plan in their county. However, P.G. lawmakers want certainty that Montgomery County to act and are scheduling their vote to occur immediately after MoCo passes an $11.50/hour wage rate. Meanwhile, County Executive Rushern Baker has expressed concerns about the proposal, and it is unclear whether he would sign it into law or veto the plan. Please contact Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker to urge his support for a minimum wage increase at: (301) 952-4131 or countyexecutive@co.pg.md.us. And please do the same for the P.G. Councilmembers - their contact info is available here.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Councilmember Vincent Orange and his colleagues are pushing an $11.50/hour minimum wage proposal, though Mayor Vincent Gray wants an "independent commission" to study the exact rate. If Montgomery and Prince George's pass an indexed $11.50/hour minimum wage, it seems likely that the D.C. Council will follow suit. Please contact Mayor Gray and urge his support at (202) 727-6300 or eom@dc.gov. You can also find contact info for the D.C. Councilmembers here.

BOTTOM LINE?  IT'S NOW OR NEVER FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE - On Tuesday, all eyes in the region will be on the Montgomery County Council. If they pass an $11.50/hour minimum wage, I predict the Prince George's and D.C. Councils will do the same, and their Executives will more likely than not sign the bills into law. This would also help lay the political groundwork for a robust state minimum wage increase in Maryland. But if Montgomery County cannot summon the will to get this done, all bets are off, and the wrong message will be sent to lawmakers in Annapolis. Please contact all nine Montgomery County Councilmembers and the office of the MoCo Executive by sending a message to montgomerycounty@lockheedwelfare.com. You can read some more context on the MoCo fight below:

The MoCo Council staff memo regarding the minimum wage proposal describes two amendments to the minimum wage hike proposal that will be considered by Councilmembers. The bill's lead sponsor Councilmember Marc Elrich proposes reducing his proposed $12/hour minimum wage to $11.50/hour to create a regional standard in tandem with the District of Columbia and Prince George's County:

MOCO COUNCIL STAFF MEMO: Councilmember EIrich intends to introduce an amendment to reduce the minimum wage in 2016 from $12.00 per hour to $11.50 per hour to be consistent with the anticipated regional minimum wage that may be adopted by Prince George's County and the District of Columbia.

Meanwhile, Councilmember Hans Riemer proposed an amendment to reduce the MoCo minimum wage increase even further to $10.75 (or $1 over the Maryland minimum wage). His amendment would stop MoCo's minimum wage from rising with increases in the cost of living. This foreshadows a fight that may begin brewing in Annapolis, if state lawmakers similarly try to stop the Maryland minimum wage from rising with the cost of living. The County Council's staff memo also described Riemer's amendment and its rationale (excerpt below):

MOCO COUNCIL STAFF MEMO: Councilmember Riemer intends to introduce an amendment that would set the County minimum wage in 2016 at the greater of $10.75 or $1 over the State minimum and remove the index to the CPI-U. Councilmember Riemer's amendment would make similar changes to the County minimum wage during the phase-in period....

COUNCILMEMER HANS RIEMER: Of the 45 states that have minimum wage laws, eleven (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington) have inflation escalators. No state or locality in the Washington D.C. area currently has one. As of this moment, there is no assurance that the State of Maryland will adopt one.

Riemer's amendment may help explain why the advocacy group Jews United for Justice hosted a call-in day with its members asking Councilmember Riemer to support an $11.50 minimum wage. You can see the script they are asked members to read (excerpt below):

JEWS UNITED FOR JUSTICE: I'd like to thank the Councilmember for his commitment to raising the minimum wage in Montgomery County and for his leadership on raising the local EITC. Also, I appreciate the Councilmember proposing to amend certain provisions of the current minimum wage bill that would weaken the bill.

I think the Councilmember is a leader on progressive issues, however, I was disappointed to see he does not support a timeline that would raise the minimum wage to $11.50 by 2016. Workers in Montgomery County can't wait any longer.

I'm calling to ask Councilmember Riemer to join his colleagues in supporting an increase in the minimum wage to $11.50 per hour by 2016....

ONE LAST TIME: CONTACT YOUR COUNCILMEMBERS NOW - Please contact all nine Montgomery County Councilmembers and the office of the MoCo Executive by sending a message to montgomerycounty@lockheedwelfare.com

Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner Releases Letter He Sent to MoCo Democratic Party Chair Gabe Albernoz

Maryland Juice received the following letter from Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner to Gabe Albernoz, Chair of the MCDCC. The topic is obviously tonight's planned labor protest of the Spring Ball:

ROGER BERLINER: Dear Gabe,

I am writing to reaffirm my commitment to tonight’s Democratic Spring Ball and to our Democratic Party  that has worked tirelessly for the core values that unite us. I look forward to attending tonight’s event as I always do and to honoring the women and men who are receiving well-earned awards this evening.  The Party  - its individual members, its precint chairs and the Central Committee – has steadfastly supported the County Council by voting to support Question B, and I would never consider for a moment not supporting the Party in return.

Unfortunately, there are some who apparently think there is no room for disagreement within our party and out of blind ideology or fear of retribution, are choosing to boycott tonight’s event and punish our party in the process.  I find this to be troubling to say the least.  One of the things that makes Montgomery County so special is that we are one of the most well-educated communities in the country.  We are a thinking, discerning community and wherever that is true, you will find thoughtful disagreement even amongst the most ideologically aligned individuals.  And that is something we should embrace, not shun or punish.

The moment we become the party of  blind obedience – to any one constituency or stakeholder group – is the day we lose our integrity as a party.  As in most things in life, good, thoughtful people can disagree.  But at the end of the day, our precinct officials overwhelmingly supported the legislative actions of a unanimous Council and the electorate weighed in similarly.  Let us move on.

Our country and our community have many challenges ahead, and it is important that we move forward with respectful, open dialogue, acknowledging that we will not always agree on every issue.  Let us come together tonight to celebrate our party and our common values and put divisiveness aside.

Roger Berliner
Montgomery County Council
District 1

MORE ON THE LABOR PROTEST OF THE MCDCC BALL SOON!

MoCo Council President Roger Berliner and Police Union Attorney Trade Barbs Over "Question B" Debate Invitation

BACKGROUND: Maryland Juice recently wrote about the heated debate between Montgomery County's elected officials and the labor union representing their police force (FOP Lodge 35). At issue is "Question B" on this November's ballot, which asks County voters to decide whether the FOP should have "effects bargaining" rights. A "vote for" Question B would repeal "effects bargaining" for MoCo police, while a "vote against" Question B would maintain "effects bargaining." First the police union tried to persuade the MoCo Democrats to endorse a "vote against" Question B, but after failing they quickly asked for an ethics investigation over County Executive Ike Leggett's lobbying for a "vote for" using taxpayer resources.

FOP CHALLENGES MOCO COUNCIL PRESIDENT ROGER BERLINER TO DEBATE: Now, the police union's newly hired Question B advocate, Lanny Davis, is challenging MoCo Council President Roger Berliner to a debate. The FOP issued a press release calling for a public discussion over Question B, but the invitation was met with a quick rebuke from Berliner's office and then another response from the police. You can read the full exchange of words below:

Rebecca Lord: Rest in Peace // Longtime Silver Spring Activist & Democratic Politico Passed Away on Sunday

MoCo JuiceBlender: Ambulance Fee Returns, O'Malley Launches Bike Share, Roger Berliner Calls for Innovation Officer

PLUS: A WARNING TO DEMOCRATS ABOUT INTERNET POLICY

Now that Annapolis legislators are currently pausing from legislative activity, Maryland Juice is paying closer attention to policy proposals floating through Montgomery County. We've provided extensive commentary on County Executive Ike Leggett's corporate welfare plan for Lockheed Martin, but there is much more to discuss. Below we provide a few recent tidbits, starting with a news item on a proposed Montgomery County ambulance fee:

JUICE #1: IKE LEGGETT'S AMBULANCE FEE PROPOSAL BACK FROM THE DEAD - MoCo politicos are likely familiar with the long-running debate about whether to charge insurance companies for residents' use of County ambulances. The proposal passed the County Council in 2010, but was struck down by voters later that year. Now County Executive Ike Leggett seeks to overturn the will of voters and is attempting to pass the ambulance fee yet again. Should the Council pass the plan one more time, opponents would have to organize yet another petition drive to strike down the measure. That doesn't seem fair -- no matter where you stand on the ambulance fee. The Washington Post reported last week:

WASHINGTON POST: An ambulance fee is back on the agenda in Montgomery County.

On Thursday, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) proposed legislation to reinstitute the fee, which was struck down by referendum in 2010....

After dueling campaigns that involved hundreds of volunteer and career fire and rescue personnel, the law failed in a referendum. Leggett said the circumstances are different this time, because the state legislature is in the midst of adding significant costs to the county.

The General Assembly approved changes to the formula deciding how much counties must allocate each year for school funding, and Leggett said he expects that the legislature will soon enter a special session to approve a shift of teacher pension costs to the counties. Both measures will create substantial costs to the county in the long term, and Leggett said he wanted a stable source of revenue to help mitigate the effect.

“It would be irresponsible not to put this as an option given the financial conditions we’re in today,” he said.

Maryland Juice finds Ike Leggett's worries about MoCo's cash-flow to be very strange, given that the County Executive seems to think we have hundreds of thousands of dollars to give away to profitable multinational corporations right now.


JUICE #2: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ROGER BERLINER CALLS FOR MOCO INNOVATION OFFICER - MoCo's current Council President Roger Berliner has at least one idea for a better way to spend county money than on mindless corporate welfare. Yesterday, he sent some of his colleagues on the County Council a letter calling for MoCo to hire a Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). In a letter to members of the County's Government Operations (GO) Committee, Mr. Berliner stated some concrete goals for a CIO:

ROGER BERLINER: ...an early funder of Twitter and a representative from Google advised us that in their view our County needed to do more to embrace innovation. They specifically pointed to the wealth of data that our County possesses and how other communities are using that data to create economic opportunities.

The Chief Innovation Officer would assist in putting the data our County collects to work for our residents: turning information into services through cutting‐edge technology like mobile phone “apps”. He or she would engage a new generation of problem‐solvers, our County’s most tech‐savvy residents, to come up with new solutions to old problems.

CANARY IN THE COALMINE: AN EARLY WARNING ABOUT INTERNET POLICY: Over and over again, Maryland Juice has pleaded with politicians and policymakers to start taking Internet policy and citizen engagement more seriously than they may have in the past. We already witnessed citizen backlash to proposals to censor or invade privacy on the Internet (ie: SOPA & CISPA). I am pleading one more time for the Democrats to own Internet freedom as an issue, and to not cede one inch to the Republicans. In the short-term I believe this will aid Democrats in building a brand among younger voters; and in the long-term it will build us loyalty among a new majority voting population of Internet users who self-identify as such. More importantly, protecting the free-flow of information (and now commerce) on the Internet should be a bigger government priority than it currently is.

The New York Times today had a timely warning for U.S. policymakers. Germany notably has a multiparty democracy due to their country's proportional representation election system. But amazingly, the third most popular party in the nation right now is The Pirate Party. Given that the party is focused on Internet issues and is only six years old, Maryland Juice thinks this is pretty significant:

NEW YORK TIMES: The sudden roar erupting from the Jägerklause bar in east Berlin’s bohemian Friedrichshain district late on a recent Sunday sounded like the usual soccer-match pandemonium. But the crowd inside, with their jeans and sneakers and easygoing looks, didn’t seem like typical soccer fanatics.

Nor did they look like political operatives — but that’s what they were: members of the upstart Pirate Party, which had just scored a key electoral victory in the small western state of Saarland.

The German Pirates, founded in 2006 and long dismissed as a niche party obsessed with copyright reform and online privacy, picked up four seats in the Saarland regional Parliament, twice as many as the once strong Green Party — and far more than the pro-business Free Democrats, who were shut out.

This month they face their biggest challenge, with elections in two more states, including North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous. Should the results match recent poll numbers — as high as 13 percent, making the Pirates Germany’s third-most-popular party — they will serve notice that a new electoral force has arrived and offer a compelling political lesson for parties on both sides of the Atlantic.

On the surface, the Pirates are indeed niche: their platform stands for stronger protection for file sharing and against censorship, along with unorthodox ideas like voting rights for teenagers.

But their real goal, and the root of their success, is more meta: using the Internet to create a new structure of politics that can solve the problem of how to energize citizens — not only for the excitement of a campaign but also the often dreary realities of actual governance....

But the Pirates’ generation isn’t as radical as their parents’, and they understand the value of conventional politics. They just believe that it’s stuck in the past....

Still, the real lesson for American observers is not how to build a viable third party, but how Mr. Obama and other politicians must adapt to the political sensibilities of Internet-savvy voters. It’s easy to dismiss the Pirates as a quirky band of idealists. But as countless old-line German politicians can attest, American parties ignore them at their peril.

MOCO COUNCIL RAPS WITH GOOGLE & TWITTER REPS: Below, you can a video of the County Council discussion with representatives from the Internet companies and startups mentioned by Mr. Berliner. We also re-print Mr. Berliner's letter to the Council below:




Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner Calls for MoCo Chief Innovation Officer (CIO)


JUICE #3: O'MALLEY ANNOUNCES FUNDING OF MOCO BIKESHARE PROGRAM - Montgomery County Planning Board member Casey Anderson alerted Maryland Juice to an exciting new development:

CASEY ANDERSON: I just found out that Montgomery County received a grant to fund their bike-share program. Assuming the County Council funds the required match, the program could be operating by the end of the year. The state grant, if matched by County funds, would pay for all of the bike-share stations proposed inside the Beltway. It looks like there will be 29 stations and 204 bikes for now.

Councilmembers Valerie Ervin and Roger Berliner deserve huge credit for this. Valerie was pushing for bike sharing before anyone else, and Roger has pushed the County's Department of Transportation repeatedly to get it funded. Even MCDOT has come around and seems to be genuinely enthusiastic.

UPDATE:  A Maryland Juice reader notes that several state legislators also played a large role in ensuring funding for MoCo's bikeshare program. Effort was sponsored in the House by Delegates Bill Frick, Al Carr, Ana Sol Gutierrez, Sheila Hixson, Tom Hucker, Ariana Kelly, Susan Lee, Eric Luedtke, Heather Mizeur, and Jeff Waldstreicher. In the Senate, the measure was sponsored by Senators Brian Frosh, Rich Madaleno, and Jamie Raskin

Maryland's Department of Transportation made the announcement via press release yesterday (excerpt below):

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY KICKS OFF BIKE MONTH
BY ANNOUNCING $2.5 MILLION IN GRANTS
TO BRING BIKESHARE STATIONS TO MARYLAND

Seven Winners throughout the Baltimore-Washington Region

HANOVER, MD – As part of the O’Malley Administration’s Cycle Maryland Initiative, Governor Martin O’Malley today kicked off bike month, by announcing the first seven winners of his new Maryland Bikeshare Program grants to help Maryland communities plan, establish or expand bikeshare programs.  He announced the new Maryland Bikeshare Program in November 2011 to create bikeshare systems in Maryland.  Bikeshare systems can help solve the “last mile” problem, connecting public transportation riders to their final destinations.  Governor O’Malley’s new program will provide $2.5 million this year to three counties and several municipalities for a variety of projects in different stages of development from feasibility assessment to implementation of bikesharing stations....

The winners of grants to implement bikesharing systems are:  Baltimore City, Montgomery County and joint partners with University of Maryland at College Park and the City of College Park.  The winners of grants for feasibility studies of potential bikeshare stations are:  Frederick City, Howard County and joint partners with Prince George’s County and the City of Greenbelt.


JUICE #4: MOCO TO FACE EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT COMPETITION FROM VA? - Maryland Juice periodically gets irate when policymakers blindly believe unproven claims that our state and county tax rates are responsible for residents moving to Virginia. During the recession (and even today), Virginia was constantly being used a bogeyman to justify tax cuts, corporate welfare, pay freezes, and government layoffs. Now some policymakers are hinting that we need to reverse course. Amusingly, the argument is still competition with Virginia. See the recent debate about government employee pay in The Gaithersburg Patch:

GAITHERSBURG PATCH: Instead of pay raises, most Montgomery County employees could receive a one-time $2,000 payment next year, according to a compensation and benefits package reviewed by a council committee Tuesday.

Analysts briefed the Government Operations Committee on County Executive Isiah Leggett’s recommendations, needed because the economic outlook was “uncertain,” Council Staff Director Stephen B. Farber said Tuesday.

According to county records, the lump-sum payouts to county government employees would cost $16.5 million — $14.4 million coming from tax-supported funds — and would include “longevity adjustments” or raises for certain employees who’ve worked for 20 years, according to county records.

Roughly 500 employees would be eligible for such a raise, a cost of $1.3 million, county data show....

Councilman Hans Riemer, D-At Large, said he was concerned that surrounding counties were doing more to increase employee pay, making Montgomery County seem like an “outlier.” Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, D-Dist. 5, asked Farber for “apples-to-apples” figures from surrounding counties and jurisdictions in Northern Virginia.

Councilwoman Nancy Navarro, the committee’s chairwoman, said offering the lump sum instead of pay raises was not ideal, but it was “better than nothing” given the state of the economy and not knowing whether the county would wind up picking up teachers’ pension costs — part of the so-called doomsday budget that resulted from the General Assembly’s unfinished business.

MORE ON MOCO POLICY DEVELOPMENTS SOON!

READ: Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's Constituent Letter to Opponents of Corporate Welfare for Lockheed Martin

BACKGROUND: Maryland Juice is not quite sure why Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is obsessed with giving away nearly $1 million of tax cuts to profitable defense contractor Lockheed Martin -- in exchange for nothing. The County Council previously rejected this idea, but Mr. Leggett tried to push the pork barrel line item through the back door by calling it an "economic development" grant. Notably, the expenditure of tax dollars is not expected to generate any new jobs or economic activity. In a letter that appeared in The Washington Post, Council President Roger Berliner noted that this defect would make Mr. Leggett's proposed welfare plan an inappropriate use of economic development dollars.

But the Leggett administration doesn't want to let this issue go. Maryland Juice just received the following copy of a letter that County Executive Ike Leggett is sending to residents who wrote letters of complaint about the Lockheed welfare plan. Note that many of the arguments in Mr. Leggett's letter have been roundly addressed in Council President Berliner's response. In a new argument, Mr. Leggett suggests that those who oppose his corporate welfare plan are somehow being "unfair" and taking out their anti-war feelings on Lockheed Martin. Well, I never....

In any case, Leggett's letter is being circulated by the County's Economic Development Director Steve Silverman (see email and letter below).

VIDEOS: Montgomery Council President Valerie Ervin Passes Gavel to VP Roger Berliner // Plus, Berliner Speech Text

Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin gives her closing remarks on the year:




MoCo's incoming Council President Roger Berliner gives his opening remarks for the coming year:




The full text of his remarks is also copied below:

BREAKING: Montgomery County Council Elects Nancy Navarro as New Vice President

Today, Council Vice President Roger Berliner began his term as President, while outgoing President Valerie Ervin ended her year-long leadership term.  The County Council also unanimously selected Nancy Navarro as their next Vice President. Typically, the VP becomes President in the year following their term in the 2nd seat. Navarro would be the first Latina to serve in either role.

Councilmember Craig Rice nominated Ms. Navarro for the position, noting that the County is now majority-minority, with a larger segment of children from diverse communities and with unique educational needs. Mr. Rice highlighted Navarro's past service on the Board of Education and on youth development issues as important skills she will bring to the table.

Councilmember Valerie Ervin in her departing remarks noted that when she took the gavel last year, she promised that the Council would work together and try to implement long-term solutions to challenging problems. She stated that "we made the tough decisions that will keep this County on the course of greatness" and noted that the council passed multiple unanimous votes on important but contentious issues.

VIDEOS: Roger Berliner to Become President of MoCo Council // Howard County Passes Gender Discrimination Law

Today, the Montgomery Council is poised to end another year of service, and it appears Council Vice President Roger Berliner is prepping to take over as Council President. Here's a little background from a press release on MoCo's website:

The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday, Dec. 6, will elect new officers to one-year terms. Prior to completing her one-year term as president, Councilmember Valerie Ervin will offer comments reviewing the Council’s accomplishments over the past year.

Councilmember Roger Berliner’s one-year term as Council vice president also will end tomorrow. It has been traditional for the Council vice president to succeed the president the following year. The nine Councilmembers will vote on the selection of new officers to one-year terms. The new officers will take their positions immediately. 

Maryland Juice just noticed that MoCo has uploaded a new YouTube video featuring Mr. Berliner as the face of their website. Presumably they will post this to their website after the leadership transition today:

Montgomery County Public Safety Committee Votes 2-0-1 to Oppose Youth Curfew Proposal

UPDATE: Here is a quick roundup of the latest MoCo curfew coverage -- 1) Washington Post: "Montgomery legislators may throw curfew into limbo," 2) Gazette: "Montgomery’s curfew proposal likely to fizzle," and 3) Kensington Patch: "Montgomery County Curfew Bill On Its Last Leg." 

BREAKING: The Montgomery County Council's Public Safety committee voted 2-0-1 to oppose County Executive Ike Leggett's controversial youth curfew proposal. The committee's three members include Councilmember Phil Andrews (Committee Chair), Roger Berliner (Council Vice President) and Marc Elrich. Mr. Andrews and Berliner voted to OPPOSE the curfew, and Mr. Elrich ABSTAINED. During the course of the committee meeting, the three Councilmembers conveyed the following views:

Montgomery County Council Redistricting Review

The Gazette's Erin Cunningham reports on the new competing Democratic and Republican redistricting maps for the Montgomery County Council:

Montgomery Republicans have crafted a proposal to redraw the county’s electoral districts to give them a better chance of being represented on the County Council.

A proposal from Republican Henry J. Kahwaty, expands County Council District 2, which would be shaped like a horseshoe, hugging the northern borders of the county. In doing so, the district would include 39,085 Republicans — about 30 percent of registered voters. The district currently has 35,968 Republicans, or 27 percent of voters.

First, here are the current district boundaries: