JUICE: $8.25/Hour MD Minimum Wage Hike, EMILY's List for Mizeur, Raskin for Treasury, Katz for Council, Made in MoCo TV

Below Maryland Juice provides a few updates on news items of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: EMILY'S LIST ENDORSES HEATHER MIZEUR - EMILY's List ("Early Money Is Like Yeast"), a national organization that backs women for public office, is getting behind Delegate Heather Mizeur in Maryland's gubernatorial race. The Huffington Post post reported on the development (excerpt below):

HUFFINGTON POST: EMILY's List, an increasingly powerful group that helps get progressive women elected to office, will announce on Friday that it is supporting Heather Mizeur in the race for Maryland governor. If elected, Mizeur would be the first female governor of Maryland and the first openly gay person elected governor in U.S. history.

"Heather Mizeur is a progressive powerhouse who will fight for the rights of Maryland's women and working families from day one,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List. “The EMILY’s List community—now three million members strong—is excited about this glass-ceiling breaker....”

While Mizeur faces a tough Democratic primary against two establishment opponents, the support of EMILY's List could make a big difference in her prospects. Since its founding in 1985, the group has raised over $350 million to help elect pro-choice female candidates across the country. EMILY's List has supported the campaigns of every single Democratic woman of color currently serving in Congress, and during the 2011-2012 cycle, it helped elect an historic number of female candidates, including 19 new women to the House of Representatives, nine senators, and 186 state and local officials....

JUICE #2: DETAILS ABOUT A POSSIBLE $8.25 MINIMUM WAGE HIKE IN MARYLAND & MORE RUMORS THAT ANNAPOLIS MAY VETO COUNTY WAGE HIKES - Two articles were released this week providing speculation about the details of a possible minimum wage hike in the 2014 legislative session. The Baltimore Sun reported on a possible $8.25/hour indexed wage hike (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Legislative leaders said Friday raising Maryland's minimum wage could involve boosting the rate statewide and letting prosperous counties increase it even further.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch told county officials gathered for a conference on the Eastern Shore they expected the legislature to consider raising the minimum wage. But, they said, it did not make sense for every jurisdiction to match rates set by counties where the cost of living is higher....

Officials in Montgomery and Prince George's counties recently voted to gradually hike the wage in their own jurisdictions from $7.25 per hour to $11.50.... In an interview about minimum wage, Miller suggested a state-wide floor of $8.25 per hour, and that jurisidictions could raise it higher.  And he suggested a possible constitutional amendment that would tie Maryland's minimum wage to inflation. The veteran lawmaker said, "we're going to get a lot of push-back on this...."

Meanwhile, The Gazette followed-up on rumors of a potential effort in Annapolis to preempt the local minimum wage hikes recently passed in Montgomery & Prince George's counties (excerpt below):

GAZETTE: Despite denials from Annapolis, union leaders claim a move to override Montgomery County’s recent minimum wage increase is brewing in the General Assembly.

Joslyn Williams, president of the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, said Thursday the union council has it from a reliable source that business-friendly lawmakers are preparing a “compromise” to raising the statewide minimum wage. The compromise would revoke the higher wages passed recently in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in exchange for a higher statewide wage.

Williams would not name who informed the union, saying the individual feared retaliation..... As for the lawmakers allegedly behind the effort, Williams said, “we are trying to track them down.” However, he added that the source warned to focus on “the leadership” and make sure the compromise does not get traction at the leadership level....

Asked for a comment, Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach expressed respect for Montgomery County’s right to set its own wage level. All eight county senators denied knowledge of such a warning....

Gino Renne, first vice president of the AFL-CIO Metropolitan Washington Council, said the session will flush out those behind the alleged compromise....

Notably, Maryland Juice is aware of a memo being prepared by the Attorney General's office researching the legality of county minimum wage laws, and whether they are allowed by county charter powers in Maryland. But who requested this memo? Hmm....


JUICE #3: US SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE APPROVES SARAH BLOOM RASKIN FOR #2 SPOT AT DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY - Maryland Juice previously reported that Sarah Bloom Raskin of Montgomery County was nominated by President Obama to serve as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury (the #2 spot at the agency). Politico Pro reported today that her appointment was approved by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and must now be approved by the full Senate (excerpt below):

POLITICO PRO: The Senate Finance Committee today approved out of committee three executive branch nominees, including a new commissioner for the embattled Internal Revenue Service and a deputy Treasury secretary....

Sarah Bloom Raskin also received only one audible no vote to be a deputy secretary of the Treasury. Raskin, if confirmed by the Senate, would be the highest ranking woman in the Treasury Department....

All three candidates must now be approved by the Senate, which is in turmoil after Democrats changed the chamber’s rules to make it much harder for Republicans to block nominees. In retaliation, Republicans are now running the clock on all nominees demanding full debate time for each prompting two back-to-back all-nighters.

Note: Sarah Bloom Raskin is married to State Senator Jamie Raskin of Montgomery County.


JUICE #4: GAITHERSBURG MAYOR SIDNEY KATZ TO ENTER RACE FOR MOCO COUNCIL DISTRICT 3 - We previously reported that Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz was weighing a run for the MoCo Council District currently held by Phil Andrews, who is now running for County Executive. This week two Maryland Juice sources indicated that Katz has decided to enter the race. See one report below:

ANONYMOUS SOURCE: At tonight's meting of the Democratic Club of Leisure World we had about 20 candidates visit and speak for a couple of minutes each. When Nancy Floreen was speaking, she said she was at a meeting earlier today with Sidney Katz, Mayor of Gaithersburg, and he told her he was definitely running for the MoCo Council district 3 seat being vacated by Phil Andrews. Since this was said in front of more than 100 people, it's public information....

JUICE #5: MOCO LAUNCHES NEW TV SHOW "MADE IN MONTGOMERY" - Montgomery County launched a new tv show this week called "Made in Montgomery." The first episode (which you can watch below) highlights Marriott corporation, which is headquartered in MoCo:



We hope this new show decides NOT to highlight MoCo-based Lockheed Martin, because if they did, the episode would have to focus on arms dealing, surveillance equipment and other unsavory things "Made in MoCo."  :)

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.

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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.

Maryland Juice PSA: Gaithersburg Election on TUE 11/8/11

Gaithersburg City Manager Angel Jones recently alerted the public to upcoming elections:

It’s an odd numbered year, and that means it is election time in the City of Gaithersburg.  On Tuesday, November 8, 2011 registered voters in Gaithersburg will go to the polls to elect three City Council members.  The terms of office for Council Members Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula and Ryan Spiegel expire in November. Local municipal elections are typically challenged by voter turnout. 

Incumbent City Councilmembers Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula and Ryan Spiegel are all running for re-election. But tonight, Ashman and Drzyzgula are kicking off their joint re-election effort (ie: two-person slate campaign) with an event in Gaithersburg. Their colleague, Michael Sesma, sent the following invitation via Facebook: