MD Redistricting: House Speaker Mike Busch Gets a New District // Anonymous Legislators on What It Means

On August 15th, Maryland Juice reported on rumors that House Speaker Mike Busch might seek a single-member-district. He is currently the sole Democrat, alongside two Republican Delegates, in a three-seat-district. With the release of Maryland's 2012 state legislative districts, it appears that the rumors were partially true. Mr. Busch will now serve in a more Democratic two-member district, while the Republicans appear to be concentrated in a new single member district 30B. Two Maryland legislators contacted us to highlight this new development. See Mr. Busch's new District 30A below, along with a view of his current D30:

Our two legislators also had the following anonymous comments:

MD Redistricting: Tougher Districts for Sen. Jim Brochin & Del. Don Dwyer // 2012 Changes in B'more & Anne Arundel Counties

Last Friday, Maryland Juice posted Maryland's new 2012 legislative districts. Over the weekend, I asked one legislator if any incumbents had been drawn into dramatically new districts. She mentioned two names: 1) GOP Delegate Don Dwyer of District 31 in Anne Arundel County and 2) Democratic Senator Jim Brochin of District 42 in Baltimore County. Del. Dwyer has been shifted from D31, his current three-seat district, to a newly-created single-member district: D31A. Notably, Maryland's redistricting website flags the following changes to legislative districts in Anne Arundel County:

Districts 30-33 remain wholly contained in the County, and District 21 retains a portion of the County. Sub-districts have been drawn to reflect the geographic regions and diversity of the County, and to ensure each of those regions has representation. African American voting strength is enhanced in Districts 31A and 32.

Maryland Juice highlighted Delegate Don Dwyer's street on the new 2012 map and also included an image of his current district:

Senator James Brochin's District 42 is also undergoing a major facelift. The District currently includes Towson and other areas immediately north of Baltimore City, but it is shifting dramatically under the 2012 redistricting plan. The new D42 will stretch much further north and touch the Carroll and Harford County borders on the West and East, respectively. Maryland Juice highlighted Senator Jim Brochin's street on the new 2012 map and also included an image of his current district:

Photos & Video: Protest Against Islamophobia with Saqib Ali, Ike Leggett, Kumar Barve & Robin Ficker // Lowes Gaithersburg MD

Maryland Juice readers Amit Mistry and Robin Ficker (CD6 GOP candidate) have sent in photos from Sunday's protest at Lowes Home Improvement in Gaithersburg, Maryland. As we noted previously, the event was organized by former Delegate Saqib Ali over complaints that Lowes had caved in to Islamophobia:

Last week Lowes Hardware store caved in to rank Islamophobia by withdrawing its commercials that were scheduled to run during the TLC TV show "All American Muslims." Lowes did this because a fringe right-wing hate-group called the "Florida Family Association"  complained that the depiction of American Muslims as normal people was actually “propaganda clearly designed to counter legitimate and present-day concerns about many Muslims who are advancing Islamic fundamentalism and Sharia law." Lowes' shameful decision has sparked a huge national controversy.

The Montgomery Village Patch had video of the event, which they say was attended by approximately 60 protestors:

You can also see photos of the event at Maryland Juice's Facebook Page:

BREAKING: Maryland Reveals 2012 State Senate and House Districts // See the Maps and MoCo Before & After

UPDATE: You can look up your address to see your new district online. Also, an anonymous reader sends us the following before and after photo of Montgomery County's legislative districts (click the image to expand):

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's Redistricting Advisory Commission releases the State's 2012 Senate and House of Delegate Districts. Hat tip to the Real Prince George's County blog. Their news article alerted us to the release of the maps with the following headline: BREAKING NEWS: Governor’s Redistricting Committee Releases Legistive Redistricting Maps w/ More Majority Black Districts. See maps and accompanying press release below:

Maryland 2012 State Senate Districts

Police Endorse State Senator Rob Garagiola for MD 6th Congressional District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police (Lodge 35)
Endorses Rob Garagiola for United States Congress, District 6

Montgomery County, MD:  The Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police (Lodge 35) has endorsed the candidacy of Rob Garagiola, the Democratic Senator, District 15, for the Congressional seat in Maryland’s Sixth District.  The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) represents some 1180 law enforcement officers and officials in the County, the largest of its kind.

Maryland Juice's Government Employees of the Year: Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection

UPDATE: Maryland Juice received the following email from Eric Friedman, Director of MoCo's Office of Consumer Protection: "Thank you for the kind recognition! The cumulative effect of multi-year budget cuts takes a toll on staff morale.  We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of employees and volunteers.  In addition, Cathy Grubman is an energetic producer. Your blog’s spotlight was a great way in which to end the week."

Maryland Juice decided to spotlight the hard work of some of our local government employees today. I'm officially naming the worker bees at Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection our 2012 "Government Employees of the Year."

The Office of Consumer Protection "alerts the public to unsafe or dangerous products." But Maryland Juice is also awarding them this prestigious award because of their baller television show Consumer Compass. Check out the intro sequence to the show, where they introduce some of our dedicated government servants (who seem to be the on the receiving end of unfair budget anger right now). Best local government-produced video EVER:




Join Eric Friedman and the rest of the Consumer Protection agents as they work to protect the interests of Montgomery County citizens. A special shout out to our public servants:

Essex Patch: Do Voters Need Their Candidates To Look Like Suits? // 1st District Democrat Wendy Rosen's Photo

Maryland Juice caught an interesting debate in last week's Essex Patch. Wendy Rosen, a candidate for the 1st Congressional District Democratic Primary, submitted the following photo to the Patch for an article:

Apparently, the photo was intended to convey frustration with GOP Rep. Andy Harris, but Patch readers had a range of reaction. Their article notes: