20060921 KDDC Unhinged Maryland Democrats behaving badly

“MD Senate President Mike Miller, aka the “Silver Fox” can punch.

– He’s a contender”

September 21, 2006 © Kevin Dayhoff

MD Senate President Mike Miller allegedly punches opponent supporter

The WBAL radio web site is carrying a story that “A Prince George's County developer is accusing Maryland Senate President Mike Miller of punching him:”

I got a phone yesterday (Wednesday) evening that at a land-use hearing in southern Maryland - Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert and Prince George’s Cos.) took offense at an individual’s verbal support of the President Miller’s opponent and it was alleged that he hauled-off and punched him.

I appreciated the tip (from a very reliable source,) however, I held back with the blaze-on fingers at the keyboard because of the serious nature of the mere suggestion of an act of violence by none-other than the president of the Maryland Senate. If that really happened, it is a serious miss-step on the part of our Maryland Senate president. One of many in the last year or so.

Before you draw any conclusions, bear in mind that this will undoubtedly quickly become a “he said – she said.”

And true to form, as I scoured for addition news reports on the incident, early Thursday afternoon, the Baltimore Sun has come riding-in to the rescue. In their version of the story, “Miller said the charges are "absolutely, unequivocally" not true.”

Advancing age allows me to recognize political silliness when I see it and when nonsense like this blazes across my computer screen, I look for reliable sources. Not included on that list when it comes to politics is the Baltimore Sun. I’ve been there and got the t-shirt.

Many of the Sun’s business writers, arts, … and many of the other features of the paper, I can read and enjoy. However, I take whatever the Sun’s political writers say with a grain of salt and plenty of collateral reading before I draw any conclusions.

To that end, one writer I have followed for a number of years, S. A. Miller of the Washington Times also reported exculpatory information: “Mr. (Mike) Miller's spokeswoman, however, said nothing happened. ‘It's not true,’ Lisa McMurray said last night. ‘I don't know what to tell you.’”

Well, I know what to tell ya. Considering the erratic behavior of the Senate president in the last year, many are going to be predisposed to believe that President Miller has become unglued.

Meanwhile, as this latest Sumu wrestling match plays itself out, the fracas needs to moved to the side of the road while potential leadership in the state sticks to the real issues that affect the average voter at the family dinner table. Politicians behaving badly rains on everyone’s parade, no matter what party.

Which brings us to one more thing, before the humor begins.

For Pete’s sake, one can easily characterize the behavior of a number of the members of Maryland’s Democratic leadership as exhibiting the behavior of a two-year old in a high chair throwing food. But, whatever your politics, no-one wants to believe that the president of the Maryland Senate really physically struck someone – anyone, for that matter.

The once proud Maryland General Assembly is already the laughing stock of the nation. However, as much as any of us can mutter under their breath that the august institution deserves that accolade, ultimately, such a characterization of Maryland’s lawmaking body is a reflection upon all of us and eventually, inevitably, all of us are hurt by the Maryland General Assembly’s recent lapses in judgment and childish behavior.

Anyway the Sun reports that it is all a misunderstanding. The paper managed to dig up additional information and reports, “Yates Clagett, who works for the Prince George's County Soil Conservation District and attended the meeting, said” President Miller was just playing with the alleged victim, a developer, Leo Bruso of Land and Commercial Incorporated.

However, for those of us who have read the Sun for years, we have certainly never-ever witnessed the Sun only tell part of the story or engage in selective quotation to promulgate a liberal-biased point of view. Of course not.

None of the other publications that have covered the story have provided extensive exculpatory information. One only wishes that the Baltimore Sun would work as hard to find “the rest of the story,” when it reports upon the activities of Republicans.

As far as the alleged boxing match incident with President Slugger Miller (aka Slugger,) one cannot be everywhere to witness the random acts of violence that are the foundation of Maryland politics. But usually, these days, the violence is only verbal. But how many of us would have paid good money to have been there for a ring-side seat to see the Senate president once again come unhinged?

Hopefully we have come a long way since the election riots of 1856 in Baltimore City. These days the only “riots” are of the verbal and parliamentary variety in the Maryland General Assembly.

I mean, everyone is aware that politics in Maryland is often referred to as a “blood contact sport,” however; this is to be understood as a euphemism to explain how seriously folks in the Old Line State take issues of governance and the promulgation of public policy.

I usually like to refer to politics in Maryland as a Sumu wrestling match between big heavy sweaty guys in diapers, grunting loudly and hugging each other to the mat. Now that leaves you with an endless possibility of visuals, doesn’t it?

Only apparently it is being alleged that President Miller didn’t get the memo - that we can take our politics seriously but we’re not supposed to actually “contact” one another in a public discourse.

Sticks and stones can break your bones but words will never hurt you.

Allegedly, President Miller is finished with the hurtful words and is now “taking off the gloves” to duke it out with his opponents.

It has not been a good year for President Miller. All the warning signs have been evident for those of us who are trained to recognize the potential of a person to resort to violence.

President Miller was quoted on January 13^th, 2006 by Gazette writers Thomas Dennison, Douglas Tallman and Alan Brody to say “Senate President Mike Miller started it off Tuesday, telling a raucous bunch of Democrats that Bob Ehrlich’s service to Marylanders is akin to a one-eyed bull humping a cow.” (“Opening Day,” Gazette, January 13, 2006) Oh, now isn’t that just beautiful?

Then in the same article, Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley picked up the rhetoric by saying: “‘The Democratic Party’s message has become clearer with every passing year with the failures of the Ehrlich administration,’ O’Malley said. ‘’We are prepared for battle.’”

Surely, the fit and buff soft-spoken mayor did not expect his lieutenants to put up their dukes?

But the Gazette writers then warned Governor Ehrlich and Maryland’s Lt. Gov. Michael Steele that violence loomed when they wrote: “… Miller’s comments in The (Baltimore) Sun that Dems would shoot down high-flying GOP members and bury the GOP ‘face down.’ We’re going to put them in the ground, and it’ll be 10 years before they crawl out again,’ quoth the Silver Fox. Miller looked chagrined at having his words repeated, and laughed off the remarks as being directed at Bob Ehrlich and Mike Steele, not Senate Republicans.”

President Slugger Miller’s quotes were subsequently ubiquitously posted on the second floor of the Maryland State House.

On January 23^rd, 2006, Jon Ward wrote a Washington Times piece, “Miller’s words fire up rivals,” which reflected: “Mr. Miller said Thursday that he knew his quote was put on the doors on the second floor. But he said he didn't think he had given Republicans any extra motivation. "They don't need motivation," Mr. Miller said. "They're Kool-Aid drinkers."

Well apparently in addition to Kool-Aid, any opponent that crosses President Slugger Miller’s path may also need smelling salts.

In the same article by Jon Ward: “Lenny Alcivar, Mr. Steele's campaign spokesman, said his office was aware of Mr. Miller's quote. ‘think it's safe to say that given the broad support that the lieutenant governor and the governor are clearly showing and given the feedback from Marylanders ... [Mr. Miller] will wake up one day soon and regret that lapse in judgment,’ Mr. Alcivar said.”

Perhaps the day that President Slugger Miller woke up to regret those words was earlier this morning. Meanwhile there is no confirmation that President Miller is awaked to the theme song from the Sylvester Stallone movie series, “Rocky.” One can just see President Slugger Miller in front of the mirror in the morning, repeating to himself, “I’m a contender. I’m a contender,” as he shadow boxes his way to some orange juice, yogurt and toast.

And speaking of toast there have been many whispers in the hallways that Senate president’s longstanding run may be coming to a close. Chances are that Anne Arundel voters will return President Miller to the Senate as they have for the past “31 years, 19 of them as Senate president.” (S. A. Miller, Washington Times, Sept. 21, 2006)

However, many believe that it is time for the Senate president to retire. It is looking like there will be some changes in the Democratic make-up of the Senate for the next legislative session and whispers in the hallway are that folks want a change. The courts have overturned several legislative initiatives of the Democratic leadership in the last several months and many voters are having conversations over the kitchen table and the backyard fence that all the anti-gubernatorial gotcha obstructionism and partisan politics are getting old.

President Mike Miller – oh he’s a contender all right – for retirement.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com

Miller – Md Senate Pres. Thomas V. Mike Miller

Humor Political, Miller – Md. Sen. Pres. Mike Miller, Maryland General Assembly Opera, Art,

“MD Senate President Mike Miller, aka the “Silver Fox” can punch.

– He’s a contender”

20060921 SDOSM Unhinged Maryland Democrats behaving badly

20060921 KDDC Unhinged Maryland Democrats behaving badly

20060921 NBH Unhinged Maryland Democrats behaving badly

20060405 Omnibus Rolling Blackout Acts of 2006

20060405 Omnibus Rolling Blackout Acts of 2006

April 5, 2006 By Kevin Dayhoff

In my Tentacle columns of April 4^th, 2006 and April 5^th, 2006, I referred to the “recent surge of Maryland General Assembly legislative initiatives in response to the end of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company’s electric rate price freeze … as the “Omnibus Rolling Blackout Acts of 2006.”

Much is left to be accomplished with the time remaining in the tumultuous 421st legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly - now mercifully measured in days.

Although, for many, the 421st legislative session cannot end soon enough.

To borrow some ideas as to how to explain the bizarre 2006 session, I am reminded of a series called the “Carnival of the Clueless,” written by a freelance writer, Rick Moran.

If Mr. Moran were to be aware of the Merryland General Assembly’s operatic 2006 session deliberations and decisions, he would have a field day.

Special segments would feature the “vote early and vote often” initiative; Wal-Mart; “let’s change any law that happens to not suit us at the moment” and now, “how to cause a problem and then blame anyone else but ourselves.” A bonus feature would highlight, “how to bankrupt a public utility and encourage it to take their jobs, headquarters and business to Florida.”

My April 5^th, 2006 Tentacle column explained:

“Members of the Maryland General Assembly’s leadership deserve a lifetime achievement award for ducking their responsibilities, scapegoating and obfuscating the truth in their response to the rate caps coming off Baltimore Gas and Electric as a result of the 1999 electric deregulation legislation.

“The legislative proposals, the “Omnibus Rolling Blackout Acts of 2006,” that have arrived at the governor’s desk, do nothing to address the problem of consumers facing a huge increase in their electric bills after July 1.”

It would appear that every year, the Maryland General Assembly (MGA) needs to prove to any investor owned company that anything that can possible be regulated (read, most anything that moves) in the State of Maryland is not a good investment.

One wonders that unless the MGA wants to spread its span of control across state lines and start regulating electric generation costs across the country, at some point in time, where is Maryland going to get its electricity and at what cost.

As businesses, jobs and stockholder capital continues to flee Maryland, where is the money going to come from to provide jobs for Marylanders, increase tax base – and with respect to the current cost of electricity for consumers, the power plants necessary to bring the cost of electricity down.

Forget about analogies of this august body’s cluebat populism being an opera, the machinations over the ramifications of Maryland’s California-style electric deregulation have become the stuff of an epic poem written by Franz Kafka.

If the Maryland General Assembly has its way, the sad sorry saga of how it managed to cause a problem, for which it now portrays itself as heroically punishing the victim of its folly, will be recited for the rest of millennium around the glow of candlelight.

The problem has been unfolding for almost seven years. However, just a month or so ago, as the impending reality of the rate caps coming off finally descended on the MGA; the first response by the Maryland Democratic Party was to air commercials - for battery powered radios - all across our great state that it was all Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich’s fault.

Huh? In 1999, Governor Ehrlich was not a member of the MGA.

In anticipation of this rolling black out coming our way, the Maryland General Assembly’s response has been to hold inside-baseball hearings on mythological allegations involving Governor Ehrlich’s personnel practices – at a cost of $600,000.00 and counting.

Perhaps if one tenth of the efforts to play partisan politics had been spent on addressing the issues, instead of synthetically inventing problems and making up Maryland law as they went, we wouldn’t find ourselves lighting candles to fight off the impending darkness.

In January - while the MGA was playing let’s stick it to Governor Ehrlich and Wal-Mart -the Governor was already hard a work, in anticipation of the challenges foreseen with the rate caps coming off this coming July.

In February, the governor wrote the PSC asking for a plan to protect consumers from an abrupt rise in electric rates. The PSC developed a plan that quickly got lost in the high weeds of manipulative partisan gotcha politics.

In an article, “BGE: Cap on rates may force bankruptcy,” in the Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ) on February 17, it is reflected that the Governor “wrote a letter to the Maryland Public Service Commission asking the state regulatory agency to develop a plan to give BGE customers relief from sudden price increases expected next summer.”

The Governor was reported to have written, "Unfortunately, wholesale electric supply market prices are at historic highs just as BGE's rate freeze is about to expire.”

Meanwhile WBAL reports on March 24, that Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Kenneth Schisler “is dismissing claims by some lawmakers that they were blindsided by BGE's plans to raise rates precipitously when price caps come off in July. WBAL News has obtained records that show numerous conferences and meetings between PSC agents and lawmakers over the course of several months last year. At least 20 briefings or meetings are documented by the PSC.”

Instead of pursuing win-win solutions that will provide electric rate relief of consumers, all the while, maintaining the financial stability of the utility companies, most the of the hot air coming from the Maryland General Assembly has been political spin, in an attempt to re-write history.

In 1999, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, consumer activists and environmental advocates did not embrace Senate Bill 300, the “Electric Utility Industry Restructuring Act.”

Then-Gov. Paris N. Glendening was skeptical to the point that he threatened a veto. In the end, it passed by such a bi-partisan majority that it was veto proof.

Writing for The Tentacle on March 17, Delegate Richard Weldon (R., Frederick and Washington Cos.) identified the main protagonists of the legislation accurately and succinctly: “Speaker Michael Busch (D., Anne Arundel) was then the chairman of the Economic Matters Committee. The bill was co-sponsored by the two most powerful members of the Maryland Senate, President Mike Miller (D., PG) and Sen. Thomas Bromwell (D., Baltimore Co.). Senator Bromwell chaired the Finance Committee, the committee that deals with utility regulation in the Senate.”

To make matters worse, in 2000 the MGA required Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) to divest itself of its power plants and forced the utility to sell electricity on the national open market – where, incidentally, it could sell it for higher prices as the price of power plant fuels continued to skyrocket. Read Jay Hancock’s March 12 article in the Baltimore Sun: “Maryland, Michigan take diverging paths in deregulation.”

In an article, “BGE: Cap on rates may force bankruptcy,” in the Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ) on February 17, Wayne Harbaugh, Baltimore Gas and Electric’s (BGE) manager for pricing and regulatory services was quoted: “Our residential customers have been enjoying six years of price freeze service as electricity prices have been ramping up elsewhere in the country….”

In the same Baltimore Business Journal article, Kenneth W. DeFontes Jr., president of BGE, shed some light on the issues by saying “that much like a gas station owner shouldn't be blamed for higher fuel costs, high power prices are out of BGE's control.”

Isn’t it odd, that it has been inadequately reported that the PSC followed the 1999 deregulation law in overseeing the 72 percent rate increase by following regulations that “were (subsequently) approved by the Democratic-appointed members of the PSC and the Democratic-appointed People’s Counsel…,” according to Barry Rascovar writing in the Gazette on March 31.

Isn’t it odd, that in the March 18 front page story by the Baltimore Sun, detailing an in-depth review of PSC chairman Shisler’s emails, that the Sun was not able to “discover” that the chairman had been working on the impact of the rate caps coming off and keeping lawmakers informed.

For context, one wonders why the political writers of the Sun has never looked in depth to the money trail, emails and correspondence between liberal lawmakers and Giant Food or the unions that essentially wrote the Wal-Mart legislation.

At this time, after sine die next Monday, April 10, the leadership of the Maryland Democratic Party will all stop by the local hardware store and buy an electric generator.

Once they are home, they will develop even more misinformation by the glow of candlelight and the political writers for the Baltimore Sun to repeat as fact.

The political writers at the largest newspaper in Maryland are doing what they can to be the Web site for this sordid political blame game. This is a gross disservice to citizens they serve, who ultimately will have to pay for partisan politics trumping substantive leadership.

Apparently, it is just a rumor that the Maryland Democratic Party will soon be rolling out a new line of candles for this summer’s campaigning.

Forget the candles, it has been reported that rolled-up old newspapers burn brightly and provide a good source of populist artificial heat. It’ll get ya through the night, but in the morning it will back to cold reality.

In the end, all hopes that the MGA will provide a win-win solution the impending rise to the cost of electricity have resulted in a blown fuse. The governor must veto the current legislation on the table that will ultimately bankrupt the electric utilities and provide no relief to electric ratepayers.

Writing in The Gazette on March 31, Blair Lee nailed it: “But instead of working together, the incumbents are playing a risky game of political ‘‘chicken” with one eye on the clock and the other on the precipice.”

Playing chicken with an increased cost of electricity is not viable for either party in the context of the higher gas prices, mortgage costs, heating oil and property taxes - and growing voter intolerance to all the inside baseball childish bickering.

As the lights go dark on the Merryland General Assembly, the lighters held high in the air are not in honor of Bob Dylan, but rather by members of the leadership of the Maryland General Assembly trying to find their way out of a dark building.

Once again, we’re depending on Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich to come through for the citizens of Maryland.

Electric Deregulation

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org

####

20060228 Information you can use on annexation legislation

“Information you can use on annexation legislation”

February 28, 2006 By Kevin Dayhoff (1050 words)

To judge from the feedback on “Annex This” which appeared in The Tentacle on February 22, 2006, there is no doubt that issues concerning growth, development and annexation are a hot topic.

[February 22, 2006 – “Annex This” – “Once again the Maryland General Assembly is being asked to step between municipalities and county governments over an issue that threatens the peace and tranquility that should exist between them. This time another crisis is building over growth and development.”]

Many who responded had a fair point - we know how you feel, we want to make up our own minds on this issue – give us the talking points from both points of view, without any spin or commentary.

Okay.

First, to refresh your memory, Senate Bill 536 and its counterpart in the House of Delegates, House Bill 1239 are titled the “Annexation Planning and Procedures Act of 2006.”

The Fiscal and Policy Notes explain: “This bill provides for the implementation of a joint planning agreement (JPA) between a county and a municipal corporation, and sets forth provisions under which land may be annexed and developed by a municipal corporation. The bill takes effect June 1, 2006.”

As this column is being written, a hearing on SB536 is scheduled on March 1, 2006, in the Senate’s Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee.

The House Environmental Matters Committee has scheduled a hearing on HB1239 for March 2, 2006.

One very good place to begin a thorough analysis of this legislation is to review the “Fiscal and Policy Note,” which is dated February 28, 2006. It can be found on the web at: http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/fnotes/bil_0006/sb0536.pdf. It is six pages long, so this column will not rehash what you can easily read for yourself.

The Feb. 6, 2006 Maryland Municipal League (MML) bulletin reports that in a meeting between the MML leadership and House Speaker Michael Busch, D., Anne Arundel County:

“Speaker Busch also indicated that he is monitoring the land use/growth issue and reassured MML that the Chairman of the Environmental Matters Committee Delegate Maggie McIntosh will not pass any legislation relating to growth or annexation that is not fair and balanced or more detrimental to one organization or another.”

The same MML bulletin reports on a meeting between Governor Ehrlich's new Director of Legislative Policy Alan Friedman and the MML Legislative Committee on Wednesday, February 1:

“When asked about the land use and growth issue, Mr. Friedman stated that, "The administration is sorry that MACo is going after MML." According to Mr. Friedman, it is obvious that growth is an issue and Maryland Department of Planning and Maryland Department of Environment have recognized growth issues. Mr. Friedman also said that the administration recognizes that planning is primarily a local issue and they are hopeful that the organizations can work it out.”

MML Legislative Chairman and Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo: “noted that it is unfair for the counties to attempt to shift the blame for crowded roads and schools to the municipalities and MACo's efforts to derail annexation are merely a smokescreen to hide the fact that counties are also responsible for controlling growth.”

As many requested, the arguments for both points of view (the MML and Maryland Association of Counties) are presented below – in their own words.

The Maryland Association of Counties’ website supports the legislation by stating:

“Annexation is increasingly becoming a mechanism to circumvent county land use policies and laws.

The problem has become more pronounced recently as developers more frequently partner with municipalities to annex large tracts for intense development. This practice arises from the existing annexation law denying county perspectives meaningful weight in annexation decisions.

To create a fair balance the existing annexation law must be refined to provide reasonable deference to adopted county land use policies and affected citizen concerns.

Annexations should be subject to all statutory Smart Growth standards now applicable to counties and development on annexed property should be consistent with county adequate public facility laws and zoning.

And, existing referendum rights should be extended to citizens living outside the annexing municipality, but proximate to the boundary of the property to be annexed, with a county having the ability to initiative a referendum not just in the property to be annexed, but also in the municipality.”

From the MML point of view, again, in their own words, in the beginning of February 2006, the MML explained its position on planning for growth:

“To better control growth and encourage mutual land use communication and cooperation between municipalities and counties, MML supports the establishment of joint municipal-county planning agreements and the development of growth boundaries around both incorporated and unincorporated population centers. This ensures that all parties are in agreement pursuant to future population allocation between incorporated and unincorporated areas.”

The MML continued by saying:

“According to MACo, growth boundaries should be established ONLY around incorporated cities and towns. Why shouldn’t counties also be required to establish growth boundaries around unincorporated areas such as Towson, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Waldorf, Kent Island, Columbia, Crofton, Germantown, Beltsville, Catonsville, Ocean Pines, Glen Burnie, Edgewater. MACo’s bill would do nothing to address out of control growth around these and other unincorporated population centers in the State.”

“Counties are not required by law to establish growth boundaries in county comprehensive master plans. Shouldn’t growth around unincorporated population centers also be accountable, responsible and subject to public input and scrutiny? If it makes sense for municipalities to establish growth boundaries, why shouldn’t counties also be required to do the same?”

“It is important that a distinction be made between annexation and growth. The issue is not annexation - the issue is growth. Restricting annexation will not restrict growth. Growth will simply occur in rural areas of the State on well and septic systems instead of around existing population centers on wastewater treatment plants.”

Finally, the MML offers this information:

“In 1990, excluding Baltimore City, 2.7% of Maryland's total land mass was located inside municipal borders. As of the year 2004, that percentage has increased to 3.3% in total land mass located within municipal boundaries. This represents an increase in total municipal landmass of just over 0.5% in the past fourteen years.”

There you have it. Both sides, in their own words.

This legislation, will at some time in the future, affect almost each and every Tentacle reader. If you have profound feelings about this legislation, now is the best time to weigh in.

Contact information on the Senate Education Health and Environmental Matters Committee is found at: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/com/02eco.html.

Contact information on the House Environmental Matters Committee can be found at: http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/04env.html.

Maryland General Assembly Opera, Maryland Municipal League, Maryland Association of Counties

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff(at)carr.org

####

20030314 Maryland’s New Gov Off To Bumpy Start by Penny Riordan “Stateline.org”

20030314 Maryland’s New Gov Off To Bumpy Start by Penny Riordan “Stateline.org”

Maryland’s New Gov Off To Bumpy Start

“

By Penny Riordan, Staff Assistant Friday, March 14, 2003

Maryland's first Republican governor in 36 years is getting a political baptism of fire as he seeks to implement his conservative agenda in the liberal-leaning Free State.

So far in the current legislative session, Gov. Robert Ehrlich's signature proposal to legalize slot machines is stalled in the General Assembly and his choice to head the Environment Department was rejected by the state Senate. Democrats control the legislature.

"He's really learning on the job," Baltimore Sun Statehouse bureau chief David Nitkin said of the governor's first few weeks in office.

Ehrlich is the first Republican elected governor since Spiro Agnew in 1966 and this is the first time since the Agnew administration that Maryland has different parties in power in the executive and legislative branches. Although legislators from both parties said after last year's election they had high hopes for the new governor, many have now given up hope for a productive legislative session. Ehrlich, a former state legislator and U.S. representative, defeated Democratic Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in the race for the state's top office.

The centerpiece of Ehrlich's agenda is to help plug the state's $1.8 billion budget deficit by gleaning revenue from 10,500 slots that would be at placed at four Maryland racetracks. Currently the governor is still ironing out the details and has not submitted a bill to the General Assembly.

Ehrlich's proposal has alienated some of his old friends in the legislature. On Feb. 26, when newly elected House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) questioned why Ehrlich would put slot machines at racetracks in low-income and heavily black neighborhoods, Ehrlich accused Busch of racism.

"Just about everybody was shocked," said House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery). "(It eroded) a tone of civility that has existed in Maryland forever."

In addition to problems with his slot proposal, Ehrlich's nominee for secretary of the Department of the Environment was rejected by the state Senate on March 11. It was the first time in Maryland history that a governor's nominee has been turned down.

Lawmakers and legislative observers are asking if these political missteps can be attributed to growing pains or if this foreshadows four long years of partisan squabbling.

Tom Stuckey, a long-time Annapolis correspondent for the Associated Press, said any governor faced with a budget deficit and trying to legalize gambling would hit roadblocks with a Democratic legislature.

"They've certainly made some missteps but they are trying to learn," said Stuckey, who has been covering the General Assembly for 40 years. "Any one of these [issues] would make for a difficult beginning."

Stuckey also said that legislature has undergone some significant changes, with an unusually large number of freshman legislators and a brand new host of leaders in the House and Senate. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. is the only party leader returning from last year.

In the past, other governors have also gotten off to a rocky start. As soon as Ehrlich's predecessor, Gov. Parris Glendening took office, he was embroiled in a scandal over a pension deal he had arranged from his previous job as Prince George's County Executive. Gov. William Donald Shaefer, Ehrlich's predecessor twice removed, also had a difficult time forging relationship with legislators. Both were Democrats.

Despite Ehrlich's missteps, reporters and legislators say he is a friendly and approachable governor, which should work to his advantage in the long run.

They also say other elements of his agenda are being overshadowed by current problems. Ehrlich's other priorities include charter schools, faith-based programs and Project Exile, a crime-reduction initiative modeled after a Virginia program.

”

Riordan - Penny Riordan, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., Maryland General Assembly Opera, Slots, Maryland State Budget,