Gubernatorial hopeful Heather Mizeur is set to announce Delman Coates as her running mate. Gansler calls for a ban on outside spending in governor’s race. Plus: proposed city school closures, plans to upgrade the Inner Harbor, the Hilton Baltimore, Harbor Point, “The Magic Pill,” and more.
Mizeur To Name Coates As Running Mate: Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur is set to announce her choice for Lieutenant Governor today, as she continues to campaign for the Democratic nomination for the state’s top job. The Washington Post reports that Mizeur has picked Delman Coates. He’s the senior pastor of Mount Ennon Baptist Church in Prince George’s County, and came to state-wide prominence last year when he urged Marylanders to approve a ballot question legalizing same-sex marriage. Mizeur will make her pick official at an event tonight in Silver Spring. The Baltimore Sun notesthis will mark the second alliance of a Montgomery County politician and a Prince George’s county resident in the governor’s race. State attorney General Doug Gansler, who like Mizeur is from Montgomery County, has chosen Prince George’s County Delegate Jolene Ivey as his running mate. Also in the race for the Democratic nomination is Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, who comes from Prince George’s; he’s named Howard County Executive Ken Ulman as his running mate. On the Republican side of the race, Harford County Executive David Craig has named Eastern Shore Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio as his candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Two other GOP candidates – Anne Arundel County Delegate Ron George and Charles County businessman Charles Lollar – haven’t picked running mates yet. Also filed as Republican candidates are Brian Vaeth with his running mate Duane Davis. More here from the Gazette.
Gansler Proposes Ban On Outside Spending In Governor’s Race: state Attorney General Doug Gansler is calling for a ban on outside spending in the campaign for governor in 2014; he’s asking fellow candidates to pledge not to accept third party spending, saying in other states such a pledge has cut down on the number of attack ads. The Washington Post reports that Gansler's pledge would prohibit "third-party non-candidate entities or organizations" from spending on media buys or direct mail that names a specific candidate for governor. The pledge, as Gansler has proposed it, would only take effect if the two other Democrats in the race signed off… and they both seem cool to the idea, at least initially. A spokesman for Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown tells the Baltimore Sun he can run a clean campaign without any such agreement. And a spokesman for Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur wondered why Gansler went to the press with his proposal, rather than talking with the other candidates first.
Plans To Upgrade The Inner Harbor: Baltimore city officials are set to unveil their long term plan for the Inner Harbor today. Billed as “Inner Harbor 2.0,” the plan’s expected to include a proposal to build a pedestrian bridge connecting Harbor East with Federal Hill, and to convert rash Field into a park. Other aspects of the plan are expected to include an urban beach with floating swimming pool, a kayak launch, and a bike share program. The Inner Harbor has become a big tourist draw over the last 40 years –the Baltimore Sun says it attracted some 14 million visitors last year, and generated an estimated $2.3 billion in economic activity. The new plan is designed to ensure that draw continues in the decades to come.
Baltimore’s High Hopes For Hilton: WYPR's Fraser Smith and Sarah Meehan of the Baltimore Business Journal talk about the city's decision to keep the Hilton Baltimore and why leaders are cautiously optimistic about its prospects. It’s this morning’s edition of Inside Maryland Politics.
Baltimore City School Officials Propose School Closures: 7 schools in Baltimore could soon be closing their doors – for good. At last night’s school board meeting, city officials recommended that four charter schools and three other schools be shuttered at the end of this academic year. WYPR Education Reporter Gwendolyn Glenn has more… and there’s more here from the Baltimore Sun.
I've Got This Insurance Card, Now How Do I Get The Care? Recent federal reforms call for greater access to mental health services. In this installment of our weeklong series “The Magic Pill: Will The Affordable Care Act Fix Mental Healthcare?” WYPR’s Mary Rose Madden looks at just how far that access will take patients.
Airing the Details Of Harbor Point Safeguards: Environmental regulators and the developers of Harbor Point say they’ll tell the public tomorrow night how they intend to keep people from being exposed to toxic chromium buried beneath the site during construction. The meeting comes nearly two weeks after regulators rejected one development plan over concerns about air monitoring plans. WYPR’s Kenneth Burns reports on the next steps.
Arentz Becomes District 26 Delegate: The upper Eastern Shore has new representation in the House of Delegates. Yesterday, Governor Martin O’Malley appointed Republican Steven Arentz to represent the 36th District. Arentz currently serves as the president of the Queen Anne’s County Board of Commissioners. It’s the last step in a shuffle that began when former State Senate Minority Leader E. J. Pipkin resigned over the summer; his Senate seat was filled by Stephen Hershey, who had previously represented the 36th District as Delegate.More here from the Baltimore Sun.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Not Considered As Partner For 2014 10k: The organizers of next year’s 10k charity race on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge say they will not consider the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as a partner. The Baltimore Sun reports that the environmental advocacy group has been taken off the list because of its work opposing a proposed waterfront housing development on Kent Island – and that race organizer “Chesapeake Bay Run LLC” wants to keep the race “apolitical.” The Kent Island development has been debated for more than 10 years; last week, the state Board of Public Works put another hold on the project, as it examines a “business relationship” between the board’s former wetlands administrator and a lawyer for the developer.
Baltimore Police Focus On BGF: Baltimore Police are continuing to take the fight to the Black Guerilla Family gang. Police used battering rams to smash into suspected drug dens in East Baltimore, saying their goal is to dismantle the prison based gang. Police say 150 tactical and special enforcement police were assisted by Baltimore County's SWAT team during yesterday's raids. The Black Guerrilla Family has grown significantly in Baltimore over the past several years, despite efforts by police to slow the growth in and out of jail. The Baltimore Sun has more.
