Editor’s note: The following commentary appeared on thedailyrecord.com on May 17, 2019. For decades, the Maryland Department of Transportation has ignored the transit needs of the Baltimore region while massive investment has occurred in the Washington suburbs. For example, the state of Maryland has committed to the Purple Line, a $2.4 billion light-rail line under construction between New Carrollton and Bethesda. Meanwhile, the Baltimore region received a $135 million overhaul … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following commentary appeared on thedailyrecord.com on April 18, 2019. Legislation that would have established statewide standards in Maryland to streamline the permitting and installation of new high-tech equipment so Internet and wireless cell phone providers can offer a faster, more reliable service known as 5G has once again been rejected and the interested parties encouraged to develop a consensus. Regrettably, the Maryland Association of Counties, Maryland Municipal … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following article appeared on thedailyrecord.com on March 22, 2019. Governor Larry Hogan took state legislators to the woodshed earlier this week, partly to call them out for not passing crime and public safety legislation that he has backed during the 2019 Maryland General Assembly session. The governor was particularly ruffled that legislation that would have toughened penalties for repeat violent offenders has not advanced and a proposal … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following commentary appeared on thedailyrecord.com on February 21, 2019. It is the midway point for the annual 90-day session of the Maryland General Assembly, and with that milestone a number of pressing business and employment related issues have emerged as topics of spirited discussion among state legislators. Here is a look at the status of pending legislative proposals as we head into the home stretch of this … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following commentary aired on wbal.com on February 6, 2019. Listen to the commentary. Governor Larry Hogan has called on the Maryland General Assembly to enact two new legislative proposals to address violent crime. Both proposals have merit and should be strongly supported by state legislators and private-sector leaders. The first is the Judicial Transparency Act of 2019. It would require that an annual report be published each year detailing the … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following commentary aired on wbal.com on January 11, 2019. Listen to the commentary. Baltimore received some good news on the crime front this week. First, Mayor Catherine Pugh tapped Michael Harrison, the current police chief for New Orleans, to be the city’s next police commissioner. Right now, all signs point to Chief Harrison as a good fit for Baltimore’s top cop position. Fortunately, on a recent trip to New Orleans … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following commentary appeared on thedailyrecord.com on December 20, 2018. In three weeks, the 2019 session of the Maryland General Assembly will convene and with that will come many newly elected faces — 43 new members of the House of Delegates and 17 new state senators. The incoming crop of new legislators will comprise one of the largest freshman classes in years. Like all newly elected legislators these new … Continue reading →

Editor’s note: The following commentary appeared on thedailyrecord.com on November 15, 2018. A federal judge once colorfully observed that the shape of one of Maryland’s congressional districts is “reminiscent of a broken-winged pterodactyl, lying prostrate across the center of the state.” The judge was referring to Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District that includes snippets of three counties – Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard — and a swath of Baltimore city. Maryland’s Republican … Continue reading →