Strange Bedfellows

Comptroller Peter Franchot came to Towson last week, preaching the gospel of penny-pinching in a place even he seemed to think was a bit odd — a Democratic club meeting.

Franchot spoke to about 50 attendees of the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club last Tuesday and compared the economy to a blizzard.

“The snow has stopped falling, but there’s 10 feet outside and it’s going to take a while to dig out,” Franchot said, adding that the possibility of new taxes to support state spending is slim to none until the economy rebounds.

“As Democrats, we have to reform state spending,” Franchot said. “A lot of Democrats look at me like, ‘What’s that?’ Like they took an oath to defend every last dime of spending in public programs.” (more…)

It seems former Mayor/Governor/Comptroller William Donald Schaefer may not be entirely over his 2006 election loss to Peter Franchot … at least according to Franchot.

The 2006 election is nearly three years removed, but some wounds don’t heal easily.

Schaefer has been known to carry a grudge or two. Reporters and columnists used to get letters from him when they wrote stories he didn’t like, and citizens sometimes got visits from Schaefer after writing letters of criticism. (more…)

Republican State Sen. Andy Harris has been leading the charge against the screening of a triple-X rated movie on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park but he’s not the only county elected official who is concerned.

County Executive Jim Smith issued a brief statement April 2 via Twitter condemning the screening of Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge. (more…)

County Executive Jim Smith held a fundraiser at Martin’s West on March 25 and left some in the audience wondering if his remarks telegraphed his intention to run for state comptroller. (more…)

Jim Smith continues to rake in the bucks as the final half of his last term as county executive ticks down.

Smith raised nearly $634,000 last year and has nearly $1 million in cash on hand, according to his 2009 annual campaign finance report filed last month with the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Still, there is no word on why he needs so much cash. Neither Smith, nor his people, are being specific about what lies ahead. (more…)

County Executive Jim Smith will make a rare appearance before the County Council later today.

Smith will be wearing his other hat, as president of the Maryland Association of Counties, when he appears with David Bliden, who is retiring executive director of the association.

The pair will speak for 10-15 minutes about the successes of MACo in advocating for the interests of local jurisdictions including Baltimore County, according to a source familiar with Smith’s appearance. (more…)

State Senate is no longer an option on the table for Republican Del. Pat McDonough. Instead, he is throwing his support to a colleague from his district whom he once called “a backstabber.”

In an interview today, McDonough announced that he is no longer seeking to replace state Sen. Andy Harris should Harris win his 1st District congressional race against Frank Kratovil in November.

Both McDonough and Harris represent the 7th District that includes Cockeysville, part of Perry Hall and Middle River.

McDonough cited several reasons for the decision, including:

• “My county executive exploratory committee is growing by leaps and bounds and is getting very exciting and very time consuming.”

• “I’ve never had an overwhelming desire to be in the state Senate. I’m on a committee in the House where I am starting to do some effective work. When you go to the state Senate you don’t know where you’re going to be, and it’s like starting over.”

• Growing interest in his petition drive to make English the official language of Baltimore County government.

“I can’t focus on too many things at one time,” McDonough said. “The state Senate project was simply not a top priority.”

Instead, McDonough said he will support Del. J.B. Jennings rather than former Republican delegate and Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer and Sergio Vitale, a Little Italy restaurateur and political newcomer.

“It’s common sense and natural that if there’s an opening in the district it goes to a delegate not an outsider, not a johnny-come-lately,” said McDonough, explaining that Redmer is the former and Vitale the later.

“Redmer just moved into the district doesn’t know the issues or the district. It’s an opportunistic move on his part,” McDonough said. “And Sergio, it’s like joining the Catholic faith and wanting to start out as the pope. Maybe you might want to consider running for an office first.”

McDonough said Jennings was the right person for the job despite having called his colleague a “backstabber” nearly three years ago when Jennings supported Democrat Del. Joseph “Sonny” Minnick as chairman of the county delegation.

At the time, Jennings said that Minnick personally asked for his vote prior to the delegation vote and before Republicans in the delegation informed him that they were attempting to oust Minnick in favor of Republican Del. Wade Kach.

McDonough downplayed the conflict.

“That one incident is very miniscule compared to six years of working on issues,” he said “We’ve worked very well together. If I didn’t think we did, then I wouldn’t support the guy.”

Maybe he really likes Comptroller Peter Franchot and Sen. Jim Brochin. Maybe he doesn’t.

Gov. Martin O’Malley isn’t saying and sure isn’t copping to encouraging others to run against his fellow Democrats in the 2010 primary.

“The election is light years away, and I really don’t spend a whole lot of time musing about what will happen two years from now,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley took questions on both Franchot and Brochin during a meeting with Patuxent Publishing Co.’s Baltimore County editors Wednesday afternoon. And in answering the questions, he never mentioned either Franchot or Brochin by name.

It’s long been rumored that County Executive Jim Smith has been raising money like they were going to suddenly stop printing it with an eye toward running for state office.

It’s no secret that O’Malley and Franchot don’t exactly see eye to eye, and some other Dems say the governor would favor Smith. Earlier this year,  Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who also is not on Franchot’s Christmas card list, told me he was introducing Smith around at a Prince George’s County fundraiser as the “next comptroller.”

“I’ve enjoyed working with County Executive Jim Smith,” O’Malley said, calling him “one of the most capable public servants.”

“I’m sure he’ll have lots of options,” O’Malley concluded.

As for Brochin, word is that some don’t believe the two-term senator is a reliable vote for the governor. Enter the rumor that Martin Knott, a Towson resident and president of Knott Mechanical, is being encouraged to challenge Brochin in the Democratic primary two years from now.

So, is O’Malley pushing Knott to run against Brochin?

“He’s his own man,” O’Malley said. “He’s a good person and helps us on workforce issues. No one controls anyone.”

So, is Knott Senate material? The question drew some snickers from O’Malley’s staff.

“He’s certainly knowledgeable on public policy issues and is personable and a person who is well liked,” O’Malley said.

Comptroller Peter Franchot is vowing increased pressure on merchants who have video poker machines in their establishments, especially if those shops are in Baltimore city and county.

“The city and the county have turned a blind eye,” Franchot said. “With a wink and a nod they have allowed these devices to continue to be used.”

In Baltimore County, merchants can buy a license for a video poker machine for $180 and have a maximum of four devices. Franchot said a two-decades old Court of Appeals ruling makes such devices automatically illegal and that jurisdictions should not be issuing licenses.

The Democratic first-term comptroller said the mere possession of the machines will be enough to draw some unwanted attention of his office.

“If one of my enforcement officers walks in and gets the sniffles, it won’t take much for the shop owner to catch the flu,” Franchot said.

About 7,200 letters were sent out warning shop owners of the coming enforcement wave and that “Liquor licenses may be in jeopardy simply because of the possession of these machines,” Franchot said. Enforcement officers who find the machines will report those locations to both the local liquor board and to the police and local prosecutors.

About two weeks ago Franchot, an outspoken anti-slots advocate, announced his intention to target video poker machines in businesses across the state, especially those that sell alcohol. He estimates that there are as many as 7,200 such locations. The city and the county have more machines than any jurisdiction despite a 1985 Court of Appeals ruling that stated the machines are de facto illegal gambling devices.

That ruling does not require that authorities see any money change hands in the form of payouts, Franchot said, adding the machines are still illegal even if they have “for amusement purposes only” signs attached to them.

The new enforcement actions are already under way, he said.