So, we will also need to talk of Steny Hoyer of Maryland as the next possible Speaker of the House. Although in line for the job, he must be voted into the position by fellow House members. Progessives would want to get the word out to all states that this is a Third Way Corporate Democrat. If you look at his history you will see he came from serving as New York's representative, to moving to the Washington suburbs. If he is made leader of the House and Schumer, who is similarly position in the Senate gets that leadership position.....the Congress will be ruled both inside and out by New York and Wall Street. You may say what's the difference....these people decide who chairs what committees and what legislation is brought forward quite often. THESE LEADERSHIP POSITIONS ARE VOTED ON BY MEMBERS.....PROGRESSIVES NEED TO ELECT POLITICIANS WHO WILL VOTE AGAINST HOYER AND SCHUMER!
Looking at statewide elections, the governor's office will be critical, as O'Malley is the driver of all this policy and corruption we don't want....as will the next governor. Needless to say, all the proposed candidates are corporate and committed to Wall Street. Progressives must vote for someone other than these: Brown, Gansler, Franchot, and Howard County's Unger.....we will be working to see there is progressive candidate.
My question for Baltimore's captured media:
Will the Baltimore Sun ever question why Attorney General Gansler continues to allow corporations to 'donate' funds that are meant to be penalties? He did the same for banks with fraud. When corporations are allowed to 'donate' they are getting positive PR for negligence as well as a tax write-off for charitable contribution.
We still need an Attorney General who will go back to the first mortgage fraud settlement of $25 billion to seek the $600 billion that financial analysts said should have been the settlement......or at least those billions coming to Maryland.
Gas company to give $500,000 in fracking spill deal Gansler negotiates funds for Susquehanna River Basin Commission
By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun 4:53 p.m. EDT, June 14, 2012
A natural gas company has agreed to give $500,000 to monitor water quality in the Susquehanna River basin after a Pennsylvania well blowout last year spilled "fracking" fluids into a tributary of the river, Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced Thursday.
Gansler had formally threatened to sue Chesapeake Energy Corp. for allegedly endangering the health of Marylanders by the April 2011 spill in Bradford County, Pa. The river supplies drinking water to 6.2 million people and is home to sensitive Chesapeake Bay fish populations of American shad and striped bass, Gansler noted.
The company agreed after negotiations with the Maryland attorney general's office to donate the funds to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, which oversees the bay's largest tributary.
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As a graduate of Harvard University, Brown is working hard for Wall Street in moving public assets into private. He and Maggie McIntosh are in the Wall Street farm team and both are on board with all that is corporate. He is Prince George's County and much of his accomplishments are in Montgomery County......These are his website accomplishments and as you can see from reading my website, things aren't as rosy as these politicians make us believe. What he has here is a resume for future office that doesn't really exist.......just like O'Malley.
We are hearing nothing but complaints from unions, contractors, and citizens about these partnerships. Whether schools, buses, or transportation projects, all involve bad labor practices, convoluted contracting, and little public imput.
Public private partnerships: charter schools, public transportation with French business Veola,
Accomplishments
- Made record investments in our community colleges, increasing funding by 31% since 2007
- Funded $3.7M in BRAC higher education grants, which successfully trained more than 2,100 Marylanders for BRAC jobs in just the first two years of the program
- Apprenticeship graduations up 28%, the highest level of participation in 20 years
Lt. Governor Brown, Joint Committee on Oversight of Public-Private Partnerships Submit Recommendations to Governor and General Assembly ANNAPOLIS, Md. (January 10, 2012) – Today, the Joint Legislative and Executive Commission on Oversight of Public-Private Partnerships, chaired by Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, submitted to Governor Martin O’Malley and the General Assembly a series of recommendations for streamlining and enhancing the framework for establishing public-private infrastructure projects in Maryland.
Initial estimates by Maryland departments overseeing capital projects have found that additional utilization of public-private partnerships could contribute between six percent and ten percent, or $205 million and $315 million respectively, of Maryland’s $3.1 billion annual capital budget while creating as many as 4,000 jobs. This includes an estimated $160 million to $240 million annually that could be invested in Maryland transportation projects through public-private partnerships.
“Creating jobs and putting Marylanders back to work is our highest priority, and investing in infrastructure projects is one of the most effective ways to spur job creation and encourage economic growth,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “Through well structured public-private partnerships we can increase investment in our infrastructure, ensure accountability, and create more jobs. I commend the members of the Commission for their hard work in bringing stakeholders together to develop these comprehensive recommendations. I look forward to working with the Governor and General Assembly to encourage public-private partnerships that will strengthen Maryland’s infrastructure while retaining the State’s control of critical assets.”
The fifteen member Commission was established in 2010 under HB 1370/SB 979 to evaluate and improve the State’s framework for and oversight of public-private partnerships. Under Lt. Governor Brown’s leadership, the Commission held six public meetings, as well as a Maryland Forward policy forum attended by over 200 representatives from the labor, business, transportation, construction, and other infrastructure-related communities, in order to fulfill its responsibilities and increase the potential for private investment in public infrastructure projects.
As prescribed by law, other members of the Commission include Senator James E. DeGrange (D), District 32; Senator Richard F. Colburn (R), District 37; Delegate Tawanna P. Gaines (D), District 22; Delegate Stephen W. Lafferty (D), District 42; Nancy K. Kopp, State Treasurer; Alvin C. Collins, Secretary of General Services, Beverley K. Swaim-Staley, Secretary of Transportation; William E. Kirwan, Ph.D., Chancellor, University System of Maryland; Carolane Williams, Ph.D., President, Baltimore City Community College; David Wilson, Ed.D., President, Morgan State University; Joseph R. Urgo, Ph.D., President, St. Mary's College of Maryland; Robert C. Brennan, Executive Director, MEDCO; Michael J. Frenz, Executive Director, Maryland Stadium Authority; and Robert Brams, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP.
“Our experience with the Seagirt Marine Terminal project has demonstrated that public private partnerships can succeed in our state,” said Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley. “These recommendations will help us build the foundation needed to broaden our scope and better utilize public private partnerships as another tool to address our infrastructure needs in the future.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with Lt. Governor Brown and all the members of the Commission throughout these past months, and I believe the recommendations we have put forward will greatly improve the process for developing public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects in Maryland,” said Senator James E. DeGrange. “I look forward to working with the Administration and my General Assembly colleagues to put these recommendations into action.”
The recommendations made by the Commission addressed numerous issues, including the definition of a public-private partnership, the role of State financing, the use of proceeds and revenue sharing, workforce considerations, the process for legislative oversight of future public-private partnerships, and the process for identifying and evaluating potential public-private partnerships. The Lt. Governor will lead legislative efforts during the 2012 Legislative Session to address the Commission’s recommendations. The full report from the Commission can be accessed at http://mlis.state.md.us/other/Public-PrivatePartnerships/index.htm.
Lt. Governor Brown leads the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s economic development portfolio. In his role as Chair of the Joint Legislative and Executive Commission on Oversight of Public-Private Partnerships, the Lt. Governor has held numerous hearings, as well as a policy forum for over 200 attendees, in recent weeks to evaluate the State’s framework for public-private partnerships in order to increase the potential for private investment in public infrastructure projects. Additionally, Lt. Governor Brown chairs Maryland’s FastTrack initiative – part of Maryland Made Easy (www.easy.maryland.gov) – to streamline the state permitting process for businesses and developers and serves as Chair of the Governor’s Subcabinet on Base Realignment and Closure.
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FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOWED MY BLOG YOU REMEMBER MY ATTENDING A PRESS CONFERENCE BY FRANCHOT ON THE GAS TAX. HE HAD A PANEL OF BUSINESSMEN, ALL GAS INDUSTRY STATING THEY WERE AGAINST THE TAX....ULTIMATELY ENDING WITH 'THIS TAX WILL HURT THE MIDDLE-CLASS'. I WANTED TO GIVE A PROGRESSIVE VIEW THAT HAS THESE SAME GAS INDUSTRY BUSINESSES PAYING A HIGHER RATE WITH THE CONSUMERS PAYING A SMALL RATE. I WAS TOLD BY FRANCHOT'S CHIEF-OF -STAFF THAT FRANCHOT WORKED FOR THE GAS INDUSTRY....THAT'S WHY THEY ARE AT THE TABLE SPEAKING FOR WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE MIDDLE-CLASS! WHEN I TRIED TO GET MY VIEWS ON LOCAL TV, I WAS TOLD I WAS 'NOBODY' AND THEY CONTINUED INTERVIEWING THE POLITICIANS AND GAS PEOPLE. THAT IS WHAT YOU WILL GET WITH FRANCHOT......BLUE DOG CONSERVATIVE IS AS BAD AS A THIRD WAY IN PROTECTING CORPORATE INTERESTS!
KEN ULMAN IS OF COURSE COLUMBIA, THE NEXT WEALTHIEST ENCLAVE IN MARYLAND AFTER MONTGOMERY SO DON'T GO LOOKING HERE FOR PROGRESSIVE PEOPLE OVER PROFITS POLITICIANS.
VOTE THESE INCUMBENTS OUT!!!!
Gansler leads in money race But potential Democratic rivals for governor stay close in 2011 campaign contributions By Michael Dresser and Annie Linskey, The Baltimore Sun 11:34 p.m. EST, January 18, 2012
State Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has taken a strong lead among prospective Democratic candidates for governor in 2014 in terms of money in the bank, but his lead narrows when his fundraising last year is compared with that of three possible rivals.
In a report filed Tuesday, the deadline for filing state campaign finance reports for activity during 2011, Gansler reports having almost $4.1 million on hand.
That puts him far ahead of three others who are widely expected to run in the Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is prevented by term limits from running again.
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman put on a strong showing for a potential candidate who does not hold statewide office, reporting $1.3 million on hand. He was trailed by Comptroller Peter Franchot, who has just over $1 million, and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who reported a cash balance of about $810,000.
Gansler, however, came into the 2014 election cycle nearly $3 million — the result of strong fundraising during his first term as attorney general and no opposition in his 2010 re-election campaign.
When the four candidates are compared on the basis of who raised how much during 2011 — the period covered by the reports — the results are much closer.
Gansler still leads, having raised more than $1.2 million. But Ulman also collected more than $1 million. Brown raised just over $900,000 during the cycle, while Franchot took in just over $625,000.
None of the four has declared his candidacy, but each has acknowledged an interest in running.
Whoever receives the Democratic nomination is expected to face Republican opposition but will enter the race as a strong favorite because of the Democrats' traditional domination of state politics. Only one Republican, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., has been elected governor in the past 40 years, and he was defeated in his 2010 bid for re-election.
Among the Republicans considered potential contenders are Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold and Harford County Executive David R. Craig.
Gansler said he's pleased to see numbers that will help him keep his options open for 2014.
"People seem generally pleased with what we do in our office, and I think the campaign numbers reflect that," he said.
Ulman said he's encouraged by his campaign's performance.
"To know that people are investing in me and investing in my vision three years out from the next election when I'm term-limited [as county executive] is just very, very heartening," he said.
Colleen Martin-Lauer, the chief fundraiser for Brown, said the donations show strong support for the lieutenant governor.
"We think we have a good report," she said. "We're very happy with it."
Franchot's campaign committee released a statement saying that the $1 million-plus balance showed his support among taxpayers.
"Comptroller Franchot and his campaign team are very pleased that we have achieved our fundraising goal for the past year," the news release stated.
Leopold has about $426,000 in the bank — a carry-over from the last election cycle — but has raised less than $5,000 in the past year. He said he's keeping his options open, including the possibility of running for governor, and is confident "the resources would be there" if he decides to do so. But the term-limited executive sounded a note of caution.