CIVIL CLAIM IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND



 1.  Parties to this complaint

Cindy Walsh vs WBAL TV

 

Cindy Walsh

2522 N Calvert Street                                   Civil Action #  __________________
Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Plaintiff

 

                   VS.



WBAL TV

Dan Joerres- President and General Manager
3800 Hooper Ave
Baltimore, Maryland 21211


Defendant

 

2.  Jurisdiction

Cindy Walsh for Governor of Maryland is filing in United States District Court for Maryland in Baltimore because plaintiff is a resident of Baltimore and the election irregularities identified in the Federal Court case include businesses located and operating in Baltimore.  The plaintiff claims WBAL TV failed to abide by election law.  Violations include FCC and IRS laws protecting elections.




U.S. Code › Title 28 › Part IV › Chapter 85 › § 1343 28 U.S. Code § 1343 - Civil rights and elective franchise

(a) The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action authorized by law to be commenced by any person: (1) To recover damages for injury to his person or property, or because of the deprivation of any right or privilege of a citizen of the United States, by any act done in furtherance of any conspiracy mentioned in section 1985 of Title 42; (2) To recover damages from any person who fails to prevent or to aid in preventing any wrongs mentioned in section 1985 of Title 42 which he had knowledge were about to occur and power to prevent; (3) To redress the deprivation, under color of any State law, statute, ordinance, regulation, custom or usage, of any right, privilege or immunity secured by the Constitution of the United States or by any Act of Congress providing for equal rights of citizens or of all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States; (4) To recover damages or to secure equitable or other relief under any Act of Congress providing for the protection of civil rights, including the right to vote.
 

3.  Statement of Facts and Claims


WBAL TV is a regional news organization for Baltimore and surrounding counties.  Its content covers news relevant all citizens of Baltimore the majority of which are workings class and poor.  It is fair to say this same population represents the bulk of its viewership.  It is no coincidence that Cindy Walsh for Governor of Maryland’s platform directed at the middle/working class and poor would be excluded by this same WBAL TV.  My platform is what most of WBAL TV viewership would want to see and yet I was completely excluded with malice and my platform never reached said viewership.  Baltimore has approximately 350,000 registered democrats most of whom are working class and poor so the exclusion of Cindy Walsh from this media market had a direct effect on the results of this race for governor.  Indeed, WBAL TV knew the election results would have changed if a candidate prioritizing civil rights and liberties, public and labor justice were allowed media exposure.  FCC does not require a media outlet to give equal time to all candidates, but it does require that a platform not be excluded and that citizens be educated to the issues and candidates in an election race.  WBAL TV willfully and deliberately excluded my campaign and platform and in so doing damaged me and the citizens tasked with casting an intelligent vote.  Cindy Walsh claims that WBAL TV violated False Statements laws by altering a government document-----The Maryland Board of Elections Governor's Race List of candidates and in so doing defamed the plaintiff by denying her status as a viable candidate. 
 
Cindy Walsh claims WBAL TV violated the following:

18 U.S. Code § 1001  (a) (2) (3);Title 47 Section 312 [47 U.S.C. §312] (a) (7) (f) (1) (2); Section 315 [47 U.S.C. §315] (a) (1) (2) (3)  (4) .  While the irregularities occurred constantly throughout the primary election for Governor of Maryland, I will provide specific incidences by place, date, and time:  WBALTV 3800 Hooper Ave, Baltimore, Maryland 21211   (May 16, 2014) – Thursday, June 5 2014, 08:24 AM;  6:25 PM EDT Jun 20, 2014; June 24, 2014 05:48 EDT

 

 

·         18 U.S. Code § 1001  (a) (2) (3) False statements of fact

 

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States, knowingly and willfully—

(1) falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact;

(2) makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation; or

(3) makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry;

shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years

 

·         Defamation per se

 

·         The following FCC regulated laws were violated:

Federal Communications Commission Rules (Title 47 Code of Federal Regulations)
Statutes and Rules on Candidate Appearances & Advertising

Section 312 [47 U.S.C. §312] (a) (7) (f) (1) (2)

(a)    The Commission may revoke any station license or construction permit –

(7)    for willful or repeated failure to allow reasonable access to or to permit purchase of reasonable amounts of time for the use of a broadcasting station, other than a non-commercial educational broadcast station, by a legally qualified candidate for Federal elective office on behalf of his candidacy.

(f)     For purposes of this section:

(1)    The term “willful”, when used with reference to the commission or omission of any act, means the conscious and deliberate commission or omission of such act, irrespective of any intent to violate any provision of this Act or any rule or regulation of the Commission authorized by this Act or by a treaty ratified by the United States.

(2)    The term “repeated”, when used with reference to the commission or omission of any act, means the commission or omission of such act more than once or, if such commission or omission is continuous, for more than one day.

Section 315 [47 U.S.C. §315] (a) (1) (2) (3)  (4)

(a)    If any licensee shall permit any person who is a legally qualified candidate for any public office to use a broadcasting station, he shall afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates for that office in the use of such broadcasting station: Provided, That such licensee shall have no power of censorship over the material broadcast under the provision of this section.  No obligation is hereby imposed under this subsection upon any licensee to allow the use of its station by any such candidate.  Appearance by a legally qualified candidate on any –

(1)    bona fide newscast,

(2)    bona fide news interview,

(3)    bona fide news documentary (if the appearance of the candidate is incidental to the presentation of the subject or subjects covered by the news documentary), or

(4)    on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events (including but not limited to political conventions and activities incidental thereto), shall not be deemed to be use of a broadcasting station within the meaning of this subsection.  Nothing in the foregoing sentence shall be construed as relieving broadcasters, in connection with the presentation of newscasts, news interviews, news documentaries, and on-the-spot coverage of news events, from the obligation imposed upon them under this Act to operate in the public interest and to afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of issues of public importance.

 
Defamation per se

WBAL willfully and deliberately altered an official government document-----The Maryland Election list-----by excluding legal candidates in the Democratic Primary for Governor of Maryland knowingly damaging Cindy Walsh for Governor of Maryland and her campaign and knowingly harming the citizens of Maryland who have a right to be educated on the issues and candidates in a race in order to go to the polls to cast an intelligent vote.


WBAL made no attempts to hide its willful and deliberate intent to mislead the citizens of Maryland in presenting information on the race for Governor of Maryland.  Each time they listed all of the republican candidates because, as they know, to fail to include one of the republican candidates would give undue advantage to others.  Yet, they were adamant that only 3 of the Democratic candidates would be listed every time they mentioned this race for governor.  It not only is a False Statement about a government document-----the Maryland Election Candidate Listing-----it is willful and deliberate defamation of Cindy Walsh the candidate with extreme malice.  They provided false information that without a doubt harmed my professional standing.  These violations occurred dozens of times in the course of the primary for Governor of Maryland at all times of their news casts.

 

Damages Awarded for Defamation in Maryland Among the damages for defamation in Maryland include:

  • actual damages
  • punitive damages
  • other damages awarded by the court
 

Punitive Damages in Maryland: Reconciling Federal Law, State Law, and the Pattern Jury Instructions

·        


·         Stephen J. Shapiro

·        
University of Baltimore - School of Law

Fall 2007

University of Baltimore Law Forum, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 27-53, Fall 2007

·        
Abstract:     

·         Starting in the early 1990's, both the United States Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals of Maryland addressed the issue of jury discretion in awarding punitive damages. The two courts addressed the perceived problem in two different ways. The United States Supreme Court focused their attention mainly on the excessive amount of such awards. It held that the Due Process Clause regulates both the procedures used in awarding punitive damages and the amounts of such awards. The Court required that juries be given sufficient instructions to enable them to make awards based on the purpose of punitive damages, and required state trial judges and appellate courts to reduce the amount of such awards if they were “grossly excessive.” The Court provided state judges with guideposts for determining the appropriate amount of punitive damage awards and required that the amounts be proportionate to the amount of compensatory damages.

The Court of Appeals of Maryland focused its attention instead on the proof required for a jury to make a punitive damages award in the first place. It held that punitive damage awards could only be made if the defendant's conduct rose to the level of actual malice (evil motive or intent to do harm, or knowing that its actions would be harmful) and not just implied malice (gross negligence, recklessness, or should have known of the harm). In addition, the Court of Appeals of Maryland held that juries should be instructed that they must find that actual malice had been proved by “clear and convincing evidence,” and not just a preponderance of the evidence.

This article will suggest several changes to Maryland law and the Maryland Civil Pattern Jury Instructions, so that the instructions more accurately reflect Maryland law, and that Maryland law complies with the Due Process Clause. The proposed changes include:
• providing a clearer standard in the instructions for when punitive damages should be awarded;
• clarifying that the “clear and convincing” standard applies only to the finding of “actual malice” and not to the broader question of whether and in what amount to award punitive damages;
• changing the law, the procedure and the jury instructions relating to whether and when a jury may consider evidence of the defendant's financial condition in calculating the amount of a punitive damage award; and
• providing more guidance to juries as to the appropriate amount of punitive damage awards.

·         Number of Pages in PDF File: 28

·         Keywords: punitive damages, jury discretion, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals of Maryland, Maryland Civil Pattern Jury Instructions, compensatory damages, Due Process Clause

·         JEL Classification: K13, K49

·         Accepted Paper Series



·         Download This Paper

·         Date posted: June 24, 2009  

·         Suggested Citation

·         Shapiro, Stephen J., Punitive Damages in Maryland: Reconciling Federal Law, State Law, and the Pattern Jury Instructions (Fall 2007). University of Baltimore Law Forum, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 27-53, Fall 2007. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1425083

Punitive damages in Rockville, Maryland usually cannot exceed 10 times the amount of actual damages suffered by the plaintiff. However, this is just a guideline, and not a strict rule. Courts in Maryland have found larger punitive damage awards to be perfectly valid, and smaller ones to be invalid. This will be highly dependent on the facts of each case.

4.  Demand for relief

Violations of FCC laws were willful and deliberate and occurred over an extended time with dozens of incidents.  The plaintiff communicated the fact that damage was being done and described the consequences of the damage with total disregard by WBAL showing extreme malice. These violations can cause the FCC to suspend license.  I request that WBAL be required to provide a weekly half hour prime time program for Cindy Walsh that allows for airing of public policy supported by her platform for a period of 5 years.  I request that WBAL be placed on court supervised probation for several election cycles until these identified election irregularities are eliminated.

Violations of FCC law ----Any person who willfully and knowingly does or causes or suffers to be done any act, matter or thing prohibited or declared to be unlawful or who willfully and knowingly omits or fails to do any act, matter or thing required to be done, or willfully and knowingly causes or suffers such omission or failure, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished for such offense for which no penalty (other than the forfeiture as provided in the Act), by fine of not more than $10,000.00 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both.

 

Amount of relief:

Violations of False Statement and defamation in Federal/Maryland Court - $2 million, the sum WBAL sought to deny Cindy Walsh with loss of election and her securing of employment as Governor of Maryland.  Wages and benefits from a 4 year term as governor would reach $2 million.

 

Violations of Defamation with punitive damages should send a message that these irregularities not happen again.  The costs to Cindy Walsh in conducting a campaign for Governor of Maryland plus 10 times the actual damage suffered requires $500,000 in punitive damage from deliberate, willful acts against the plaintiff done with malice.



 

Here you see a search for Cindy Walsh for Governor of Maryland and WBAL TV does not have one mention of this candidate.  FCC election laws require access given to all candidates if the station allows access to others.  It also requires that the issues of a platform be given time so that the citizens of Maryland can go to the polls educated on the issues and candidates they will see on the ballot.  Cindy Walsh did not need equal time-----she simply needed WBAL to represent her honestly in the Maryland Election list of candidates for governor and she needed to have some time in the programming set aside to discuss the other candidates in the race.  WBAL also hosted a Democratic forum that excluded Cindy Walsh while hosting a Republican forum that invited all candidates in that race to participate.  The reasons for exclusion were not substantiated.

 

WBAL TV search

1 Total Result For "Cindy Walsh" Sort By Relevance | Date Bottom of Form Story Results

1 result for "Cindy\ Walsh" ·         BGE customers vent frustrations at hearing article As another big storm hit the area Tuesday night, more Baltimore Gas and Electric customers voiced their frustrations in the wake of the June derecho storm.

 

WBAL TV constantly used the phrase-----‘the three Democratic candidates for governor’ in all election coverage throughout the primary.  Viewers would not have had a clue that Cindy Walsh for Governor of Maryland was even a candidate and that was the goal----it was willful and deliberate exclusion and with the number of attempts by the plaintiff to communicate the damage done, it was exclusion with malice.

 

 

Maryland Governor’s Debate On TV Monday Night at 7 John Hayden / June 2, 2014



Promotional photos via Maryland Public Television

The three Democratic candidates for governor in Maryland will debate tonight on television.Maryland Governor’s Debate On TV Monday Night at 7

John Hayden / June 2, 2014



Promotional photos via Maryland Public Television

The three Democratic candidates for governor in Maryland will debate tonight on television. The debate will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Monday on WBAL-TV Channel 11 in Baltimore, and on Maryland Public Television stations. The debate will be streaming live on the WBAL website, wbaltv.com, and the Maryland Public Television website, www.mpt.org

The Democratic candidates to replace Gov. Martin O’Malley are Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Attorney Gen. Douglas Gansler, and Del. Heather Mizeur. The debate moderator will be MPT’s David Salkin. The debate is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Maryland Public Television, and WBAL-TV.  It will be held at the MPT studio in Owings Mills.

Tonight’s Democratic debate represents the last, best hope for Mizeur and Ganzler to catch up with and pass Brown before the June 24 primary. Political observers believe Brown is running well ahead of Mizeur and Gansler, but the contest may be tightening.

For voters just tuning in to Maryland’s 2014 elections — which is most voters — this one-hour debate may be the only chance to compare the candidates side-by-side. And it’s probably the last opportunity, other than television advertising, for the candidates to make a favorable impression on voters. In the precious few minutes each candidate will have tonight, expect Mizeur and Ganzler to make their strongest case to distinguish themselves from Brown.

O’Malley cannot run again after serving two terms because of Maryland’s term limit for Governor. The term limit is even stricter in Virginia, which allows only one four-year term for governor.

You’ll be seeing a lot of Brown and Gansler on TV between now and the June 24 primary election. Both Gansler and Brown have ample war chests to fund television advertising. Mizeur also plans to advertise on TV, although her budget is smaller.

Mizeur hopes to score a breakthrough in tonight’s debate by focusing on issues such as the widening income divide between rich and poor.

“Heather will make Annapolis work for middle class families,” said Joanna Belanger, Mizeur’s campaign manager. “It’s prioritized the wealthy and big corporations for far too long.”

Meanwhile, four Republicans vying for the Republican nomination for governor debated today. The Republican debate will be aired on WBAL-TV and Maryland Public Television at 7 p.m. Friday night.

Today’s gubernatorial debates are expected to be the final joint debates between the candidates before the  primary on June 24. Early voting begins June 12. The deadline for registering to vote in the primary is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3, at 9 p.m.

– John Hayden

The debate will be streaming live on the WBAL website, wbaltv.com, and the Maryland Public Television website, www.mpt.org

The Democratic candidates to replace Gov. Martin O’Malley are Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Attorney Gen. Douglas Gansler, and Del. Heather Mizeur. The debate moderator will be MPT’s David Salkin. The debate is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Maryland Public Television, and WBAL-TV.  It will be held at the MPT studio in Owings Mills.

Tonight’s Democratic debate represents the last, best hope for Mizeur and Ganzler to catch up with and pass Brown before the June 24 primary. Political observers believe Brown is running well ahead of Mizeur and Gansler, but the contest may be tightening.

For voters just tuning in to Maryland’s 2014 elections — which is most voters — this one-hour debate may be the only chance to compare the candidates side-by-side. And it’s probably the last opportunity, other than television advertising, for the candidates to make a favorable impression on voters. In the precious few minutes each candidate will have tonight, expect Mizeur and Ganzler to make their strongest case to distinguish themselves from Brown.

O’Malley cannot run again after serving two terms because of Maryland’s term limit for Governor. The term limit is even stricter in Virginia, which allows only one four-year term for governor.

You’ll be seeing a lot of Brown and Gansler on TV between now and the June 24 primary election. Both Gansler and Brown have ample war chests to fund television advertising. Mizeur also plans to advertise on TV, although her budget is smaller.

Mizeur hopes to score a breakthrough in tonight’s debate by focusing on issues such as the widening income divide between rich and poor.

“Heather will make Annapolis work for middle class families,” said Joanna Belanger, Mizeur’s campaign manager. “It’s prioritized the wealthy and big corporations for far too long.”

Meanwhile, four Republicans vying for the Republican nomination for governor debated today. The Republican debate will be aired on WBAL-TV and Maryland Public Television at 7 p.m. Friday night.

Today’s gubernatorial debates are expected to be the final joint debates between the candidates before the  primary on June 24. Early voting begins June 12. The deadline for registering to vote in the primary is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 3, at 9 p.m.

  • John Hayden
 

 


***********************************************************************

From the time Cindy Walsh entered the race in late February to the primary election WBAL never swayed from describing the democratic race for governor as one between 3 candidates.  ‘Governor’s candidates clash on the economy’ and ‘all three agree….’

 

 
Gubernatorial candidates converge at forums Candidates discussed economic policy in Baltimore, Towson UPDATED 10:10 AM EDT Apr 18, 2014

Show Transcript BALTIMORE —Candidates for governor in Maryland converged in Baltimore and in Towson for public forums Thursday as the June 24 primary approaches.






While forums are informative, they don't provide voters a clear view of how a candidate reacts to adversity. So far the messages in the campaign for governor have been carefully crafted through press releases and staged events.

State Attorney General Doug Gansler turned up the heat with a campaign ad aimed at Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's handling of the state health exchange rollout. He's calling for a special counsel with subpoena power to investigate what went wrong.

"There are two major problems with what the lieutenant governor did. One, he denied real people real access to health care. Secondly, what happened to that $200 million, and how are we going to fix it?" Gansler said. "Both of those answers are being covered up, and we need to actually get some answers."

Most recently, Gansler called for the elimination of the state prosecutor's office.

Polls indicate Brown is the front-runner. He recently rolled out plans to boost affordable housing. He's taking credit for raising the minimum wage, decriminalizing marijuana, passing bills addressing domestic violence and expanding pre-kindergarten during the 2014 session.

All the Democratic candidates supported pre-kindergarten expansion.

"If we legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in our state, we would generate $157 million in new revenue that I would dedicate to funding universal pre-kindergarten," said Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur, a candidate for governor.

Mizeur also wants to create a state-run retirement savings fund. Her death-with-dignity laws would allow doctor-assisted suicides. She would also raise the minimum wage to $16.70 an hour, close a corporate tax loophole and use the revenues to give small business a tax credit to offset raising the minimum wage.

Gubernatorial candidates clash on economic policy

Candidates made appearances separately in Baltimore before they went over to the campus of Towson University for a similarly formatted forum Thursday night.

While there, all three candidates agreed Maryland's economic policies need work, but they disagreed sharply about how much.

Brown praised the developments of the past seven years. He noted that since the recession, Maryland's job growth has exceeded that in every other mid-Atlantic state. He defended recent decisions to borrow money for basic government needs.

His opponents took turns after him and did not hear one another's remarks.

Mizeur said these debts wouldn't be necessary if not for certain tax breaks and loopholes.

Gansler, the last candidate to speak, argued for a comprehensive review of Maryland's tax policy and renewed efforts to recruit more businesses.

The Greater Baltimore Economic Forum arranged a panel of business and nonprofit leaders to question the candidates. They focused on plans to stimulate economic growth and make Maryland more attractive to businesses.

The candidates' positions formed a clear spectrum: Mizeur on the left, with the strongest focus on social programs and a hard opposition to cutting corporate taxes; Brown in the middle, advocating a balance between reasonable tax rates and adequate government funding; and Gansler, stressing business recruitment more than the others.

But all three agree strong infrastructure, including transportation projects and high-quality schools, is a key to economic growth.

Brown boasted achievements from O'Malley's time in office: Maryland's triple-A bond rating as it has emerged from the recession, reductions in tuition for public universities, lower crime rates. He said he wants to focus next on making education opportunities more widely available, partially by expanding the pre-kindergarten program.

Mizeur took the stage after Brown. She criticized the General Assembly's recent decision to raise an exemption on the estate tax, which she said will cost the state $432 million over the next five years and will mainly benefit the richest 3 percent of Maryland's population.

"When you're pushing through legislation like that, you have to come up with beg-borrow-and-steal to make the income gaps meet," she said.

She said Maryland already has the region's second-lowest corporate tax rate.

During a break for audience questions, a young man stood up and asked whether it was correct that Mizeur supports legalizing marijuana.

"That's right," she said.

"Nice," the man said, raising his thumbs before he sat back down. The audience burst into laughter.

The mood turned serious again during Gansler's opening remarks. He ticked off statistics about how Maryland lags in industries such as manufacturing.

"We're getting our clocks cleaned by our neighboring states," he said.

He said Maryland hasn't had a comprehensive review of its economic situation and tax policy in decades, and he considers this a necessary step toward recruitment. He also advocated for more vocational training options for high school students and possibly a high-speed rail between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., which he said could help bring more families to Baltimore.

The candidates will appear together in televised debates starting next month.


Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/gubernatorial-candidates-converge-at-forums/25538730#ixzz35zQTVZMF

*************************************************

Dems react to poll, share their top 3 ideas UPDATED 6:25 PM EDT Jun 20, 2014
Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/dems-react-to-poll-share-their-top-3-ideas/26593698#ixzz36yl9q1eA

Video Transcript

DEMOCRATS VOTED EARLY AS DID OVER 34,000 REPUBLICANS. AND IT'S WORTH NOTING, THAT EARLY VOTING WAS 2-DAYS LONGER THIS YEAR. MEANWHILE, CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR TAKING ON AN ISSUE THAT HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF PLAY. ADS SAY MANY IN MARYLAND WANT TO LEAVE THE STATE. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET THEM HERE? 11 NEWS EYE-TEAM LEAD -- EYE TEAM LEAD INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JAYNE MILLER SPOKE TO ALL THE CANDIDATES ABOUT THEIR RETENTION PLANS. THE SURVEY LOOKS AT ALL 50 STATES. MARYLAND FARED VERY POORLY. THE POLL ASKED, IF YOU COULD LEAVE MARYLAND, WOULD YOU? WORRY SEVEN PERCENT SAID YES, PUTTING MARYLAND -- 47% SAID YES, PUTTING MARYLAND TO THIRD ON THE LIST OF STATES PEOPLE MOST WANT TO FLEE. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS TO GOVERNORS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO COUNTER THAT GETS CONTENT? HEATHER MISSOURI SAID IN BEST IN FAMILIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. ANTHONY BROWN SAID THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BUILD ON HIS RECORD AND CRIME REDUCTION IN EDUCATION. A FIVE-POINT JOBS LAND, UNIVERSAL PRE-K, AN INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORTATION. ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUG GANSLER USE THE GALLUP POLE IN CAMPAIGN SPEECHES. HIS FIX -- BONUSES FOR TEACHERS


Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/dems-react-to-poll-share-their-top-3-ideas/26593698#ixzz36yk1mIFZ








******************************************************************


Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate for last time Final debate before June 24 primary aired on WOLB-AM Radio

UPDATED 6:24 PM EDT Jun 05, 2014 WBAL TV


WOODLAWN, Md. —The battle for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland intensified Thursday over the handling of the state's badly flawed health exchange website.

 Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Attorney General Doug Gansler and Del. Heather Mizeur debated on WOLB-AM's Larry Young Morning Show in the last scheduled debate of the primary campaign.



Brown, who led the state's implementation of health care reform, said while there were technical problems, the state still exceeded its 260,000 enrollment goal when Medicaid enrollments are included.

"So if you measure success by enrollment, we were successful," Brown said. "Was it challenged? Absolutely. For the second open enrollment in November, we'll adopt technology from Connecticut, and we'll ensure that not only do we meet our enrollment goals, but it will be a more seamless user experience."

Gansler, however, said Brown is the only person who is calling the state's health care enrollment a success, saying millions of dollars were "flushed down the toilet."

"He was nowhere to be seen," Gansler said. "He put on his running shoes and ran away."

But Gansler had some responsibility for the rollout, too, Brown said. He said Gansler had a seat on a council that was coordinating health care reform and never attended meetings.

"He said that he had no idea about how we settled on the contractors we did, but his office helped scope out the procurement that led to the vendors that were selected," Brown said. "Look, we all had a responsibility. I didn't run away."

Gansler disputed that he could have any knowledge of the procurement process.

"I had no idea how the vendors were picked, because it was done in a closed room without any competition and without any transparency," Gansler said."

The radio debate happened in the same week that Gansler has stepped up his attack on Brown's handling of the health exchange website in television ads.

Mizeur avoided talking about the health exchange problems. Instead, she spoke of health care initiatives she worked for as a delegate. Specifically, she mentioned working with a conservative lawmaker to find a common goal to help pass a bill in 2011 to expand free family planning to low-income women in Maryland.

Taxes also were brought up during the debate. Mizeur said she supports bringing back a tax on people who make more than $1 million a year, a tax that expired in Maryland at the end of 2010. Gansler highlighted his corporate tax cut as a tool for luring businesses back to Maryland. Brown said he would form a commission in his first 100 days in office to study tax reform in the state. Brown also said tax increases during Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration have helped make bigger investments in schools and for future transportation infrastructure projects like the Purple Line in Montgomery and Prince George's counties and the Red Line in Baltimore.

"It doesn't happen on its own. Marylanders were asked to give more so that we can make investment in infrastructure and in our people and that's what the last difficult eight years have been about, the progress that we made," Brown said.


Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/democratic-gubernatorial-candidates-debate-for-last-time/26342390#ixzz36yhuG8A6





Brown, Gansler, Mizeur Clash On Economic Policy
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Robert Lang and Associated Press    WBAL Radio
  • 00:0019:24 Attorney General Doug Gansler appeared at the forum.
    Download This File

  • Doug Gansler after forum. (WBAL's Robert Lang)

  • Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown on stage. (Photo by Cody Boteler)

  • Delegate Heather Mizeur (Photo by Cody Boteler)

  • 00:0020:26 Lt. Governor Anthony Brown appeared at the forum.
    Download This File

  • 00:0019:56 Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur appeared at the forum.
    Download This File

  • 00:0007:20 Because Attorney General Doug Gansler was late for the forum, Del. Heather Mizeur took some questions from the audience.
    Download This File

  • 00:0019:24 Attorney General Doug Gansler appeared at the forum.
    Download This File

  • Doug Gansler after forum. (WBAL's Robert Lang)

All three Democratic candidates in the governor's race agree Maryland's economic policies need work, but they disagree sharply about how much.

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown praised the developments of the past seven years during a candidate forum Thursday evening at Towson University. His opponents took turns after him and did not hear one another's remarks.

Brown has served with Gov. Martin O'Malley since O'Malley took office in 2007. He noted Thursday that since the recession, Maryland's job growth has exceeded that in every other mid-Atlantic state. He defended recent decisions to borrow money for basic government needs.

Del. Heather Mizeur, who has represented Montgomery County since 2007, said these debts wouldn't be necessary if not for certain tax breaks and loopholes.

Attorney General Doug Gansler, the last candidate to speak, argued for a comprehensive review of Maryland's tax policy and renewed efforts to recruit more businesses.

The primary will be on June 24.

The Greater Baltimore Economic Forum arranged a panel of business and nonprofit leaders to question the candidates Thursday. They focused on plans to stimulate economic growth and make Maryland more attractive to businesses.

The candidates' positions formed a clear spectrum: Mizeur on the left, with the strongest focus on social programs and a hard opposition to cutting corporate taxes; Brown in the middle, advocating a balance between reasonable tax rates and adequate government funding; and Gansler, stressing business recruitment more than the others.

But all three agree strong infrastructure, including transportation projects and high-quality schools, is a key to economic growth.

Brown boasted of achievements from O'Malley's time in office: Maryland's triple-A bond rating as it has emerged from the recession, reductions in tuition for public universities, lower crime rates. He said he wants to focus next on making education opportunities more widely available, partially by expanding the pre-kindergarten program.

Mizeur took the stage after Brown. She criticized the General Assembly's recent decision to raise an exemption on the estate tax, which she said will cost the state $432 million over the next five years and will mainly benefit the richest 3 percent of Maryland's population.

"When you're pushing through legislation like that, you have to come up with beg-borrow-and-steal to make the income gaps meet," she said.

She said Maryland already has the region's second-lowest corporate tax rate.

During a break for audience questions, a young man stood up and asked whether it was correct that Mizeur supports legalizing marijuana.

"That's right," she said.

"Nice," the man said, raising his thumbs before he sat back down. The audience burst into laughter.

The mood turned serious again during Gansler's opening remarks. He ticked off statistics about how Maryland lags in industries such as manufacturing.

"We're getting our clocks cleaned by our neighboring states," he said.

He said Maryland hasn't had a comprehensive review of its economic situation and tax policy in decades, and he considers this a necessary step toward recruitment. He also advocates more vocational training options for high school students and possibly a high-speed rail between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., which he says could help bring more families to Baltimore.

The candidates will appear together in televised debates starting next month.

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Campaign ads getting fierce in race for governor Gansler, Brown campaigns attack each other UPDATED 6:49 PM EDT May 30, 2014


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Show Transcript BALTIMORE --Two of the leading Democrats in the primary race for Maryland governor are now slugging it out over the airwaves.

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Attorney General Doug Gansler slams Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown for skipping a televised debate, and Brown pushes back with an ad that implies Gansler puts corporate interests before children.

The campaigns are running negative campaign advertising in an attempt to define the other's opponent. The Gansler camp wants the public to believe Brown is an unaccomplished executive who didn't think it was important enough to show up for a debate. The Brown campaign is fueling public discernment that Gansler is out of control.

Political expert Barry Rascovar said he believes the message in Brown's campaign ad takes too much for granted.

"You really have to be up to date on the details of the campaign, and most voters are not, to understand that commercial," Rascovar said. "I think it is a highly effective ad that Gansler's put out. It really hammers home the point that Brown wasn't there for the debate and there's no excuse for him not to show up."

The Brown campaign ad uses only snippets of Gansler comments on two major issues. Gansler came out in February in support of universal full day pre-kindergarten. He proposed expanding it immediately to financially needy families. Then, after measuring success, phase it in statewide but for only qualified low-income families.

The Brown campaign ad also implies that Gansler puts corporate interests before children. Gansler is actually calling for a quarter percent reduction in the corporate tax rate annually to get to 6 percent while simultaneously closing a tax loophole allowing corporations to transfer profits to out-of-state subsidiaries in order to reduce their tax liability in Maryland.

Rascovar believes the dueling ads signal this lackluster contest is getting interesting.

"In the next three weeks, we will really find out if we are going to have a race that is tightening or one that continues to be one-sided," Rascovar said.

The first TV ad by Democrat Heather Mizeur hits the airwaves next week. She talks about what inspired her to public service, her legislative record and she offers a progressive vision for Maryland.

Perhaps the ads will drive up interest in the primary race for governor. Some experts believe voter turnout may be as low as 20 percent. The primary is June 24.

Quick Glance at the Candidates for Maryland Governor

Anthony Brown, 52
- Democrat
- Running mate: Howard County Executive Ken Ulman
- Elected Maryland lieutenant governor in 2006
- Elected to Maryland House of Delegates in 1999, representing a district in Prince George's County
- Army veteran deployed to Iraq in 2004 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom
- If elected, Brown would become the first African-American to be elected Maryland governor
- Born in Huntington, N.Y.
- Harvard University


Doug Gansler, 51
- Democrat
- Running mate: Prince George's County Delegate Jolene Ivey
- Elected Maryland attorney general in 2006
- Elected Montgomery County State's Attorney in 1999
- Born in Summit, N.J.
- Yale University


Heather Mizeur, 41
- Democrat
- Running mate: Rev. Delman Coates
- Elected to Maryland House of Delegates in 2007, representing a district in Montgomery County
- Elected to Takoma Park City Council in 2003
- If elected, Mizeur would become the first openly gay candidate elected governor in the country, and the first female governor of Maryland
- Born in Blue Mound, Ill.
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


David Craig, 64
- Republican
- Running mate: Eastern Shore Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio
- Elected Harford County executive in 2005
- Elected to Maryland House of Delegates in 1991
- Born in Havre de Grace
- Towson University (B.S.), Morgan State University (M.A.)


Ron George, 60
- Republican
- Running mate: Former Frederick City Alderwoman Shelley Aloi
- Elected to Maryland House of Delegates in 2007, representing a district in Anne Arundel County
- Born in Syracuse, N.Y.
- Syracuse University


Larry Hogan, 58
- Republican
- Running mate: Boyd Rutherford
- Former secretary of appointments under Gov. Bob Ehrlich, 2003-07
- Businessman
- Born in Washington, D.C.
- Florida State University


Charles Lollar, 42
- Republican
- Running mate: Ken Timmerman
- Businessman
- Marine veteran
- Born in Toppenish, Wash.
- Kennesaw University (B.S.), Regent University (MBA)


Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/campaign-ads-getting-fierce-in-race-for-governor/26253448#ixzz38raIx1xQ

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Dem. gubernatorial candidates talk education at forum Candidates asked about paying for construction, expanded pre-K

 UPDATED 9:41 AM EST Mar 06, 2014


BALTIMORE —The three Democratic candidates for governor got face time with each other and with potential voters Thursday night during a forum focused on the future of Baltimore City schools and their plans for education.
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The two themes of the public forum at City Springs Elementary-Middle School were paying for school construction and an expansion of pre-kindergarten.



Each candidate was asked how they would pay for the replacement and repair of roughly 100 crippling and outdated city school buildings.

"We're one of only a handful of states that has weathered the Great Recession and has protracted recovery with a AAA bond rating. That gives us the ability to invest in infrastructure, to invest in our schools," said Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.

"We need to be more competitive, and we need to make sure we have transparency so that some of these government contracts, we can make a much more efficient system so we can save money and use it for things like building schools," said Attorney General Doug Gansler.

"Let's build on what has worked in other communities. In Iowa and Georgia, they've passed initiatives called the School Infrastructure Local Option, which gives local jurisdictions the opportunity to put to referendum a penny increase in the sales tax," said state Delegate Heather Mizeur.

Each candidate was then asked about their plans for an expansion of pre-kindergarten curriculums statewide.

Brown said paying for his goal of full-day universal pre-K by 2022 is unclear, but universal half-day by 2018 is possible.

"We can do that with existing state revenues. It's only a 2 percent increase in our education budget," he said.

Gansler said he wants to use gambling revenue to help pay for a pre-K expansion focused on low-income areas.

"When a child shows up to school with a 3,000-word vocabulary as opposed to an 8,000-10,000 word vocabulary, they're behind, and they'll never catch up," he said.

Mizeur combined those two plans to include more kids in a costlier, long-term approach to pre-K.

"This is a priority. It will be paid for. We have a dedicated funding source. We are going to end our failed war on drugs to pay for this," she said.

Republican candidates Larry Hogan and Ron George were invited to the forum but did not attend.

Campaign ads starting to pop up

The forum came on the same day that Brown released his first television campaign ad. He's the first of the candidates to do so. The 60-second spot focuses on his military and public service.

"It was my responsibility to serve, and that meant going to Iraq," he says in the ad. "I still hear my father's words: get an education, serve others."

Gansler launched his first TV ad Thursday morning touting his accomplishments against crime and big business.

"This campaign is about you more than me.  It's about Brianna, who will breathe cleaner air because as attorney general, I forced polluters to put in place $4.6 billion in pollution controls," Gansler says in the ad.

The ad also says Gansler "fought big banks" by bringing $1.6 billion in mortgage relief to Maryland homeowners.


Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/politics/dem-gubernatorial-candidates-talk-education-at-forum/24835588#ixzz38rbEUJlG








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