Local

Gov. Martin O’Malley on in the Capitol with his mother, Barbara who is a receptionist for U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski.: Politicker Photo

WASHINGTON – Gov. Martin O’Malley testified to the U.S. Senate
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security on Thursday.

Committee Chair U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) interviewed O’Malley about performance based evaluation systems, specifically StateStat and CitiStat. O’Malley was a key architect of both programs.

O’Malley emphasized the government’s ability to track “inputs,” such as public funding. However, the governor also pointed to the need for state and federal government to monitor “outputs,” which would effectively publicize how government in making use of the inputs.

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville), U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Baltimore) and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Baltimore) joined the Korean War Veterans Association on Thursday to celebrate the enactment of legislation that grants the group a Federal Charter.

The trio was also joined by U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas).

“The Korean War is often referred to as the ‘forgotten’ war, and recognition of our veterans from this war is long overdue,” said Cardin in a statement. “This Federal Charter lets the nearly 1.2 million American veterans of the Korean War who are still alive know that we have not forgotten them, and we honor the sacrifice they made for our nation.”

U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) is asking Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to reveal further information about the Maryland Surveillance Program, under which the state police kept records on non-violent activists.

Hoyer pointed to a letter sent to Chertoff and DHS Under Secretary of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Charles Allen.

The letter, written by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, requested DHS provide the committee with a full account of the surveillance actions and further information regarding the funds used.

“The politically-motivated surveillance of dissident domestic groups that have neither a link to terrorism nor promote violence is not only a deplorable use of taxpayer funds but also violated the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and association,” wrote Thompson in the letter.

Hoyer responded in a statement, “The state surveillance program conducted under the Ehrlich Administration that secretly monitored law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutional rights raises serious concerns that merit further investigation."

The Montgomery County Republican Party elected two new members to their central committee Tuesday evening.

Fourteen of the 17 central committee members were present at Tuesday’s meeting. Both new members, Jim Shalleck and Scott Dyer were elected to fill the two vacant District 39 seats on the committee.

“I look for a history of leadership,” said Dan Willard in an interview with PolitickerMD.com. Willard serves as 1st vice chair of the MCRP central committee. “People follow passion.”

The two seats opened when one committee member moved out of state and another resigned.

State Del. Kumar Barve (D-Gaithersburg), who serves as the House Majority Leader, accepted a plea deal after failing a sobriety test in November 2007. Barves’ punishment landed him a year of unsupervised probation and a $1,000 fine with $800 suspended as it was a first-time offense.

His political opponents have remained widely unresponsive to the issue, despite Barve’s highly powerful position in the general assembly.

“In my opinion, this should not be a matter of politics,” said Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Calvert County), who serves as Minority Leader in the House. “He took responsibility, he did the right thing, case closed.”

Mike Hargadon, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Baltimore) for his MD-7 seat, reported raising $6,583.95  in contributions in the second quarter and had $4,702.43 cash on hand according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Hargadon has raised $8,458.95 in total contributions to date for this election.

His opponent, Elijah Cummings is currently serving his seventh term in the U.S. House and currently has $688,000 cash on hand.

State's Attorney Frank KratovilKratovil Campaign Manager Tim McCann dismissed the results of a Harris campaign internal poll which showed Harris carrying a sizeable lead in the 1st Congressional District.

The poll showed state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) with a 16 point lead over State's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville).

“As Andy’s campaign manger himself said a few months back, ‘Internal polls can be skewed one way or the other.’ Our internal numbers paint a different picture so I'm not particularly worried about this small-sample poll,” wrote McCann in an email to PolitickerMD.com.

The Maryland Republican Party is asking state Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Prince George’s County) to step down from his position as chair of the state’s Budget and Taxation Committee.

According to the Associated Press, an affidavit from an FBI special agent made public on Tuesday accused Currie had used his office to benefit companies in which he was doing consultation business with.

"During the time period that Currie received payments from SFW and SuperValu, Currie voted on a number of bills that impacted, or would have impacted, the grocery industry and therefore, SFW and its parent company SuperValu," wrote FBI special agent Steven Quisenberry in an affidavit.

He continued: “Based on the facts set forth in this affidavit, it is my belief that Currie used his official position and influence in connection with such legislation and in certain business transactions involving the State of Maryland, in ways that benefited or would have benefited SFW and SuperValu.”

The MDGOP responded, charging that Currie had violated state ethics laws but also praised state Sen. Mike Miller (D).

BALTIMORE – John McCain made a quick pit stop in Maryland on Tuesday.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was joined by former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R-Baltimore) for a fundraiser at the Center Club in Baltimore. A photo reception with McCain was priced at $2,300 per person, and the general reception required a donation of $1,000 per person.

During the reception, Ehrlich announced that the event brought in approximately $1 million to the McCain campaign. However, McCain will only be able to use these funds up until the Republican National Convention, according to Politico.

In an interview with PolitickerMD.com, Chris Cavey, the chair of Maryland for McCain, called the fundraiser “just a good event the whole way around.”

Gov. Martin O’Malley signed an Executive Order on Tuesday establishing the new Maryland Drug and Alcohol Council. Although the council was originally established via Executive Order in 2004, the new council will include the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Community Development as voting members, among other changes.

O’Malley was joined by Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene John M. Colmers and Baltimore County’s acting Health Officer Dr. Greg Branch.