Commentary

Gov-elect Wes Moore, D, has a laundry list of plans for Maryland. Moore wants to give students an option to complete a year of service after high school, raise the minimum wage to $15 this year instead of the scheduled increase in 2025 and support small businesses through modernizing the regulation process. One of his focuses, which he discussed repeatedly during his campaign, is to provide free pre-kindergarten for all of the state’s three- and four- year olds in need.

One of the more fortuitous decisions of the Maryland Department of Transportation in recent weeks was the choice not to seek final approval for the controversial multibillion-dollar contract to widen the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 with costly toll lanes until after Gov. Larry Hogan leaves office in January. That decision, announced on Nov. 17, may have been more a matter of necessity than choice, given some unresolved legal challenges, as well as the fact that federal authorities had not given their OK for the public-private partnership proposal, which would involve tolls as high as $22 per mile for tractor-trailers. But it also suits the political circumstances.

A couple of years ago, I was reading a review of a new book about The Beatles. The reviewer noted that while almost every book about The Beatles — and by now there have been hundreds, if not thousands — contains some valuable information about their backgrounds, musical influences, work habits, and personalities, none has been able to answer the essential question: How did The Beatles go, in a few short years, from being a pretty good regional Rhythm and Blues band from the north of England, to becoming, arguably, the greatest composers of the 20th century? In other words, what made them so great?

Let’s say you hold elected office, and a San Francisco-based law firm that specializes in holding polluters accountable approaches your jurisdiction with an offer. So-and-so industry has misled government regulators and knowingly done great harm to your constituents, you are told. The law firm says is filing a lawsuit against these allegedly irresponsible companies, and if you agree to sign on as a plaintiff at no cost, your constituents will share in any financial settlement or court-ordered award, and, thus, potentially be made whole. If the law firm is unsuccessful, it will not charge you a dime. Many of your neighbors — municipalities, counties and states — have already signed on. So, what do you do?

In recent weeks, we have begun to see the truth behind the oft-told adage: “Elections have consequences.” Following this year’s gubernatorial election, a new measure, HC Bill 10-23, now challenges our basic conceptions of democratic rule. The chairs of the Howard County delegation, Sen. Clarence Lam and Del. Courtney Watson, proposed this legislation less than a week after the Nov. 8 general election. Their bill will fundamentally change our county’s all-elected school board model to include two appointed members and three elected by gerrymandered state Senate districts. Few measures have managed to unite Democratic, unaffiliated, and Republican voters. Leaders from all political leanings have voiced their opprobrium to this proposed legislation and to what they deem as a power grab by local politicians to pack what is to date, a locally elected body.

Until recently, when he set out on his own as an international consultant, Mike McClure had worked for many years as the general curator at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Many will remember him for two big reasons — Dolly and Samson. McClure was the zoo’s elephant manager. Whenever African elephants Dolly and, later, Samson, needed care and feeding, McClure was there. Given his 27-year tenure at the zoo, I thought McClure deserved an exit interview. He was in Nepal, leading an elephant care workshop, by the time I caught wind of his departure from the zoo staff, so he answered questions by email. I asked about Dolly because she had been a star of the zoo for years, starting in the early 1980s.

“Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Elon Musk tweeted after he posted the results of an unscientific poll showing respondents favored allowing former president Donald Trump to return to Twitter. The Latin phrase, roughly translating to “the voice of the people is the voice of God,” might be a poetic expression of democratic sentiment. But it does not reflect what Mr. Musk is doing with one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. So far, Mr. Musk has governed Twitter according to his whims. The chief executive’s polls supposedly express the will of the users — but many of those who engage regularly with his account are his die-hard supporters, aware of his preferences and eager to see them enacted. This was true in the case of Mr. Trump, who so far has chosen not to return to using Twitter despite his account’s reinstatement.