Commentary

In Wednesday’s column, state Del. Sandy Rosenberg and Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello explained why they won’t support a second term for Mayor Brandon Scott. They each have endorsed Sheila Dixon, the former mayor who left office amid a scandal. Rosenberg and Costello say city services have been poorly managed during Scott’s first term. My mailbox hasn’t exactly been swelling this week with citizen affirmation of that claim.

Given the state government’s fiscal circumstances, the $63.1 billion Maryland budget unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Wes Moore may be the least painful — or most politically palatable — anyone in the State House could have envisioned. It solves a projected $761 million deficit in the fiscal year that begins in July. It allows the governor to pay for popular programs, like the ongoing K-12 public education reforms, and even provides enough to fund a handful of new initiatives. And, significantly, it does not require raising taxes.

A 4-3 vote by the Worcester County Commissioners has jeopardized the future of a 42-unit affordable housing project operated by Diakonia. Diakonia’s current facility on Old Bridge Road can no longer meet the needs of the growing local population of homeless and livelihood-stressed individuals who need help getting back on their feet.

With the hometown Washington Commanders seeking a new coach, there’s lots of talk of which candidates came off whose “coaching tree.” One candidate came off the Bill Belichick coaching tree. Another came off the John Harbaugh coaching tree. And it got me thinking. That same coaching tree idea is true of the incredible teachers in our community. This past Tuesday, longtime MCPS teacher and former MCEA president Chris Lloyd passed away.

Christopher Judy is thrilled. At least as much as his cautious nature allows. The head of the shellfish program for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Judy is delighted to report what he calls an “historic spat set,” referring to the crucial moment in the oyster lifecycle when larvae successfully attach to a hard underwater surface, often a piece of shell, where they can gradually grow into adult oysters. The DNR’s annual survey of spat set conducted last fall recorded something extraordinary: Not only are the overall numbers high, but, most crucially, baby oysters turned up all over the place.

In the MoCo360 “Local Views” council member (Dist.6) Natali Fani-Gonzalez opines how she sees her proposed ZTA23-09 as “a big win for the rural economy and the Agricultural Reserve.” I do not share that view, and neither do the Montgomery Agricultural Producers or the Montgomery County Farm Bureau, nor do the local civic associations in the Ag Reserve (Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Sugarloaf Citizens Association). www.mocoalliance.org/news.

It is often said that things can be done well or they can be done in a hurry, but usually not both. With that adage in mind, our organizations urge Maryland’s elected decision makers to chart a deliberate course during the upcoming session on issues related to siting ground-mounted solar on agricultural lands. The state has legislated aggressive goals for renewable energy generation, and the bulk of that generation seems poised to come in the form of ground-mounted solar arrays on agricultural fields.