Politics

Josh Bokee, a former alderman for the city of Frederick, became the second candidate in the 2024 Frederick County Board of Education race last week. Bokee filed as a candidate Friday. “I start from the premise that every student should have the opportunity to have a great education,” he said in an interview. So far, the only other candidate in the race is Jaime Brennan, chair of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty.

Local officials have expressed concern over proposed cuts outlined by Maryland’s secretary of transportation, which could mean a hit of more than $17 million to Montgomery County’s Ride On bus service. The cuts proposed by State Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld, if adopted, would represent a “massive blow” to the county bus service, newly-elected County Council President Andrew Friedson said in a briefing with reporters Monday.

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (D-At-large) has launched a new federal political action committee to support progressive candidates, the organization announced Friday. Will of the People PAC was created to support “leaders who will reject the zero-sum politics of today and take real action to build an economy that works for all, protect our community from attacks on our fundamental rights, support our children’s education, and finally fix our broken healthcare system,” according to an email release the group issued Monday morning.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott will unveil an ambitious $3 billion plan Monday to attack the city’s thousands of vacant properties, promising to address a decades-old problem with funding from a newly created Tax Increment Financing zone and a yet-to-be-secured state investment. The proposal, which Scott plans to announce Monday evening alongside officials from the Greater Baltimore Committee and Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development, calls for a mix of public and private financing that would be used over 15 years to broaden the city’s existing approach to rehabilitating vacant properties.

The president of Maryland’s state Senate expressed concerns Friday about tying the Baltimore Orioles’ new lease at Camden Yards to an agreement on development near the ballpark. A spokesman for Gov. Wes Moore said the administration will work to address those concerns, with less than a month remaining before the team’s current lease expires.

An early entry into Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District race has announced she will withdraw and focus on issues before the General Assembly. Maryland House Ways and Means Chair Vanessa Atterbeary (D-Howard) announced her intention last month to run to succeed Rep. John Sarbanes (D), who is not seeking a 10th term.

Maryland and its 24 major local jurisdictions employ thousands of correctional officers to oversee, manage and try to maintain order in jails, prisons and other facilities. Notably missing in some county jails: windows. That’s because they aren’t required to install them in areas where employees work, said Amanda Tondin, a Talbot County correctional officer and a programs coordinator at the county jail.

Howard County’s longtime auditor, who faced opposition earlier this year for a report that critics said exceeded his authority and unfairly probed a historically Black sorority, is no longer in office. The county’s council, which appoints the local government’s auditor, had “decided to move in a different direction” from Craig Glendenning, who has held the locality’s watchdog post for 11 years, District 2 Councilmember Opel Jones said Sunday.