Politics

Maryland’s high-profile race to replace U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin is off to a quick start, with four Democrats almost immediately jumping in for the rare chance to win an open seat in Washington, D.C., next year. Cardin, a three-term senator who’s been involved in Maryland politics for nearly six decades, is not seeking reelection in 2024.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore stepped into national political issues Sunday, using a graduation speech in Atlanta to blast conservative attempts at book banning and curriculum restrictions. “I look around our country and I see book banning. I look around the country right now and I’m seeing people being censored, teachers being censored. I see curriculum with the truth being taken out,” the Democratic governor said to graduates of Morehouse College, an all-male historically black college.

Across two budget hearings this month, residents urged the Anne Arundel County Council to consider raises for school nurses and library staff similar to those slated for teachers in the upcoming fiscal year. County Executive Steuart Pittman’s proposed fiscal 2024 budget of $2.14 billion includes fully funding Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ request for teacher raises and exceeds state requirements from the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education overhaul.

Minutes ago, the Montgomery County Council voted 7-4 to increase property taxes by 4.7 percent. The increase is much less than the 10 percent proposed by County Executive Marc Elrich but is necessary to fund increased spending in the FY24 budget, particularly for MCPS. It was apparent that there was no love in the room for the tax increase. Even its defenders seemed to hold their noses as they voted for it.

The Frederick County Council on Tuesday approved a list of amendments that trim next year’s budget proposal by $5.175 million and remove 13 proposed county government positions. County Executive Jessica Fitzwater proposed an $894 million budget for fiscal year 2024 in April, then proposed an additional $14 million supplemental budget last week for Frederick County Public Schools.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed an executive order pushing state agencies to promote sustainability through data collection, audits and internal projects that work reduce the effects of climate change in Maryland. According to a press release Thursday, Moore wants his administration to “lead by example” in energy conservation. The executive order says that “state agencies should play a leading role in achieving the State’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.”

When Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott was under pressure to tackle the city’s longstanding issue with young men and women squeegeeing windows on city street corners, he turned to data. The city’s Democratic first-term mayor had staff pull together data detailing street corners where the practice was most prevalent, who city staff were interacting with most and call logs from city motorists who were lodging complaints.

From Harford County government and Harford County Public Schools: The Harford County Board of Education and County Executive Bob Cassilly have each agreed to contribute additional funding for school operations in FY24 and to collaborate year-round on the efficient use of taxpayer funds. The joint agreement is the result of extensive discussions between HCPS, the Cassilly administration and County Council to resolve concerns about next year’s budget and to lay the groundwork for better communication and cooperation.