Politics

Despite receiving only one bid that came in over budget, the Annapolis City Council voted Monday to approve a $1.8 million overhaul of traffic signals and crosswalks at Church Circle, a crucial intersection in downtown Annapolis. The 6-3 vote followed a long presentation from Lisa Grieco, a civil engineer in the city’s Department of Public Works, who argued that after five years of planning, it was time to move forward with the project despite skyrocketing costs. “Public Works deems this a safety issue that cannot be ignored,” Grieco said. “Unfortunately we received only a single bid.” That bid, from Glen Burnie contractor Scott A. Duncan, came in at $1.6 million, double the projected construction estimate. A company spokesperson said he could not explain the high cost and the company’s owner was not available Tuesday.

Joe Vogel and Jeffrie Long Jr. became the first members of Gen Z elected to the Maryland General Assembly this month. Vogel, a 25-year-old political activist, immigrated from Uruguay to Rockville as a toddler. He’s gay, Jewish and Latino, and each of those aspects of his identity shape his perspective. Starting in January, the Democrat will represent the people of Montgomery County’s Rockville and Gaithersburg in Annapolis alongside incumbent state Dels. Kumar Barve (D) and Julie Palakovich Carr (D).

A virtual hearing for a Maryland judge to decide on whether to remove Prince George’s County Board of Education Chair Juanita Miller from her position began Monday and will last all week. The hearing that’s presided over by Richard O’Connor, an administrative law judge with the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings, is scheduled to resume Dec. 19-21. Miller, appointed as chair in January 2021 by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D), faces allegations of misconduct in office, willful neglect of duty and incompetence, brought against her by six former and current school board members.

Not long after Ann Swanson began working to restore the Chesapeake Bay, she found herself speaking about it to a group of grade school students. One youngster raised his hand and asked her, “What are you going to do when the Bay is saved? What’s your next job? Swanson recalls that question with a wry smile. She never got another job. She’s been laboring for nearly four decades to clean up and revitalize the ailing estuary. On Nov. 21, she retired after almost 35 years as executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the tri-state legislative advisory body that’s been a key player in the long-running regional effort.

The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus welcomed the highest number of Democratic Latino lawmakers elected to Congress, during a Friday event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. CHC BOLD PAC chair, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, said continuing to reach out to Latino communities and young voters will be key to taking back the House in 2024, as this week control went to House Republicans following the midterm elections. Gallego said Latinos came out and voted for Democrats in three key Senate races — in Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania — and he expects the number of Latinos who come out to vote in 2024 will be even higher than in the midterms.

Outgoing Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced Monday that he was overruling decades of antiquated, racist legal opinions his predecessors had issued, wiping away some of the many vestiges of systems that denied equality to Black people. The 22 rulings, rendered unconstitutional by courts for decades, had helped state agencies uphold segregation, discriminate against people of color and deny marriage licenses based on race. While Frosh’s office noted the opinions now have no legal teeth, formally overruling them helps Maryland atone for generations of racist policies.

Anne Arundel County Sheriff-elect Everett Sesker won a historic victory against Republican Sheriff Jim Fredericks last week after several rounds of ballot counting. A Democrat, Sesker campaigned on a progressive vision for the sheriff’s office. He hopes to use the agency, which is mostly responsible for Circuit Court security and legal service, to tackle cyclical crime caused by addiction and mental illness. When he is sworn in at the circuit courthouse in Annapolis on Dec. 6, Sesker will become the first Black sheriff of Anne Arundel County.