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Political Notes: Certified election results in Montgomery show 35-vote win for Elrich, uncertainty remains in Frederick council race
August 15, 2022 -

The Montgomery County Board of Elections on Saturday certified the results of the July 19 primary election, with County Executive Marc Elrich leading the democratic primary for that office by 35 votes over challenger David Blair. Blair, who narrowly lost the party nomination to Elrich four years ago by 77 votes, has indicated he will seek a recount in the close contest. His campaign has 72 hours from the election’s certification to make a formal request.

Read More: Maryland Matters
100 us dollar bill
City delays leave Baltimore nonprofits waiting up to two years for needed funds
August 12, 2022 -

Baltimore City’s backlog of payments to local nonprofits for federal housing grants ballooned during the pandemic, leaving many organizations to wait between 18 months and two years to receive their promised funds. It’s a delay that advocates for Baltimore nonprofits say can hobble organizations, especially those with shoestring staffs, who rely on the federal grant funding to meet basic needs such as paying employees and providing them with health care benefits. The problem really goes to the heart of an organization’s ability to deliver critical services,” said Heather Iliff, the president of Maryland Nonprofits, who said the housing funds are just the most extreme point in broader grant processing issues for the city. 

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Baltimore County exec shoots down school board request to tap $50M surplus for pay raises
August 12, 2022 -

A Baltimore County school board request to use $50 million in surplus funds for teacher and staff pay raises is on shaky ground after County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said the request was fiscally irresponsible and would cost taxpayers a half-million dollars over five years. The board of education on Tuesday voted unanimously to ask Olszewski, a Democrat, to use millions of leftover funds to raise salaries for teachers, administrators, bus drivers and other school employees. The money would cover raises for just one year, and the school system would need to scrounge up millions more within its existing budget to sustain the higher pay in subsequent years without added cost to taxpayers.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
From lower prescription costs to cleaner power, here’s what the federal ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ means for Maryland
August 12, 2022 -

A landmark federal climate and health bill making its way to the finish line includes everything from a cap on Medicare patients’ costs for insulin to tax credits for manufacturing solar panels and support for offshore wind power. The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to pass the $740 billion package Friday, after the Senate approved it along party lines earlier this week. “It’s been a long and winding road, but the Inflation Reduction Act is almost at the White House door,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday in Baltimore.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Facing hotter working conditions, activists await new state regulations on employee protections
August 12, 2022 -

A video of a UPS driver collapsing on the job in Arizona went viral last month. After a brief pause, the employee rises and goes back to work. Millions of workers are toiling under similar conditions as heat waves ravage the country this summer. In Maryland, backers of legislation to protect workers against heat stress are frustrated by what they call the Hogan administration’s “lack of urgency” and transparency in creating regulations to implement the bill, nearly two years after it became law. The recent heat wave highlights the importance of heat regulations as the Maryland Department of Labor continues work on carrying out House Bill 722, which passed the General Assembly in 2020.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Countering Navy’s plan for a golf course, Anne Arundel County executive proposes lease of Greenbury Point as conservation area
August 12, 2022 -

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman has proposed the county lease the land at Greenbury Point in Annapolis to stave off plans by the U.S. Navy for the development there of an 18-hole golf course .On Wednesday, Pittman sent a letter to Capt. Homer R. Denius, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Annapolis, requesting a long-term lease of the 240-acre Greenbury Point parcel for management by the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks as a conservation area with public walking trails. Pittman said he is prepared to spend county money to develop a concept design and collect public input.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Biden administration awards $6 million for improvements at Penn Station in Baltimore
August 12, 2022 -

Maryland will receive $6 million to fund improvements at Baltimore’s Penn Station, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday. The money will go toward creating new bus-only lanes on North Charles Street, adding curb additions at bus stops along North Charles and St. Paul streets, and making other curb improvements near the station. Other changes meant to improve connectivity for walkers and bicyclists include a secure space for bike parking, traffic light and crosswalk improvements on North Charles and St. Paul, new bridge railings, work on the Jones Falls Trail, interactive kiosks and public plaza improvements.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
It’s recount season in Md. Here’s where they’re happening and how they work.
August 11, 2022 -

Three weeks after Maryland’s primary elections, officials in three counties are preparing for recounts in unresolved contests. There are too-close-to-call races in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties. The search for the trained personnel needed for potentially time-consuming recounts is on, an elections official said. And the longer races remain up in the air, the tougher it will be for elections boards to meet critical deadlines for the general election in November.

Read More: Maryland Matters
New results show Di Cola winning County Council contest by one vote
August 11, 2022 -

Jazmin Di Cola has defeated Frederick County Council President M.C. Keegan-Ayer in a Democratic primary by one vote, according to a revised count released Wednesday. The Frederick County Board of Elections spent Wednesday rescanning thousands of mail-in and provisional ballots after a discrepancy forced officials to decertify initial results of the July 19 primary. The discrepancy — which came to light five days after results were initially certified — showed that there were more votes counted in the race between Keegan-Ayer and Di Cola than there were accepted ballots. Election officials told The Frederick News-Post that 96 ballots were double-scanned due to human error. In addition, officials found, in a folder, four provisional ballots that hadn’t been counted.

Read More: Frederick News Post
Carroll County’s Critical Farms Program to preserve an additional 109 acres of farmland, in Westminster
August 11, 2022 -

The Carroll Board of County Commissioners moved one step closer to setting aside another 109 acres of county farmland for land preservation, this time in Westminster. On Aug. 3, commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of an easement on property at 2525 Salem Bottom Road in Westminster, which is being bought by Douglas and Sandra Zepp. The property is being sold by the Estate of Lillian G. Muller.

Read More: Carroll County Times

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