Democratic party machine in Maryland set for major losses in 2018 after coverups.

Here is a poster which will cost the Democratic Party in Maryland dearly in 2018. Unless Democratic Party machine in Maryland does something to change the perseption, Mr. Baker appears determined to go down with the entire Democratic Party system in Maryland after engaging in a series of misleading posts such as the one shown above.

Everybody knows Mr. Baker did not fight corruption. If anything, he promoted and covered up serious issues to the detriment of Prince George’s county. There continues to be major political violations including promotion of candidates with ties to corruption and corrupt networks such Mr. Calvin Hawkins. (See post below) Money disappeared under Mr. Hawkins and then covered up, yet he wants to be elected for at large seat in 2018. How is that going to happen without accountability? In this paper, we study candidate self-selection with respect to two dimensions of character: public spirit, which is defined as altruism toward other citizens, and honesty, which is defined as susceptibility to corruption. Those two characteristics impact the quality of governance, defined as the net benefit the representative citizen derives from the public sector. In our model, citizens who run for office may hope to benefit from both legitimate compensation (salary and ego-rents) and illicit compensation (contributions or bribes from interest groups). Moreover, dishonest citizens extract greater rents from holding office because of special interest politics. As a result, the citizens with the greatest incentive to run for office are those who are maximally dishonest, and either maximally or minimally public-spirited.

On another note, Others online feel that, Mr. Baker should retire and spend more time caring for his wife who has been sick. (See posts below). Either way, if Mr. Baker is going to be in the ballot for any position in the next several months, watch this space, the Maryland Democratic machine in Maryland will suffer loses never seen before. They will pay the price for cover up of corruption in multiple areas starting with the school systems.

The problem for Democrats is not money, Trump, or, even as some suggest, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The problem for Democrats is they suffer from a cultural detachment as shown in this case here or in the recent elections in the South and areas of the Midwest and now promotion of candidates such as Mr. Baker in Maryland. Until they are willing to accept candidates that don’t adhere to left-wing orthodoxy promulgated by the party at the national level, they’ll keep losing, just like they did in Georgia and South Carolina.

Contrary to the false narrative many helped build about people who live in the south, many of them are not the all-encompassing right-wing fanatics people make them out to be. They are sympathetic to Democratic positions on issues such as healthcare, entitlements and the economy.

Trump won big in the South because he stressed economic issues above all else, but he aligned himself with voters on cultural issues such as abortion and the Second Amendment. People in the South have concerns with trade practices, NAFTA and the lack of manufacturing jobs. But they also have guns to protect their homes and go to the range from time to time to shoot. They also sympathize with the unborn, and when Democrats condescendingly dismiss their concerns with a finger wag or adhere to Pelosi-held viewpoints, they look to Republicans.

Democratic Party in Maryland has been making positive statements on the surface and then doing the complete opposite is what will bring the party down hard. For example,.. …”Democrats know that achieving the American dream requires strong public schools that level the playing field for young people regardless of income, gender or race. And it requires an open heart and warm welcome to immigrants who seek opportunity to work and become Americans in our land of opportunity. Those are the values we will celebrate this holiday weekend at picnics, parades, and family parties all across our beautiful state of Maryland.” …. Those who are in touch with reality knows the opposite of this statement to be true.

Democrats have to change how they recruit candidates to run for offices in Maryland, the south and midwest. If they keep using the same playbook, there will be plenty of moral victories, but it will be Republicans taking oaths of office as the democratic party shrinks in numbers never seen before.

more to come.

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What’s next for Prince George’s County after school board member indicted?

Prince George’s County Board of Education member Lynnette Mundey

WASHINGTON — Her resignation wasn’t a surprise — but her indictment came as a shock.

Prince George’s County Board of Education member Lynnette Mundey had announced in June that she was leaving the board, stepping down, she told the Sentinel newspapers, to get her doctorate in education.

But this week, Mundey, an employee at the Government Accountability Office, was indicted, accused of gaming the school system she was appointed to serve. The Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office announced she and four other GAO workers — all parents of children in the PGCPS school system, were charged with falsifying documents so that their children could qualify for the free and reduced meals offered for children in need in the school system.

Dr. Segun Eubanks, the chair of the Prince George’s County school board, says the board was already working with County Executive Rushern Baker to find a replacement to fill the remainder of Mundey’s term. But Eubanks told WTOP the incident pushes the board to prove “that we are indeed going to work with as much integrity as possible — and I think we will.”

As a result of changes to the school board structure enacted after Baker was elected, the county executive has the power to appoint three school board members. Mundey holds an elected seat, but according to school board officials, her resignation allows the county executive the opportunity to appoint her successor to fill the remainder of her term.

The Board of Education met in executive session at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Maryland law allows public bodies like school boards, town and county councils to meet behind closed doors in “executive session” under a number of circumstances, including personnel issues and when obtaining legal advice.

via WTOP

WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.

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Baker holds private meeting to explain police station foul up

Mr. Rushern Baker III has been under pressure to perform and denounce corruption in the county 

UPPER MARLBORO, Md.

According to WUSA9, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker met privately late Monday afternoon with community leaders from Fort Washington to explain his side of an embarrassing budget situation that has produced a new $14 million dollar county police station with no funding for the officers to occupy it upon completion.

The meeting was held at the county administration building in Upper Marlboro, according to Baker spokesman Scott Peterson.

Early in 2015, Baker proposed a budget that called for countywide furloughs of county workers and layoffs for some, while leaving enough money to staff the new District VII police station now near completion on Fort Washington Road.

The Prince George’s County Council rejected that proposal and instead called for a 2 percent cut to all departments countywide. That left police with insufficient funds for the station, according to chief Mark Magaw.

Baker vetoed the budget, but the council overrode him.

Meanwhile, crime in the area of the District VII station has been declining, according to Peterson.

The situation is part of the fallout over a bitter year in Prince George’s between the County Executive and the County Council, which rejected Baker’s bold plan to raise taxes 15 percent to fund a turnaround of the school system.

County Council Chairman Mel Franklin said delaying the opening of the station is “disrespectful” to those communities that had lobbied for it for 15 years and were eager to see it open in September 2015.

 “There was zero communication with the community,” said Franklin (D-Upper Marlboro), whose district would have been served by the station.

The budget finally adopted by the council raised taxes 4 percent despite the cuts that were made.

• >>> Read more Prince George’s built a police station, but says it can’t afford to open it.
• >>> wusa9

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County refuses to release names of Board of Education applicants

UPPER MARLBORO – Eight people have applied for the Board of Education seat vacated by Dan Kaufman, but county officials refused to disclose the names of the applicants to The Sentinel.

Tehani Collazo, the county executive’s education policy advisor, said County Executive Rushern Baker III’s office will not release the names, citing issues of confidentiality and privacy. The legal counsel for Baker suggested that under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) general provisions (GP) four through 101 and beyond, they have a justification for withholding names since they are only in the “accepting applications” stage of selecting an at-large board member.

“If you are simply jotting down a list of names to consider for the BOE vacancy, a strong argument can be made that the list of names could be withheld as an ‘intra-agency letter or memorandum’ under the MPIA exemption, found under GP 4-344,” Collazo said in an email response to The Sentinel.

In addition, the legal counsel advised that because the application process remains ongoing, all information pertaining to the applicants will come from the application documents, which are also considered “personal documents.”

“If you are at the stage where you are accepting applications, under GP 4-311, the names of those seeking appointment to an office may not be disclosed if the information is derived from their applications because they would be considered as ‘personnel records,’” Collazo said.

Baker’s legal counsel sought the rulings of the case of Office of the Governor v. Washington Post Company from 2000 and a letter from Assistant Attorney General Kathryn M. Rowe to Senator Leo E. Green in 2002. The case in 2000 ruled that government officials have no obligation under the MPIA to disclose any memoranda, letter, or similar internal government documents, which contain confidential conversations, that are used in the decision-making process. The letter from Rowe to Green speaks specifically to the release of the names applicants to the Board of Education citing applications as personal records, which are prohibited from being disclosed under law.

While Baker’s office cites the law as justification for not disclosing the applicants’ names, some citizens involved in Prince George’s County Public Schools said feel the county administrations needs to have more transparency.

Felicia Meadows, an employee and “product” of Prince George’s County Public Schools, said she believes one person shouldn’t have “sole responsibility in the selection of something that affects a large organization.”

“There is a distrust of political officials overall, therefore transparency is needed to regain the trust of the people,” Meadows said. “In every other arena, full disclosure of applicants is made available to ensure that candidates are qualified and can meet the needs of the positions for which they are applying.”

Meadows, said she hopes Baker will select a board member who is dedicated to the needs of the children in the district, rather than personal agendas.

“People who are selected to sit on the Board should have a vested interest in education and our children and not use their position for personal or professional gain,” Meadows said.

Via Prince George’s county sentinel

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Prince George’s County Seat Could Be Moving to Largo.

The Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III is buying a new building for his office, and it could mean a big transition for a central part of the county’s government. The idea is suprising as the County is said not to have money. Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins reports, the move has people wondering about the future of the county’s seat. (Published Friday, Jul 10, 2015)

A new multimillion-dollar building in Largo, Maryland, for the Prince George’s County Executive’s office could mean a major move for part of the county government.

Details are still being worked out, but the possible move has some folks wondering about the future of the county seat, which has been in Upper Marlboro since its founding in 1696. But Upper Marlboro is considered somewhat remote and hard to get to, which is why the county government has slowly moved to Largo since County Executive Rushern Baker took office.

Largo is right off the Beltway and in the center of the county. The county has been buying property in that area – most recently 1301 McCormick Drive, purchased for $21.7 million. Sources close to the purchase say it was bought to be the new home of the County Executive’s Office and the County Council.

The County Council withheld the $12 million needed to actually move those offices. Some council members aren’t clear on why that particular location will benefit workers and residents, sources say.
Meanwhile, Upper Marlboro’s Main Street business owners, who depend on those county workers, are concerned.

>>> Read more NBC 4

Current Prince George’s County HQ is in perfect shape.***

It’s an official big mess in Prince George’s County

Tax debates highlight community concerns

Mr. Rushern Baker –The current County Executive for Prince George’s County is known not to be a man of his word according to Prince George’s County NAACP Chapter and is deeply involved in the scandal comprising Dr. kevin Maxwell 

Kudos to the Prince George’s County Council for the recent reaction and veto concerning tax hikes advanced by the Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III. However, on Monday June 15th, 2015, Mr. Rushern L. Baker III announced  that he will veto parts of the budget approved by the County Council, restoring most of the tax increases that lawmakers rejected and setting up a possible legal showdown between the two branches of government. The County Council approved tax increase that would benefit the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission and teacher retirement system which was meant to help stop the fiasco to some degree.

While the parks system is valuable, priorities should dictate that additional revenue go to county schools which has no accountability mechanism to the determent of the county citizenry. According to Mr. Baker, the county schools need much more resources.  Mr. Baker repeated an assertion made by his aides last week that the council acted illegally when it cut much of his proposed 15-cent property tax hike.

While Baker’s rationale for the veto makes sense to some degree, his criticism of the council’s actions spotlights concerns that exist in his own office, as well. According to some county parents who did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, they stated that the county ranks in the top five in the nation on per capita spending on school children. The funding is already more than adequate. In any case, money is not the problem and raising taxes to hire more administrators, relatives, and politically-connected contractors is not going to improve school performance. Mr. Baker and the council needs to focus on the money being wasted at Sasscer Administrative Building in Upper Marlboro. Dr. Kevin Maxwell either needs to be reigned in to do the right thing or resign his position.

In any event, in a letter to council Chairman Mel Franklin (See attached below), Baker explains that the council did not “sufficiently inform the public” about the increase. Franklin says the budget meeting was open to the public and a video of the meeting was online, but Baker is right. The council should have made a more significant effort to alert residents about plans to raise the tax and sought their input. It’s the same criticism Baker faced when he decided to overhaul the school board in 2013 with a personal motive, only a few weeks left in the legislative session and little opportunity for input from residents.

Sufficient time must be allotted for community involvement in such important decisions, whether they are made by the council or the county executive.

Baker’s letter also mentions that the council’s lack of public engagement prevented discussions on the “propriety of such an increase.” He mentions that the council didn’t extend the “same courtesy” he provided to residents by hosting community forums as he sought to increase property taxes by 15.6 percent.

What Baker fails to mention, however, is that the increase he was seeking was a slap in the face to county residents who felt blindsided by his proposal. The county has a decades-old, voter-imposed tax cap that Baker circumvented using a fairly recent state law that allows him to override county rules if the tax hike benefits schools. The county tax cap did not apply to M-NCPPC’s funding.

So while it’s wonderful that Baker took a community approach to his proposed tax hike, many questioned the “propriety” and “courtesy” of his efforts, as well.

Additionally, if a County Council cannot alter/amend a budget submitted by the county executive who is on his last term, we do not live in a democracy! The County Council needs to play it’s rightful role and put Mr. Baker on the spotlight instead of the other way around.

The only thing that appears clear in this whole taxing mess is that county leaders clearly aren’t on the same page regarding priorities, and both branches need to work harder to ensure taxpayers — those footing the bill for such major decisions — become a critical part of the process on a consistent basis.

On this note, as we have said it before more than a year ago today, and will keep saying it. The Democratic’s choice for County Executive in Prince George’s at the moment is appalling. It’s like letting a snake enter your house and bite your child’s buttock as you watch. (Read more ~ Major Scandal underway)

• >>>see the video here
• Read more>>> Baker to veto parts of budget; sets up showdown with Pr. George’s council By Arelis R. Hernández
• Read more>>>Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker Promises to Veto Revised Budget By Tracee Wilkins
• Read more >>>Battle over budget could leave Prince George’s County in legal limbo By Megan Cloherty | @ClohertyWTOP
• Read more>>>Shutdown looming? County executive vetoes Council’s budget calling it “illegal” by  Michael Sykes

Prince George’s County Council led Mr. Mel Franklin must do the right thing and Keep the County Executive in proper Check. 

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“There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say, there are things we now know that we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don’t know” – Donald Henry Rumsfeld, US Diplomat.

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Prince George’s County Council vote unanimously to override Baker’s veto.

Prince George’s County council overrode Baker’s veto with a 9-0 vote. As a result of new corruption involving Baker, his aides et al, the county is falling behind. 

FORT WASHINGTON – The Prince George’s County Council and County Executive Rushern Baker III are at odds again after the Council voted unanimously to override Baker’s veto of the adopted Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning (M-NCPPC) budget.

Last week the County Council adopted a budget slashing Baker’s proposal to raise taxes by 15 percent to fund $133 million in additional funds for the county school system, instead voting to raise taxes by only 4 percent. However, the council also approved a budget for M-NCPPC that includes a 1.5 percent property tax increase.

Baker, who did not propose a tax increase in the M-NCPPC budget, vetoed the council’s budget but the council overrode it with a 9-0 vote.

“While I’m not surprised at the County Council’s decision, it is certainly unfortunate that they chose to raise people’s taxes for more parks and recreation, something we don’t need at this time,” Baker said. “We already have world class facilities and programs for our youth and our community. I know that we need the same level of investment to achieve a world class education system for our students.”

The planning department faces a structural deficit, Council Chairman Mel Franklin said, with expenses exceeding revenue on an annual basis. The department originally asked the county to increase property taxes by three cents, he said, but the council cut the proposal in half.

“1.5 cents today would be double or triple that next year if we do nothing and put it off for a year,” Franklin said. “The county executive decided to veto because he wants to wait until next year. With all due respect to the county executive, this veto is disappointing and fiscally irresponsible.”

Cutting funding for M-NCPP this year would mean a loss of 20 percent of funding to summer youth programs, reducing hours of operation by 10 percent to 30 percent at community centers and other public facilities, according to an impact study conducted by M-NCPPC.

Baker said the county needs to emphasize providing better school facilities for children, not parks and planning departments.

“I have to tell you that I am appalled by the council’s decision to increase the property tax rate by five percent on citizens in Prince George’s County. This was an increase that was never discussed during any of our meetings over the last month,” Baker said.

The county has increased taxes to fund M-NCPP 13 times since 1978, Baker said, and another increase did not need to happen this year.

“It is not strategic or visionary. And it is not an unfunded mandate from the state,” Baker said.

Franklin disagreed with Baker, saying the tax is necessary because if it is not imposed this year, it must be imposed in the future and the cost will be greater because of the county’s structural deficit.

Lehman, who voted against the council’s overall budget last week, voted to support the override of Baker’s veto because the council needs to be unified in their approach to fixing the county’s deficits.

The council needs to work with M-NCPP, Lehman said, to reduce the project charges that have gotten out of control.

Despite the obvious differences between Baker and the council, both sides insist that there are no problems. Baker said it is a matter of “difference on issues.”

“The relationship with the council is just that we disagree with what the priorities of the county are and where we need to make improvement,” Baker said. “We disagree fundamentally on what would move this county forward and I think that’s just it.”

Franklin said there may be a lapse of communication between Baker and his staff causing the disagreements. Baker had staff present during some of the public sessions where the council discussed the planning tax, Franklin said.

“They heard, in detail, the conversation about the various scenarios of rate increases and what could happen if we don’t do anything,” Franklin said. “We still will work together with the County Executive on all kinds of issues. There is no sort of schism between the County Executive and the County Council. It’s just that these are the natural checks and balances of government.”

“It wasn’t done in a way, in terms of timing, where our residents got to hear it. It wasn’t out there when we were having our public hearings,” Lehman said. “The information needs to be out there in a transparent way so our residents can react. That is something that concerns me.”

Instead of continuing to raise taxes to aid M-NCPP and other county operations, Judy Robinson, a community activist and retired M-NCPP secretary, said, the county should look to cut expenses and reduce spending.

“My budget had to go down because I’m not working full time anymore. When you can’t afford things, what do you do? You cut expenses,” Robinson said. “That’s absolutely what our government needs to do. We need to cut expenses.”

The citizens asked for no tax increases, Robinson said, even if they were minimal and did not go toward education. Citizens still are not going to be happy with the smaller tax increases and having their money go to M-NCPP.

No decisions on the overall budget have been made, Baker said. According to Thomas Himler, deputy chief administrative officer in Baker’s office, the executive has until June 16 to make any other decisions.

>>> Read more Prince George’s County Sentinel

Prince George’s County council overrode Baker’s veto with a 9-0 vote in order to improve the environment through the M-NCPP park system.***

Prince George’s Baker gives up on raising property taxes 15 percent

County Executive Rushern Baker III

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – A proposed plan to help turnaround the Prince George’s County school system has been dramatically scaled back.

Through a spokesman, council members declined to comment on the revamped proposal in advance of Thursday’s vote. Before Wednesday, not a single council member had come out in support of the 15 percent tax increase.

Now, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker is instead asking for $65 million to pay for improvements designed to make the struggling school system one of the top 10 in Maryland. Originally, Baker called for a 15 percent property tax increase to the tune of $133 million to pay for his plan. The new proposal is about half of the original amount, but would still likely require some form of a tax increase.

However, Prince George’s county is consistently in the top 5 spenders amongst large school districts in the country. Many of us don’t think the amount is the problem… the problem is what they are spending it on… and the other parts of the equation – i.e. quality of parenting, home life, value placed on education at home. Lack of transparency and accountability is destroying the county to the ground.

“$65 million is the minimum investment we can make that will move us forward and significantly improve our ranking in the state,” Baker said. “Any investment less than that will not move the needle.”

Baker had repeatedly said the original increase was necessary to improve the county school system. However, some school board members were skeptical about any tax hike.

“If you’re going to have a serious compromise that you want to benefit kids, you can not increase property taxes at all without having a conversation about accountability, transparency and performance metrics. Whether you go halfway or all the way, if you don’t talk about auditing you’re not helping kids,” Edward Burroughs, a Prince George’s County School Board member said.

In addition to scaling back funding, Baker is also suggesting any tax hike for schools should only be temporary. Instead, he’s proposing a tax hike should only last for five years until the MGM Casino and other development projects in the county are completed and begin producing revenue.

While Baker calls the revised plan a comprise, critics call it a last ditch effort in the face of certain defeat. His original plan had no chance of passing the town council, and Baker is running out of time to make good on his promise to make the county school system one of the top 10 in the state in five years.

one blogger asked Mr. Baker to his face where the money was going to go. (See below). However, Mr. Baker did not respond. The problem with politicians like Baker is that they look for the easy way out. Instead of doing an overhaul of education to fix the problems of waste and graft, they just raise taxes and leave the problems to fester. The voters in Maryland are tired of this lazy approach.

The county council will vote at 1 p.m. Thursday on the proposed plan, which council members opted not to comment on Wednesday.

@scottbroom @CountyExecBaker @wusa9 Is there a specific revised PGCPS budget proposal? Where would the revised dollar amts go?

— Bradley Heard (@BradleyHeard) May 27, 2015

wusa9 contributed to this story.

http://www.pgtaxwatch.org/education.html

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County officials upset with Hogan.

UPPER MARLBORO – Despite a call for full funding at the behest of the Prince George’s County Council,  County Executive Rushern Baker III and Prince George’s County Public Schools, Governor Larry Hogan has decided to withhold the remaining 50 percent of the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) funding the county has sought.

PGCPS released a statement calling Hogan’s actions “disastrous” and saying the governor has a “disdain” for public schools.

“We are disappointed and mystified by Governor Hogan’s decision to reduce funding by half for GCEI, especially after the General Assembly worked so hard to restore this funding,” the statement said. “Whether this decision is due to a desire to play politics, misplaced priorities, or poor advice, what the Governor should know is that the children and families of PGCPS will be the ones punished by this very unfortunate action.”

PGCPS would have received $40 million from the state had the governor chosen to fully grant GCEI funding statewide. Instead, according to the statement, they will only receive $20 million, which is the equivalent of removing 240 teachers from classrooms throughout the county.

The Maryland General Assembly passed Senate bill 183 requiring Hogan to fully grant GCEI funding to the state, but the appropriation of the full funding is not mandated until FY 2017 while the budget just approved by the general assembly is for FY 2016.

With Hogan refusing to fully grant the rest of the GCEI funding to the county, PGCPS must now make decisions on whether they must cut costs from anywhere in their budget according to Sherrie Johnson, spokeswoman for PGCPS.

“We are still determining these things,” Johnson said. “No decisions for any cuts have been made as of yet.”

This is a move to ensure that pensions for Maryland state employees and teachers are not put at risk for reduction, according to Hogan.

“I was elected to deliver fiscal responsibility to Annapolis, which means putting an end to the damaging, budgetary gimmicks that put the state’s long term financial stability at risk,” Hogan said.

The Sentinel previously reported Hogan’s decision to slash GCEI funding by 50 percent, saving the state $143 million. Prince George’s County loses $20 million in GCEI funding as a result of the 50 percent cut from the state.

Baker questioned the commitment to the state’s education system from Hogan. This is doing a disservice to the children across the county and the state, Baker said.

“I believe it is a disservice to the people of Prince George’s County and a significant disinvestment in the children and future of this county and our state,” Baker said.

The county’s proposed budget that would help make PGCPS a top 10 school system by the year 2020, according to Baker, is seeking to make an additional investment in the school system that the state will not make.

“I proposed this investment based on data that consistently evidenced a deterioration of our school system over the past two decades in a number of areas, including teacher salaries and inequities in the types and level of resources offered to our children,” Baker said.

That is not a popular decision among county residents, Baker said, but the county must take a stand and “put politics aside” in order to make “fact-based” decisions and support the education system.

“It is disheartening that the Governor is not showing the same level of dedication to Prince George’s County children, who should also be highly valued children of the State of Maryland,” Baker said.

Despite Baker’s questions about his commitment to education in Maryland, Hogan said he is still committed to funding the education system and has increased education funding by $109 million from last year’s budgeted amount.

Overall, Hogan has committed $6.1 billion overall to K-12 education in the state including a $318 million investment in school construction.

“I also want to set the record straight on the investments my administration has made in K-12 education, including a $109 million increase in funding over last year,” Hogan said. “We have taken steps to grow education funding, but the state still faces $18.7 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, following $625 million in cuts to pension contributions in the last few years. To address this situation, I’ve decided not to follow the General Assembly’s recommendation to raid the pension fund.”

Removing money from pension funds would be “shortsighted and irresponsible,” Hogan said, and constituents elected him to “end this very type of reckless budgeting and governing.”

Pensions for employees are important, said County Council Chairman Mel Franklin, but the state legislature is finding ways to balance those issues along with education funding. This is a long-term issue, Franklin said, that will take more than cuts to solve.

“We’re going to have to address this on the state and local levels. We all are going to have to address this,” Franklin said. “My understanding is that the legislature found ways to fund these things and also provide equity and opportunity for education.”

Franklin said he is disappointed the governor is withholding the rest of the GCEI funding for the state. The reason for this funding, Franklin said, is to deliver an equitable and adequate education to children across the state.

“That’s why we have the funding distribution the way we have it in the state. It is to create equality and opportunity for all students. So when that funding is held hostage by the governor, it undermines equality and opportunity throughout the state,” Franklin said.

This is not about a dollar figure, Franklin said, but it is about the equal opportunity the dollar figure affords children in Maryland.

Hogan will not sign SB 183, he said, but the legislation passed favorably in the House (88-51) and Senate (32-15), collectively adding up to three more votes than needed to pass the bill.

via Prince George’s County Sentinel

Prince George’s County Council

County Executive Rushern Baker III

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Baker endorses Van Hollen while majority of Council endorses Edwards.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-4)

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-8)

County Executive Rushern Baker III and the County Council may find themselves at odds once again.

Baker announced last Wednesday he has endorsed Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-8) for the U.S. Senate in the upcoming 2016 election, but some members of the County Council have chosen to go a different route and elected to endorse Donna Edwards (D-4).

Baker said he chose to endorse Van Hollen rather than Edwards, a Prince George’s County representative and native, because of their experience working together in the state legislature. The two have a history of working together, he said, and “rolling up [their] sleeves” on difficult issues.

“That’s the type of relationship I’ve had with Senator (Barbara) Mikulski. I know that Chris, going over to the Senate, will do that,” Baker said. “It was an easy decision in this respect. I don’t just know him as a name or as a congressman—I know him personally and I know the working relationship.”

However, all members of the Prince George’s County Council except for Councilman Todd Turner and Councilwoman Deni Taveras announced their support for Edwards at Prince George’s County Community College Wednesday.

Edwards thanked the council members for their support and said she looks forward to working with them at the Senate level.

“I am thrilled to stand with my partners on the Prince George’s County Council,” Edwards said. “Together, we have worked tirelessly to improve education, expand economic development, and stand up for our seniors. I thank them for their support, and look forward to continue working with them in the United States Senate.”

Mel Franklin, Chairman of the Prince George’s County Council, said he will stand with Edwards as works to stand in Senator Mikulski’s “trailblazing” shoes in her senate seat.

“Donna’s experiences and values have made her who she is today, a principled, progressive fighter with a unique, proven record of improving the lives of working families,” Franklin said. “That is what she has done in Prince George’s County, and that is what she will do for all Marylanders.”

Van Hollen said he is happy to have the support of Baker, as well as Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett who also attended the press conference where Baker made his announcement.

Van Hollen represents Congressional District 8, which used to include part of Prince George’s County as recently as 2013. In Congress, Van Hollen said he has done his best to give citizens the best opportunities to “live the American dream.”

>>> Read more 

Prince George’s County Council

County Executive Rushern Baker III

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