Del. Brooke E. Lierman, a Democrat from Baltimore, and Harford County Govt Barry Glassman, a Republican, are presenting dueling visions of the job of comptroller to voters within the closing days of the marketing campaign.
Maryland
In Maryland comptroller race, two views of the same job
Whereas Glassman sees the function of Maryland’s chief monetary officer as a nonpartisan test on a authorities run principally by Democrats, Lierman mentioned she hopes to make use of the place to advance values she feels are shared by most residents.
They’re vying to interchange Peter Franchot, who has been comptroller since 2006 however stepped down this 12 months to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor. The comptroller serves four-year phrases and, in contrast to the governor, shouldn’t be restricted to 2 phrases.
If elected, Lierman could be the primary lady independently elected to the statewide workplace in Maryland on a ticket poised to make historical past with the state’s first Black governor and legal professional normal on the poll, alongside a candidate for lieutenant governor who could be the primary immigrant and Asian American to carry statewide workplace.
Extra low key in temperament and beliefs than the remainder of the statewide Republican slate, Glassman is operating as a mainstream conservative with a coveted endorsement. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) minimize his solely marketing campaign advert this cycle for Glassman, portraying them because the “center males” strolling down the middle of a rustic highway earlier than hopping in a pale yellow convertible, license plate: “Middlemen.”
Glassman mentioned he wrote in Hogan for president slightly than vote to reelect President Donald Trump in 2020 and, in contrast to Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox, Glassman by no means disputed the results of that election.
“Clearly, what I imagine in shouldn’t be according to folks on the ticket,” he mentioned in a telephone interview Wednesday, of a lineup that additionally consists of legal professional normal candidate Michael Peroutka. Peroutka has mentioned that if elected, he wouldn’t help legal guidelines enacted by the legislature if he believes they’re in battle along with his understanding of God’s legislation.
Democrats, nonetheless, say Glassman’s voting file on weapons, abortion and environmental coverage over 16 years within the state Home of Delegates and state Senate present he’s extra conservative than he would really like voters within the blue state to imagine.
“My opponent is aware of that his political opinions are exterior the mainstream, so his technique is to fake that the job of comptroller is only a bean counter slightly than an workplace that’s uniquely located to assist sort out the financial challenges that households and small companies are going through,” Lierman mentioned in a telephone interview Thursday.
The state comptroller, referred to as the state’s chief monetary officer or accountant, collects about $16 billion yearly in taxes, together with taxes on particular person and enterprise revenue, gross sales, gasoline, alcohol and tobacco. The workplace additionally handles info expertise for the state, paying the state’s payments and worker paychecks. The company has 1,100 workers and a funds of $110 million.
As comptroller, Lierman mentioned she would modernize the workplace by upgrading expertise to assist small enterprise house owners pay taxes extra effectively, and attain out to households and seniors who’re eligible for however not but receiving tax credit.
“That cash may also help these households construct monetary resilience,” she mentioned. “Particularly in these difficult occasions with inflation, households are counting their {dollars}, and we want to ensure the comptroller’s workplace is their advocate.”
Glassman mentioned he wished to run for comptroller as a result of he sees the function as largely bipartisan and would use his vote on the highly effective Board of Public Works to vet contracts and depart policymaking as much as the legislature.
“As comptroller, I’m going to comply with state legislation,” he mentioned.
Lierman, co-chair of the particular joint committee on pensions within the legislature, mentioned she would watchdog state pension fund investments in firms which might be prone to the damaging impacts of local weather change.
“We are able to’t bury our head within the sand,” she mentioned. “We’ve got to be good and comply with the market and safe our pension fund in order that it continues to get a robust return.”
Glassman mentioned he would regulate the state’s funding portfolio in uncommon circumstances.
“You’ve obtained to have a look at return and be cognizant of the truth that you’re dealing with pension funds that actually a whole bunch of hundreds of lecturers will depend on for years to come back,” he mentioned. “I’d not politicize investments.”
Glassman, who mentioned he doesn’t have the marketing campaign funds to promote as a lot as Lierman, mentioned a Washington Publish endorsement gave his marketing campaign a lift. (The Washington Publish’s editorial and opinions divisions are separate.)
Lierman downplayed the worth of partisan stability, pointing to former Democratic comptroller Louis L. Goldstein, whose four-decade stint as comptroller principally coincided with Democratic management of state authorities.
“He by no means had an issue calling out waste, fraud and abuse, and neither will I,” she mentioned.
Lierman, 43, lives within the Fells Level neighborhood and works as a civil rights and incapacity lawyer on the Baltimore agency Brown, Goldstein & Levy. She has a bachelor’s diploma from Dartmouth School and a legislation diploma from the College of Texas at Austin College of Legislation. She has served two phrases within the Home and bested Bowie Mayor Tim Adams for the Democratic nomination for comptroller.
Glassman, 60, was born and raised in Harford County, a traditionally rural county that has develop into extra suburban, on a farm and served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT earlier than incomes a bachelor’s diploma from Washington School in Chestertown. He raised sheep for many years and continues to be energetic in 4-H applications.
He labored in insurance coverage for Baltimore Fuel and Electrical whereas serving within the legislature and retired to run for county govt in 2014. Beneath his management, Glassman mentioned the county grew its surplus, gave seniors a tax break and maintains a totally funded pension fund. He beforehand served as president of the Maryland Affiliation of Counties.
Glassman mentioned lots of the land use and coverage questions raised on the county stage are nonpartisan, making ready him to hold out what he sees because the duties of comptroller. For him, the race boils all the way down to the “query of stability.”
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Maryland
Declines in revenue, federal aid drive cuts in proposed transportation projects – Maryland Matters
![Declines in revenue, federal aid drive cuts in proposed transportation projects – Maryland Matters Declines in revenue, federal aid drive cuts in proposed transportation projects – Maryland Matters](https://marylandmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/DSC_0311-scaled.jpeg)
Transportation projects around the state will be put on hold as officials grapple with ongoing budget constraints and a growing list of expensive projects.
A combination of budget pressures has created a $1.3 billion funding gap over a six year period, which Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said forced his department to defer projects across the state.
“We just don’t have enough dollars to do what we have to do within our means. So that’s what we’ve had to do,” he said.
The agency Tuesday released a draft of its latest Consolidated Transportation Program, a six-year budget that contains $19 billion in projects around the state. Wiedefeld said the draft required tough choices to address the budget gap, a “historical issue” that continues.
Wiedefeld said the state’s transportation funding shortfall is driven, in part, by an end to federal COVID-19 aid. Other factors include inflation, increased construction costs, less than expected revenue from the state’s gas tax, and reduced federal funding.
“The biggest one we do is we take a look at our financial forecast and all the ups and downs that may occur in the financial forecast,” Wiedefeld told reporters during a briefing Friday. “And so, in doing that, what we learned was that some of the projections that we had in terms of the growth of some of our sources were not growing at that rate, particularly our largest source of revenue, the motor fuel tax. There were some others that were either not growing or remaining flat again, not growing to the level that we’d hoped for.”
Wiedefeld said that resulted in roughly a $350 million decline in projected revenues over the six-year period of fiscal 2025-2030.
“At the same time, our operating costs continue to grow at a rate a little bit more significant that we have projected,” said Wiedefeld, adding $300 million in projected costs over the six-year period.
Counties scramble for answers, options as state signals deferral of transportation requests
Additionally, lawmakers earlier this year restored proposed cuts in state aid to local governments as part of Highway User Revenues as well as proposed cuts to transit systems run by 23 counties and Baltimore City. Restoration of those proposed cuts added another $400 million over six years, Wiedefeld said.
“So those three things basically are our realities that put pressure on the financial forecast,” he said.
Finally, Wiedefeld said the amount of federal aid is falling short of expectations.
“We were pushing all the modes to really buckle down and see where else we could get federal dollars for delivering projects,” he said. “We were shooting for roughly 80% federal, 20% local match, overall for the program. Basically, we were not able to achieve that, and we’re probably not going to be able to achieve that into the future.”
Instead, Wiedefeld said the state now expects a 75-25 split. “That 5%, although it sounds small, is significant, obviously, when you think of the amount of federal dollars that would bring down,” he said.
The resulting lack of revenue means counties will see priority projects not already underway slowed down or paused
“In effect, projects that are into the future — larger projects that we want to construct — we have to slow those down in terms of the process to get them to construction, until we have available dollars to pick that back up,” Wiedefeld said.
One large project that could suffer is the proposed widening of the American Legion Bridge.
“So, on the American Legion bridge, obviously, we have the record of decision for this, you know, larger improvement there,” said Wiedefeld. “But given the stress that we’re under, we’re going to have the state highway particularly focus on the pure state of good repair issues around the American Legion bridge.”
The state applied for a federal grant to help pay for the costs of repairing “structural issues with the bridge,” he said. “So that’s where we’ll be focusing,” Wiedefeld said.
News of the delays was delivered to county leaders by Wiedefeld and transportation officials during the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference last month.
The transportation secretary said he will also seek to slow down the purchase of zero-emissions buses in the coming years, as some major bus manufacturers are having issues with the performance of electric buses, as well as availability.
Moore warns of difficult fiscal decisions ahead
A new clean diesel bus costs the state $750,000. A hybrid bus costs about $1 million each. A new electric bus costs $1.4 million each.
“So, as you play that over the program period, if you defer that, it actually saves a lot of dollars,” Wiedefeld said. “It allows us not to dig deeper into operating cuts, that we would have to do, or system preservation cuts.”
Wiedefeld said he will not request cuts to his department’s operating budget as he did last year when he cut 8% across the board. He will also not request cuts to county aid or local transit networks.
“What we’ve done is we’ve gone through all those projects, and we’re going to defer those projects at a logical deferred point,” Wiedefeld said. “So basically, some of those projects were in different levels of study. We want to make sure that they stop at a point where we don’t lose any of the effort that we had done, but we don’t have the available funds right now to continue those projects. What you’ll see in the capital program is basically those projects that will be deferred.”
A year ago, Wiedefeld proposed cuts to county shares of highway user revenues and to local transportation networks.
Highway user revenues — decimated in cuts more than a decade ago — had yet to be restored to previous levels. Proposed cuts, nixed this spring by the General Assembly, would have eliminated planned increases in future years.
“Even so, the fiscal 2025 funding for HUR (highway user revenues) falls significantly short of Maryland’s appropriate and historic funding levels, even without adjusting for inflation,” the association of county governments said in a post on its website. “This gap becomes even more pronounced when accounting for rising road maintenance and materials costs.”
The association said it would continue to seek restoration of state highway aid.
“MACo and county leaders will continue urging Maryland policymakers to advance a sustainable plan to address critical infrastructure needs across the state,” the group said in its statement. “Proper restoration of the HUR formula should be a priority in advancing solutions that create sensible and reliable support for all locally maintained roadways.”
Maryland
University System of Maryland to only allow university-sponsored events on October 7
![University System of Maryland to only allow university-sponsored events on October 7 University System of Maryland to only allow university-sponsored events on October 7](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/937564c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5312x2789+0+100/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F16%2F61%2F70999d9446deb2038878edb3108f%2Fumd-administration-building-2015-1.jpg)
University of Maryland President William Pines announced this weekend that only university-sponsored activities “that promote reflection” will be held on October 7th.
The day will mark one year since Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel killed around 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages. Israel retaliated, declaring war on Hamas, which has resulted in more than 40,000 people dead, according to Gaza health officials.
This came after the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) group had reserved the McKeldin Mall and Jewish organizations on campus had reserved Hornbake Plaza on October 7th to mark the day.
The announcement cancels both of these events.
“Jointly, out of an abundance of caution,” wrote Pines in an email to the campus community, “we concluded to host only university-sponsored events that promote reflection on this day. All other expressive events will be held prior to October 7, and then resume on October 8 in accordance with time, place and manner considerations of the First Amendment.”
This policy is in place for all University System of Maryland Schools.
“The intent is not to abridge students’ right to free expression; the intent is, instead, to be sensitive to the needs of our students. Our university communities may use this day to safely come together to reflect and to share, to learn and to listen, and, yes, to challenge one another. That’s the premise—and the promise—of higher education.”
-University System of Maryland Statement
SJP wrote in a statement on its Instagram account: “We as Students for Justice in Palestine are deeply angered, though not surprised, by the University of Maryland administration’s decision to cancel our reservation for a vigil at McKeldin Mall on October 7th.”
It continues, “Rest assured that we will find ways to mark this one year of genocide and one year of resistance.”
University of Maryland students worried about antisemitism on campus
The Jewish Student Union also posted a statement to its Instagram account.
“We are reassured to learn that Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Maryland will no longer be permitted to host their event on McKeldin Mall, or anywhere on campus, on October 7th,” the organization writes.
“Only university-sponsored events will occur on October 7th,” they continued. “While this is not an ideal situation, it ensures that our physical and psychological safety is protected on this day of grief.”
In the email from Pines, he noted that a safety assessment had been done and that there was “no immediate or active threat.”
The Jewish Student Union added that they would be holding an event to memorialize the day at Maryland Hillel, a center for Jewish life and students, which is located just off campus.
The UMD Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace also released a statement standing with SJP “in their anger with the university admin’s decision to cancel our registration to hold a joint vigil on October 7th.”
The email from Pines added that “we encourage our entire community to mark the anniversary of October 7 with remembrance and reflection.”
At the moment, it’s unclear what university-sponsored events will take place on October 7th, at the College Park campus.
Maryland
Best Online Colleges In Maryland Of 2024
![Best Online Colleges In Maryland Of 2024 Best Online Colleges In Maryland Of 2024](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Maryland-1.jpg)
Pro Tip
Ensure that your prospective college offers globally recognized credentials if you plan to further your education or practice internationally.
Consider Your Future Goals
Considering your goals when choosing an online college helps you select a program that fits your current needs and prepares you for long-term success.
If you intend to work right after graduation, choose a program that aligns with your desired career path. Look for concentrations or specialized tracks that can provide in-depth knowledge in your field.
However, if you plan to pursue further education such as a master’s or doctoral degree, ensure that credits from your online college are transferable to other schools. Also ensure that the college’s credentials are globally recognized, if you intend to work or study abroad.
Understand Your Expenses and Financing Options
Online colleges in Maryland (particularly private institutions), can be quite expensive, compared to other online schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average undergraduate tuition and required fees for four-year public schools is $9,750 per year; meanwhile, enrollees in four-year private colleges may pay north of $38,000 per year.
If private university tuition is out of your budget, consider enrolling in a state-owned online school such as the University of Maryland Global Campus, which only requires about $8,000 in annual tuition and fees.
Aside from seeking affordable online programs, here are other ways to fund your college education:
- Complete the FAFSA®
- Apply for institutional scholarships
- Take a private student loan
- Enroll in a work-study program
- Ask your employer about a tuition reimbursement program
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