Our alternative is Ms. Lierman, whose diligent, detail-oriented work as a legislator in Annapolis and as a civic activist in Baltimore, which she represents, has earned her respect as a critical, substantive candidate.

Each are competent and clever. Our desire for Ms. Lierman is grounded in the truth that her no-nonsense, nose-to-the-grindstone legislative work has given her a a lot deeper familiarity with the state’s challenges, funds and the comptroller’s workplace, in addition to relationships with an array of lawmakers and others with whom she would want to work as comptroller. When she discusses the challenges that the comptroller’s workplace faces, she talks in concrete specifics. When Mr. Adams discusses them, he doesn’t get past platitudes.

The winner of the first will face Republican Harford County Govt Barry Glassman, who has no main opponent, within the November basic election.

Ms. Lierman, elected to the Home of Delegates eight years in the past, has been an awfully proactive lawmaker. She has championed payments to protect youngsters who’re sexually trafficked from being prosecuted for prostitution; empower school athletes, typically exploited, by giving them to the best to unionize and cut price over well being, security and compensation; and, in the course of the pandemic, prioritize the purpose of common, inexpensive broadband web service. She has additionally taken main roles to enact measures increasing transit, honest housing and gun violence prevention.

Ms. Lierman and Mr. Adams don’t differ markedly on their total visions for the comptroller’s workplace, whose roughly 1,100 staff work in 12 places of work across the state. She would give attention to easing procedures for low-income people to say tax credit. He would search to shut loopholes that allow some companies to evade taxes. Each need tighter procedures to encourage extra competitors for state contracts and extra muscular guidelines to assist minority companies vie for public contracts. Every understands the primacy of safeguarding Maryland’s coveted AAA bond score, which saves taxpayers cash when the state borrows to finance main tasks.

Disappointingly, neither would appear prone to advance term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s purpose of increasing the Beltway and Interstate 270 with toll roads constructed with a public-private partnership — the principle long-term technique of stopping horrible visitors on the Mid-Atlantic’s most congested highways from getting dramatically worse. With a seat on the Board of Public Works, they may successfully veto the plan.

Mr. Adams based and runs a profitable protection contracting agency and is the primary African American elected as mayor of Bowie, a metropolis of 58,000. He’s a resourceful government and, having been born into poverty in rural Louisiana, has a compelling private story. Now rich, he says he has spent $2 million, to this point, on his marketing campaign. Nonetheless, Ms. Lierman’s breadth of experience and command of coverage on related points make her the higher alternative.