BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The Maryland Republican Party on Thursday urged Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski (D) to resign and drop out of his Congressional District 2 race.

The GOP cited reports of what they called “corruption allegations.”

“Johnny Olszewski has no business continuing to serve as Baltimore County Executive, let alone continue his campaign for Congress,” Maryland Republican Party Chair Nicole Beus Harris said in a press release. “Washington DC has enough corruption, the last thing we need is another crooked Democrat Congressman handing out government funds to his friends and supporters.”

Republicans pointed to Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Brew reports that Olszewski’s administration made significant payments to the county executive’s friend and real estate team.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Olszewski’s administration secretly paid over $83,000 to former firefighter Philip Tirabassi, brother of the county executive’s friend John Tirabassi. Philip Tirabassi had requested to transfer retirement credits for his city service time to his county pension, The Sun said. Olszewski told The Sun they made the payment after Philip Tirabassi threatened to sue for breach of contract, though officials warned the payment could break state and local laws.

The Sun additionally reported that John Tirabassi sold the county $4 million worth of dump trucks through his employer, Peterbilt of Baltimore. Olszewski told The Sun he didn’t know about the purchases.

The Baltimore Brew reported that the Tirabassi family also handled Olszewski’s “purchase and sale of property in St. Helena and the acquisition of land for his new residence overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at Millers Island.”

The Brew first reported that a county attorney was terminated after questioning the retirement case payout to Philip Tirabassi.

“If he refuses to do the honorable thing and drop out, we will be working every day between now and November to expose his corruption to voters, and defeat him at the ballot box,” Harris said.

Olszewski is running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D). Olszewski was seen as the favorite to defeat challenger Kimberly Klacik (R) before these developments.

“Thank you for your leadership,” Klacik commented on the Facebook post with the Republicans’ press release.

Olszewski’s campaign manager, Asa Leventhal, said the GOP is trying to distract voters.

“The Maryland Republican Party continues to desperately grasp at straws to find any reason to distract voters from candidates like Kim Klacik, who back the extreme policies of Donald Trump — a convicted felon,” Leventhal told Patch in a Friday email. “County Executive Olszewski’s administration has been the most open and transparent in Baltimore County’s history. Johnny O will continue discussing the issues that matter most to Marylanders — defending reproductive freedom, lowering costs for middle class families, and protecting Medicare and Social Security for our senior citizens.”

Patch contacted the county executive’s government spokesperson to ask if he intends to resign. We haven’t received a reply. We will update this story if they respond.

Over the past year, the Maryland Department of Commerce has awarded more than 100 small and midsize Maryland companies with ExportMD grants to help promote their products and services in the global marketplace.

In Washington County, Cornerstone Genomics and Land Cruiser Heaven have been awarded grants.

The grants — awarded from July 2023 through July 2024 — help businesses finance the costs of marketing internationally including trade show fees and travel expenses.

Established in 1999, the ExportMD program provides matching grants up to $5,000 from Commerce’s Office of International Investment and Trade.

ExportMD is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, which has awarded multiple State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grants to Maryland Commerce to help fund the program.

“The ExportMD grant program provides an excellent opportunity for businesses to succeed in our state and around the world — and ultimately bring more growth to Maryland’s economy,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. “With help from the U.S. SBA, we’re proud to have supported more than 100 local businesses over the year with their global expansion efforts.”

From Washington to Wicomico counties, Maryland businesses utilized the state program in a variety of ways. Located in Baltimore City, Alertus Technologies used its ExportMD grant for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to improve the quality and quantity of traffic to its website. Gross Mechanical Laboratories from Queen Anne’s County organized an individual sales trip to the Netherlands. And St. Mary’s County-based company ABSI Aerospace & Defense attended the Singapore Air Show as part of the delegation led by the Maryland Department of Commerce.

Applications for the ExportMD program are accepted on a monthly basis. Eligibility requirements can be found on the Commerce website, https://commerce.maryland.gov/fund/programs-for-businesses/exportmd-program.

Western Maryland community colleges receive Edwards Fund Grant for cyber ranges.

Body camera video released Thursday shows the moments after Senator John Fetterman and his wife were involved in an early morning crash in Maryland.

Within the video, a Maryland State Police trooper can be seen approaching the senator’s vehicle, asking for identification, and filling out a report. 

According to the official Maryland motor vehicle crash report, Sen. Fetterman was listed as “at fault” for the accident in early June. 

The report states a witness saw Sen. Fetterman’s car pass her while traveling at a “high rate of speed,” well over the posted speed limit of 70 mph.

Shortly after passing the witness, Sen. Fetterman’s 2021 Chevrolet Traverse rear-ended a 2013 Chevrolet Impala just before exit 1 for I-68 in Hancock, Maryland, near the borders of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

The front airbags of the Senator’s car deployed, and both vehicles were significantly damaged.

All three individuals involved in the accident — Senator Fetterman, his wife Gisele, and the driver of the Impala — were transported to the hospital. 

The driver of the Impala sustained a suspected minor injury. 

Sen. Fetterman was treated for a bruised shoulder, and both he and his wife were discharged later that afternoon.