Budget Forum Tonight

Governor Martin O'Malley's Budget Secretary Eloise Foster and District 18 Senator Richard Madaleno will lead a public forum on Maryland's budget shortfall on Monday, September 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kensington Town Hall (the Armory).

Foster also served as budget secretary under Gov. Parris Glendening, and Madaleno previously served as lobbyist on Montgomery County budget matters for former County Executive Doug Duncan. American University Government Professor David Lublin will also serve as a panel member.

The panel will explain the budget process and discuss the pros and cons of different ways to bring the FY08 budget into balance. Charles Duffy of Political Pulse will moderate.

Audience members will have the chance to fill out a budget worksheet and try to balance the budget by selecting from among various expenditure cuts and revenue increases. The current projected shortfall for FY08 is $1.5 billion.

"We plan to give the audience the same kinds of options the Governor and General Assembly will be considering." said Madaleno. "We want this to be a realistic exercise. It's a chance for citizens to learn about the budget process and to participate in finding a solution."

Event organizers are asking those who attend to bring their calculators, said Duffy. Their completed budget worksheets will be collected, and the results tallied and released after the event.

The budget forum is sponsored by the District 18 Democratic Caucus, the Greater Silver Spring Democratic Club, and PREZCO. The event is free and is open to everyone.