Courtesy of WBAL, following is a statement by Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith announcing his decision not to run for Comptroller. That's an interesting decision given his recent appearance at a Committee for Montgomery meeting and this fundraising speech strongly hinting at a run. So what is going to happen to his nearly million-dollar war chest? Will Smith's Chief of Staff, gubernatorial brother Peter O'Malley, have a say?
Update: Jim Smith probably won't be running for Senate because he lives in District 11, currently represented by Democrat Bobby Zirkin. We would not be surprised if Smith wound up in Governor O'Malley's cabinet. There are currently openings in Transportation and Labor.
Update 2: The Baltimore Sun is now speculating on the fate of Smith's war chest.
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After much deliberation, I have decided not to run for Comptroller in the 2010 election. Although this has not been an easy decision, I am confident that I am making the right choice. Having spent many months thinking about the duties of Comptroller in the State of Maryland, I have concluded that it is not a position to which I aspire. I have never pursued any elected office because it was expedient. I always sought the opportunity to serve because I thought I could make a real difference-as a councilman, a judge, and currently as County Executive. I did not feel that passion when considering a run for Comptroller.
To those of you who have supported me as County Executive, and encouraged me to consider a statewide run in 2010, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your enthusiasm is amazing, and I am truly grateful for your counsel and support. Rest assured that I remain committed to public service, and I look forward to finding new ways to serve in the future.
Working together with the people of Baltimore County, we've created a renaissance that is visible from one end of the County to the other. I am excited about what we've accomplished, and I am energized by the work we have left to do. There are eighteen months left in my term as County Executive, and I am focused on completing what we started.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Jim Smith is Not Running for Comptroller (Updated)
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Is Jim Smith Running for Comptroller?
Watch this video of Smith at a recent fundraiser (rumored to raise $400,000+) and you be the judge.
Explore Baltimore County, which posted this video on YouTube, has more.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Long Knives for Franchot, Part Four
The Knives of Annapolis are getting longer every day for Peter Franchot. But L’enfant Terrible of Takoma Park may just stick it to his enemies before they stick it to him.
Peter Franchot was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1986. So what did he do? He immediately ran against then-freshman Congresswoman Connie Morella in a “notably aggressive” campaign. Franchot then embarked on a long career of press-hounding, glory-seeking and blood-feuding (especially with former pariah Delegate Dana Dembrow). After he was re-elected to his fifth term in 2002, Franchot became hungry again for higher office. And he soon found a convenient target: the increasingly erratic Comptroller, William Donald Schaefer. Franchot quickly began dogging Schaefer and capitalizing on his every mis-step. Here is just one example: shortly after Schaefer criticized a McDonald’s employee for not speaking English, Franchot organized a news conference at which Latino leaders and Democratic legislators denounced him. Franchot’s surprise win in 2006 was the product of four years of courtship of the labor, environmental and minority communities: the heart of Maryland’s left.
Franchot has never lost his edge and remains the favorite against any rival. Here’s why.
1. Franchot is the only statewide candidate for the office.
Prior to 2004, then-Delegate Franchot was known only in Montgomery County and mainly in his home turf of Takoma Park. But his campaign against Schaefer and his crusade against slots have turned him into a true statewide figure. Only Governor O’Malley and the two U.S. Senators are better known than Franchot. Jim Smith, Brian Feldman and almost every other possible contender are local or regional candidates at this point who must work to build name recognition outside their home areas.
2. Franchot has never stopped running for Comptroller.
Consider this: since being elected, Franchot has raised a total of $1.1 million – nearly equal to the $1.6 million he raised during the previous four years. He has retired nearly all of the $750,000 home mortgage debt he incurred in his run and has spent $223,767 on salaries for campaign staff through 10/24/08. That’s right – he has been paying campaign staff ever since his election. One of his salary recipients was none other than Scott Arceneaux, the former campaign manager for Doug Duncan who later headed Marylanders United to Stop Slots. Arceneaux received $15,000 from Franchot in January and February 2008 before joining the anti-slots campaign (and launching the ad that was so hated by Annapolis Democrats).
3. Franchot’s press skills far exceed any opponent.
This is obvious but also extremely important. Franchot understands how to work the press better than any other politician in Maryland. He is always ready with a great quote and is constantly creating a story – exactly the things that reporters love. Do Democratic primary voters really care that he has offended Big Daddy? Of course not – all they know is his name. And that is more than the vast majority of them know about any of his potential opponents.
4. Franchot can avoid responsibility for any problems.
The leaders in Annapolis have been making an unusually large number of tough decisions over the last two years – raising taxes, cutting spending, calling for slots – and there is more to come. But Franchot need not sully himself in the dirty details of it. He can merely stand on the outside and criticize the unhappy outcomes. Are you a moderate Democrat in the Baltimore suburbs who disliked the special session’s tax hikes? Peter Franchot, who has criticized the special session since Day One, agrees with you. Are you a liberal in Montgomery County who dislikes spending cuts? Peter Franchot, who called for a blue-ribbon commission instead, agrees with you. Are you a slots opponent? Of course, Peter Franchot is on your side. Who cares about whether Franchot has genuine alternatives for closing the state’s budget deficits? Such tactics infuriate Franchot’s enemies (especially Big Daddy) but they make for great politics.
5. Franchot’s strength in the Washington suburbs is tough to overcome.
In the 2006 primary election, Franchot received more votes from Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties (111,912) than did Janet Owens (60,088) and William Donald Schaefer (38,154) combined. No Baltimore-area politician will be able to beat Franchot in the state’s two largest Democratic jurisdictions. As of 10/31/08, there were 589,064 registered Democrats in Baltimore City and Baltimore County vs. 696,537 in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Another fact: of the 202,122 newly registered Democrats between 10/31/06 and 10/31/08, 46% came from Montgomery and Prince George’s. Doug Gansler’s victory over Stu Simms proved that a candidate from the Washington suburbs could finally defeat a Baltimore candidate in a statewide race. Peter Franchot, who currently has more statewide name recognition than does Gansler, could very well prove that again.
6. His potential rivals may already be too late.
Franchot effectively started his race against Schaefer at least two years prior to election day. He needed that time to build his case against the incumbent and form alliances outside his home jurisdiction. Neither Jim Smith nor Brian Feldman nor anyone else has begun a similar effort – yet. If anyone wants to take on Franchot, they must obtain the support of the Governor and Big Daddy and start raising money and making the rounds as soon as possible. It will take that long to mount a winning challenge against one of the most hyper-competitive campaigners the state has seen in a long time.
And Franchot’s fanatical nature may be his greatest edge. One of my informants told me, “I’m done betting against Peter Franchot. I’m not saying he’s a lock to win. But every time I’ve bet against him, I’ve been wrong.” Another longtime political observer told me, “A race against Franchot is not for the faint of heart; he is fearless and will go down fighting.”
Peter Franchot’s next election campaign is well underway. Phase One was his opposition to the unpopular special session. Phase Two was the anti-slots campaign. Franchot has already established his message: Don’t Trust Annapolis Politicians. He will use it against anyone backed by the Governor and Mike Miller. He will argue that his opponent – whoever it is – is a “machine politician” under control by “gambling interests.” He will implore the Democratic primary electorate, a group well to the left of the general electorate that voted for slots, to retain him as its protector. Franchot's campaign will claim that only he can be trusted to look out for the poor, the weak and the victims of poorly-conceived tax hikes and spending cuts.
And so there are many long knives waiting for Peter Franchot in Annapolis. But the Comptroller just may have the longest – and the bloodiest – knife of them all.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Long Knives for Franchot, Part Two
Comptroller Peter Franchot has steadily expanded his enemies list from Senate President Mike Miller to Governor Martin O’Malley to the General Assembly as a whole to the state Democratic Party. Not even his controversial predecessor, William Donald Schaefer, went this far. He is virtually begging for a primary challenge. But who could take him out?
The most-commonly mentioned possible candidate is Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith. Smith’s political career goes back to 1978, when he first became a Baltimore County Council Member, and paused for 16 years while he was a Circuit Court judge. In 2001, Smith resigned his judgeship to run for County Executive, beating a Republican with 56% of the vote while Bob Ehrlich carried the county in his successful campaign for Governor. Smith was then re-elected with 77% of the vote in the primary and 66% in the general election. He has attracted support from business, labor and many other players in his county and reported a campaign balance of $495,348.07 last January despite being term-limited.
Smith is a particularly attractive Comptroller challenger for the Governor for several reasons. First, Smith’s Chief of Staff is none other than Peter O’Malley, the Governor’s brother. Second, Smith’s age (68 in 2010) will likely prevent him from having ambitions for higher office, which will not earn the resistance of the current Governor’s hopeful successors. Third, Smith can be counted on to not rock the boat of the O’Malley-Miller-Busch-State Democratic team. Finally, Smith’s long record of success in Baltimore County, historically a swing jurisdiction, leads some to believe that he will be a strong centrist candidate statewide.
But there are two problems with Smith as a challenger. First, he underwent triple-bypass open heart surgery in August. Does he have the stamina to barnstorm across Maryland for more than a year? Second, Smith seems temperamentally ill-suited to a contentious matchup with the hypercompetitive Franchot. Check out this 2004 account from Baltimore Magazine posted on Smith’s own website: Jim Smith is a terrible politician. “He's not a gifted, natural politician -- nobody would deny that,” says Sun reporter Andy Green, who covered Smith for almost two years. “Which is not to say he's a bad county executive…”
These may be admirable traits on the part of Jim Smith, but is a person who is a “terrible politician” truly ready for a doomsday showdown with ultra-political Peter Franchot?
Smith admits he hates the political side of the job. “So much of politics is gamesmanship for the sake of the game, not for the responsibility of governing,” says the 62-year-old Democrat.
If Smith decides to run, the Governor and Big Daddy will clear the field for him and make sure he has the resources to compete. But what if Smith stays out? Then another challenger will have to be found. And the Post has identified such a potential candidate: District 15 Delegate Brian Feldman. More in Part Three.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
What Happens if Anthony Brown Leaves? (Updated)
Rumors are swirling that Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown is under consideration by the Obama administration for a cabinet job. If he leaves, what happens next?
Governor Martin O’Malley will have to pick a replacement, subject to approval by the General Assembly. And that will be very interesting. Lieutenant Governor picks in the recent past have been made for the sake of regional and demographic ticket-balancing. Of the five statewide officials other than Brown, three (O’Malley and Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin) are from the Baltimore area, two (Attorney General Doug Gansler and Comptroller Peter Franchot) are from Montgomery County, four are male and all five are white. That leaves obvious gaps in representation that the Governor will be urged to fill. But this time around, there may be other considerations besides ticket-balancing as the Governor will be the favorite in both the 2010 primary and general elections.
Our informants have named these people as possibilities:
1. Prince George’s State Attorney Glenn Ivey
Ivey is a highly-regarded prosecutor, even by many in Montgomery County. (That is rare for any Prince George’s politician.) He is particularly praised for trying to rein in the county’s notorious police department and avoiding the appearances of impropriety that have dogged many of the county’s other politicians.
Ivey’s selection has two hurdles to overcome. First, he is generally believed to be running for County Executive in 2010. Second, rumor has it that he turned down an offer from O’Malley to be his number two in 2006. County Executive or Mayor may be a better route to the Governor’s office than a Lieutenant Governor position. Still, one source says the dropoff after Ivey is “huge.”
2. Senator C. Anthony Muse (D-26)
Aside from Ivey, Muse may be the most prominent Prince George’s politician not under investigation. By picking Reverend Muse, O’Malley could patch up his relations with black churches in the wake of the slots referendum and deny Prince George’s County to any primary challenger. On the other hand, Muse would generate objections from the GLBT community and he is also rumored to be running for County Executive.
3. Delegate Dereck Davis (D-25)
Davis is a four-term Delegate and Chair of the Economic Matters Committee at the ripe old age of 41. He is the pick that most resembles Anthony Brown. But would he want to leave his chair and enter a largely ceremonial office for the chance of someday running for Governor? Davis’s departure would give Speaker Mike Busch an interesting choice for his replacement on Economic Matters.
4. Labor Secretary Tom Perez
Perez has performed excellent work for the Governor in pushing his slots referendum, but he is probably a more likely Obama cabinet pick than is Brown. One thing is for sure: Tom Perez is going places.
5. Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith
I know what you’re thinking: why would O’Malley pick another white male politician from the Baltimore area? The logic behind this pick would be to give Smith the full-time job of raising money and making the rounds of the state. Why? That would set him up nicely to take on the Governor’s arch-enemy, Peter Franchot, for Comptroller in 2010.
6. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett
Leggett has several advantages to the Governor aside from demographics. First, he is a former Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party and has relationships across the state. Second, because he will be 69 in 2010, he may have no ambitions for the Governor’s seat and that will make life in Annapolis a bit easier for O’Malley. Third, he can be counted on to be a low-key team member. Fourth, he may be the one Montgomery County politician who is acceptable to the rest of the state. And does Leggett truly want to deal with the next two brutal budget cycles in cash-starved MoCo?
Best of all, Leggett’s ascension would set off a chaotic fracas for the County Executive’s chair in Rockville. At least four County Council Members will go for it!
Update: I cannot let this discussion pass without reference to Maryland’s most significant Lieutenant Governor choice: William Donald Schaefer’s pick of Melvin Steinberg in 1986. Steinberg, then the President of the Maryland Senate, became embroiled in a feud with the hot-tempered Schaefer and was shut out of all administration duties. After losing to Parris Glendening in the 1994 Governor primary, Steinberg endorsed conservative Ellen Sauerbrey four years later. But none of this makes Steinberg the most important number two pick in the state’s history. What is really important is the identity of Steinberg’s successor as Senate President.
You guessed it: Big Daddy Mike Miller. And so out of small acts are empires born!
Update 2: The Examiner and the Gazette have more, including speculation that County Council Member Valerie Ervin might get the job.
Friday, September 26, 2008
How Much Would the Counties Pay for Teacher Pensions? (Updated)
One of the options under consideration in Annapolis for closing the state’s potential billion-dollar budget gap is passing down funding obligations for teacher pensions (currently paid by the state) to the counties. We obtained the following FY 2009 data for the size of those obligations by county from the state’s Department of Legislative Services.
In absolute dollar terms, Montgomery is the leader. The state is paying $131 million to fund pension liabilities for Montgomery’s teachers and some of its community college employees. (This is far lower than the $217 million reported by the Gazette in July, but we will trust DLS for our data.) Prince George’s County ranks second ($95 million) and Baltimore County ranks third ($78 million).
Now here are those costs expressed in per capita terms:
The average cost statewide is $116.77 per resident to fund pension obligations for teachers, community college employees and some library employees. For Montgomery’s teachers, the cost is $140.62, the highest in the state behind Howard County ($159.52) and Calvert County ($142.99). If the state sent teacher pension obligations down to the counties, these three would be hit disproportionately hard. And for Montgomery, which is already facing a $251 million deficit, the budget impact would be cataclysmic.
Why do these counties incur larger pension obligations than others? In the case of Montgomery and, to a lesser extent, Howard, it may be that higher costs of living have led to higher compensation. Another possible explanation is that all three counties are known for excellent schools and perhaps they have found that higher teacher pay is linked to better performance.
The above data may actually understate the threat to Montgomery County from a transfer of teacher pension obligations. One option that has been considered in the past has been to require counties to partially fund pensions, with “rich” counties paying higher shares than poorer counties. For example, Delegate John P. Donoghue (D-2C) of Washington County introduced a bill during the special session that would have required the counties as a whole to contribute 50% of pension costs subject to a wealth formula. Donoghue’s formula would have required Montgomery to pay 63% of its pension costs while Donoghue’s home county, Washington, would only have had to pay 44% of its costs. Is there any idea that could be more openly opposed to Montgomery’s economic interests than this one?
Two other developments occurred this week on this issue.
1. On September 23, the Baltimore Sun reported that Baltimore County was in negotiations with the state government on accepting partial funding responsibility for teacher pensions:Baltimore County and state officials have talked about various options for sharing the costs, [County Executive spokesman Donald I.] Mohler said. The expense could be shared equally between the county and state. Or the county could begin paying a percentage, or perhaps just the annual increase, which would be $4.6 million a year.
Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith took great exception to this article and released the following statement the next day:Smith Reiterates His Steadfast Opposition to Pension Shift
2. Governor O’Malley told Maryland Moment that he would “rather not” send teacher pensions to the counties. As a former mayor, the Governor has consistently opposed the idea since before the special session. But the Governor is only one player in this process; the Senate and House leaders will have their opinions on the issue too. We recall that the Governor did not suggest the computer tax during the special session but that did not stop the legislature from proposing, passing and ultimately retracting it anyway. We hear that if slots are not approved and out-year deficits project into the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, everything – EVERYTHING – will be on the table.
Shift of Pension Costs to Counties Would Have Dire Ramifications
Towson, MD — Reacting to a recent news story that erroneously reported that Baltimore County was in discussions with state officials regarding the shift of pension costs to local government, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith issued the following statement:
“I want to make it clear that at no time has Baltimore County entered into any discussions with the state or any state officials regarding transferring the funding of teacher pensions from the state to local governments. Such a shift of pension costs to Baltimore County would result in a $78 million hit to Baltimore County’s budget that would have draconian budget ramifications for county citizens. Let me make it very clear, and my position has been consistent: the shifting of the state’s responsibility for teacher pension costs from the state to local government is wrong and simply unacceptable.
As the President of MACO, I have been pushing for the passage of the slots referendum and its critical funding for education. The discussion of shifting teacher pension costs to local governments makes it clear how important the passage of that referendum will be to county taxpayers.”
Update:
The dust-up between Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and his spokesman, Donald Mohler, is incredibly revealing. Baltimore Sun reporter Larry Carson quoted Mohler on the record that the county was in discussions with the state over accepting part of the pension liabilities. That no doubt generated some angry phone calls from other County Executives and produced Jim Smith's denial.
But is it true? Mohler had no reason to lie to the Sun. In fact, it is entirely possible that Mohler was not told that the discussions were secret. Carson may be onto a much bigger story than he knows.
So if some counties are negotiating favorable deals with the state - thereby minimizing their liabilities if teacher pensions are passed down - guess who will be left holding the bag?
Monday, November 19, 2007
Teed Off at Franchot
Comptroller Peter Franchot must be feeling a cool breeze right now. He lobbied against the special session, against slots, and would not even let his staff participate in the budget process. While Franchot may be positioning himself for a primary challenge to Gov. Martin O'Malley, others speculate that Franchot will face a primary challenge if he runs for reelection:
And Franchot’s interference during the special session has further incinerated relationships and fueled speculation that party leaders could field a primary challenger in 2010, probably Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, who is term-limited.It looks like an anti-Franchot candidate won' t have to look far for support:
And to think we thought all would be quiet with the departure of Comptroller William Donald Schaefer.‘‘I think he has hurt himself dramatically...” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach. ‘‘He’s become an albatross in terms of moving the Democratic Party forward.”
‘‘I think he needs to revisit his job description. He’s not a policy guy,” said Del. Galen R. Clagett (D-Dist. 3A) of Frederick, who encouraged Franchot to run against Comptroller William Donald Schaefer (D) last year. ‘‘It ain’t what you do, it’s how you do it. Maybe he ought to look for a less flamboyant way to get his message across.”
But Franchot has not backed off. He sent a letter to the presiding officers opposing the special session, protested the Senate’s plan to expand the sales tax to computer services and continued to demonize legalized gambling.
Earlier this year, he clashed with O’Malley (D) and Budget Secretary T. Eloise Foster (D) over increasing salaries for his top staffers. And this week, Franchot lobbied his former House colleagues to vote against slots, placing personal calls to a number of delegates.
