County Executive Ike Leggett has announced the resignation of County Attorney Leon Rodriguez as he will become the Chief of Staff/Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the federal Justice Department's Office of Civil Rights. We reprint the County Executive's statement below.
In an interesting side note, Rodriguez will be working for former Montgomery County Council Member and Maryland Labor Secretary Tom Perez. Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg appealed to Perez for "guidance" after Rodriguez searched work computers used by her aide, Dana Beyer. That search prompted Trachtenberg to compare the Leggett administration to the KGB. Will Rodriguez now be answering Trachtenberg's letter about Rodriguez?
Showing posts with label Tom Perez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Perez. Show all posts
Monday, January 04, 2010
County Attorney Leon Rodriguez Joins Obama Administration
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.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Slots Debate: Simmons vs Perez
From Carole Brand.
As you know, the November election will bring to the ballot a referendum on expanding slot machines in the state of Maryland. This proposal has evoked strong arguments for and against it, and on WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10th, at 7:30 pm, there will be a forum to help you explore this issue and its implications for our state.
Delegate Luiz Simmons (D-17) will take the anti-slots position, and Maryland Secretary of Labor Tom Perez will take the pro-slots position. Bruce De Puyt of News Channel 8 will moderate the discussion. County Council Member Nancy Floreen will introduce the evening.
The forum is free of charge and open to all. Questions will be taken from the audience.
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Place: Woman's Club of Chevy Chase
7931 Connecticut Avenue
Chevy Chase, Maryland
contact: Carole Brand 301-657-2547 or csbrand@verizon.net
Sponsored by Woman's Suburban Democratic Club of Montgomery County.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Put Up Your Dukes!
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase for a night of the best in political entertainment!
In the red corner, standing at five feet, eight inches and weighing in at 145 pounds, originally from Buffalo, New York and now fighting out of Takoma Park, Maryland… with a record of one win, no defeats and one disqualification… Maryland’s Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez! (The crowd goes wild.)
And in the blue corner, standing at six feet even and weighing in at 175 pounds, originally from New Haven, Connecticut and now also fighting out of Takoma Park, Maryland… with a record of six wins and no defeats… Maryland’s Comptroller, Peter V. Franchot! (And the crowd goes wild.)
Wouldn’t this be great? Well, it won’t happen exactly in this fashion, but Carole Brand advises us that the Secretary of Labor and the Comptroller will be holding a public debate on slots. Courtesy of Ms. Brand, here are the details:
Wednesday, September 10 Forum on Slots
As you know, the November election will bring to the ballot a referendum on expanding slot machines in the state of Maryland. This proposal has evoked strong arguments for and against it, and the Woman's Suburban Democratic Club of Montgomery County is hosting this forum to help you explore this issue and its implications for our state.
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot will take the anti-slots position, and Maryland Secretary of Labor Tom Perez will take the pro-slots position. Bruce De Puyt of News Channel 8 will moderate the discussion.
The forum is free of charge and open to all. Questions will be taken from the audience.
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Place: Woman's Club of Chevy Chase
7931 Connecticut Avenue
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Contact Carole Brand, csbrand@verizon.net/301-657-2547
Monday, November 12, 2007
Lobbying for Slots
The Baltimore Sun reports that lobbyists spent millions pushing slots during the past several years. Perhaps the most unseemly aspect of the cash bonanza involves attempts to influence the selection of sites:
At least $800,000 flowed into candidate campaign coffers from track operators since 2003, The Sun's analysis found. And nearly half of that came from interests controlled by Rickman, a Montgomery County developer who owns Ocean Downs racetrack, one of the five sites singled out in the Senate-approved slots referendum bill.It's hardly a surprise as the right to operate slots is like a license to print money. The Sun also printed a nice graphic showing lobbying fees paid and campaign contributions made to produce slots--a truly bipartisan source of cash.
"In my view, there is an undeniable connection between the history of political donations and the allocation of sites, and the potential allocation of sites," said Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons, a Montgomery County Democrat who has proposed outlawing contributions from gambling interests.
Officials with the Maryland Jockey Club and affiliated entities gave $267,000, records show. About $30,000 of that amount came from former Jockey Club CEO Joseph A. De Francis and family members; he stands to benefit should slots go to Laurel Park. Horse farmers, breeders and leaders of associations that represent them donated $252,000.
Rickman, his family and his companies provided by far the largest sum, giving $382,000 - more than four times as much in the period as any other pro-slots or pro-gambling interest.
State campaign finance law allows single donors or corporations to give only $4,000 during an election cycle to individual candidates. But Rickman reached this goal, now as in the past, using a variety of limited liability corporations that operate out of his Rockville offices in a practice that watchdog group Common Cause has said gives donors too much influence.
One slots advocate didn't have to be paid off. The Washington Post reports on how Secretary of Labor Tom Perez has become one of the most passionate advocates for slots in the State.
"I certainly hear from many friends in the progressive community who say, 'Tom, how can you support slots?' " Perez said in a recent interview. "I give them a simple answer.
"I'm motivated in large part because I want to address the problems of the uninsured. I want to address the undereducated, and I want to address the challenges confronting people who are living in the shadows of our communities. The reality is we need a funding source to address these challenges."
The Post explained how Perez had a "road to Charleston Races" conversion and Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-18) defended Perez's actions:
Prior to studying the issue for O'Malley, Perez said he had never been to a gambling parlor. "This is not how I'd choose to spend my entertainment dollars," he said.But after visiting slots venues in West Virginia and Delaware, Perez said he found that using a portion of slots proceeds to subsidize racing purses has revitalized the horse-racing and breeding industries in those states. He said he is convinced that Maryland can mitigate the potential social costs associated with gambling by being selective on locations.
Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Montgomery), who worked with Perez in the Clinton administration, said she doesn't consider her friend's support of slots to be a "philosophical transformation."
"I think Tom is being a good soldier," Gutierrez said. "He's joined the administration, and the administration has put out this proposal, and it's the role of the Cabinet to support this proposal."
Friday, August 17, 2007
Slot Politics of Ehrlich and O'Malley
Until we learned that Bob Ehrlich had far more passion for campaigning than for governing--something we really ought to have known from his many years as a backbench congressman--one of the great puzzles of the newly elected Ehrlich administration in 2003 was his utter failure to exert himself at all to promote his central campaign promise to bring slots to Maryland.
No slots bill was even introduced into the General Assembly until 60 days into the session when disgusted Democratic Senate President Mike Miller, an avid slots supporter who was dying to help the Republican governor achieve a shared goal. Ehrlich's lack of action was all the more bizarre because Maryland's governor is arguably the most powerful in the nation.
Martin O'Malley has been playing his budget cards close to his vest but he has pulled off a political coup in the laying the groundwork for bringing bringing slots to Maryland. As has now been widely reported, former Montgomery Councilman (now Labor Secretary) Perez was sent on a fact-finding trip to neighboring states to highlight the dollars that Maryland gamblers lose there. Can anyone imagine a less likely advance man for slots than Tom Perez?
Yet, O'Malley has somehow placed the earnest Perez in exactly that role. Comptroller Peter Franchot has lashed out shrilly at Perez but this only guaranteed more press time to Perez's point that the Maryland treasury loses money when Marylanders gamble elsewhere. Moreover, it places liberal Franchot in the awkward position of fighting with a well-known and respected liberal from his home county.
Weirdly, Franchot may be getting more press but aiding rival Doug Gansler. Both politicians have (fairly or not) earned reputations as showhorses rather than workhorses. While Franchot is constantly in the press--sometimes for being in the press so much--newly elected Attorney General Gansler has generally kept his head down even as works at his job and forges alliances around the state. Gansler's recent endorsement of Obama may help him continue alliances with prominent African-American politicians which served him extremely well in the competitive 2006 primary for his current job.
Meanwhile, whether or not one wants to see slots arrive soon in Maryland, we can rest assured that the current governor's political skills are far from atrophied. Slots opponents should prepare themselves for a much tougher fight this time. Although it was not central to his campaign, O'Malley appears to be ready to roll the dice in his effort to minimize any tax increase needed to balance Maryland's budget.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Maryland GOP Following Old Dominion into Oblivion?
Republican State Sen. Alex X. Mooney has the look of a man prepping for his congressional campaign. Not too surprising as Roscoe Bartlett, the conservative Republican incumbent in the Sixth District, is 81 and may be pondering retirement as Republicans seem likely to wander further into the minority wilderness in 2008.
Mooney's idea of leadership, other than engaging in ritual gay bashing, appears to be following in lockstep with Grover Norquist--Republican anti-tax icon--in signing up his fellow legislators to take the pledge against any new taxes even as the state faces a deficit of $1.5 billion. Funny that this idea didn't occur to Mooney during the Ehrlich years even as the GOP governor hiked a variety of taxes.
Mooney sent off the following missive to his colleagues:
Dear Legislator,The Republican lemming, who notably did not outline his plan for slashing state spending in the letter, has three Democratic followers so far: Sen. Roy Dyson (D-29), Del. John Wood, (D-Dyson's district), Sen. Norman Stone (D-6), and Sen. George Della (D-46).
You are invited to join the more than thirty-five Maryland Legislators who have signed the taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform in Washington, D.C. Enclosed is a copy of the Pledge form. You can return the form to me. You will join the nation's signers on the web site www.ATR.org.
The pledge is a promise you make to your constituents. It is not an oath to an organization. It is a statement by you to your voters. You are telling your voters you believe the rate of taxation is high enough to support the government we have. The pledge tells the people who vote for you, you are intending to protect them from an expansion of the size, scope and cost of government.
Grover Norquist, President of ART observed, "No one lost the last election by promising to reduce government spending." ART and President Norquist campaign ceaselessly in Washington and all state capitols for a reduction in the intrusion by government in our lives. ART recognizes the damage done by taxation and works to rein in spending everywhere.
The Taxpayer Protection Caucus will work with you to make the voters aware of your commitment to not spend their money. We have a history and plan. Join with other elected officials from Maryland who are keeping their promise to reduce the burden of government.
Support the rallying point for new candidates for the 2008 elections. Pledge signers can be proud to present a position favoring taxpayers. With all the confusion presented to the voters seize this opportunity to rally together and present a united front. We can prevail united. We can be effective now with a common position opposed to expanded government.
Sign your pledge today, I will forward it to Washington tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Senator Alex X. Mooney
Frederick and Washington Counties
Della is the really shocking name on this list. He represents an utterly safe Democratic district in Baltimore City (67% for Cardin, 65% for O'Malley, 71% for Franchot, 73% for Gansler). Baltimore City isn't exactly know for being last in line at the State's fiscal trough either.
The others Democrats all represent more marginal districts. The Baltimore County district held by Stone barely voted for O'Malley over Ehrlich (50% for O'Malley), while the Southern Maryland districts held by Dyson and Wood went for Ehrlich by solid margins (41% and 40% for O'Malley, respectively). However, one can work to hone one's moderate image without signing conservative tax pledges crafted by DC Republican politicos.
You may recall that the "no new taxes" drumbeat has not fared so well south of the Potomac in recent years. Republicans went to the mat before caving before Gov. Mark Warner's--and the electorate's--demands to modestly raise taxes to prevent further cuts in state funding and to increase education funding. The electorate punished Democrats by electing more of them to the Virginia legislature and electing another Democrat to the governor's office. Warner is so popular than Democrats are praying for Warner to jump into the Senate race. Former Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore, whose life work appears to be to eliminate Virginia's car tax, has left the presidential race to return to oblivion.
Back in Maryland, Republican legislators and the Gov. Martin O'Malley both appear to be marching on to the slots bandwagon as a solution to the state's fiscal woes. Republican House Leader O'Donnell unveiled GOP support for slots as part of their proposal to balance the budget without raising taxes or explaining specifically what they would cut instead of raising taxes. The GOP must be desperate in its search for funds to balance the budget as I thought many members of the Republican caucus were opposed to slots on moral grounds. Showing Democrats still like a good intraparty rumble, Comptroller Peter Franchot lashed out at Labor Secretary Tom Perez's report on slots as lacking objectivity.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Perez on the Job
Secretary of Labor, Licencing and Regulation Tom Perez clearly does not regard his job as a nice sinecure after he was forced to withdraw from the Attorney General's race. He wants to reenergize a department he believes was neutered under the previous Republican governor:
Among the department’s responsibilities ‘‘is a strong focus on nuts-and-bolts law enforcement, and frankly we need to rebuild some of that capacity that was stripped by the Ehrlich administration,” Perez said in an interview in his Baltimore office this week.‘‘In the wage and hour context and prevailing wage context, there was, frankly, an ideological battle, an ideological assault on those units that was unfortunate,” he said.
The state had 25 wage and hour investigators in the early 1990s, he said. But funding for the Employment Standards Service was eliminated in July 2005, leaving the department without investigators to check for violations of wage and hour rules, spokeswoman Linda Sherman said.
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