“Nonnegotiable,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has said. “There is no middle ground,” Senator Bernie Sanders declared. The subject is abortion. The two Presidential candidates are quoted in an article headlined, Lost in Abortion Noise: Nuance, Politics Straddles 2 Extremes, but Americans Fall in Middle. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/15/us/politics/abortion-debate-pennsylvania.html We have taken the lead on this issue in …more >
I graduated from City College in 1968, a tumultuous time for Baltimore City and the nation. Last Saturday, I attended City’s commencement, also a turbulent time. I went for two reasons. I’ve watched one of the graduates, Emma Conn, grow up. I’m close friends with her parents, David and Amanda. I also wanted to share …more >
On Friday, Black Eyed Susan Day, the crowd at Pimlico set records for attendance and wagering. Peter Schmuck, the Baltimore Sun sports columnist, was impressed by the Preakness Day numbers: The announced attendance of 131,256 should remind everyone just how important the race is to the city of Baltimore and the record handle of $99,852,653 …more >
I don’t care why a colleague is voting the right way. That support helps us get to 71, the number needed to pass a bill. That was my thinking as we gradually (over seven years) reached the majority to repeal the death penalty. Peter Schmuck’s column in yesterday’s Sun makes that point about moving the Preakness …more >
Alliances have consequences. In the first month of the Trump Administration, legislation was introduced in the US Senate to prohibit federal funding for Planned Pasrenthood and other organizations that provide family planning services. In response, House Bill 1083 was enacted by the General Assembly. This law establishes a Family Planning Program to ensure the continuity …more >
The Mayor of Baltimore will not seek reelection. After Thursday’s raid by the FBI, that is even more evident than when the members of the City Council and the City delegation in the House of Delegates, myself included, called upon Mayor Pugh to resign earlier this month. Not running for a second term will be the …more >
Attorney General William Barr’s defense of his client, President Trump, declared an MSNBC commentator yesterday, will dishearten the career lawyers at the Department of Justice. And, I said to myself, any American who cherishes the rule of law – lawyers and non-lawyers alike. That struck home with me especially because I visited the John F. Kennedy Library …more >
Transforming Pimlico Race Course into an asset that benefits the community and region year round and providing a quality education for all of our children. These are my priorities – for the past 90 days in Annapolis and for the next four years. We made significant progress on these issues and others during this year’s …more >
Once again, I was honored to give the Orioles Opening Day prayer for the House of Delegates. This was a sad winter for members of the Hall of Fame. Frank Robinson died. So did Don Newcombe, great pitcher for the Dodgers. Babe Ruth’s daughter. And we learned that Tom Seaver has dementia. I had a …more >
Whatever happens in the remaining days of the legislative session, discussions about the future of Pimlico and the Preakness must take place afterwards. That’s what the Maryland Stadium Authority study recommends. That’s what the bill I testified for, House Bill 1190, would require. That’s what I wrote a Baltimore Sun reporter this morning after reading …more >
