This week, the Maryland Board of Public Works made what sure looks like the wrong decision on a multimillion-dollar contract to renovate and operate two of the nation's busiest rest areas, the Maryland House and Chesapeake House, both located along I-95 in Maryland.  As reported in this week’s Gazette, the Board voted 2-1 to give the contract to a Miami-based firm, rejecting a competing proposal by its Bethesda-based rival, HMS Host, which has operated the plazas since 1987. Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot voted against the move but was outvoted by the Board's other two members, Gov. …

President Obama has been roundly criticized in recent weeks for his heavy-handed regulatory move to require employers, including church-affiliated institutions, to offer contraceptive care as part of their health insurance plans. African-American pastors and other religious organizations in Maryland have been making news with their vocal opposition to new laws granting same-sex couples the same legal marriage rights as the rest of us. In the Republican primary campaign, Rick Santorum went on a diatribe against President John F. Kennedy and his iconic speech in defense of the separation of …

According to a recent Gallup poll, public approval ratings for the U.S. Congress have plummeted to an all-time record low of 11 percent. The Washington Post did a fascinating — but somewhat scary — compilation this week of some of the other people and things Americans have found to be at least as popular as the U.S. Congress.  It's a bit alarming to see so many things that most people find downright repugnant now surpass Congress in popularity, but given its performance of late, it comes as no surprise. Here’s a short synopsis:   Polygamy — At 11 percent approval among Americans, polygamy …

Readers of this column have heard me gripe from time to time, and for good reason, about the fact that Virginia cleans our clocks here in Maryland when it comes to creating a good business climate. True, they have created a more free-flowing economic and regulatory environment that allows them to basically beat us up and steal our lunch money when it comes to attracting and retaining good jobs and economic development.  We can learn much from them. However, one look at their political climate is more than enough to keep me on this side of the Potomac for good. Why? When it comes to respecting…

The great thing about setting priorities is that it tells people what you believe is most important, meaning more important than all other things. At least that is what the word "priorities" means in all other realms outside of politics. When it comes to our own local leaders, however, the word "priority" apparently means something entirely different. Politicians love to call everything a "priority," which really means nothing is. They obviously do this to keep everyone happy, but the danger in this muddling of the term "priority" is that we lose focus on where scarce taxpayer dollars really …

Gov. Martin O'Malley did something this week you don't often see in politics today. He offered an idea for consideration, apparently without discussing it first with key advisers, checking in with party insiders, consulting his pollster, or doing a focus group. He said that if he had his "druthers" he might look at a sales tax increase to provide new funding for transportation and help close the state's general fund budget gap. While opponents were quick to blast away, I can think of a number of reasons why the governor was right to raise the issue. First of all, it is not necessarily bad …

As we begin the New Year, it's a good time to take one last backward glance at what transpired on our local political scene in Montgomery County in 2011 and take a quick look forward to what's in store for 2012.  For some, 2011 was a year best forgotten (just ask Jack Johnson) but this year had its bright spots too — the long-awaited ICC finally opened after over 50 years of planning and delay; the first phase of several key projects of critical importance to the County's economy moved forward, including the new Shady Grove Science Center, White Flint, Wheaton, the East County Science Center …

This week, Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner succeeded Valerie Ervin as the new council president for the coming year. Ervin's term was marked by unprecedented financial challenges brought on by the lingering effects of the Great Recession. Perhaps the most enduring impression she left was the extraordinary unity with which she led the council through this extremely difficult time, and for which she was unfairly singled out for showing some political courage along the way. Berliner will be hard pressed to measure up on that score, but he just might pull it off if he and his …

For nearly 20 years, I've listened to every conceivable argument for and against the Intercounty Connector (ICC). Now, after taking my first drive on it last week, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on whether or not it was worth it.  One of the key advantages of the ICC, in all the traffic studies over these many years, was the time savings it was expected to deliver. Studies always showed the ICC would cut the average travel time between I-270 and I-95 nearly in half. So, on the first day it was open, some friends and I, who together helped found the Suburban Maryland …

Is anyone in Montgomery County government paying attention to the fact that our local economy has basically flat-lined?  As it turns out, at least some of them are. Earlier this week, the Montgomery County Council was given a detailed presentation from noted regional economist Stephen Fuller, who briefed the council on the findings of a new report from the Center for Regional Policy Analysis on "Housing the Region’s Future Workforce." Both the presentation and the report itself should be mandatory viewing and reading for every policymaker, civic activist and business owner in the county, …

With the 2011 local elections in just a few days (Tuesday, Nov. 8), it's time to take a look at who's running for mayor and city council in Rockville and Gaithersburg and share a few observations. This week's column will focus on Rockville, where things have gotten a bit heated recently. Next week I'll focus on Gaithersburg. The first and most important decision city residents can make is to show up!  Local elections make a lot more difference than the paltry amount of media coverage they generate implies, so please do your part.   Don't know much about the candidates? Don’t let that deter …

This week the long-debated Purple Line, a light-rail transit line connecting Bethesda to New Carrollton, took another important step forward. The $1.9 billion project is now approved for preliminary engineering, a key step in the federal funding process.  This is good news on several fronts.  First, it shows continued forward progress as the Purple Line continues creeping forward towards its expected 2020 construction date.  Second, it will bring several aspects of the project into much clearer focus, including the preliminary design, alignment and cost estimates.  All of these are still …

It’s no secret that Montgomery County public employee unions are, shall we say, "disappointed" with Valerie Ervin.  As council president, she has not bent to their every whim in the way to which they have grown accustomed in years past. Never mind the fact that our continuing recession and resulting budget crisis have forced this council to make tough choices, and since roughly 80 percent of the county budget is employee benefits and salaries, they simply couldn’t continue on the same rapid upward trajectory. The money just isn't there anymore. Never mind the fact that this county has been …

After years of controversy, political grandstanding and legal challenges, that gaping hole in Silver Spring's vibrant street scene is finally being filled. This week, the Fillmore Silver Spring officially opens its doors on Sept. 15 with opening act Mary J. Blige. The rest of the month is filled with an impressive lineup of artists as diverse as John Legend, Blondie, Primus, Cheap Trick and — my favorite — the Psychedelic Furs. I’m always somewhat amused, at "civic milestone moments" like this, to see which local politicians show up. Specifically, it's amusing to see how many show up for a "…

I have not yet had the chance to see the newest addition to the National Mall, the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I am looking forward to it. Having studied both Dr. King's writings and his historical legacy in college, I have long considered Dr. King as one of the greatest leaders America has ever produced.  That is why I am so pleased to see him take his place among the other great leaders in U.S. history.  His name belongs in the same league with Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Roosevelt and Kennedy. However, as the Washington Post has reported this week, there is a glaring …

At the recent annual summer conference of the Maryland Association of Counties, the subject of tax increases once again reared its ugly head. Gov. Martin O’Malley indicated he may be open to possible tax increases to deal with a projected $1 billion budget shortfall during the next state legislative session, which begins in January, depending on the outcome of the federal budget deficit "supercommittee" deliberations. At a time of continued economic stress and uncertainty, in a state already known for its high tax rates and unfriendly-to-business regulatory policies, the governor and other …

What’s going on around here? It seems like we’ve had our share of severe thunderstorms this year, with plenty of high winds and torrential rain. This week we even saw golf-ball-sized hail at the Wheaton Ice Rink. But something very different is happening. Is it just me, or have the utilities gotten more reliable this year? As a self-employed consultant with a home-based office, I am particularly vulnerable to interruptions in those "little" things like electricity and Internet access. So I worry about these things a great deal and am acutely aware of the performance of our local utilities.  …

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently appointed one of Maryland’s own, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. This is the so-called "super committee" that has been charged with finding $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion in federal budget deficit savings, to stave off the threat of severe automatic cuts that will be triggered if Republicans and Democrats fail to reach agreement.  For Van Hollen, already a well-respected voice on budgetary issues and a rising star among House Democrats, the appointment carries both great opportunity and great risk.  The …

The Montgomery County Board of Education recently approved, 6-2, a proposal by Crossway Community Montessori to open the county’s first public charter school. This is big news. Not only will this be the first charter school in the county, it will also be the first public Montessori school in the county. Other surrounding jurisdictions have had public charter schools for years, with results ranging from spectacular to dismal. While Montgomery County is arriving late to the charter-school party, there is every reason to expect this particular proposal to be on the positive side of that spectrum…

A new report by Blueprint Maryland, a newly-launched think tank founded by Chevy Chase financial executive John Delaney, calls attention to one of the key challenges facing us in Montgomery County and the State of Maryland: Our stagnant job market and the further damage that looming federal budget cuts could have on Maryland’s struggling economy. The report highlights the impact on future unemployment rates if the federal government cuts spending at levels consistent with what the Obama Administration’s deficit reduction commission recommends.  Current employment trends are moving in the …