Upbeat Ehrlich Stresses Cooperation in Speech

As Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. gives his State of the State address to the Maryland General Assembly, House Speaker Michael E. Busch applauds. (By Lucian Perkins -- The Washington Post)

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. used the final State of the State address of his term to declare himself a "change agent," and in the process, he gave Democrats a preview yesterday of how he'll forge his bid for reelection.

"Most pundits regard an election year session as an opportunity for the two parties to frame issues and garner political advantage in advance of the approaching election," the Republican governor told the General Assembly. "The people we represent see things differently. They want results. They want responsiveness."

The address presented a repackaged Bob Ehrlich -- a Republican governor eager to find common ground with Democrats in the legislature, craving an end to "Capitol Hill-style" politics in Annapolis and willing to spend on an array of new programs. Among those are initiatives previously championed by Democrats, including strict limits on university tuition increases, a reduction in power plant pollution and funding of stem cell research.

He credited the House speaker and Senate president with helping pass a Chesapeake Bay restoration plan, saying that without the Democratic leaders "that bill does not get done."

And he made not one mention by name of the topic that dominated the first three years of his tenure: slot machine gambling.

As he has done repeatedly in recent weeks, the governor pitched the idea that Maryland is in an economic revival. As if channeling his father, who sold used cars on commission, he called conditions in the state "hot, red hot." He pointed to lows in unemployment and welfare caseloads, the creation of nearly 100,000 jobs and a soaring real estate market.

Ehrlich spoke before a packed joint session of the General Assembly's 188 members, two former governors and members of his Cabinet. His parents were in the front row of the balcony. Also in the gallery were the two Democrats vying to challenge Ehrlich in November: Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.

Duncan called the governor's account of his record on education, the environment and civility "an election year makeover."

When the governor revisited a topic that brought him considerable attention during last year's State of the State address -- the bitter and partisan political tone in Annapolis -- O'Malley rose from his seat and applauded vigorously.

Afterward, Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's) called the governor "a hypocrite," saying the Capitol Hill-style politics in Annapolis can be traced directly to Ehrlich's arrival.

Other Democrats were more subdued about the speech. House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said he thought it was "very positive." But he questioned whether Ehrlich could legitimately claim credit for turning a $4 billion deficit into a $2 billion surplus.

Nonpartisan state budget analysts say Ehrlich took office facing annual projected shortfalls of about $1 billion, and the state finished last year with a surplus of about $1.2 billion.