Governor Cites Work to Do on College Tuition, Health Care, Pollution
By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Martin O'Malley pledged to unite Maryland at a time of "great peril and great possibility" as he was sworn in as governor yesterday, returning one-party rule to a capital bitterly divided during the past four years between a heavily Democratic legislature and a Republican chief executive.
"Let us begin anew in our state, where all things are possible, where progress is every citizen's responsibility, in one Maryland, where we move forward together," O'Malley said in a lofty 13-minute address from the State House steps in Annapolis that drew much of the state's political elite and national Democratic leaders, including U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
On a bitingly cold but brilliant afternoon, O'Malley, who served for seven years as Baltimore's mayor, spoke in broad strokes, offering few specifics about plans to make college education and health care more affordable, preserve the Chesapeake Bay and make Maryland a leader in homeland security. He also signaled his support for tighter emissions standards for automobiles and stepped-up oversight of electric utilities.
Among the "perils" O'Malley cited in his address were several that he said were "of our own recent making," including budget deficits, polluted waters, drug addiction and crumbling infrastructure.
A much looser O'Malley addressed his inaugural gala last night and then reunited with his Celtic rock band, O'Malley's March, much to the delight of the thousands in attendance. They opened with a cover of the Bob Dylan classic "The Times They Are A-Changin'." The governor later shared lead vocals with the Saw Doctors, an Irish rock band that flew from Dublin for the event.
At the afternoon ceremony, O'Malley and his lieutenant governor, Anthony G. Brown, a former Prince George's delegate, appeared with their families on an elaborate stage erected on the steps of the State House. Billboard-size U.S. and Maryland flags hung on the walls of the historic building, and a banner proclaiming "One Maryland" -- the theme of O'Malley's inaugural celebration -- stretched overhead.
Former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., whom O'Malley defeated in November, was among the thousands of people seated below. Ehrlich, Maryland's first Republican governor in a generation, declined an invitation to sit on the dais with other dignitaries, instead taking a seat with his wife and his lieutenant governor, Michael S. Steele (R), in the first row of a side aisle.
"This is his day," Ehrlich said of his successor. "I respect tradition. We're sitting here, as it should be."
The dais instead was crowded with Democrats, overjoyed to be reclaiming the governor's mansion. Pelosi, a Baltimore native who represents the San Francisco area, inadvertently created a moment of levity by proclaiming that O'Malley "will be a great governor of California."
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin sat next to Kweisi Mfume, the former NAACP leader whom he defeated in last year's Democratic primary. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean sat to one side chatting with his Maryland counterpart, Terry Lierman. U.S. House Majority Whip Steny H. Hoyer and other members of the Maryland congressional delegation appeared on the dais.
In the front row sat O'Malley's wife and four children, including 4-year-old Jack, who wriggled in his mother's arms for much of the ceremony before appearing to fall asleep during his father's speech.
Although the address contained no specific policy proposals, it included several nods toward initiatives the state's 61st governor plans to push.
The crowd burst into applause as he mentioned his campaign promise to make higher education more affordable after several years of tuition increases during Ehrlich's tenure. O'Malley spoke of creating a Maryland "where working parents will never have to tell their children, 'There is no way our family can ever afford college.' "
O'Malley also pledged to "restore our regulatory framework so that your government can stand up to powerful, wealthy special interests if ever they try to profiteer on the backs of the working people of our state."
That was a reference to the electricity rate increases approved by the state's utility regulators, whom O'Malley has vowed to replace. He also has promised several changes to distance regulators from the industries they oversee.
O'Malley also referred to "cleaner-burning cars" amid a list of environmental goals, sparking speculation that the new governor will back a bill this session to require tighter emissions standards on automobiles sold in Maryland. O'Malley has been noncommittal on the concept, modeled on initiatives in California and other states.
O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said after the speech that the governor is "very interested in working with the General Assembly on this particular piece of legislation."
O'Malley, a student of history, noted that he was delivering his speech on the steps of a State House where Gen. George Washington resigned his command of the Continental Army in 1783.
"We can, once again, lead our country into yet another chapter of the American Revolution, a revolution based on the dignity of the individual and powered by our shared responsibility to advance the common good," O'Malley said.
Most of Ehrlich's Cabinet had resigned before noon yesterday, prompting O'Malley to name acting secretaries in several of the major departments for which he has not yet announced nominees.
The ceremony was the centerpiece of a long day of festivities that began with a prayer breakfast in Prince George's County, where O'Malley and Brown were warmly received in a heavily Democratic jurisdiction that helped elect them.
"What this administration wants to do is unify us under a spirit of excellence and to strive for that for everybody in the state," said the Rev. Jonathan Weaver, pastor of Greater Mount Nebo AME Church in Bowie, who offered the closing prayer.
Maryland Chief Judge Robert M. Bell delivered the official oath of office to O'Malley at noon in the Senate chamber of the State House, a performance repeated on the outdoor stage.
A parade featuring marching bands from Maryland's 24 jurisdictions followed, and O'Malley and Brown later received well-wishers at Government House, the 54-room Georgian-style mansion where the governor and his family will soon reside.
O'Malley's inaugural day was capped by a gala in Baltimore that included entertainment by 1970s R&B legends Kool & the Gang and the Saw Doctors, whom O'Malley joined to sing "The Green and Red of Mayo." Whether O'Malley would perform was a subject of mild curiosity before last night's event. He had stopped appearances with his own band nearly two years ago, citing the demands of his gubernatorial campaign.
At the gala, a tuxedo-clad O'Malley was summoned to the stage by former Baltimore mayor Tommy D'Allesandro, Pelosi's brother.
"Mr. Mayor, I wouldn't want to hurt my gravitas," O'Malley, who turns 44 today, said before the briefest of pauses. "All right, give me two seconds. I'll be over there."
About $1.2 million in private money was raised to help pay for the gala and other costs associated with a week-long state tour leading up to the inauguration, aides said.
In a gesture of bipartisan goodwill, Senate Minority Whip Allan H. Kittleman (R-Howard) turned up in Greenbelt yesterday for the prayer breakfast. "I wanted to give my best to him and let him know that we're looking forward to working with the new administration," Kittleman said.
Ehrlich, in a brief interview , was less optimistic about what the coming four years will bring.
"A lot of what we started, what we believe in, will be undone," he said. "That's the way it is. No one will ever mistake Martin O'Malley and Bob Ehrlich."
Immediately after the ceremony, aides whisked Ehrlich away toward a waiting black sport-utility vehicle.
Staff writers Lisa Rein, Ovetta Wiggins, William Wan and Hamil R. Harris contributed to this report.
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