By Annapolis Notebook
Sunday, November 4, 2007
It is unclear whether Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Montgomery) will be successful in stopping slots from coming to Maryland. But his efforts are not likely to win him many dinner invitations to the governor's mansion.
When testifying last week against Gov. Martin O'Malley's slots proposal, Simmons reminded his colleagues of comments made by O'Malley (D) during his days as Baltimore's mayor.
Among them: "Slot machines are a gambling gimmick that disproportionately targets the poor." And slots, O'Malley once said, are "a morally bankrupt way to fund education."
O'Malley's position on the issue has evolved in recent years. As a candidate for governor last year, he advocated allowing a "limited number" of slots at racetracks as a means to save the horse-racing industry.
In what he has characterized as a bid to put the fractious issue behind lawmakers, O'Malley is pushing a referendum that would legalize 15,000 machines at five locations. Only two existing tracks would be eligible for licenses.
The proposal is a significant part of O'Malley's long-term plan to deal with projected budget shortfalls of at least $1.5 billion.
"We can solve the deficit without throwing our moral compass into it," Simmons said at last week's hearing.
-- John Wagner
So Was His Gift His Song?
Weddings are all about the love.
And at the wedding of Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.'s daughter last weekend at St. Mary's Church in Annapolis, there was a lot of love going around.
The whole thing was capped off with a reception, where there was a lovely exchange between Miller (D-Calvert) and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), a wedding guest.
Miller said that "one of the highlights" of the reception was when the governor came onstage. The 15-piece band began playing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," and Miller told the governor, "They're playing your song."
Band members asked if the father of the bride, Amanda Leigh, thought O'Malley would join them.
Miller said the governor offered a few bars of the song in his "absolutely beautiful voice."
"Everyone appreciated that he came and that they joined in the festivities," said Miller, noting that the governor's wife, Catherine Curran O'Malley, accompanied him.
-- Ovetta Wiggins
Brown Hosts Iraqi Delegation . . .
Although most people in Annapolis focused last week on the state's budget deficit, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown turned his attention to the Middle East, at least for a day.
Brown (D) hosted a group of Iraqi officials who came to the state capitol Thursday to learn about the relationship among federal, state and local governments in the United States.
Among the officials were Mamoon S. Rashib Al-Alwani, governor of Iraq's Anbar province, and Abdulsalam A. Mohammed, chairman of the Anbar Provincial Council. The visiting dignitaries talked with Brown about his experiences in Iraq in 2005, when he helped with humanitarian assistance in Baghdad, Fallujah, Kirkuk and Basra.
"In Iraq, we promoted building a democratic government founded on the principles of freely elected officials, caucusing, constituency service and a professional, accountable and responsive legislative government," Brown said in a statement.
The Iraqi delegation is in the United States through Nov. 10 as part of the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program. The officials began their trip in Washington, where they met with President Bush, and will travel to Houston and Burlington, Vt., to meet with local officials and college students.
-- Philip Rucker
. . . Before Stumping for Clinton
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) is on the campaign trail in Iowa this weekend for his preferred presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).
Brown had a series of events scheduled yesterday, including coffee and a party with potential Clinton supporters. Today he has appearances scheduled at a couple of churches before returning to Maryland.
Next weekend, an aide said, Brown is off to another early nominating state: South Carolina.
-- John Wagner
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