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O'Malley Increases Influence With Wins on Taxes and Slots
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., left, Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael E. Busch celebrate at a bill-signing.
(By Gail Burton -- Associated Press)
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"I think the governor showed immense skill in being flexible enough to make changes," said Barbara Hoffman, an Annapolis lobbyist and former Democratic senator from Baltimore. "He didn't draw lines in the sand."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Del. Tom Hucker (D-Montgomery) said O'Malley won points for his openness to lawmakers' ideas and a work ethic that contrasted with that of Ehrlich, whose tenure Hucker derided as "four years of press conferences and golf."
Lawmakers were also motivated to take tough votes by fear of the session's failure, said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), who was visible in Annapolis in closing days as he tried make the package more friendly to Montgomery and bring more delegates on board.
"If this had failed, it would have had negative consequences for him, for his leadership, his credibility and for the party," Leggett said of O'Malley.
Hoffman said O'Malley might have been hobbled in his relations with the legislature for the remainder of his term if the session had ended in a stalemate.
"He's now proven his chops, so to speak," she said.
There was as much talk at yesterday's bill-signing about the future as there was about having addressed the state's budget woes and reached a compromise on slots.
"This is a day to move Maryland forward," Busch said. "It puts all the demons behind us."
