Spying Admission Rankles Civil Liberties, Good Government Groups

By Annapolis Notebook
Sunday, July 27, 2008

The revelation this month that Maryland State Police agents spied on antiwar and death-penalty protesters for more than a year has caused much consternation among civil liberties and good government groups.

In Takoma Park, one of the state's bastions of liberal thinking, officials were particularly concerned: Dozens of their constituents' organizational meetings, rallies and e-mail group lists were infiltrated over 14 months, starting in 2005.

Several residents and City Council members sent alarmed e-mails to Police Chief Ronald A. Ricucci. Did he know that undercover officers were posing as peace activists and opponents of capital punishment to gain access to their meetings?

To the relief of many, this was the response from Suzanne Ludlow, the city's community and government liaison.

"Neither Chief Ricucci nor any current command staff that was present at the time of the surveillance knew anything about it. . . . If there are inquiries by the press, please let them know that the City of Takoma Park was not informed of the surveillance."

The spying also did not sit well with Common Cause of Maryland, a good government group that sent out an e-mail petition seeking signatures from supporters asking for a federal and state investigation of the operation.

Executive Director Ryan O'Don nell went high tech with his plea, recording a one-minute video on YouTube.

"Marylanders should really be outraged for two reasons," O'Donnell says in the video. "First, it's an obvious attack on our civil liberties. . . . Second, this was an egregious and outlandish waste of taxpayer money, time and resources when the state police should have been pursuing legitimate public safety issues."

-- Lisa Rein

That Time of the Year

Some high-profile guests from across the region are scheduled to attend a "Victory '08 Unity Fundraiser" being hosted next week by the Maryland Democratic Party.

Scheduled to appear alongside an A-list of Maryland pols are District Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell and possibly Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, depending on a scheduling issue.

Money raised at the Wednesday night event at Iguana Cantina in Baltimore will benefit Democratic efforts in Maryland this fall. Admission is $50.

Among the home-state Democrats planning to attend, according to state party officials, are Gov. Martin O'Malley, U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer.

Maryland Republicans, meanwhile, are planning to gather this afternoon for their "3rd Annual Picnic Under the Tent," with proceeds going to GOP efforts in the state this fall.

The guest speaker for the event, at a farm in Davidsonville, is Everett Alvarez Jr., a former U.S. prisoner of war in North Vietnam.

Tickets start at $100 a person. Children can attend free.

-- John Wagner

O'Malley, Brown Collect

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) raised more than $1 million last week at their largest fundraiser since their 2006 election, an aide said.

Tickets to the Tuesday night event at Silo Point, a newly renovated historic building in Baltimore, started at $4,000. The minimum price of admission was $250.

O'Malley and Brown have done some fundraising during their 18 months in office, but this event was the largest single-night take for their reelection effort in 2010.

As of January, the last time fundraising reports were due, O'Malley and Brown reported almost $1.2 million in three accounts: two that they maintain separately and a third joint account.

-- John Wagner

Franchot Fundraising

Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) recently sent out two fundraising solicitations: one for his campaign committee, the other for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, and two U.S. House candidates from Maryland.

Franchot, the state's chief tax collector, highlights his commitment to education in his solicitation, citing public school construction dollars approved by the Board of Public Works, a three-member panel on which he sits. Franchot also cites his work to bring more technology to Eastern Shore classrooms and expand awareness of the College Savings Plan of Maryland.

"I can't do it alone," Franchot writes in the e-mail solicitation. "I need your help to continue my work on behalf of Maryland's children."

In the other solicitation, Franchot writes that "after two disastrous terms with President Bush, we desperately need new leadership in the White House, along with more Democrats in Congress."

Besides Obama, Franchot asks his supporters to help Democrats Frank Kratovil in the 1st District and Jennifer Dougherty in the 6th District.

-- John Wagner

Brown to Hold the Purse

Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) has been elected treasurer of the National Lieutenant Governors Association.

Brown nabbed the year-long post Friday at the organization's meeting in Buffalo.

In a statement, Brown said he is excited to work with what he called "an important fraternity of bipartisan public servants."

-- John Wagner