Lost On The Shore

Don't Worry About the Slots...Yet

 
There's been a lot of public hand-wringing and breast-beating over the small number of bids received to operate slot machines in Maryland - only a total of six bids were received for the five possible sites.  Two of the bids came without the required deposit, suggesting that they might be less than serious and probably will be disqualified.  Many have said that the slots legislation needs to be changed already, before the first machine is in place or any bid has been accepted, to give the potential operators a bigger cut.

I say that's a bunch of rubbish.  In case anyone hasn't noticed, the economy is not doing too well these days and credit is tight.  It can't be easy for some to come up with the required deposit.  Further, there are still uncertainties about some of the sites that need to be cleared up.  But these problems will be solved eventually - the economy will improve, credit will loosen and the issues around a couple of the sites will be resolved.  There's absolutely no need to panic and start throwing more money at the potential slots operators.

We need to look no further than right here on the Shore where William Rickman, arguably the most experienced slots operator among all the bidders, submitted a bid to place 800 machines at his Ocean Downs race track.  Mr. Rickman, who is the principal in the Delaware Park slots operation just up the road is experienced, understands the cost and income from operating slot machines and has chosen to put up the required money, even given the relatively small share of proceeds that Maryland allocates to operators.  If he can do it down here, other operators can do it at the other sites.  It will just be a matter of time.

Similarly, Cordish, who has some experience in the business, submitted what seems to be a viable bid for the Anne Arundel County site.  It looks as though the bids for the Cecil County and the Baltimore City sites are also good.  All of the bids, except for Cordish's are for fewer slots than the legislation allows, but give them time and eventually the'll reach the cap. 

So don't panic and start throwing money at the slots operators.  They don't need it. 

[I've been offline for a while due to a combination of events.  I hope to get back to posting regularly soon!]

The Big Waste Disposal Problem

Opponents of nuclear energy frequently cite the problem of 'waste disposal' as their rationale for opposing this energy source.  And it's true that, for various reasons, including political infighting, this problem has not been completely solved.  But the primary alternative to nuclear power doesn't look so good either.

The recent spill of coal ash at Kingston, Tennessee may have finally focused the attention of some on the problems of disposing of the waste from coal-burning power plants.  The spill, which released some 300 million gallons of coal ash sludge and water into the surrounding area and a tributary of the Tennessee river is a disaster for the community, for the environment and for those living downstream who depend on the river for their water supply.

Federal studies have long shown coal ash to contain significant quantities of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and selenium, which can cause cancer and neurological problems.  The Tennessee Valley Authority, which operates the power plant and is responsible for the coal ash predicably denied there was any problem. 

Yet a 2006 study by the EPA showed that coal ash does contain significant amounts of carcinogens and heavy metals.  The report found that concentrations of arsenic in the coal ash could enter drinking water and increase the risk of cancer several hundredfold. 

United States coal plants produce some 130 million tons of coal ash a year - the second highest waste stream in the country after municipal waste.  A second report by the EPA said that at least 67 towns had their groundwater contaminated by heavy waste from coal ash dumps.  Safe disposal of coal ash is a national problem that needs a solution now. 

But you don't have to travel across the country to find communities impacted by coal ash.  There are problems right here in Maryland an on the Eastern Shore.  In Anne Arundel County in Maryland, residentlal drinking water wells have been polluted by heavy metals, including cadmium, thalium and arsenic, which leached from a sand-and-gravel pit used to dispose of coal ash from a plant run by BG&E.  Right here in Delmarva, the Indian River Power Plant in Millsboro disposes of some 140,000 tons of coal ash in its 144 acre disposal pit on the shores of Indian River - an environmentally sensitive area.  This coal ash contains significant quantities of arsenic and mercury.

The operators of the power plant - NRG Corporation, of course deny that there is any problem, but it's clear that heavy metals from the ash can leach into the ground water and Indian River Bay.  Further, there is epidemiological evidence of a cancer cluster in the area.  While there is no hard evidence linking this cancer cluster to the presence of millions of tons of coal ash here, it's hard not see a potential connection.

The solid waste from coal combustion is not the only problem, of course.  The stuff that goes up the smokestack, primarily carbon dioxide but also small amounts of other chemicals, posses just as intractable a problem.  It's becoming more and more apparent that disposing of huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might just be a big mistake.

And, of course, it's not just when coal is burned that it creates a mess.  Mining companies dump huge amounts of waste in to streams and valleys.  Open pit mines are 'reclaimed' leaving behind something that resembles the surface of the moon.  After the mining is finished, the mines are abandoned.  Communities all over Appalachia are dealing with the hazards of abandoned mines including acid mine drainage, long-lasting underground fires, collapsing terrain and other problems. 

Then, of course, there is the physcial damage to the miners.  Coal mining is one of the most dangerous occupations there is.  Each year hudnreds of miners are killed or seriously injured.  And the miners are in danger even after they stop mining.  Between 2000 and 2004 more than 4,000 coal miners in the United States died from black lung disease, a disease caused by breathing coal dust.  Many more are disabled.

It should be clear that there is no such thing as 'clean coal'.  Coal is dangerous and dirty to mine and transport and there is no current safe solution to the disposal of the waste products from the combustion of coal. We need to move as quickly as possible to stop the large-scale use of coal to generate electricity in this country.

Yet coal is our number one fuel for electricity generation.  How can we replace it?  Many point to renewable sources such as solar, wind energy and hydropower.  But there is only limited additional hyrdropower potential in this country.  Wind and solar energy are promising but they share one major problem and that is their high variability.  The sun shines only during the day and the wind doesn't blow all the time.  The 'capacity ratings' that you hear when people talk about these sources refer to their maximum capacity, which they reach only a small portion of the time.  

The only feasible replacement for the hundreds of coal plants which are progressively contaminating our country and the atmosphere is nuclear power.  True, nuclear has its problems, but it's much, much cleaner than coal, is efficient and cost effective.  It's the only choice we have.

[The photo at the top is of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant]  

Change needed in Annapolis

The hits just keep on coming for the Maryland State Police.  Yet more embarrassing revelations surfaced the other day in their long running spying scandal.  The State Police can't seem to make this problem go away and there's a good reason for that.  They still won't admit it was wrong.

Let's back up a bit and look at what happened and what the State Police have said and done about it.  Back in 2005, the State Police decided they needed to spy on anti-war and anti-death penalty groups because the police were worried about what might happen at demonstrations against the death penalty in Maryland. 

The state police sent spies into the meetings of these groups, recorded all their activities and added the names of the groups and members to a multi-state terrorist database despite the fact that no illegal activities were ever discussed or carried out. 

Despite the fact that no evidence of illegal activities was ever found, the State Police continued and expanded the surveillance to include such groups as the American Civil Liberties Union, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and numerous peace groups and anti-death penalty groups.

To this day, neither the man who was police superintendent at the time, Tim Hitchins, nor the current superintendent, Terrence Sheridan, see anything wrong with what was done, except for a possible waste of resources. 

Well, a waste of resources it certainly was.  But it was much more.  It was a brazen action by the State Police to investigate and infiltrate politically active groups that happened to espouse positions that the State Police may not have agreed with. 

The ridiculous justification offered by the police that they were worried about violence at scheduled executions is nonsense on its face.  There has never been violence by any of the groups investigated.  Certainly there has been civil disobedience, but there's a simple solution to that - arrest the people when they break the law.  It's always worked.

Besides, civil disobedience has a long and honorable history in this country, from the Boston Tea Party and the patriot groups that were organized around the War for Independence to the abolitionists to those who demonstrated and conducted sit-ins for women's right to vote, for civil rights and for other causes that have become part of our country.  Sure, civil disobedience can be a bit messy, but democracy and freedom of expression are inherently a bit messy. 

The State Police and Colonel Sheridan assure us that the surveillance of activist groups and political groups has stopped and won't be started again unless he thinks its necessary.  What kind of assurance is that?  He doesn't even seem to understand what was wrong with it to begin with. 

We need two kinds of change in Annapolis.  First, Colonel Sheridan needs to leave.  If he doesn't understand the basic problem with the spying that went on, he is unfit to command the State Police.  Second, the General Assembly needs to enact legislation placing the strictest of controls on this kind of activity.  Civil rights, the right to free expression and the right to peaceably assemble should mean something in the Free State.

Looking forward to 2009

I've been busy on other projects, but it's time to get back to posting.  The 426th session of the Maryland General Assembly begins on January 14th and runs until April 13th, 2009.  The session will be, as always, in the historic State House which is reopening after a $10 million renovation.  The Maryland State House has the distinction of being the oldest state house in continuous operation.  It served as the U.S. Capitol in 1783-1784.  George Washington resigned his commission as Commander of the Continental Army in the Maryland State House; but enough of that.

For the most part, it's not going to be an enjoyable session.  There are a lot of contentious issues and, looming over everything, is the budget, which will have to embody significant cuts from earlier projections.  Let's take a look at what's on the table.

First and foremost, of course, is the budget.  Tax receipts continue to fall well below projects as the economy stalls and real estate values decline and the Governor has been playing a game of catchup in trying to trim the current budget to match revenues.  Next year, of course is looking worse.  The state could be looking at a deficit of as much as $1 billion with a general fund budget of about $16 billion (for the fiscal year beginning June 30, 2009.)

Of course, a lot of the projected deficit is not really due to a reduction in revenues, but rather to increases in the budget baseline - what it will cost to keep state services steady.  Due to a variety of factors - changes in student enrollment, changes in prison population, changes in the number of medicaid recipients, as well as cost increases, the amount required to provide the same level of services can increase.  One of the things the Governor and the General Assembly will have to look at is whether the state can afford to pay those increased costs in the face of stagnant or declining revenue.  A list of the 'adjustments' can be found here.  Take a look and see what you think.

In any case, it's clear that there are going to be cuts and that some of the cuts inevitably are going to fall on education and on aid to localities.  These two items are simply too large a proportion of the total budget to be ignored.  We've already heard complaints from Montgomery County and Baltimore City even though the first dime has yet to be cut from the 2010 budget.  I'm sure we'll hear much more.

Death Penalty I discussed in a recent post the issue of abolishing the death penalty in Maryland.  The commission that was put into place to study the issue and as a handy way to dodge the issue last session has made their report recommending that the death penalty be abolished and the Governor is going to introduce legislation to that effect.  While there is a solid majority in the House of Delegates to abolish the death penalty and what appears to be a smaller but viable majority in the Senate to do the same thing, it's not certain that it will pass.  Last session in died in a Senate Committee and there's a strong possibility it will happen again.

Speed Cameras  This issue will certainly come up again.  Following the successful introduction of speed cameras into Montgomery County, legislation to authorize localities around the state to install the devices passed both houses last year, but the bills were slightly different and the measures died in the end-of-year rush.  It's almost certain to be resurrected this year and likely to pass, generating waves of complaints from those who feel that speed limits are an affront to their manhood.

Smart Growth After years of fooling around with various kinds of 'smart growth' packages, the state seems to have finally realized that, since almost all zoning and development decisions are made at the local level and not at the state level, tougher legislation is required to override local prerogative if we want to control growth and development.  This will be a contentious issue.  County governments guard these authorities carefully since real estate developers and contractors are major contributors to local election contests.  The state is going to have a tough time here.

Universal Health Care A group of Marylanders is proposing that the state take steps to provide universal health care for Maryland residents.  Chances of this $15 billion proposal passing in this session are zero.  The state is already struggling with the budget and simply can't afford to add to it at this point.  Look for the proponents to keep on pushing, though.

Gasoline Tax  No, the Governor is not going to propose an increase to the gasoline tax.  Despite the shortfall in the state's transportation fund, there is no appetite for tax increases.  Instead, look for a proposal to replace the current cents-per-gallon tax with a tax based on a percentage of the sales tax.  That way, when the price of gasoline begins to climb again, the tax will climb along with it.  The state argues, with some justification, that as the price of road construction and maintenance increases, the dedicated taxes to support it also needs to increase.  This should be interesting.

A Final Look At The Election On The Shore

In my last post I took a look at the election results on the Eastern Shore where the Democrat Frank Kratovil ended eighteen years of Republican success in the First Congressional District by narrowly beating Republican Andy Harris.  I also pointed out that, despite Kratovil's win, the Shore still looked pretty Republican as Democrat Barack Obama got pasted by Republican John McCain in every county on the Shore.

Let's take a look at those numbers again.

Eastern Shore Results for President - 2008

County	Obama	McCain	Others	% Obama	% McCain
Caroline	4971	8015	192	37.72%	60.82%
Cecil	17665	23855	849	41.69%	56.30%
Dorchester	6912	8168	163	45.35%	53.59%
Kent	4953	4905	143	49.53%	49.05%
Queen Anne's	8575	15087	303	35.78%	62.95%
Somerset	4779	5037	98	48.20%	50.81%
Talbot	9035	10995	252	44.55%	54.21%
Wicomico	19436	21849	471	46.55%	52.33%
Worcester	11374	15607	316	41.67%	57.17%

Those are some pretty convincing numbers.  Except for Somerset and Kent counties - the two smallest - McCain dominated everywhere. 

But, if we look back at the 2004 Presidential contest, we see an interesting phenomenon.

Presidential Results - 2004

County	Kerry	Bush	Other	Kerry %	Bush %
Caroline	3810	7396	142	33.57	65.17
Cecil	14680	22556	419	38.99	59.90
Dorchester	5411	7801	119	40.59	58.52
Kent	4278	4900	97	46.12	52.83
Queen Anne's	7070	14489	222	32.46	66.52
Somerset	4034	4884	73	44.87	54.32
Talbot	7367	11288	197	39.08	59.88
Wicomico	15137	21998	328	40.41	58.72
Worcester	9648	15349	218	38.26	60.87

As we can see, the Democratic ticket improved their showing in 2008 in every county on the Shore.  In most counties the improvement was in the 3 - 4 % range, but in Wicomico there was a big 6% jump and in Talbot the increase was 5%.  These numbers not only offer hope to Democrats that they will do even better in the next Presidential election, but also point to possible gains in the state and local elections in 2010. 

So keep your eyes on the Shore in 2010, we may have some surprises here.

A Closer Look at the Election

Thanksgiving is over, Christmas shopping has begun, the hunters are out in full force and it's cold here on the Eastern Shore.  So I guess this is as good a time as any to take a closer look at results of the recent election, particularly here on The Shore.

The Eastern Shore has, for the past twenty years or so, been a Republican stronghold.  Wayne Gilchrest won nine elections in a row for the first district congressional seat and Republicans hold every state senate seat on the Shore.  Democrats were understandably pleased when Gilchrest was defeated in the Republican primary by a much more conservative candidate, giving them a fighting chance to win the seat.  They were ecstatic when Frank Kratovil won the seat for the Democrats.

With that win, there is only one Republican left in Maryland's congressional delegation, Democrats hold every statewide office and dominate the legislature.  Republicans were devastated by the results and Democrats looked forward to a new day on the Eastern Shore.  But is it really?  It's well known that Democrat Frank Kratovil won every county on the Shore, but does that really tell the story?  Let's take a closer look.

Eastern Shore Results for First District - 2008

County	Kratovil	Harris	Davis	% Kratovil	% Harris
Caroline	6702	5782	398	52.03%	44.88%
Cecil	20089	19242	1283	49.46%	47.38%
Dorchester	8344	5961	428	58.63%	40.46%
Kent	6406	3182	175	65.62%	32.59%
Queen Anne's	12752	10426	416	54.05%	44.19%
Somerset	5668	3775	177	58.92%	39.24%
Talbot	10985	8533	372	55.23%	42.90%
Wicomico	22841	17023	834	56.12%	41.83%
Worcester	14076	11845	532	53.21%	44.78%

We can see that Kratovil did well in every jurisdiction and, with the possible exception of Cecil County, would certainly have won every county even if Libertarian Richard James Davis had not been in the race.  Kratovil's margin was more than seven percent in every county on the Shore except for Cecil and reached thirty-three percent in Kent County - the home of Representative Gilchrest who crossed party lines and endorsed Frank Kratovil.  Looking at these numbers one would be tempted to say that the Democrats are dominant on the Eastern Shore.

But, of course, this is just one race.  Let's look at the Eastern Shore results of the Presidential race.

Eastern Shore Results for President - 2008

County	Obama	McCain	Others	% Obama	% McCain
Caroline	4971	8015	192	37.72%	60.82%
Cecil	17665	23855	849	41.69%	56.30%
Dorchester	6912	8168	163	45.35%	53.59%
Kent	4953	4905	143	49.53%	49.05%
Queen Anne's	8575	15087	303	35.78%	62.95%
Somerset	4779	5037	98	48.20%	50.81%
Talbot	9035	10995	252	44.55%	54.21%
Wicomico	19436	21849	471	46.55%	52.33%
Worcester	11374	15607	316	41.67%	57.17%

These numbers tell a much different story.  With the exception of Kent County where Obama/Biden edged out McCain/Palin by 48 votes, the Republican ticket dominated every county.  

How can we explain this discrepancy?  Well, for one thing, Frank Kratovil is a conservative Democrat and was able to convince voters that he would be a moderate in Congress, much like Wayne Gilchrest.  Gilchrest, of course, was much beloved on the Shore and his loss in a bitter primary contest to Andy Harris certainly cost Harris some votes, as did Gilchrest's endorsement of Kratovil.  And certainly the fact that Kratovil makes his home on the Eastern Shore won him some votes here.

But there's more to the story and I'll save that for my next post.  
 

Don't Cut My Stuff!

The opening of the 2009 session of the Maryland General Assembly is less than two months away and, of course, the maneuvering has already started.  As expected, the early action is all about money.

Over at the Maryland Politics Watch, Adam Pagnucco reports that Rich Madaleno has become chairman of the Montgomery County State Senate delegation.  Madaleno wastes no time in setting out his priorities for the year - make sure Montgomery County doesn't lose any money in the upcoming session.  He wants to be sure that the state formula for funding teacher retirement (which primarily benefits Montgomery County) isn't changed and he wants to be sure that Montgomery County's school construction allocation is not less than the $46 million they receive this year.

The Baltimore Sun reports today that 'education advocates' including the Maryland State Teachers Association, the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and others are already running ads encouraging the General Assembly not to cut state education funding (which has increased by $1.3 billion over the past six years.  In fact, they go beyond advocating that funds not be cut, they want an increase.

Now, readers of this blog know that I support education - it's the key to success in a global economy and the source of much of the prosperity Maryland enjoys.  And certainly Montgomery County has a lot of needs, and their legislative caucus has the clout to get what they want, by and large.

But the state is facing a deficit of $1 billion or more in the coming fiscal year.  When the richest jurisdiction in the state announces that it won't accept any cuts to the largesse it gets from the state, what is the message to the poorer jurisdictions - curl up and die? 

I'm not thinking here of my own county.  Worcester has sufficient resources for the time being even though the county commissioner just postponed $100 million in school renovations due to falling revenue.  $100 million is nothing to sneeze at in a county with only 50,000 residents.  But I'm concerned about Somerset, Dorchester, Garrett, Queen Anne's, Allegany and Caroline counties.  

By and large these counties have average wages between 50% and 60% of the average wage in Montgomery County.  But if we protect the big, wealthy jurisdictions then I guess the small, poor jurisdictions will take it on the chin in the budget game.

It's the same situation with education funding.  Education is critically important.  But primary, secondary and higher education account for about 37% of the state budget.  Protecting the education budget, or even increasing it as the advocates demand would mean that all of the cuts would come somewhere else.  So I guess that means the education advocates want to slash funding for health services for the uninsured and underinsured, cut funding for natural resources and protection of the environment, reduce transportation funding even further and cut funding for public safety.

So let's stop drawing lines in the sand and trying to bully our way to getting a bigger piece of the state pie.  The Governor and the General Assembly are going to have a tough enough time trying to deal with the fiscal realities we are facing.  Don't make it harder.   

Going Down?

As the national and global economies continue to deteriorate, we're fortunate that Maryland is in a better position than most states.  We're relatively wealthy, our economy is largely service based and a steady stream of Federal government expenditures supports much of the state economy. 

Nevertheless, we're definitely going to feel the effects.  A glance at the newspapers over the past couple of days reveals that state tax revenues continue to fall, the unemployment rate continues to climb and foreclosures are still climbing.

Many local jursidictions are taking steps to reduce their expenditures in view of expected revenue reductions in the coming years.  Montgomery County is negotiating with the employee unions to see if they can reduce or defer the pay raises that had been negotiated for the coming year and the county executive has proposed cuts in services.  Baltimore mayor Dixon has announced she will propose up to $200 million in cuts and Prince George's County is looking at possible cuts.

It would be nice to see the jurisdictions here on The Shore being a bit more proactive in looking at cuts.  In less than two months the new legislative session begins and we can be sure that the state is going to further cut support to local governments in an attempt to close the projected state shortfall of $1 billion or more. 

With Maryland's peculiar three-year cycle of real estate appraisal, the local governments have been somewhat insulated from the effects of falling property values, but that's going to change soon.  Because increases in assessments are phased in over three years, assessed values in many jurisdictions appear to be still rising.  But properties assessed in 2006 when values were high will be assessed again in 2009 and it's very likely that there will be a decline in values most places.  Thus the property tax base will begin to decline. 

So keep an eye on the county governments and see what steps they are taking to deal with the issue.  The sooner they start, the better.

Sidetracked

Well, it looks as thought the bid by the Club For Growth to put their man, Andy Harris, into Congress, may have been sidetracked.  After the first round of counting absentee ballots, Democrat Frank Kratovil's lead has increased to 2,003 votes.  Tomorrow the election boards will look at provisional ballots and then go on to count the remaining absentee ballots.  At this point it doesn't appear as though there are enough of these to help Andy Harris overcome Kratovil's lead.  Indeed, the Associated Press has called the race for Kratovil.

The First District was designed to be a Republican District.  Before this election, the Republicans had held the seat for 18 years.  A large majority of state legislative seats in the District are held by Republicans.  So how did Kratovil manage to eke out a victory?  Everyone has their opinion, of course.  Michael Swartz over at Monoblogue has this interesting take on the election.  I see four factors that led to Kratovil's apparent victory.

First, of course, is the defeat of Wayne Gilchrest in the primary.  Gilchrest was a moderate Republican who was much loved by many on The Shore, Republican and Democrat alike.  His defeat in the primary but the more right-wing Andy Harris with substantial out-of-state financial support was disheartening to many Eastern Shore voters and opened the door to a Democratic challenge.  

Second is the candidacy of Barrack Obama.  While John McCain handily won the Eastern Shore jurisdictions, Obama's candidacy bought a surge of new voters and bought many to the polls that may not have voted otherwise.  It appears that a large number of African-American voters, in particular, may have provided the margin to help push Kratovil over the top.

Kratovil was able to compete financially with Harris.  With Gilchrest out of the race, Kratovil was able to attract funds from the DCCC and other national sources to offset the resources that Harris was able to get from out of state.  If Gilchrest had won the primary, Kratovil would never have gotten that money and it would have been no contest, like many in the past.

Of course, having the Libertarian Candidate, Davis, in the race helped too.  If Andy Harris had gotten those votes, he would have been victorious.  

Republicans seem to think that Frank Kratovil is going to lay down a liberal voting record in Washington that will help defeat him in two years.  I don't think so; Frank seems to me to be a more conservative, 'Blue Dog', Democrat who will build a moderate voting record, splitting with his party when necessary to reflect the temper of his district.  In 2010, with two years of incumbency behind him, he will be in a stronger spot to defend his seat, particularly if he couples a moderate voting record with good constituent service and good fundraising.

After 2010, of course, the situation will change.  The surge in Democratic registrations this year will provide some flexibility to shift more Democratic voters into the First District when redistricting rolls around.  

So, for now, let's keep our fingers crossed that the AP is right and the 2,003 margin holds up.  Then we can take some time to relax and hopefully savor a victory before we start to look at 2010. 

The Voters Have Decided

It was an exhausting campaign that seemed to go on forever, but the voters have spoken (although it's not clear in some cases what they say) and it's time to look ahead.

Slots

After many years there is finally a clear decision that we will have slot machines in Maryland.  The vote was not close; slots won in every jurisdiction with a 400,000 vote margin statewide.  The issue now moves to implementation.  The Governor is already moving to identify and appoint commission members who will oversee the bidding for the licenses.  In Baltimore, the city has already moved to purchase land in South Baltimore which the city hopes will be used for a casino there.

Those opposed to slots haven't given up, of course.  There are going to be zoning battles and other rear-guard actions.  The fact that slots won in every jurisdiction, though, is going to give local politicians pause in how hard they can fight to delay the inevitable.  In Anne Arundel County, for example, slots won overwhelmingly, as they did in Baltimore City, Allegany County and Cecil County.  Here in Worcester, it was a little tighter although there was a majority in favor of slots.  

The state is going to have to be very open and transparent in how they issue regulations, select operators and manage the process.  Any hint of collusion or back room deals could delay things for a long time.

Early Voting

The constitutional amendment to allow early voting also passed by a large margin.  To me it seems that the primary effect of this will be in the large jurisdictions of the Western Shore where voters frequently encounter large lines on election day.  Given the busy lives that many live, the ability to choose one of several days on which to vote seems as though it will make life a bit easier and perhaps improve turnout.  Since the large jurisdictions are primarily Democratic, it will likely improve Democratic margins statewide, but it's hard to tell how much.  I guess we'll find out in 2010.

First District

It's definitely a nail-biter here.  As expected, Frank Kratovil did well on the Eastern Shore while Andy Harris did better on the Western Shore - particularly in Harford County.  Kratovil's 900 vote margin in Tuesday's voting will have to withstand more than 28,000 absentee ballots that have been returned in the district.  Registered Dems outnumber Republicans by about 300 in the number of returned ballots and the majority of the ballots are from the Eastern Shore, where Kratovil led in every county in Tuesday's voting.  While counting might continue for several more days as more ballots arrive, chances are we'll know the winner tonight.  I'm hoping Frank will pull it out - I think the odds are in his favor.

Presidential Voting

Barack Obama received 61.4% of the votes on Tuesday compared to 37.0% for John McCain.  As expected, Obama's huge margins in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Howard County overwhelmed McCain wins in the smaller jurisdictions. 

The impact of the large number of newly registered voters was felt across Maryland, though, as John McCain trailed George Bush's 2004 share of the vote in virtually every jurisdiction.  The Republican Party is going to have to rethink its strategy if it is going to have any chance in 2010 to win a statewide office or elect a significant number of state legislators.  It will be interesting to watch.