BALTIMORE MAYOR Martin O'Malley has raised plenty of money for himself and the Democratic Party. This week, he's turning his attention to the clan.
O'Malley is trying to raise money for his younger brother Patrick - a candidate for a seat in the New York Assembly from that state's 37th District. Patrick O'Malley, 34, is a former prosecutor from Queens.
"Patrick is challenging a 16-year incumbent - a daunting task which I can appreciate," Mayor O'Malley wrote in a fund-raising letter sent to some Baltimore Democrats.
"However, he is full of energy and is receiving a good response from the hundreds of doors he has knocked on thus far. Plus, he has a secret weapon - Day-Glo green yard signs."
Baltimore's O'Malley, of course, won his race last year using bright green lawn signs.
In his letter, O'Malley invites supporters of his mayoral campaign to a $50-a-head fund-raiser for Patrick tomorrow night at an Irish pub in Baltimore.
Naturally, the mayor's band, O'Malley's March, will be playing.
Va. governor to make appearance for Ehrlich
It's no secret that Gov. Parris N. Glendening and his counterpart in Virginia, James S. Gilmore III, are hardly the best of friends.
Glendening, a liberal Democrat, and Gilmore, a conservative Republican, disagree on most major issues.
Most recently, they've tangled over whether Maryland should impose union-favored work rules in the $2 billion project to replace the Woodrow Wilson Bridge near Washington. Glendening appears to be siding with unions on the issue; Gilmore, who leads a right-to-work state, is opposed.
Issues aside, the two men seem to have little personal rapport. Now, Gilmore is wading into Maryland politics. He'll be the guest of honor at a fund-raising lunch for Republican U.S. Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich a week from tomorrow at the Camden Yards warehouse.
While the $150-a-head event will generate money for Ehrlich's congressional re-election campaign, Ehrlich is also considering a run for governor in 2002 - potentially against Glendening's chosen successor, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
A side note: Among the big hitters selling tickets to the event is James T. Brady, Glendening's former economic development secretary.
Potential rivals share a trip to Scotland
Townsend and another possible Democratic candidate for governor in 2002 are having to make nice for a few days.
Townsend and Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan are in Scotland together this week, leading a delegation of Maryland biotechnology companies looking to expand ties with their Scottish counterparts.
While Townsend may outrank Duncan, the Montgomery County executive probably has more ties to the businesses sending representatives to Scotland. All but one of the 11 firms are based in his county.
Another official who some think might make a run for governor - Prince George's County Executive Wayne K. Curry - is also doing some overseas travelling this week, as a member of the delegation accompanying President Clinton to Africa.
Gun-rights advocates take aim at an ex-friend
In one of the stranger echoes from this year's General Assembly session, gun-rights groups are going after someone who had been one of their staunchest legislative supporters - Sen. Timothy R. Ferguson.
The Carroll County Republican enraged his one-time conservative allies when he agreed not to filibuster against the governor's gun-safety bill. The move caught other opponents of the bill off-guard, and many have not forgiven him.
Now, Marylanders for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership is soliciting slogans, ads, cartoons and other artwork to "fuel grassroots opposition to Ferguson in office," according to a press release sent out by pro-gun forces.
Schaefer PR effort enlists a familiar face
Comptroller William Donald Schaefer has turned to a familiar face to lead his public relations effort - Louise L. Hayman.
Hayman was deputy press secretary for Schaefer, a Democrat, when he was governor in the late 1980s. After leaving the State House, Hayman showed some versatility, working as spokeswoman for former Anne Arundel County Executive Robert R. Neall, who was then a Republican although he has since switched parties.
From there she went to work as a vice president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the environmental advocacy group. She spent the last two years directing Maryland's official millennium celebration effort - a chore overseen by a commission headed by Schaefer.
