Commission

Baltimore's weeklong Star-Spangled Sailabration in June drew more than 1.5 million people — some 435,000 from out of state — and had an estimated $166 million in economic impact on the metro area, according to a study released Thursday by the event organizers. The estimate includes about $98 million in spending by visitors, vendors and sponsors from outside the region, with the rest coming from the indirect effect of that "fresh" money cycling through the local economy. "This was spectacular in size," said Candace Campbell, senior project director at Forward Analytics, which prepared the report for the nonprofit Star-Spangled 200 Inc. "One of our survey questions was, 'Is Sailabration the main reason you're in the area?

Comptroller Peter Franchot has become the latest prominent Democrat to reject the congressional redistricting map drawn by Gov. Martin O'Malley and the General Assembly, urging Marylanders to vote it down at the polls Nov. 6. During a radio appearance Tuesday on WBAL, Franchot said the map has "embarrassed our state" and called for future redistricting plans to be developed by a bipartisan commission instead of legislators and the governor....

After a vigorous discussion, the Maryland Racing Commission approved the first raise in 12 years for losing jockeys during Tuesday's regular monthly meeting at Laurel Park. All losing riders -- those who finish out of the top 3 spots in a race -- will now make $75 per mount instead of a sliding scale that started at $45. The commission debated whether $75 was a large enough increase but passed the raise with an amendment requiring the board to reassess the amount of the raise, based on available funding numbers six to 12 months after it goes into effect Jan. 1. The $75 plan was proposed by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association by unanimous approval of its board.

  A panel set up by the General Assembly to study Maryland's campaign finance laws plans to recommend a series of measures that would force outside interests that advertise in Maryland political campaigns or ballot issues to disclose their spending more fully and quickly. As it edged toward a final consensus on a report, the Commission to Study Campaign Finance Law reached consensus that the legislature should apply to all elections and referendum campaigns a standard it adopted requiring so-called "independent expenditure committees" to report spending of $10,000 or more within 48 hours of doing so. That requirement has let the media track, through filings with the State Board of Elections, the spending of millions of dollars by such companies as MGM Resorts International and Penn National Gaming on the current gambling referendum.

Four major electricity providers defended the safety of "smart meters" Tuesday at a hearing called by the Maryland Public Service Commission after commissioners read reports of similar meters overheating and catching fire in Southeastern Pennsylvania. "We've had five cases so far where the temperature threshold was exceeded," said Michael Butts, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s director of business transformation. He said BGE has installed 65,000 of the advanced meters. In all five cases, the overheating was detected by sensors in the meters and BGE was alerted, he said.

Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation decided not to vote on the ouster of the commission's executive director Monday. During a closed-door meeting, the commission opted not to take a vote on the removal of Kathleen Kotarba because "no action was requested of us," said a member of the commission who declined to be named because personnel discussions are confidential. Public notice of the meeting was made less than a week ago. It is not clear who in Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration initiated the meeting to discuss Kotarba's job performance.

The news that a Southeast Pennsylvania utility company has suspended "smart meter" installations following reports that some have overheated and caused fires has prompted the Maryland Public Service Commission to schedule a public hearing Tuesday to discuss the safety of the new meters, which are being installed by utilities throughout Maryland. "Smart Meters really have me concerned even more so than before," Del. Glen Glass, a Republican who represents Harford and Cecil counties, said in a statement Monday.

Members of the city's historical preservation commission indicated Tuesday that they favor demolishing theMorris A. Mechanic Theatre. "To me, it is obvious that the Mechanic is going to be demolished," said Larry Gibson, a member of the Planning Department's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, or CHAP, during the group's monthly meeting. "It is simply a matter of when, not a matter of whether. " The commission is at the center of a debate over whether the cast-concrete "Brutalist" theater, built more than 40 years ago, is worth saving.

About 50 residents of Anne Arundel County and surrounding areas gathered at a Public Service Commission hearing Monday night in Annapolis to voice their frustrations withBaltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s response to the June 29 derecho storm. They railed against the company, accusing it of failing to restore power to their homes for days after the deadly, quick-moving storm, providing them with little information as to when power would return and failing to upgrade dated infrastructure in their neighborhoods.

We frequently complain about big government but sometimes they can be very helpful. The following represents a case where the Maryland state government was very helpful to me. During the month of March 2012, I had a nationally known company perform repair work on my home. Unfortunately the work was performed in an unsatisfactory way and after months of dealing with the company we could not reach a resolution. I felt the company was not negotiating in good faith, so I contacted the Maryland Home Improvement Commission for assistance.