Kasemeyer

In contests for the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, Howard Countians enjoy an embarrassment of riches in the number of well-qualified candidates, Democratic and Republican.In the District 13 Senate race, two-term Democratic incumbent Thomas M. Yeager faces a spirited challenge from Guy L. Harriman of Laurel, a moderate Republican who has never held public office. In our view Yeager, a member of the Senate Ethics Committee and Judicial Proceedings Committee and a key aide to Senate President Mike Miller, is the better choice.

ONE OF life's small -- very small -- joys is studying the list of the governor's annual appointments to the state's umpteen panels and commissions in search of any telling political subplots contained therein. The list, known as the "green bag," was announced late last week, and the tension was palpable: Who, pray tell, had been named to the State Board of Well Drillers? What back-room machinations had won nominees their coveted spots on the Advisory Council on Youth Camp Safety or the Amusement Ride Safety Board?

The failure of Baltimore County's state Senate delegation to approve a bill calling for elected members on the county board of education is a setback for those of us who favor public accountability. The importance of such accountability is amply demonstrated by the board's arrogance in approving construction of an elementary school at Mays Chapel Park. This action was taken in spite of strong community opposition and without proper consideration of the many substantive issues raised by opponents of the project.

Led by an irritated Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, the state's retirement fund trustees formally asked Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday to veto a bill passed by the General Assembly adding financial expertise to the pension board. The trustees' 9-4 vote to seek a veto of the legislation - passed in the aftermath of an embarrassing scandal and poor investment performance - represents a public gesture of defiance toward the retirement system's legislative overseers. Among those backing the resolution were two trustees who would be removed from the board under the bill - State Police Superintendent Col. Edward T. Norris and state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick.

If Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to make some real money when his second term ends, he might want to apply for work at the University System of Maryland. The great majority of the 1,346 workers who match or beat the governor's $150,000 annual salary, including the 15 highest earners, work for the university system, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis of state employee salaries for 2010. Most of the exceptions are doctors with the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a few judges and a scattering of others.

Most political observers see Barack Obama taking Maryland over John McCain, but that doesn't mean the GOP isn't at work to boost its candidate. The Howard County Republican Party-sponsored fundraiser in Ellicott City recently featured an address by Everett Alvarez Jr., who spent more than eight years as a POW in North Vietnam, part of it with McCain. About 100 people turned out at the event at the home of Peter and Bess Vrettakos in the Preserve development, which backs to Doughoregan Manor.

When Catonsville tow company operator Joe Hooe talks about his run for a House of Delegates seat in the district where Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. grew up, the motive is clear: to give Ehrlich some breathing room in the state legislature. Elect enough Republicans, the theory goes, and a re-elected Ehrlich could survive efforts by the General Assembly to override his vetoes. And for Republican hopefuls such as 38-year-old Hooe, one target is District 12, an odd-shaped piece of political real estate that's split in two and spread between Baltimore and Howard counties.

The General Assembly will hold a hearing after the November election on the state employee pension system and its oversight of money manager Nathan A. Chapman Jr., a senior senator said yesterday. Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Pensions, said lawmakers need to know more about questionable transactions disclosed by The Sun involving Chapman and an investment firm he supervised. "I want to know for myself what happened and how it happened," said Kasemeyer, a Howard County Democrat.

The Alliance for a Better Columbia will be host of a community meeting Saturday to discuss ways to combat the sharply rising Columbia Association assessment fees. The annual assessment charges, based on property values, have increased an average of 33.4 percent in east Columbia after homes there were reassessed last year. The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the east Columbia library, 6600 Cradlerock Way. The alliance, a watchdog group, has invited Dels. Shane E. Pendergrass, Elizabeth Bobo, Frank S. Turner and Neil F. Quinter; state Sens.

Its promoters say Maryland's Prepaid College Trust is a great deal, but a lot of parents apparently haven't gotten the word.The first sign-up for the state-supported college savings plan drew to a disappointing close yesterday, with about 1,050 applications received by midafternoon.Ellen Markowitz, the program's administrator, said she expected a flurry of last-minute applications to arrive in the mail early next week.The enrollment period, which began in April, was extended by a month to allow more time for promoting the trust.