Maryland Politics

Col. Walter G. Finch, war hero, lifelong Boy Scout, man of letters, Baltimore lawyer and, perhaps most memorably, quixotic candidate for various public offices over three decades in Maryland, died Thursday of head injuries sustained in a fall. The Stoneleigh resident was 79.Colonel Finch never achieved public office despite runs for the U.S. Senate, Congress, attorney general and governor from the 1960s to the 1990s. But his tenacity earned him a place in local lore.In 1974, he walked the entire periphery of Maryland over 65 days as part of his strategy to win a U.S. Senate seat.

NATIONAL Terms of port sale criticized U.S. terms for approving an Arab company's takeover of operations at six major American ports are insufficient to guard against terrorist infiltration, said Rep. Peter T. King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. pg 3a WORLD Israel suspends fund transfers A day after members of the Islamic militant group Hamas were sworn in as Palestinian lawmakers, Israel's Cabinet suspended the transfer of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue to the Palestinian government.

AS BRAD JACOBS records on the page opposite today, The Evening Sun always opposed political machines. In fact, its first salvo was fired in one of its very first editorials, April 18, 1910:When the history of the Mahool Administration is written it will be recorded that the troubles which menaced and, possibly, spoiled it were due to the spirit of compromise which seems to have actuated the Mayor from the beginning. A man must be one thing or the other. He cannot play with the machine and against it too. "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon" is as true in politics as in religion.

After picking up one congressional seat and holding onto another hotly contested one, Maryland's Republican leaders might be satisfied with the election results here. They shouldn't be.The future of the Republican party in Maryland does not rest on nibbling away at Democratic offices here and there. Not if it is to be a fruitful future. For the GOP to become a serious factor in Maryland politics it needs to win state-wide offices. For it to win state-wide offices it needs credible candidates.

Money TalksIn commenting on what he views as a "new trend" of the wealthy "buying" elections, Barry Rascovar suggests in his March 20 column that money currently doesn't "talk" in Maryland politics. What an ironic comment, following the disclosure that a House committee granted the highest-paid lobbyist in Maryland a private hearing after he missed the regularly-scheduled session because of a basketball game.Mr. Rascovar may not know it, but the people of Maryland certainly understand that money already talks in Maryland politics, money from the gun lobby, the tobacco lobby, the liquor lobby, etc. The role special interest money plays in Maryland politics is a large part of the reason why the governor and the legislature have trouble conducting the people's business with the people's best interests in mind.

It was very interesting to hear today that Casa de Maryland and the ACLU have hired a big name lawyer, Joseph Sandler, to help them contest what is already uncontestable, and that is over 100,000 signatures validated by the state board of elections for the Dream Act referendum bill, which is currently slated for statewide vote in 2012. ("In-state tuition opponents have the signatures for referendum" July 8.) Isn't it worth noting that when a group wants something so badly, that they are willing to go to any lengths to protect their position?

TAMPA, Fla. -- Maryland's delegation to the Republican National Convention doesn't include any headline speakers, but there is a nationally recognized figure within its ranks: Anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist. Norquist, the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, is staying at the same Tampa hotel as the 37 delegates, 34 alternates and party guests this week. Norquist, who lives in Washington, reached out to Maryland Republican leaders months ago to request four rooms from their hotel block.

Maryland Public Television promised in-depth analysis of issues affecting our lives, and that's exactly what it delivered with the premiere last night of "Newsnight Maryland."The topic of the show's main story was hospital mergers, and the bottom line for viewers was that knew you knew a lot more about how such mergers might affect your health care after an eight-minute report and a 10-minute discussion.In fact, you probably had enough information and context actually to reach an informed opinion on the matter.

Two Carroll delegates reintroduced the same bill this year as last year to protect residents from damage caused by mining.Mining industry officials came here in droves both years to oppose the legislation.Last year, the House Environmental Matters Committee defeated thebill, 17-5.This year, an amended version sailed through the samecommittee and passed the full House and Senate by wide margins, and it is about to become law.Why the turnaround this year on a bill that had been submitted -- and defeated -- in various forms for the previous three years?

OCEAN CITY -- They came to discuss landfill failures, bond ratings, the impact of term limitations on their pensions and a hundred other vexing issues.But these participants in the Maryland Association of Counties' annual convention were constantly diverted by what a state government official called "gubernatorial preening."Everyone touted as a contender for governor in 1994 -- and candidates for several other offices as well -- came to find allies, build on old relationships and construct networks for the campaign ahead.