State Senate

Maryland has seen more than its share of State House scandals, big and small. The latest involves Sen. Ulysses Currie, chairman of the powerful Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, who is being investigated for taking - but not reporting - money from a grocery store chain. Whether this stems from absent-mindedness, as Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has claimed, or Senator Currie had some quid pro quo arrangement with Shoppers Food and Pharmacy remains to be seen. No matter the outcome of this case, the public ought to be concerned about whether Maryland lawmakers can be bought and sold like so many hothouse tomatoes.

Democrats have 28 days left to file for local election in Carroll this fall -- something they have virtually ignored until now.Only George Hayes Littrell Jr., who lost his state Senate bid in 1994 by 1,479 votes, and Hampstead resident Randy M. Reese have filed for an office other than the Democratic Central Committee.Littrell, a Frederick resident who served in the House of Delegates for three terms before seeking the District 4 Senate seat in 1994, will try again to win that Senate office this fall.

DEFENDING the indefensible puts you in an untenable position. That's what Larry Young's supporters may eventually discover. And it is what Maryland farmers may discover in trying to stop the state from mandating how much fertilizer and chicken manure can be applied to their fields.Look first at Mr. Young's predicament.Open and shut caseHe has been expelled from the state Senate for flagrantly using his public office for private gain. The evidence was overwhelming.He claimed ignorance -- after 24 years in the legislature -- and portrayed himself as a martyred black politician being crucified by the white power structure in Annapolis.

THE RACE in Harford County attracting the most attention beyond the county is for state Senate in District 34 between two delegates, Democrat Mary Louise Preis and Republican Nancy Jacobs. Case in point: Last month, fresh from engineering the defeat of a moderate colleague who favored a woman's right to choose an abortion, conservative Republican Sen. Larry E. Haines of Carroll County told a reporter his next goal was to help elect GOP gubernatorial candidate Ellen R. Sauerbrey -- and Ms. Jacobs.

An article in The Sun yesterday incorrectly stated the number of seats the Republican Party would have to gain in today's election to sustain a filibuster in the state Senate against a reapportionment plan. To sustain a filibuster in the Senate normally takes at least 16 votes, but maintaining filibusters against redistricting plans require 19 votes under Senate rules.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 11/03/98

Launching a new era in partisan politics in Maryland, the Democratic members of the state Senate raised about $500,000 at a Baltimore fund-raiser last night to help cement their hold on power in the State House in next year's elections.Several hundred people attended the event at the downtown Harbor Court Hotel, including business leaders, university officials and most of the State House lobbying corps.The 32 Democratic senators -- led by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller -- hope to raise as much as $1 million to help their party's incumbents and, in some cases, challengers to incumbent Republicans.

WHAT A FRIEND we have in Jervis.With nary another wise man to be found in all of Maryland, the great thinkers in Annapolis last week trotted out Jervis Finney, former U.S. attorney, former state senator and full-time paragon of virtue, to investigate the shadow life of state Sen. Larry Young.Young is accused, mainly by this newspaper, of various conflicts of interest. Finney is accused of being pure of heart. Young is accused of using his political muscle for private gain. Finney is accused of being a seeker of simple truth.

Don't cry for him, Baltimore.John A. Pica Jr. may have given up his state Senate salary, but he's managed to land a three-month stint as lobbyist for the city that pays almost as much.The veteran Democratic senator from Northeast Baltimore retired from his $29,700-a-year seat last week.But he lost little time in lining up new work in Annapolis: He's returning on a $25,000 stipend to represent the city during the legislative session."My passion has always been the city," Pica said yesterday.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening's proposal to pay state government workers based on how well they do their jobs got a crucial boost last night.The bill won preliminary approval in the state Senate, significantly brightening its chances for final passage before the General Assembly adjourns at midnight Monday.But senators soundly rejected a last-ditch effort to include collective bargaining rights for state employees in the legislation. The 32-13 vote against that amendment virtually guarantees that the collective bargaining proposal is dead for the year.

Conservative supporters of Ellen R. Sauerbrey, who narrowly lost a bid for governor two years ago, have begun an aggressive lobbying campaign to undermine Robert R. Neall's candidacy for the state Senate seat left vacant by John A. Cade's death last week."

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. is selling his home of 41 years in Reisterstown and plans to move next month into an apartment in Cockeysville, a downsizing that has set off speculation that he will run for the state Senate in the legislative district there. Term-limited in the executive job, Smith, a lifelong Democrat who has served as county councilman and judge, has stated repeatedly that he intends to remain in public service. He told The Baltimore Sun in May that he was looking at statewide offices, and with a campaign account in excess of $1 million, he had been expected to challenge Democratic Comptroller Peter Franchot in a primary.

Even in this real estate market, a for-sale sign can create a buzz. A "STUNNING/ELEGANT" 6BR, 31/2 BA house for sale in Reisterstown has people talking. It's not the "updated" kitchen that's generating interest. Nor the "lush landscaping." It's the political intrigue. Jim Smith, the term-limited Baltimore County exec, is selling the house and moving to an apartment in Andy Harris' state Senate district, where he'll mull a run for that seat. Smith and his wife, whose four children are grown, put their house up for sale two weeks ago. "My wife and I are planning to downsize," Smith said.

This wasn't supposed to be a big year for the environmentalist movement in Annapolis, and that may yet prove to be the case. Program Open Space funds are under assault from the state Senate, millions of cap-and-trade dollars from power plants are being diverted from alternative energy and efficiency programs, and some important environmental programs have had their budgets cut (as many state government functions have). But with just a week left in the legislative session, the greenies are in a surprisingly good position to pull off some significant wins.

Your Honor, I was saving jobs." Malefactors of every stripe ought to memorize that explanation. Next time they're in court facing a stiff penalty for wrongdoing, that's clearly what they ought to tell the judge. It's an argument that apparently persuaded the state Senate to shield those who commit fraud against the government from having to pay for it. What nonsense. And what bad news for Maryland taxpayers. The Senate rejection this week of Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal to crack down on Medicaid fraud is going to open up a gaping $11 million hole in next year's budget - that's how much additional revenue the governor's budget assumed would be generated by the new law. The measure lost in a razor-thin 24-23 vote that likely would have gone the other way had any of four senators simply voted as he or she did on a similar measure last year.

Drivers in Maryland could be pulled over for writing, reading or sending text messages under a bill that cleared a significant hurdle in the General Assembly yesterday. The state Senate gave preliminary approval to the legislation, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller predicted near-unanimous final approval in his chamber early next week. That gives the issue that has been debated for years major impetus this session. Del. Maggie McIntosh, a key House committee chairwoman, said after the Senate action that she is "absolutely committed" to passing a similar bill in the coming weeks.

Maryland has seen more than its share of State House scandals, big and small. The latest involves Sen. Ulysses Currie, chairman of the powerful Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, who is being investigated for taking - but not reporting - money from a grocery store chain. Whether this stems from absent-mindedness, as Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has claimed, or Senator Currie had some quid pro quo arrangement with Shoppers Food and Pharmacy remains to be seen. No matter the outcome of this case, the public ought to be concerned about whether Maryland lawmakers can be bought and sold like so many hothouse tomatoes.

Charles H. Smelser, a revered former state senator who represented Carroll, Frederick and part of Howard counties, and had fought in World War II, died of cancer Thursday at his Union Bridge home. He was 88. A newspaper article once called him "the embodiment of the citizen-legislator - a farmer for nine months, a legislator for three." When Mr. Smelser, a Democrat, announced in 1994 that he would retire from the state Senate, a Sun editorial said, "For a state bureaucrat who failed to justify a budget request at a hearing, Sen. Charles H. 'Buck' Smelser could be the 'meanest man on the face of the earth,' as one reporter once jokingly referred to him. But for a constituent seeking help on a personal problem or a legislative matter, Mr. Smelser couldn't be more attentive or courtly - or caring."

State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller may think he is protecting an able, hardworking and respected legislator. But his refusal to seek the temporary removal of Sen. Ulysses Currie as chairman of the powerful Senate Budget and Taxation Committee does a disservice to the body and its members. Mr. Currie, of Princes George's County, is under federal investigation for his work as a paid consultant to a food store chain, employment he did not disclose as required by state ethics laws.

Miller time, again State Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's decision to run for re-election in two years isn't terribly shocking. He's been acting (and fundraising) like a candidate for months. But it does raise a difficult question: When is enough enough for Maryland's longest-serving Senate president? Mr. Miller's headlock on his chamber is undeniable. He understands the politics of his colleagues (and the politics of most issues) better than anyone in Annapolis. The substance of issues does not seem to interest him nearly as much, but in the end, he generally gets his way. Maryland governors can serve no more than two terms.

The General Assembly's approval of the $2 billion settlement with Constellation Energy Group may have closed the books on stranded costs and other disputed elements of the state's nine-year-old deregulation effort, but it is hardly the last word on electricity. In the months ahead, it's clear some important questions must still be answered, including the most fundamental: Should Maryland reregulate energy supplies? First, however, there's the matter of making sure the state's electricity customers aren't facing brown-outs or other shortages in as little as three years - as some have warned.