BREAKING NEWS Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Redistricting Advisory Committee released late Friday a proposal for redrawing legislative districts for the State Senate and House of Delegates, as required under the 2010 Census. This being the last shopping weekend before Christmas, most news outlets in the state have yet to cover the story. Full data and maps are… [Read more…]
September 19, 2011
More than usual, it feels like something is ending in Ocean City this September. But take this report with a caveat: Events and perceptions often appear distorted after a long summer season, to those who remain when the visitors go home. This year, Hurricane Irene put an exclamation point at the end of the season. Ocean… [Read more…]
November 10, 2010
Updated Nov. 29, 2010 The 2010 election is finally over on the Lower Eastern Shore. The results remain “unofficial,” but the votes have been counted. Del. Jim Mathias is now senator-elect in District 38, with a narrow victory over Michael James. Mathias has 23,559 votes to 22,919 for James, according to the Maryland State Election… [Read more…]
November 5, 2010
Del. Jim Mathias, the hard-working former mayor of Ocean City, appears to be one of the few Eastern Shore Democrats whose boat was not swamped by the Republican high tide that flooded across the U.S. on Election Day. Mathias led Republican Michael James by a paper-thin margin at the close of voting on Tuesday. In… [Read more…]
October 31, 2010
In this troubled economy of 2010, many voters are casting about, almost desperately, for a qualified new candidate who is both competent and trustworthy. Is that too much to ask? Of the three new candidates running in District 38B for the Maryland House of Delegates, Gee Williams, mayor of Berlin, stands out as the one who’s… [Read more…]
October 30, 2010
Many on the Lower Eastern Shore thought Michael James was the favorite in the race with Del. James Mathias for the District 38 State Senate seat in Maryland. Mr. James certainly posted a lot of yard signs in the early going. As recently as a few weeks ago, the James-Mathias contest was widely thought to… [Read more…]
October 27, 2010
I’ve been talking to voters in Worcester County, Maryland, nearly every day since mid-August, and here’s how the mood has changed. Before the September primary, voters were relaxed and friendly. If they were angry about politics in general, they were civil and friendly when talking face-to-face. After the primary, I found many voters were increasingly… [Read more…]
October 24, 2010
Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley has opened a 52-38 percent lead over former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, the Republican challenger, in the Maryland governor’s race, The Baltimore Sun reported today. On the Lower Eastern Shore, early voting on Friday and Saturday was heavier than expected, according to reliable election observers in Berlin and Salisbury. It looks as… [Read more…]
October 20, 2010
Republican prospects for making significant gains in true-blue Maryland this election year are slip slidin’ away, to borrow a Paul Simon phrase. The reason is hiding in plain sight. At left, EHRLICH. Period. At right below, O’MALLEY-BROWN. Begging the question, EHRLICH and WHO? Does Bob Ehrlich have a running mate? If so, WHO might that be?… [Read more…]
October 17, 2010
Sobering story by Martin Fackler on the front page of The New York Times, Sunday, 10-17-2010. The headlines: Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened Retrenchment Offers the West a Grim Vision of the Future The Great Deflation Coping With Decline Summary: “Since about 1989, Japan fell into a slow but relentless decline that neither enormous budget… [Read more…]
December 18, 2011
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