O'Malley and Infrastructure

A good story in today's Washington Post. It seems that Governor-Elect O'Malley met with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on Friday and the three of them agreed to cooperate on homeland security issues.

According to the Post,

"This is a historic day," Fenty said. "The fact that we are [meeting] about homeland security and counter terrorism is no accident. It is deliberate, and we think it is the priority going into the future."

...Fenty said area priorities include communicating among jurisdictions, public preparedness, handling mass casualties, protecting critical infrastructure, improving overall planning, sharing intelligence and coping with a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack.

Kaine, who dubbed the trio the "three amigos," said that their experience as local officials -- all were city council members and mayors -- rather than their party label will make them effective regional leaders. He said that their future discussions will include developing a "first-hour plan" for how local areas would cooperate in the early stages of an emergency.

"In an increasingly small world, it's critically important that we cooperate across borders," said O'Malley, who will be sworn in next week.

In future meetings, the three plan to pursue regional approaches to issues such as transportation and the environment.

I am personally hoping that the three leaders will take a serious look at the region's infrastructure needs. In addition to roads, Maryland, DC and Virginia would do well to take a hard look at water and waste water production, collection and treatment. As the region's population continues to grow, it makes sense for government to strongly consider water and waste water infrastructure concerns from more than a local level. In order for the region to continue to grow, infrastructure needs to be expanded, capacities need to be expanded and aging infrastructure, especially pipe, needs to be replaced. Because infrastructure is so expensive, regionalism makes economic sense.

I'm hoping Governor O'Malley will move Maryland, and the region, forward in addressing replacement and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure.

O’MALLEY THOUGHT NUMBER 1

A major part of soon to be former Governor Bobby “Haircut” Ehrlich’s vision for Maryland was slots at horse tracks in Maryland. Some in the General Assembly agreed with him.

Slots were touted as a major source of new revenues. Slots at racetracks are basically, in my opinion, a bailout for a fading “horse” industry in Maryland. By putting slots at racetracks, “customers” may be drawn to those tracks simply to play slots. Maybe while they are there, these “customers” may bet on horse racing as well. If so, the industry is propped up for a while and the State makes a little money.

Governor Elect O’Malley, forget the racetracks. If Maryland is going to legalize slots, we should just go for it. Legalize casino gambling. My thought is that I am extremely unlikely to go to Laurel Racetrack to play slot machines. But I may very well go a casino to spend a few bucks and have a good time.

A casino can be a destination for many people who really have no interest is visiting a horse track. A few ideal locations for a casino come to my mind right away: the Inner Harbor in Baltimore; National Harbor in Prince George’s County; and maybe Rocky Gap/Cumberland in Western Maryland. The Inner Harbor is and National Harbor will be tourist attractions. Casinos at these locations will draw larger crowds and can provide a nice amenity. A casino at Rocky Gap/Cumberland could serve as an ending destination in and of itself, and could provide an economic shot in the arm for Western Maryland.

WELCOME!

Welcome to a new experiment for me. This blog is going to try to focus on Maryland State Politics that I find interesting. I am planning to write about Governor-Elect Martin O'Malley a lot. I also plan to write about other interesting politicians in Maryland. It may be eclectic at times, but bear with me.