Paid for by Citizens for Colburn Committee. Authority John W. Phillips, Jr., Treasurer

State senator expects contentious start to session
Delegation members give their thoughts at LVW forum in Cambridge
By CHRIS LAVENDER
Staff Writer - Star Democrat
January 8, 2006

CAMBRIDGE — The 2006 General Assembly legislative session will be volatile and confrontational as legislators attempt to override Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. vetoes, state Sen. Richard Colburn, R-37-Mid-Shore, said Wednesday night during the Dorchester and Talbot County League of Women Voters Pre-Legislative Forum.

Colburn added “the veto confrontation at the beginning of the session will set the stage for a volatile election year legislative session.” He said legislators will try and override “half a dozen of Ehrlich’s vetoes.”

Del. Jeannie Haddaway, R-37B-Talbot, Del. Adelaide Eckardt, R-37B-Dorchester, and Del. Rudolph Cane, D-37A-Wicomico, also were in attendance at the Dorchester County Public Library. The forum also was sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. About 30 people attended.

After opening statements, Colburn, Haddaway, Eckardt and Cane answered several questions from the audience. Each legislator had five minutes to speak.

Colburn said Maryland’s minimum wage should be set at the federal level, not the state level, the proposed Wal-Mart bill is not for growth and businesses, and Maryland has a structural deficit problem.

Cane said he did not want to go to Annapolis and mismanage taxpayers’ money and he would work to make sure funds are used properly.

Eckardt said she was concerned about retaining business and commerce in Dorchester County and is serious about economic development. She said education is a top priority.

Haddaway said foster care, animal welfare, the environment as well as energy issues are important.

During the forum, the legislators discussed development, education, environment, jobs, slots as well as where to put a third Bay Bridge.

“There is going to be a tough fight this year in Annapolis over annexation issues,” Colburn said. “We need to maintain growth as best as possible.” Colburn added development is “best left up to municipalities.”

Projected growth is going to create pressure on the local school system and is a big issue on the Eastern Shore, Eckardt said.

Colburn added he was not “clear” about who will move into the new homes projected for Dorchester County.

“Migration from the western shore is putting pressure on citizens,” Cane said. To help fund schools on the Eastern Shore, Cane said the Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties need to work together to start legislation and put a “halt on planning,” which would have an adverse effect on Maryland citizens.

Job creation is a top priority, according to the legislators.

Cane said he was working to bring broadband Internet access to the Eastern Shore so employees could have better salaries and live in a “tranquil area.”

Manufacturing businesses in Dorchester County are unable to get laborers, Eckardt said, noting that “retention of good jobs is important.”

Colburn said Cambridge and Dorchester County have not always worked cohesively, which has prevented some business growth. He said “harmony” needs to exist to make job growth happen.

The budget needs another revenue source, the legislators agreed.

Colburn said he plans to introduce senate bill 42 which would take the slots issue to voters. “We need a vote on Nov. 7 to see how people feel overall about slots,” Colburn said.

Eckardt said “there is a lot of ambivalence in the legislature about what to do,” regarding an additional funding source.

“Raising income taxes is very difficult,” Haddaway said. “Raising taxes is not the way to do it.” She added “we need another revenue source.”

The legislators also discussed the location of a third Bay Bridge.

Colburn said a third bridge would not be “practical” for Dorchester or Talbot counties. He suggested the third bridge be built in Queen Anne’s County at Kent Island.

“That is a good place to put another Bay bridge,” Colburn said. “We do need it.”

Cane said the solution for improving traffic conditions on the Bay Bridge is to increase the speed limit to 60 mph and add one or two lanes to merge traffic onto the bridge.

During the 2006 General Assembly Session, legislators will also discuss environmental issues.

Mercury pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay are a “huge concern,” Haddaway said. She said she was “extremely pleased to see the governor take a look at reducing pollutants in a short amount of time.”

“Mercury pollution is a major problem in the Chesapeake Bay,” Cane said. Eckardt added “clean air and clean water are very important.”