Free State Politics Presented by MarylandReporter.com

Free State Politics episode 9 examines how Maryland’s colleges and universities are struggling to return to normal as they navigate the lingering impact of COVID-19. Students at all University System of Maryland campuses are required to be vaccinated, with a few medical and religious exemptions. And masks are still required in public buildings on campuses. But Kathleen Tracy, professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says “We have highly vaccinated populations, so that if there are any positive tests, the chance that we’ll actually have to shut down is much smaller, because even if they do get the virus, they will not become severely ill and would not have to have a full two weeks of isolation or quarantine.”

Joann Boughman, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs with the University System of Maryland, says despite many obstacles created by COVID-19 over the past year, enrollment at most campuses this fall is actually up. She says, “At least two of our campuses have utilized some of the federal dollars in order to even further support financial aid. So some students who thought they might not be able to afford to come back to campus will, in fact, be able to come back.”

Rydell also speaks with Angelique Gingras, a sophomore at the University of Maryland College Park. She talks about the COVID fears she faced last year as a freshman. “There was an outbreak in my dorm, and I managed to escape it, but my first thought was, ‘oh my gosh, am I going to have to quarantine, am I going to have to go to the isolation housing?’” Gingras says she feels more comfortable going into the fall semester, since the vast majority of her fellow students will have been vaccinated.

In his closing remarks, Rydell examines the 2022 race for Maryland State Comptroller. He says some candidates are not only touting their fiscal experience, they’re also promoting their positions on social issues as well, such as the legalization of recreational marijuana.

In Free State Politics episode 8, public education takes center stage as John Rydell speaks to the president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County. Cindy Sexton says the vast majority of students will finally return to in-person learning five days a week. But she adds there is currently not a vaccine mandate. “We hope that people get vaccinated. We know that’s one of the ways to get on the other side of this pandemic,” said Sexton. The return to mask mandates continues to divide parents and students around the country. But Sexton says there will be a mask mandate in Baltimore County Public Schools. Rydell also examines the plight of a Baltimore County businessman who obtained a patent to streamline the process of refinancing mortgages only to have the Supreme Court declare his patent null and void. Larry Porter said, “I borrowed a half-million dollars to develop the technology.” He’s since spent tens of thousands of dollars in a lengthy legal battle with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Porter adds that Congress also plans to examine the complex issue of patent laws. In his closing thoughts, Rydell reflects on the joyous return of the Maryland State Fair and county fairs after last year’s shutdown due to COVID-19.

In “Free State Politics” episode 7, John Rydell talks to a longtime political observer who examines the growing field of contenders in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial race. Todd Eberly, associate professor of political science and coordinator of public policy studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, says there are tiers in his list based on current or prior experience as public officials. He says the top Democratic contenders include Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker and former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. Baker lost to Ben Jealous in the 2018 Democratic primary, and Gansler was defeated by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in the 2014 Democratic primary. But Eberly says several other contenders should be considered formidable candidates as well. They include former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who also served as chair of the Democratic National Committee. “Folks like John King and Wes Moore have also done a really great job of raising money which will help get their name recognition higher,” said Eberly. Other Democratic contenders include Baltimore business owner Mike Rosenbaum and Ashwani Jain, 31, who worked in the Obama administration. Eberly says there also could be a spirited campaign in the Republican gubernatorial primary if former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele decides to enter the race. Steele, who served as lieutenant governor to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., has announced that he will decide whether to enter the race between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Gov. Hogan’s Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz recently announced she plans to run for Governor.

Rydell also talks to New York Times Congressional Reporter Luke Broadwater about the recent House Select Committee hearing on the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Broadwater was a political reporter at the Baltimore Sun for 10 years and won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the scandal which forced the resignation of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh. Broadwater, who was inside the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, describes the emotional testimony of four U.S. Capitol Police officers, who were attacked by the mob that day. Future hearings are scheduled this fall to learn more about those who invaded the Capitol and whether they were assisted beforehand by some members of Congress. Broadwater says, “I do think some members of Congress will be called on to testify. I know one line of inquiry will likely lead to the angry phone call between House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and President Trump as the riots unfolded.”  McCarthy apparently said Trump did not respond quickly to calling off the attack. Broadwater adds, “We do know from one of the rally organizers that three congressmen helped plan the rally with him that preceded the attack. Two of them have denied that, the third has not answered any questions about it, and so those three congressmen may be on the list of people who are called to testify to see how much they coordinated with rally-goers and whether or not there was any coordination with people who ended up being arrested for their actions on January 6.”

In his segment titled “Moment of Clarity,” Rydell expresses concern about the recent spike in COVID cases in Maryland and across the country, which are prompting the reinstatement of mask mandates in public places. But Rydell adds that, despite that setback, those running for office in 2022 are already returning to in-person campaigning, which will be crucial to helping increase their name recognition among voters.

Maryland’s convention business is still struggling to recover after literally being shut down by COVID-19 last year. But in mid-August, thousands of people are expected to descend on Ocean City for one of the largest conventions of the year. After a scaled back virtual event last year, the Maryland Association of Counties Conference (MACo) will return for four days. In “Free State Politics” Episode #6, MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson says he is looking forward to the huge in-person gathering of county and state employees. “We’re focused on making sure that this (conference) is both safe and productive,” he says. Sanderson notes that there could be several COVID protocols for attendees, such as a mask mandate for those inside the convention center and health screenings at the door. Participants also may be required to sign a waiver which would hold MACo officials harmless in case an attendee contracts the coronavirus. Sanderson says decisions on health protocols will ultimately be made by local health officials, but he adds, “I’m hopeful that by the time the conference begins, we won’t need to do those things.” 

Host John Rydell also talks with Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman about the upcoming conference. Pittman, who is on the MACo board, says there are several serious issues expected to be examined, including how local governments can deter ransomware attacks. Pittman says county leaders will also discuss how they plan to implement a series of police reform measures enacted by the General Assembly earlier this year. Pittman says that by September, all Anne Arundel County police officers will be equipped with body-worn cameras. But he says the cost of implementing the body camera program is proving to be a major financial challenge for other local police departments.

“It’s a big investment in personnel and resources, but when you think about interactions between police officers and community members…transparency adds to the trust. Our officers can’t wait to get those body cams on, and knowing the world is watching, that makes everyone behave better.”

Rydell also examines the extraordinary cost for the average family to vacation in Ocean City this summer, where many of the tourists are coming from and why hotels can charge such high rates between now and Labor Day.

Free State Politics episode #5 examines a controversial rule change being considered by Maryland’s Judiciary which could result in the release of thousands of inmates earlier than expected. The proposed change would impact inmates who have served at least 15 years or 60 percent of their sentence or be at least age 60 and have served at least 15 years of their sentence.

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, who strongly opposes the rule change, says it would allow two men who spent many years on death row the chance to be released. Shellenberger says it would also inflict unnecessary pain on the families of crime victims, who were assured that offenders would spend most of their lives behind bars.

But Brian Saccenti, director of the Decarceration Initiative with the Office of Maryland’s Public Defender, says the rule change is just. Saccenti says “it will give a judge the opportunity to look at how that individual has changed, what they have done since they were first sentenced. Very often people, who are incarcerated for a considerable period of time, really do turn their lives around.”

Free State Politics episode #5 also provides an update on the region’s crab shortage this summer. John Rydell speaks to Dr. Allison Colden, a Maryland fisheries scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Colden says “The decline in the number of small juvenile blue crabs is what’s really driving this year’s numbers and what’s really got us concerned about what’s to come for the blue crab fishery and the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay.”

Also in this podcast, John Rydell takes a look back at failed attempts to lift the ban on cameras in Maryland courts and a new decision by a federal appeals court which may give supporters of cameras in courts another opportunity to make their case.

Free State Politics podcast episode 4 examines the lingering struggles facing Maryland public schools as they attempt the transition back to in-person learning this fall. John Rydell speaks with State School Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon about the challenges faced with suddenly shutting down schools and quickly pivoting to virtual and hybrid learning. Dr. Salmon had planned to retire last year but as the Covid crisis escalated, Governor Larry Hogan convinced her to stay on for another year. Salmon, who is retiring this summer, says, “We had never been forced to do this kind of instruction before. We kept thinking the science would change to get back to school, and unfortunately, that didn’t happen. We ultimately had to make sure we had the health and safety of our students and our educators come first.” Rydell also speaks with Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association, to get her perspective on the tumultuous time for students and teachers over the past 16 months. When asked whether everything will be back to normal for the upcoming school year, Bost replied, “We really don’t know what normal will be.” Bost says she is still worried about what she calls a growing achievement gap over the past year between students from low-income backgrounds and students from wealthier jurisdictions. Rydell also profiles a well-known perennial candidate who has run for virtually every office in Maryland and is now considering a run for Governor.

The bombing may have subsided, but tensions are still high in Israel, where Israeli defense forces have had deadly clashes with Hamas terrorists. We speak to a freelance writer, who once lived in Bethesda, and now resides in Tel Aviv. Larry Luxner gives us a first-hand account of the violence and what it’s like to live in a region where air raid sirens are a common sound. We also examine how Covid-19 has impacted health insurance for thousands of Marylanders. We speak with Vinny DeMarco of the Maryland Citizens Health Initiative about a new campaign to expand affordable coverage while also controlling the spiraling cost of prescription drugs. That’s on this episode of Free State Politics.

Episode 2 of Free State Politics podcast examines controversial voting laws enacted in several states, which critics fear will result in voter suppression. We talk with Baltimore City Senator Mary Washington to learn how those laws differ from voting laws just passed here in Maryland. We also have reaction to the Supreme Court’s announcement to review a controversial concealed carry law in New York, which opponents say restricts law-abiding citizens from carrying concealed weapons in public. Howard County Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary and Republican Senator Justin Ready weigh in on how the high court’s decision could potentially impact gun laws in Maryland.

Award-winning journalist John Rydell interviews former Governor Robert Ehrlich on the state of the Republican party and the impact former President Donald Trump has had on the GOP – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mr. Rydell also interviews Baltimore City Senator Jill Carter on police reform, the George Floyd case, and legislation that could shape the police department for years to come.