For decades, Marylanders have looked at maps of what could have been: a sprawling, interconnected rail network linking neighborhoods from Owings Mills to the Inner Harbor and beyond. While Washington, D.C. successfully colored in its transit lines, Baltimore was left with a "single metro line" and a light rail system described as "two systems flying in loose formation" that fail to feed each other. The dream of a comprehensive network has been stalled by shifting political winds, funding hurdles, and a lack of sustained regional advocacy.

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin explore the past, present, and uncertain future of transit in Maryland. They are joined by John Porcari (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation), Delegate Robbyn Lewis (D-Baltimore City), Ron Hartman (former MTA head), and Mike Kelly (Baltimore Metropolitan Council) to dissect the pivotal 2015 cancellation of the Red Line and the potential for its revival. They discuss why Maryland is unique in having its transit run by a state agency without a board of directors, the "radicalizing" effect of stalled projects on local leaders, and whether "Bus Rapid Transit" is a viable, high-speed alternative to traditional rail.

Why This Episode Matters

Transit is more than just "the widget" used to move people; it is an engine for economic development, a tool for dismantling historic segregation, and a necessity for a functioning democracy. The gap between transit-rich regions and those left behind reveals deep-seated issues of power, influence, and racial history in Maryland. Understanding the "flabby" failures of the past and the new push for local governance is essential for any resident who wants to see a more connected and equitable state. Whether you are a daily bus rider or a commuter waiting for the next rail extension, this conversation offers the context needed to understand why Maryland’s transit system remains a work in progress.

Connect With the Show Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected]

Links & Resources

Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.

· Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com

· Carper Cre8tive: https://www.carpercreative.studio

Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Note: The voice of Mileah Kromer heard in this episode is a synthetic AI model reading excerpts from her book.  Not a live recording. 

• (00:00) - Red Line Fallout

The Chesapeake Bay is more than just a body of water; it supports a $600 million seafood industry in Maryland; it's a $3.2 billion tourism engine for the state, and it's at the very heart of Maryland’s self-image. But for the other five states in the 64,000-square-mile watershed, the Bay is often an abstract concept, a distant destination. This geographic and emotional disconnect complicates the decades-long effort to restore one of the world’s most productive estuaries.

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin explore the intricate "architecture" of the multi-state coalition responsible for keeping the Bay clean. They are joined by Adam Ortiz (Maryland Department of the Environment and formerly with U.S. EPA), Sarah Elfreth (U.S. Representative), Ben Grumbles (Environmental Council of the States), and Gene Yaw (Pennsylvania State Senator) to break down the newly signed 15-year Bay Agreement. 

Why This Episode Matters The health of the Chesapeake Bay depends on decisions made not just in Maryland, but in five other states and the District of Columbia -- along with the federal government. The friction between downstream beneficiaries and upstream contributors reveals the fundamental challenge of regional cooperation. Understanding how leaders navigate "shared pain" for "shared gain" offers a rare look at how environmental policy actually survives—or fails—in a complicated landscape. Whether you are a waterman concerned about runoff or a voter interested in how interstate collaborations function, this episode provides the context needed to understand the "pollution diet" that will impact the Bay through 2040.

Connect With the Show Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected]

Links & Resources Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.

Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

• (00:00) - Josh Kurtz ep 5 MAIN SCRIPT

The filing deadline has passed, and the board is finally set for Maryland’s 2026 elections. With a flurry of last-minute entries and some surprising absences, the stakes for the state’s political future have never been clearer. From a wide-open race in the 5th Congressional District to generational challenges in some state legislative seats, there’s plenty to watch in this election cycle.

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin are joined by Alex Hughes (Blended Public Affairs) and Will Ford (Maryland Matters) for a roundtable conversation to break down the final candidate lists. They explore why so many Democrats are vying for the same seats, why the Republican "bench" remains thin in key counties, and what the high number of uncontested races means for the health of Maryland's democracy.

Why This Episode Matters The people who filed by the deadline will determine the laws, budgets, and priorities of Maryland for years to come. The lack of competition in some areas and the extreme "pile-on" in others reveals a state in political transition. Understanding who is running—and who isn't—is essential for any voter trying to navigate a primary season where the noise is louder than ever. Whether you are tracking the power shifts in Annapolis or the federal races in D.C., this roundtable offers the context needed to make sense of the 2026 ballot.

Connect With the Show Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected] 

Links & Resources Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.

• Maryland Matters: https://www.marylandmatters.org
• Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com
• Carper Cre8tive: https://www.carpercreative.studio

• (00:00) - Roundtable and filing deadline

Maryland is in the middle of a full‑blown housing crisis — and the consequences are showing up everywhere. For 12 straight years, more Marylanders have left the state than moved in, and the trend is accelerating. As Comptroller Brooke Lierman explains, it’s not just retirees heading south. Younger residents and middle‑income families are leaving too, taking billions in economic activity with them. “I was particularly disconcerted to see how many younger Marylanders are moving away,” she says.

At the center of the problem: Maryland simply hasn’t built enough homes. The state is short roughly 100,000 units today, and needs 590,000 new homes by 2045 to meet projected demand. But for decades, a patchwork of zoning rules, local veto points, and well‑intentioned but restrictive smart‑growth policies have made it harder — not easier — to build where people actually want to live. As Housing Secretary Jake Day puts it, “We’ve done a fantastic job telling people where they can’t build… we never finished the equation.”

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin unpack how Maryland got here, why the state’s “culture of permission” makes development so difficult, and what lawmakers are proposing this session to finally break the logjam. They explore the political dynamics that allow a handful of neighbors to stall desperately needed housing, the unintended consequences of Maryland’s smart‑growth legacy, and why even high‑performing school districts use tools like adequate public facilities ordinances to keep new families out.

Featuring voices from across the housing landscape — developers, preservationists, county leaders, and state officials — this episode offers a clear, grounded look at one of Maryland’s most urgent challenges, and what it will take to build a more affordable future.

In This Episode

• Why Maryland has lost residents to other states for 12 consecutive years
• How a shortage of 100,000 homes is driving up prices and pushing families out
• Why Maryland permits far fewer homes than fast‑growing states like the Carolinas, Texas, and Florida
• How single‑family zoning and decades of layered regulations restrict what can be built — and where
• The unintended consequences of Maryland’s smart‑growth movement
• Why local “permission structures” allow neighbors to block needed housing
• How late vesting rules let opponents kill projects even after approvals
• Why developers say community engagement is essential — but can go too far
• What the Moore administration is proposing this session to accelerate homebuilding
• Why adequate public facilities ordinances often halt development in high‑demand school zones

Key Voices

• Brooke Lierman — Maryland Comptroller
• Jake Day — Maryland Secretary of Housing
• Tom Coale — Land Use Attorney & Housing Advocate
• Chris Mfume — Founder, The Civic Group
• Nick Redding — President & CEO, Preservation Maryland
• Michael Sanderson — Executive Director, Maryland Association of Counties

Why This Episode Matters

Housing shapes everything — affordability, economic mobility, school enrollment, transportation, and the long‑term competitiveness of the state. Maryland’s shortage is already driving residents away, straining local budgets, and limiting opportunities for families across income levels. Understanding how we got here — and why it’s so hard to fix — is essential to understanding the debates unfolding in Annapolis this session.

Whether you’re a renter, a homeowner, a policymaker, or someone trying to understand why housing costs keep rising, this episode offers clarity, context, and a rare inside look at the forces shaping Maryland’s housing future.

Connect With the Show

Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected]

Links & Resources

Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.
Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com
Carper Cre8tive: https://www.carpercreative.studio   

• (00:00) - Welcome to Maryland Now + Why Housing Is a Full-Blown Crisis

The Maryland General Assembly is back in session — and the only thing lawmakers must do each year is pass a balanced budget. And this year, an election year, there is no way that policy makers are going to raise taxes. So to fill an unexpected $1.5 billion gap between revenues and expenditures, fueled by unintended costs in healthcare and rising costs in education, Gov. Wes Moore is looking at spending cuts and untapped pots of money. Like every year, long‑term projections look increasingly grim. So how worried should Marylanders really be?

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin break down the state budget in a way that’s clear, digestible, and grounded in decades of reporting and public‑affairs experience. They explore why the budget is never as simple as it seems, what’s driving the latest shortfall, and whether Maryland’s infamous “structural deficit” is a real crisis or a self‑inflicted accounting exercise.

Featuring insights from two of the state’s most respected budget minds — Warren Deschenaux, longtime nonpartisan fiscal analyst, and Rich Madaleno, former state senator and current Montgomery County chief administrative officer — this episode explains how Maryland’s finances got to the shape they are in, what’s unique about our budgeting process, and why the next few years will be especially challenging.

In This Episode

• Why Maryland suddenly faces a $1.5 billion budget gap

• How federal tax changes and unexpected healthcare costs blew a hole in the budget

• What the “structural deficit” actually means — and why some experts say it’s a made‑up problem

• How Maryland’s budgeting rules differ from neighboring states like Virginia

• The long‑term impact of Maryland’s education plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and whether it was responsible to pass without a funding source

• Competing political narratives about former Governor Hogan’s fiscal record

• Why Maryland’s economy is shaped by both the life sciences and the “death sciences”

• What to expect as lawmakers negotiate cuts, priorities, and election‑year constraints

Key Voices

• Warren Deschenaux — Former Director, Department of Legislative Services

• Rich Madaleno — Former State Senator; Chief Administrative Officer, Montgomery County

• Boyd Rutherford — Former Lieutenant Governor

• Maggie McIntosh — Former Chair, House Appropriations Committee

• Michael Sanderson — Executive Director, Maryland Association of Counties

Why This Episode Matters

Maryland’s budget shapes everything from schools to healthcare to public safety. Understanding how the process works — and why it’s so often contentious — helps explain the political debates unfolding in Annapolis this session. Whether you’re a policy watcher, a state employee, or a Marylander who wants to know where your tax dollars go, this episode offers clarity, context, and a rare behind‑the‑scenes look at how the state’s most important decisions get made.

Connect With the Show

Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected]

Links & Resources

Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.

Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com
Carper Cre8tive: https://www.natecarpercreative.com

• (00:00) - Introduction to Maryland's Legislative Session

Maryland Now opens its debut season with a deep examination of how a single piece of legislation from 1999 reshaped Maryland’s electricity market and helped set the stage for some of the energy challenges the state faces today. Hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin walk through the political forces, policy decisions, and long-term consequences that contribute to the high electric bills Marylanders are opening this winter. With energy prices rising sharply and lawmakers under pressure to respond, this episode connects the past to the present and highlights why the 2026 legislative session is so pivotal.

Episode Overview

Marylanders across the state are seeing unusually high utility bills after weeks of freezing temperatures. At the same time, the General Assembly has kicked off a session that will be dominated by energy policy, affordability, and the search for solutions.

This episode explores why electricity prices are spiking, how data centers and the grid operator's planning failures are driving demand, why there are no short-term fixes, the political pressure of an election year, the influence of utilities, lobbyists, and major industrial players, and how consumers often get sidelined in complex policy debates.

But mostly, the episode travels back to 1999, when Maryland lawmakers — under pressure from Enron, industrial giants, and legislative leaders — passed a sweeping deregulation bill that fundamentally changed how electricity is generated and sold.

You’ll hear insights from three major players from that 1999 legislative debate — and from a consumer advocate who helps Marylanders struggling with their utility bills. They break down the rushed negotiations, the rate freezes, the political maneuvering, and the ripple effects that still shape Maryland’s energy landscape.

Key Topics Covered

• The 2026 energy crisis, including why bills are rising so quickly, how data centers and grid constraints are straining supply, and the steep learning curve lawmakers face.
• The political landscape, including election-year urgency for the governor and General Assembly, partisan divides over renewables, regulation, and market design, and the lobbying power of BGE, Constellation, Exelon, and others.
• The 1999 deregulation battle, including Enron’s national push for market competition, how legislative leaders fast-tracked a complex bill, why most lawmakers didn’t fully understand the implications, and the rate freezes that delayed competition and set up future price shocks.

Why This Episode Matters

Maryland’s electricity system is under significant strain, and the decisions made in 1999 still influence energy debates happening in Annapolis today. 

Connect With the Show

Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected]

Links & Resources

Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.

Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com
Carper Cre8tive: https://www.natecarpercreative.com

• (00:00) - Introduction

Maryland Now is a new podcast from longtime Maryland journalists and public‑affairs veterans Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin — three people who’ve spent decades reporting on, working inside, and analyzing Maryland government and politics.

In this trailer, the hosts introduce themselves, share their backgrounds, and explain why this podcast fills a gap in Maryland’s media landscape. With more than 60 combined years covering state and local government, they bring historical context, institutional memory, and a reporter’s instinct for what matters beneath the headlines.

You’ll hear:

•  How the hosts met in the early 2000s as State House reporters
•  Why so many of today’s debates — housing, budgets, energy, public health — are rooted in decisions made decades ago
•  What makes this podcast different: deep reporting, not punditry
•  The kinds of guests you’ll hear from: agency secretaries, committee chairs, lobbyists, policy experts, and longtime insiders
•  How season one will follow the 2026 General Assembly session and election cycle
•  Why Maryland’s political history is essential to understanding Maryland’s political present

The hosts also share personal stories — from newsroom rivalries to being banned by a governor — and reflect on how their careers in journalism, government, and public affairs shape the conversations they want to bring to listeners.
If you care about Maryland’s politics, communities, and future, this is the podcast for you.

Follow the show, join the conversation, and be part of Maryland Now.

Connect With the Show

Questions, comments, or story ideas: [email protected]

Links & Resources

Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.

Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com
Carper Cre8tive: https://www.natecarpercreative.com