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Going Purple: A Conversation with Kent County Sheriff John Price

September 14, 2020 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

Often buried beneath news of the global pandemic and political discord, the ongoing opioid crisis continues unabated. Isolation, loss of income, and treatment center closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to the increase of fatal overdoses.

September’s National Recovery Month continues to spotlight this health emergency and promote the benefits of prevention, treatment, and recovery, especially during a pandemic that has seen an increase in overdose fatalities. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) studies, fatalities are trending upward by as much as 18%, following a year of 71,000 deaths.

Although too soon for definitive data, AAMC points out that alcohol sales have risen by 25%, and there is a worrisome trend of overdose from increased non prescribed fentanyl. The National Institute on Drug Reports that 90% of all drug fatalities in Maryland are from opioids (15,000 in 2018).

The Spy caught up with Kent County Sheriff John Price to find out how law enforcement is participating with National Recovery Month and how the pandemic has required alternative paths to reach out to the community.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more information about International Recovery Day please go here.

Chesapeake Education: Dr. Powell Comes to Washington College

September 11, 2020 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

Well before a pandemic hit America’s shores earlier this year, the job of a college president was listed as one of the most difficult in American education. Faced with rising costs and a lower applicant pool, these leaders were scrambling to recalibrate the role of a traditional liberal arts education for the 21st Century.

All of those long term strategic plans however were abruptly put on hold as the coronavirus quickly emptied college campuses. Millions of students were sent home while tenured professors had to pivot to online learning as the only viable, if not particularly satisfying, solution to keep students on track in earning their degrees.

While at the beginning of the COVID crisis, there was optimism that on-campus learning could resume in the Fall, the reality is that most schools have had to cancel those plans in the face of growing infection rates.

That was the painful decision Washington College made in August when the 239-year-old institution was in the midst of a presidential transition. The then-president Kurt Landgraf and the College’s board had agreed not to renew his contract in late spring. And, as with most institutions of WC’s caliber, it would typically require over a year to properly conduct a search for a new president. The question for the college leadership was whom they could bring on board during the interim when some of the most important decisions related to Washington College’s future would be made as it found its way back from the pandemic’s devastating impact on the school, its budget, and mission.

A few weeks ago, to the relief of many, they found that special person, Dr. Wayne Powell.

Recently retired after fourteen years as president of Lenoir Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, the former math professor, and academic dean has been given substantial credit in transforming a small Lutheran college into a Western Carolina university powerhouse. That included a 120% rise in its endowment value and an increase in its student body by 80%.

In the Spy’s Zoom interview with Dr. Powell a few days ago, he was the first to admit that no one can predict at this time the full impact of the pandemic on schools like Washington College. Nonetheless, like many crises, he also sees the opportunities that coincide with a challenge of this magnitude. President Powell also talks about the real value of the liberal arts education, how the field of mathematics has helped him in his management approach, and how he rejects his new job as a caretaker role.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length. For more information about Washington College please go here. Photo courtesy of the Hickory Record.

Life, Legacy of Frederick Douglass Honored

September 2, 2020 by John Griep

State and local officials honored the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass as they unveiled outdoor exhibits at the park on the Tuckahoe River named for him.

The Tuesday morning event at the Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe also launched Maryland’s second annual recognition of International Underground Railroad Month.

While the event focused on Douglass and Underground Railroad Month, current events in America were not ignored, including the monument honoring Confederates on the county’s courthouse grounds and ongoing demonstrations across the nation seeking equal justice for all.

Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford speaks Tuesday at the Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe. Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.

“Maryland has a proud history, but also a complicated history,” Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford said. “After all it is the birthplace of great figures such as Harriet Tubman, who is synonymous with the Underground Railroad, and of course Frederick Douglass, for whom this park is named.

“But we know that in the course of history that these great figures in our history are famous because of what they had to endure and overcome,” he said. “They both were slaves here on the Eastern Shore and although they endured almost unimaginable challenges and trauma in their lifetime, they never gave up on gaining their freedom and helping others to do the same.

“And while Marylanders today can be proud of the role that our state undoubtedly has played in extending liberty and freedom to all Americans, we cannot ignore the fact that during this time in our nation’s history we were, in this state, a divided state,” Rutherford said. “While Maryland never seceded from the Union officially, there was plenty of Confederate sympathy in and around our state. In fact, not so far from here, there is a statue that unfortunately remains celebrating a group of Confederate soldiers in Maryland.

“Now while I have always been very vocal in my belief that we should not ignore history or run away from our past we must acknowledge the pain that still exists today and we must use our history as an opportunity that we now have… to have that long overdue conversation on race and to do a better job of accurately reflecting our history, particularly when it comes to the Civil War, the struggles of African-Americans in our state, and past attempts at reconciliation.

“Recognizing the significance of the Underground Railroad and dedicating this month to appreciating the significance of that era in teaching our younger generations, and not so young generations as well, is a wonderful and important step in that direction. But it is just one step.

“I will repeat that we do need to have that long 0ver-due conversation. And it will be difficult, there’s no question about that, but it needs to be had.

“Just as important, however, is recognizing the wrongness of those who sought to destroy our Union and the evil injustice against their fellow countrymen that fueled their actions,” Rutherford said. “I implore all of us, all Marylanders, all Americans, to look deeply within ourselves to acknowledge the work that is yet to be done that must be done so that our nation may finely be able to live up to the ideals of our founding and ensure liberty and justice for every American.”

Guests speak with Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford, who is flanked by Sen. Addie Eckardt and Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, Maryland’s DNR secretary. Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.

Rutherford presented a governor’s citation recognizing September as International Underground Railroad Month in Maryland.

Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a great-great-great-great-grandson of Douglass and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, spoke in a pre-recorded video. Morris also is a great-great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington.

The Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives is “an abolitionist and anti-racist organization with a mission to build strong children and end systems of exploitation and oppression,” Morris said.

He said Douglass would not have been surprised by the unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color nor by the deaths of George Floyd and many other Blacks “at the hands of those who have sworn to protect and serve us.

“Douglass saw enough in his lifetime. He saw mountains of injustice,” Morris said. “He saw so much injustice to know that repeatedly responding with surprise or confusion or disgust means that you’re not paying attention or ignoring what’s right in front of you.

“Knowing that injustice is there in front of you, what will you do?” he asked. Douglass would have recommended that people “agitate.”

“When incident after incident form patterns that tell a straightforward story, we have to listen,” Morris said. “(When) outcomes in health, education, criminal justice, housing, in every aspect of society tell a story, we have to listen, plan, and act.”

He cited an 1881 article in which Douglass said “that few evils are less accessible to the force of reason or more tenacious of life and power than a longstanding prejudice. He considered racism a moral disorder that distorts perception according to its own diseased imagination.

“If racism is indeed a kind of disease, an epidemic in this country, then what are the remedies we have to address it?” Morris asked. “Douglass said, ‘Slavery is indeed gone, but its shadow still lingers over the country and poisons more or less the moral atmosphere of all sections of the Republic.”

Douglass would have expressed his rage and anger over current events through words.

“If anyone ever understood the real power of words, it was Frederick Douglass. In fact, he risked his life to read and write…. My great ancestor used his voice, his pen, and his vote to effect change.

“This is an important election year and we need to use our voice, our keyboard, and our vote. We need to hold our elected officials accountable at the local, state, and federal level. We must demand that they take action to identify and eliminate policies that hold up systemic racism.

“I’ve been inspired by the peaceful protests. I’m encouraged by the diversity in age and race of the protesters,” Morris said. “All around the world people are declaring that black lives matter. And for those of you who are wondering, this is not a political statement. Yes, some leaders will politicize it, but it’s a statement about asserting the inherent value of our humanity. You either believe that all black lives matter or you don’t.

“One hundred and fifty years from now, when our descendants look back on this moment in time, what will they say about their great-great-great-grandparents? Will you have been on the right or wrong side of history?

“Frederick Douglass was on the right side of history. And this is why we honor him 202 years after his birth a stone’s throw away from where you sit today,” Morris said.

Corey W. Pack, president of the Talbot County Council, noted Douglass’ work for social justice. In addition to being an abolitionist, Douglass also supported women’s suffrage.

“While gathered here to recognize and pay tribute to Frederick Douglass, Talbot County’s most famous native son, as well as to celebrate the launch of International Underground Railroad Month, it is important to both recognize and celebrate the legacy left by Frederick Douglass, who exemplified courage and self-determination to free himself from bondage, illiteracy, and poverty to become a world renowned anti-slave activist and supporter of social justice, which still many cry out for today,” Corey W. Pack, president of the Talbot County Council, said.

Morris and Pack also paid homage to Eric Lowery, the longtime president of the Frederick Douglass Honor Society, who died earlier this year.

Program Open Space funds were used to buy the land for the park and adjacent wetlands were donated, providing more than 100 acres of open space along the Tuckahoe River.

Friends in Faith sing Tuesday at the Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe. Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.

Professor Dale Glenwood Green of Morgan State University presided over the program. Green has been involved with research concerning the Hill neighborhood in Easton, believed to be the oldest settlement of free blacks in the U.S.

Rev. Clarence A. Wayman of Morgan State University Memorial Chapel gave the opening and closing prayers. Wayman has familial connections to Talbot County, where several ancestors also served as pastors.

Friends in Faith entertained guests with several songs and Dfc. John E. Coleman of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office sang the National Anthem.

The park is located at 13213 Lewistown Road near the town of Queen Anne.

This video is about 9 minutes long.

New Bay Crossing Site Narrowed to Three Options

September 2, 2020 by Spy Desk

The best location for a third Bay Bridge would be adjacent to the current spans, according to a state agency report. Two other options — one north of the existing bridges and one south — out of the five remaining alternatives also will undergo additional study.

The Maryland Transportation Authority selected the three alternatives based on traffic congestion, safety, dependable and reliable travel times, flexibility for maintenance and incident management, and financial viability.

The ongoing study also will include a no-build alternative.

Phase 1 of the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study outlined 14 possible alternatives. Corridors 1-4 and 10-14 were eliminated from further consideration because those locations would not provide adequate traffic capacity to reduce congestion at the current crossing.

A study of potential sites for a new crossing of the Chesapeake Bay initially included 14 options. Corridors 6-8, highlighted in yellow, remain under consideration.

Phase 2 looked in more detail at corridors 5-9 and further reduced the alternatives to Corridors 6, 7, and 8.

Corridor 7 is where the existing Bay Bridge spans are located.

Corridor 6 would be north of the current bridges, with the western end located east of Pasadena in Anne Arundel County and the eastern side connecting near Rock Hall in Kent County before crossing the Chester River into Queen Anne’s County and connecting with Route 213 south of Centreville.

Corridor 8 would be south of the current bridges, with the western end located south of Annapolis. The bridge would pass south of Kent Island, connecting with Talbot County and ultimately to U.S. Route 50 north of Easton.

The detailed traffic analysis for the five remaining corridors showed “Corridor 5 would not provide an acceptable level of flexibility for incident diversion and would cause potentially major indirect effects on the Eastern Shore. Corridor 9 would also require substantial additional travel time for incident diversion and would result in unreasonably long duration of queues on summer weekends at the existing crossing (six hours with queues of one mile or greater on non-summer weekdays),” according to the report. And both Corridors 5 and 9 would do little to improve congestion at the current crossing based on traffic projections for 2040.

Cost and environmental impacts also are factors and Corridor 7, with the shortest overall crossing, would likely cost the least and “would likely result in fewer overall direct impacts.”

“While Corridors 6, 7, and 8 are all recommended to be carried forward for further evaluation, the screening results show that Corridor 7 has advantages over Corridors 6 and 8,” according to the report. “The advantages of Corridor 7 include better congestion relief at the existing Bay Bridge, more effective reduction of duration of unacceptable LOS (level of service), more effective backup reduction at the Bay Bridge, the best diversion route, and better compatibility with existing land-use patterns likely resulting in fewer indirect effects.”

Read the full report here:

BCS Alternatives Report

Outdoor Exhibits Unveiled at Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe

September 1, 2020 by John Griep

Not far from the birthplace of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass — Talbot County’s most honored native son — state and local officials gathered Tuesday morning to unveil interpretive panels about his life at the park named for him.

The event also kicked off Maryland’s commemoration of International Underground Railroad Month.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born enslaved along the Tuckahoe River in Talbot County. In 1838, at age 20, he escaped from Baltimore to freedom in the north and became an internationally renowned abolitionist, writer, orator and statesman.

Professor Dale Glenwood Green of Morgan State University presided over the event, which featured remarks from Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford and a video address from Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a great-great-great-great-grandson of Douglass and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives.

About 50 people were invited to the private event at the Frederick Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe. The park, located at 13213 Lewistown Road near Queen Anne, opened February 14, 2018 on Douglass’s 200th birthday.

The new outdoor exhibits will provide visitors with information about Douglass’s life story, the significance of the site, and travel information to other sites around the state and county associated with Douglass. The exhibits are part of ongoing developments of the park.

This video is about 3 minutes long. A more complete story will publish on Wednesday.

Stand Up Against Substance Abuse, ‘Go Purple’ with Talbot Goes Purple

September 1, 2020 by Spy Desk

Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble and Tidewater Rotary invite everyone to attend a virtual kick-off for Talbot Goes Purple at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1.

This year’s kick-off is virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but will livestream on multiple platforms, including Facebook. The kick-off will include brief remarks with Sheriff Gamble, and Lucie Hughes, of Tidewater Rotary, before officially going purple with Easton Utilities.

“We’re excited about year four of Talbot Goes Purple, even though obviously we have some challenges with getting our messages out into the community,” said Gamble. “COVID has really caused some major setbacks among people with substance use disorder, and we’re committed to finding new ways to reach youth and families here in Talbot County.”

New, virtual activities for this year include free film screenings of both “The American Opioid Crisis: Talbot Goes Purple,” a documentary from Ferrari Films that screened last year, and the latest film from Chris Herren, “The First Day.” TGP also has formed a student ambassador program that includes virtual projects with this year’s educational messages.

“Tidewater Rotary is proud to be a part of Talbot Goes Purple for the fourth year,” said Hughes. “It is critical we continue to educate the citizens of Talbot County. While this year it may look a little different, I am confident our community will continue to support this effort.”

Easton Utilities’ support again includes the installation of 14,000 purple lights and 75 purple spotlights that will shine purple throughout downtown Easton for the month of September.

“As proud supporters of TGP, Easton Utilities remains committed to giving this important issue a visual presence in our community,” said Kelly Simonsen with Easton Utilities.

This is year four for the initiative, and the community can again display purple lights and gear starting Sept. 1 and throughout the month as a show of taking a stand against substance abuse. Purple lights and other fun stuff are available online at www.talbotgoespurple.org. Lights also are again available at E.D. Supply in Easton.

For information on our student ambassador program, email talbotgoespurple@gmail.com. The program is open to all youth, ages 18 and under, in Talbot County with parent/guardian permission. Details about this year’s events will become available on the TGP Facebook page @TalbotGoesPurple.

Talbot Goes Purple is an awareness and educational prevention program that empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse. The initiative includes purple clubs in our middle and high schools through which students learn they do not need drugs or alcohol to meet life’s challenges. The purpose of the project is to promote the ‘new conversation’ – one that includes prescription drugs, alcohol, marijuana and e-cigarettes

Talbot Goes Purple is an initiative of the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and Tidewater Rotary, in partnership with Talbot County Public Schools, Saints Peter and Paul School and Mid-Shore Community Foundation.

Talbot Goes Purple is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – donations to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Griffith: Talbot School Opening Plans Consistent with State Push for In-Person Learning

August 28, 2020 by Spy Desk

While Talbot schools will open the year virtually, the school system’s plan for instruction calls for small groups of students to attend in-person learning beginning the second week of school, according to the county’s school superintendent.

Responding to a Thursday afternoon press conference in which Gov. Larry Hogan pushed Maryland schools to provide in-school instruction, Kelly Griffith said the school system had worked with workgroups and a stakeholder committee to create its recovery plan.

“I am very proud of the collaborative efforts of the TCPS Recovery workgroups and the work of the stakeholder committee in the creation of our recovery plan, as it aligns with expectations and provides measures to be in place to ensure a safe work/learning environment for all,” Griffith said in a press release. “We will proceed with beginning the school year virtually, but as our plan outlines, we will bring small groups of students in special populations into school buildings starting the second week of school.”

Talbot’s school superintendent also said she appreciated the statewide health metrics for schools that the Maryland health department issued on Thursday.

School will start virtually for all Talbot County public school students on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Teachers reported for work on Monday, Aug. 24.

The Talbot County Board of Education approved the recovery plan for the 2020-21 school year during its Aug. 12 meeting.

Recovery 8-14-2020-F

Dr. Jinlene Chan, Maryland’s acting deputy secretary of public health services, announced new metrics Thursday for school systems to use to evaluate whether it is safe to reopen for at least some face-to-face instruction.

If a school jurisdiction has below 5% test positivity, or five cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period, it should have the ability to hold in-person instruction, as long as students, teachers and staff follow physical distancing and mask-wearing guidance, Chan said.

Even schools with positivity rates above 5% should still be able to open for at least some in-person learning in a hybrid model, she continued.

Hogan, in Thursday’s press conference, said every school system in the state is allowed to begin safely reopening schools for in-person learning.

“Nearly everyone agrees that there is no substitute for in-person instruction,” Hogan said.

All 24 Maryland school districts are beginning the year virtually, with some planning to bring in small groups of students for face-to-face learning as early as Sept. 8. However, eight school districts, including the two biggest, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, have indicated that they are remaining virtual for most of the first semester.

It is “simply not acceptable” that some school boards have “not even attempted to develop any safe reopening plans” that would bring students back into school buildings, Hogan said.

“It’s easier to say we are not going to bring any kids back for the rest of the year, as opposed to sitting down and doing the hard work of trying to figure out how could we get kids back for safe instruction,” Hogan said.

The authority to change reopening plans lies with each county board of education, but their decisions must be based on new statewide benchmarks, Hogan said. “We are going to put pressure on them.”

Dr. Karen Salmon, the state school superintendent, also said she is “strongly encouraging” local schools to reevaluate their mode of instruction by the end of the first quarter of the school year, which is in November.

At least 3 1/2 hours a day should be dedicated to live learning to ensure that all Maryland children are receiving an equal education, Salmon, a former Talbot school superintendent, said. The state board will decide whether that should be a new requirement for all school systems early next week.

Maryland Matters contributed to this article.

Callahan Takes Issue with Pack Comments

August 26, 2020 by John Griep

This video is about five minutes long.

The county council’s vice president took issue Tuesday with comments the council president made Sunday night on a podcast discussion about the Confederate statue on the courthouse grounds.

“If there’s opportunities where the president of the council is taking care of remarks and stuff on a radio station and doing comments, I’d really appreciate that you give us, some of the council, the respect when there’s a very, very important day next Tuesday that means a lot to all of us when it comes to Frederick Douglass and you sorta bashed us a little bit.

“And I really didn’t appreciate that so I’d really, really would like you to, if you have something to say to us, just call me okay and voice your flustration,” Callahan said as his voice thickened with emotion. “I know you did it in flustration, but it was very, very disrespectful to us.”

Pack said he appreciated Callahan’s comments, which were directed at Pack’s remarks about the private Sept. 1 unveiling of plaques at the Douglass Park on the Tuckahoe. The private ceremony will be followed by the opening of the park to the public.

“Of course we all know, Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, he fought against slavery, I think he fought against everything that the Talbot Boys statue stands for,” Pack said Tuesday. “I guess you’re referring to my comments about that particular event.”

Speaking Sunday night on the “A Miner Detail” podcast episode discussing the Confederate statue, Pack noted that the three council members who voted against removal likely would make an appearance for the park unveiling, which will feature Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford and Douglass descendants.

“You’re going to have those same council members who voted against taking down that statue, right, they’re going to come up there September the first and pose for every picture around the lieutenant governor regarding the Frederick Douglass unveiling of those (plaques) in honor of, in honor, and get this, the second annual Underground Railroad Month as we kick it off here in Talbot County on Sept. 1,” Pack said Sunday.

“You’re going to have those same council members come up, throw their arms around the lieutenant governor at the park on the Tuckahoe. How disingenuous is that? You vote two weeks ago not to take down this statue that’s a symbol of slavery and racism but yet you’re going to run up there for a photo op on Sept. 1,” he said on the podcast.

Responding Tuesday to Callahan’s comments, Pack said the council needed to have a discussion about what members say versus what they do.

Earlier in the meeting, he noted, Dr. Fredia Wadley, the county’s health officer, had given a report on COVID-19. The county council subsequently passed an emergency declaration that did not include several measures requested by Dr. Wadley.

“You can’t bring the health officer here in front of us to give a report but at the same time pass an emergency declaration that tears out everything that the health officer asked us to do,” he said. “I’m speaking about what we’re saying and what we’re doing.

As the meeting was held, demonstrators gathered outside the council chambers to chant, bang drums and blow air horns in peaceful protest against the council vote.

During public comments at the end of the meeting, Henry Herr, a longtime proponent for the statue’s removal, was the only caller.

“I’m obviously a little upset about the vote that happened last week and there’s obviously a lot of vocal opposition going on tonight and obviously will continue,” Herr said. “I can’t say that I’m surprised (by the vote), but the fact that there was mention stated that a vote shouldn’t be taken on something like this because of COVID while members on this council are voting not to follow the health officer’s guidelines for COVID seems a little hypocritical.”

Herr also said Councilwoman Laura Price had falsely claimed that there were no private funds for the statue’s removal when he had offered to pay for its removal on multiple occasions. Others also have publicly pledged to donate for the removal costs.

“If you want to vote on something, please at least state the facts that you don’t want the statue to come down, not that it can’t be paid for by private citizens that have already come forward multiple times ….,” he said.

Md. Politics Podcast Focuses on Talbot’s Confederate Monument

August 25, 2020 by John Griep

Council President Corey Pack said he was “very heartbroken” by the county council’s recent 3-2 vote against removing a monument to rebel soldiers from the courthouse grounds.

Pack, speaking Sunday night on the “A Miner Detail” podcast hosted by Ryan Miner, said he and Councilman Pete Lesher introduced several amendments to Resolution 290 in an effort to get the third vote for removal from Councilman Frank Divilio, serving his first term on the council.

“I was hoping, I was hoping, that we would have that third vote to remove the statue,” he said.

Divilio voted Aug. 14 with Council Vice President Chuck Callahan and Councilwoman Laura Price against Resolution 290, which would have removed the monument from its prominent position outside the entrance to the Talbot County Court House, which contains the Talbot County Circuit Court, county council chambers, register of wills, among other offices.

The monument has a statue of a young flag bearer carrying the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia atop a base with the names of more than 80 men with Talbot County connections who fought against the United States of America during the Civil War.

Pack had previously joined Callahan and Price in voting against the statue’s removal when local residents and organizations pushed for that after the Charleston, S.C., church shooting in 2015 and the Charlottesville, Va., protests involving white supremacists in 2017 in which a counter-protester was killed by a man who drive into a crowd.

He has said he was wrong and has apologized for previously voting in favor of keeping the statue on the courthouse grounds.

“To a lot of Americans, to a lot of Talbot Countians, these statues, these monuments, romanticize or, if you would, promote a lifestyle or a cause that is no longer looked upon by many Americans as one that we should hold in so high esteem,” Pack said on the podcast.

He said the Talbot rebels fought for “a wrong cause” and the statue should be moved to a museum, historical society, or a cemetery, and not remain on public land in front of the courthouse.

The monument is the last Confederate monument on public land in Maryland.

Joining Pack on the podcast were Len Foxwell, chief of staff to Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot; Wini Roche, president of Roche & Associates and the former executive director of the Maryland Tourism Coalition; Mark J. McLaurin, director of political and legislative affairs for the Service Employees International Union Local 500; and Richard DeShay Elliott, Maryland progressive activist and candidate for state delegate in Prince George’s County.

From and Fuller: Democratic Convention, Spy Survey on Kamala Harris, and Report on Russians & 2016 Election

August 21, 2020 by Al From and Craig Fuller

Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.

Today the Spy commentators to discuss the Democratic Convention, the Spy survey on Kamala Harris, and the impact of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russian influence in the 2016 election.

This video is approximately fourteen minutes in length. To listen to From and Fuller via podcast, please go here:

Background

While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.

The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.

Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”

Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors.

For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.

Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last five years, where now serves on the boards of the Academy Art Museum, the Benedictine School, and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors.

With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.

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