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December 5, 2025

Talbot Spy

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Point of View Maryland Caucus Spy Highlights

Maryland Caucus with Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell: The Worrisome Case of Kelly Madigan

December 5, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell Leave a Comment

Every Wednesday, but this week on Friday,  Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clayton discuss the resignation of Kelly Madigan, Baltimore County’s first inspector general, who suggested that county leaders limited her independence. They also share their hot takes for the week.

This video is approximately 20 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland Caucus, Spy Highlights

The Maryland Caucus: Maryland’s Budget Crisis + Redistricting Plans Set in Motion

November 19, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clayton discuss the state’s nearly $1.5 billion budget deficit projected for the upcoming fiscal year, along with the continuation of Governor Wes Moore’s redistricting plan, which could eliminate the state’s only Republican congressional district. 

This video is approximately 20 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, 00 Post to Chestertown Spy, Maryland Caucus

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Maryland Redistricting Gets Serious and How the 1st District Could be Cut Up

November 12, 2025 by Len Foxwell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clayton discuss the increasing pressure on Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson to change his opposition to Governor Wes Moore’s plan to eliminate the state’s only Republican congressional district and what that might mean for the 1st District on the Eastern Shore.

This video is approximately 16 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, 00 Post to Chestertown Spy, Maryland Caucus, Spy Journal

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Moore and Ferguson Not Eye-to-Eye on Redistricting

November 5, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political consultant Len Foxwell and advisor to the Republican Ed Hale campaign Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clay discuss a rare and potentially significant division between Governor Wes Moore and Bill Ferguson, the Senate President, regarding the governor’s plans to push for redistricting of congressional districts that would likely result in the ouster of the only Republican, Andy Harris, who represents the 1st District. They also offer their weekly hot takes.

This video is approximately 16 minutes in length.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 00 Post to Chestertown Spy, Maryland Caucus, Spy Highlights

Maryland Caucus Podcast with Foxwell and Corchiarino: Maryland’s Emerging Financial Perfect Storm

October 1, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the State and region. This week, however, Len is joined by Republican Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Chris Corchiarino to fill in for Clayton while he’s away on vacation.

This week, Len and Clayton discuss the combined political impact of Marylanders losing 28,000 federal jobs due to the Trump administration’s cost-cutting initiatives and an additional 5,000 to 10,000 workers out of work after today’s government shutdown at the same time the State anticpates a $3 billion shortfall in the next fiscal budget when Maryland’s Blueprint for Excellence public education plan will be requirign another $3 billion investment. They also share their “hot takes” for the week.

This video is approximately 13 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, Maryland Caucus, Spy Journal

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Can Maryland Democrats Redistrict Out Andy Harris?

August 6, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clayton discuss the politics and realities of a Democratic Party attempt to redistrict Maryland in response to the recent Republican proposal to create five new Red districts in Texas, ahead of the 2026 midterm election. They also offer up their “Hot Takes” for the week.

This podcast is approximately 14 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Maryland Caucus, Spy Highlights

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: A Pastor Espinal Update, Andy Harris MIA, and Van Hollen Shoutout

July 30, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week on Maryland Caucus, Len and Clayton discuss the recent developments in the ICE arrest of beloved Mid-Shore pastor Daniel Espinal, the notable absence of 1st District Congressman Andy Harris from the Espinal case, and a shoutout to Senator Chris Van Hollen for his leadership and vocal advocacy on behalf of the pastor.  They also share their Maryland Caucus hot takes for the week.

This podcast is approximately 15 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, Maryland Caucus, Spy Journal

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: The ICE Detention of Talbot County’s Pastor Daniel Espinal

July 23, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week on Maryland Caucus, it gets very local and very personal. Last week, ICE agents arrested Talbot County’s Pastor Daniel Espinal for immigration violations after he had lived in the area for almost three decades, providing clerical support to hundreds of families.

Just one example of Pastor Espinal’s service in the community was to help officiate the memorial service for Len’s eighteen-year-old son Darius, who had tragically lost his life in a car accident the week before.  Adding to the sense of shock of Pastor Espinal’s detention was the fact that Darren Foxwell’s best friend at Easton High School was the pastor’s son, Daniel, who was at his deathbed in the hospital.

Len and Clay discuss the circumstances and policy implications of these arrests, as well as some of the political consequences for this increasingly unpopular federal approach to illegal immigration.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, Maryland Caucus

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Route 50 Traffic and 3rd Span for the Bridge

July 16, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clay discuss the increasing traffic pressure on Route 50, some short-term solutions, and the long-term solution of a third span for the Bay Bridge.

This video is approximately 15 minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, Maryland Caucus

Maryland Caucus with Foxwell and Mitchell: Moore Budget Cuts and LA Protests Impact on MD Politics

June 11, 2025 by Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell

Every Wednesday, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell discuss the politics and personalities of the state and region.

This week, Len and Clay discuss Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s announcement that his administration has found nearly $400 million in budget savings over the next two decades. They also chat about the impact on Moore’s presidential prospects in the wake of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s handling of the Los Angeles protests, among other winners and losers of the week.

This video is approximately 19 minutes in length.

###

This series brings together two of the most experienced and respected voices in Maryland public life: Len Foxwell and Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr. Their mission is to explore Maryland’s evolving political terrain, from the State House in Annapolis to the communities of the Eastern Shore.

Foxwell and Mitchell may come from different corners of the public square—one a strategist and public communicator, the other a jurist and administrative law expert—but they share a lifelong commitment to the mechanics and meaning of public service. Together, they offer something increasingly rare in American discourse: thoughtful, informed, and good-humored conversation grounded in facts, history, and lived experience.

Len Foxwell, founder of Tred Avon Strategies, is widely regarded as one of Maryland’s most influential political strategists. A veteran of nearly three decades in public life, he served as chief of staff to the Comptroller of Maryland from 2008 to 2020, where he was credited with helping build one of the nation’s most effective and forward-looking tax enforcement offices.

During that time, the Comptroller’s office recaptured more than $6 billion in unpaid taxes and won national praise for combating tax fraud and unethical financial practices. But Foxwell’s public impact wasn’t limited to budgetary stewardship. He also played a pivotal role in modernizing Maryland’s craft alcohol industry, working to ease outdated regulations and encourage growth for breweries, wineries, and distilleries across the state.

A writer and educator at heart, Foxwell also teaches professional writing and crisis communication at Johns Hopkins University. As one veteran journalist once wrote, “There are plenty of operatives who are talented and indispensable to their bosses. But only Foxwell has actually changed the trajectory of Maryland politics.”

Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr., brings an equally deep and distinguished record of public service. A native of the Eastern Shore, Mitchell served on the Maryland Department of Labor’s Board of Appeals for nearly 30 years, including four years as its Chairman. Appointed in 1994 by Governor William Donald Schaefer and reappointed by four successive governors from both parties, Mitchell presided over the state’s highest appellate authority for unemployment insurance disputes, helping shape how fairness and due process are applied to tens of thousands of Maryland workers.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law, Mitchell has also worked to expand legal access through education. He founded the Student Attorney Advocacy Program at his law school alma mater to ensure indigent claimants could receive representation in appeals proceedings. In addition to his public duties, he has maintained a part-time legal practice focused on administrative, land use, and environmental law.

Mitchell is equally respected for his civic leadership. He has served on the Selective Service Board and the Maryland Attorney General’s Environmental Advisory Council, authored legal reference works, and endowed a scholarship to help Maryland students pursue legal careers. As he said in a recent reflection, “Public service isn’t just about policy. It’s about people—about making sure the system works for everyone, especially those who don’t have a lobbyist or a lawyer.”

Together, Foxwell and Mitchell represent two sides of the same democratic coin—strategy and structure, politics and process, insight and institution. With the Maryland Caucus, they’ll shine a spotlight on the issues shaping Maryland today: education funding, judicial reform, land use, regional economics, environmental priorities, campaign strategy, and more.

Expect each episode to be as frank as it is thoughtful. Or as Foxwell recently quipped, “It may be called The Maryland Caucus, but we’re not handing out talking points.”

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Spy Highlights, Maryland Caucus

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