MENU

Sections

More

November 27, 2025

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

News Maryland News

Hogan Announces Second $250 Million Business Relief Plan

by

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) on Wednesday pulled $250 million from the state’s rainy day fund, intending to keep small businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic through help with rent, employee salaries, upgrades and other efforts.

During a State House press conference, Hogan said the state’s economic and health recoveries depend on everyday Marylanders continuing to follow safety guidance, while he also pushed some of Maryland’s larger counties to reopen businesses further.

The governor also chided the rate that smaller counties have spent federal stimulus money; only about one-third of $362 million in CARES Act funding directed to 19 counties in the state has been spent so far, with a deadline of Dec. 31.

Hogan said the new state funding would also be required to be spent by the end of the year, and suggested that counties use their unspent federal stimulus money to create matching grants.

“I have directed our teams in each agency to ensure that this much-needed funding gets out the door to our struggling citizens and small businesses as quickly as possible,” Hogan said.

The governor’s relief plan announced Wednesday includes:

  • $50 million for the Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Fund; the new infusion brings total state spending for fund to $145 million since March and will clear a backlog of all applications that have been submitted.
  • $50 million in new relief for restaurants, which can be used to help them buy improvements including HVAC filtration, outdoor dining amenities, technology upgrades to help with carryout and delivery orders, protective equipment for employees, or to help with rent. This money will go to counties, which will distribute it to qualifying restaurants.
  • $20 million for grants from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to help businesses and entertainment venues in the state’s “Main Street Maryland” and “Baltimore Main Streets” programs.
  • $20 million to the COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund. This program already disbursed $20 million through the Maryland Department of Labor, and has saved 9,000 jobs, Hogan said.
  • Additional funding includes $5 million to the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority, $2 million for local tourism efforts, and $3 million for arts organizations and artists.

Another $100 million is set aside as an “emergency response fund,” which would allow the state to immediately direct money to areas of economic concern in the future, Hogan said.

The spending will be “critical to the thousands of struggling restaurants, small businesses and main streets across the state who are attempting to weather this crisis,” the governor said.

“Equally important to their survival will be all 24 jurisdictions finally moving into stage three of the Maryland strong roadmap to recovery plan,” Hogan said. State law allows counties to reopen at a pace slower than the statewide recommendations, depending on local health concerns.

Some of Maryland’s larger jurisdictions, where COVID-19 case rates have been higher, continue to limit certain businesses, including indoor dining.

“They had particular situations on the ground that caused them to go a little slower, which they thought was prudent,” Hogan said. But now, he said he believes health metrics in the counties warrant wider reopening efforts.

“We’re trying to get the schools open, we’re trying to get the businesses open,” Hogan said.

Overall, Maryland’s economy is rebounding faster than other states, but more help is still needed for small businesses, Hogan said.

“Our economy is doing better than the country and most almost all the states in America, but it’s still really bad. It’s not it’s not a great situation for all these hardworking, struggling folks,” he said.

The governor continued to call on federal lawmakers to get moving on a second round of nationwide stimulus relief.

“We need both parties in Washington to stop playing politics to end the gridlock and to get this done for the American people,” Hogan said. “Our small business community and our struggling Marylanders who depend on them for their jobs cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), who has been instigating for a state-level small business stimulus, including at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting chaired by Hogan, said after the announcement that the proposal was insufficient.

Franchot, a likely candidate for governor in 2022, has suggested an infusion of at least $500 million, either from 2020 surplus funds, the state’s rainy day fund, or through borrowing.

“Today’s announcement by Governor Hogan is a good start, but it’s simply not enough,” Franchot said. “Contrary to the Governor’s analysis of our fiscal posture, we are in a position to do more without taking another penny from the Rainy Day Fund.”

Franchot also noted that $100 million of Hogan’s proposal is not yet earmarked for relief.

“Just two years ago, the State of Maryland was willing to pony up $8.6 Billion to lure Amazon’s East Coast headquarters. Surely, we can do better than letting tens of thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, and Main Street communities fight over scraps,” Franchot said in a statement.

Hogan said during the press conference that his administration landed on the $250 million figure because it would leave the state’s rainy day fund with about $1 billion, which has been the state’s longtime recommended reserve level.

Hogan also cautioned Wednesday that the state is monitoring a small uptick in coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the past week and that small gatherings and parties continue to be the number one source of new cases in the state.

“We can’t let our guard down and we should remain vigilant ― even when we are in close contact with the people that we know and love,” Hogan said. “Outdoor activity continues to be much safer than indoor activity, and frequent hand washing remains a critically important tool. Following these simple guidelines will keep us firmly on the road to recovery and help us slow the spread, prevent the surge and keep Maryland open for business.”

By Danielle E. Gaines

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

Franchot Urges Hogan to Help Md. Small Businesses

by

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot urges Gov. Larry Hogan to provide additional COVID-19 relief to small businesses in the state. Franchot, who made the request Wednesday morning during the Maryland Board of Public Works meetings, wants the state to provide $500 million to help small businesses.

Hogan said the state has provided $250 million for small businesses and passed through billions in federal funds to aid businesses and those who are unemployed.

The governor said he would be announcing additional measures to benefit small businesses on Thursday.

Both men agreed that Congress needs to put aside party differences and pass a federal stimulus package to help citizens and businesses.

Franchot is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022; Hogan is term limited and has been the subject of speculation about a future presidential bid.

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

Franchot: In-Person Instruction Is a ‘Huge Medical Experiment’

by

With a new academic year starting, and local school systems wrestling with how best to educate children amid a public health crisis, Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) came out this week squarely for remote instruction, urging county leaders not to give in to “pressure” to bring students back to the classroom.

In urging caution, Franchot, an announced candidate for governor in 2022, is aligning himself with the state’s powerful teachers’ unions. His views are in stark contrast with those held by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), a frequent ally.

“I happen to have very strong concerns about in-person K-thru-12 and even higher ed institutions,” Franchot said on Wednesday, during the freewheeling opening moments of the Board of Public Works’ twice-monthly meeting. 

“Let’s be honest about what young people do. They get together in groups,” he added. “I just think we’re being prematurely rushed — I hope we’re not — in the face of a virus which is far from contained nationally.”

Over the last two weeks, Hogan has pushed local school systems to incorporate at least some in-person instruction into their fall calendars, saying Maryland’s COVID-19 metrics have sufficiently improved for them to do so. Some local leaders and the Maryland State Education Association said his statements would have had more value weeks earlier, when plans for the 2020-21 school year were being formulated.

And as if to buttress Franchot’s argument, the University of Maryland College Park announced this week that it was canceling all fall athletics. 

Franchot didn’t accuse Hogan of applying untoward pressure, instead blaming national leaders. “I want to applaud the majority of county school boards that have chosen to heed the advice of experts and follow science, and not cave in under pressure from folks down the road in Washington who want to downplay the gravity of this disease,” he said.  

Observers suggested that Franchot is positioning himself to be a contender for the coveted teachers’ union endorsement two years from now when he seeks the seat Hogan will vacate because of term limits. 

“He’s got a platform and he’s trying to use it to form as much of an alliance as he can with folks he thinks he’s going to want supporting him down the road,” said former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), who ran for governor in 2018.

Franchot has clashed repeatedly with Democrats in the General Assembly on a wide range of issues during his lengthy tenure as comptroller. Baker, a former state delegate, sees repair work taking place.

“The relationship between Franchot and the Democratic Party has been strained,” he said. “So now he’s looking for an opportunity to walk back some of those things or make up for it.” 

Another Democrat who ran for governor suspects Franchot and his team have glimpsed polling on the ongoing debate about in-person instruction.

“He must have done polling in Montgomery, for sure, and maybe Prince George’s, where parents want their kids home,” said the Democrat, who declined to be quoted by name. “So he must have access to information — polling information and that kind of data — that totally supports what he’s saying.” 

Franchot’s discourse on the perils of bringing students back to the classroom went on for several moments, as a stone-faced Hogan and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D), the other members of the Board of Public Works, listened.

Franchot said any school that opens its doors now is engaging in a “huge medical experiment.” 

“I would be very concerned if a family member of mine was forced to teach in-person, given the widespread existence of the virus as we head particularly into the flu season,” he said. 

Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the state’s largest school districts, have said it will be January at the earliest before traditional teaching resumes.

“I for one would not be personally comfortable sending my kids to school in this environment,” Franchot said. “I would wait and try to do it virtually until January when the picture will be clearer as far as what the virus’s impacts on young people is.”

Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said each county is “very much unique” and therefore entitled to make its own decisions. He believes a “hybrid” approach — a mix of in-person and virtual instruction — “is probably the best we can hope for” given the current state of the pandemic. 

Because local superintendents and boards have been working with their teachers and PTA’s for weeks in preparation for the start of school, Miller said it’s “way too late” for Franchot, or other state leaders, to offer meaningful advice.

“For him to opine at this point in time is as bad as what the governor did two weeks ago,” he said. “The plans are in place. School has started. And we need to move forward and let each board of education and each county move forward at its own pace.” 

By Bruce DePuyt

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

End of an Era: Md.’s Toll Roads, Bridges to Remain Cashless

by

Maryland stopped accepting cash at its toll plazas in mid-March, when Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) pulled toll-takers off the job in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, the Maryland Transportation Authority said it would stop accepting cash “until further notice.”

On Thursday, the governor made the switchover permanent, announcing that the state will become the fifth in the nation to go all-cashless.

In a news release, Hogan said the change will save motorists time and money.

“By combining innovation, safety, and savings, this truly is a win-win for the state government and for everyone who travels in our great state,” he said.

The announcement means even after the pandemic passes, toll-takers will not be returning to the Fort McHenry Tunnel, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, the I-95 toll facility in Cecil County, or the Nice/Middleton Bridge along U.S. 301 in southern Maryland.

The switch means drivers will have two options — register for an E-ZPass account or go through the toll facility without a transponder and get a bill in the mail, which the state calls “video tolling.”

Because cash hasn’t been an option in nearly six months, Thursday’s announcement will likely go unnoticed for the majority of Maryland motorists.

But for people who use toll routes sparingly and for out-of-state motorists, there may be confusion, because toll plazas will remain in place until the MdTA can replace them with toll gantries, the overhead devices that scan for a vehicle’s E-ZPass transponder.

It is not uncommon, for example, to see drivers approaching the Bay Bridge from the Annapolis area tap the brakes out of habit, even though the toll plazas on the western shore have been replaced by toll gantries east of the span.

Transportation officials have two messages for the public — get an E-ZPass account if you don’t already have one, and when you approach a toll plaza, keep moving. There is no one behind the glass to take your money.

“Since March 17, when we went to the all-electronic tolling, we have had this type of messaging on the overhead dynamic message signs along the interstates,” said Kelly Melhem, director of communications for the authority. “There are signs telling motorists to keep moving, you will receive a bill in the mail.”

Electronic toll collection systems were developed two decades ago, and most states utilize one. But only four — Massachusetts, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Washington State — have done what Maryland has done.

Some motorists believe electronic collection systems represent a form of government surveillance of their travel. In addition, thousands of workers have lost their jobs to technology.

Media reports on the trend often profile toll-takers who said they enjoyed interacting with customers, providing directions, offering motel and restaurant information, and getting to know regular commuters by name.

But proponents of technology say it makes no sense for cars to be queuing up to pay a toll, wasting gas and fouling the air in the process. Safety advocates say it’s unwise to have cars that have E-ZPass zipping past traffic that has come to a complete stop.

States that have transitioned away from cash tolling have saved millions of dollars in salaries and benefits.

In addition to E-ZPass and video tolling, Maryland plans to roll out a third option, Pay-By-Plate, in late summer. Motorists who sign up for Pay-By-Plate will register their credit card with the state for the tolls they incur.

Toll rates in Maryland vary based on the payment system drivers choose.

To pay the lowest possible toll, motorists must use E-ZPass, the state’s preferred system. Customers who use Pay-By-Plate, the middle-priced option, will save at least 20% off video tolling, which is the most expensive option.

By Bruce DePuyt

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

Rep. Harris Seeks Federal Probe of Montgomery Co. Decision Delaying Private Schools Opening

by

Maryland’s lone Republican member of Congress is calling for the federal government to investigate Montgomery County’s decision to delay in-person learning at private and parochial schools.

In a letter sent Thursday to Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) blasted the county’s decision, announced late last Friday, to prevent private schools from opening their buildings to students in the first weeks of the academic year.

The decision by County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) and his health director, Dr. Travis Gayles, prompted swift and significant outcry. Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) this week amended an emergency order in order to prevent local governments from forcing private and parochial schools to stay shuttered.

Montgomery County Public Schools, like many other school districts in the state, is staying with remote learning until at least January due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Gayles issued an additional order Wednesday seeking to counter Hogan’s edict.

Harris suggested that Montgomery County’s move is part of “a long-fought campaign against private primary and secondary education.”

The congressman’s 1st congressional district takes in the Eastern Shore and northern parts of Harford and Baltimore counties, and comes nowhere close to Montgomery County.

In his letter to Redfield, Harris — an anesthesiologist — argues that Montgomery County’s COVID-19 positivity and hospital rates remain relatively low.

“It is not appropriate for a county health officer to preemptively impose a blanket mandate that no school can safely open, regardless of circumstance,” Harris wrote to Redfield. “…With these current metrics as a backdrop, I fear that Montgomery County, through Dr. Gayles’ repeated attempts to preemptively foreclose the prospect of any schools reopening (county public schools having already decided not to reopen), is using public health as a stalking horse to further a long-fought campaign against private primary and secondary education.”

Harris argued that a federal investigation of Montgomery County’s actions would be appropriate “[g]iven the large sum of federal funds that flow into county health departments, particularly during the present COVID-19 pandemic.”

“I respectfully request that CDC or the appropriate
authority within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigate the particular situation within Montgomery County, to ensure that all decisions are being made exclusively with our children’s best interest and public health in mind,” Harris wrote. “Anything less would be an abuse of their authority, a dereliction of duty, and a misuse of our federal public health funds.”

Harris’ letter came as Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s (R) administration reiterated its authority over county officials on Thursday, stating that any “blanket” restrictions on in-person learning in private and religious schools goes against state policy.

“At this time, it is the health policy of the State of Maryland that non-public schools not be closed in a blanket manner,” Maryland Health Secretary Robert R. Neall wrote in a memo sent to all local health officers.

Citing Hogan’s executive order, Neall echoed that every school, public or private, should have the power to decide their own reopening plans, as long as they align with CDC recommendations and the Maryland State Department of Education’s recovery plan.

“Those determinations should be made in close consultation with the affected schools and local health departments with Maryland Department of Health guidance,” he wrote.

The memo came in response to Gayles’ order, prohibiting nonpublic schools in Montgomery County to reopen in-person through at least Oct. 1.

Over the last week, the county and the state have been disputing over who has the authority to decide when and how private schools should reopen.

In his letter to the CDC, Harris expressed concern about the detrimental behavioral effects on children if they continue to stay at home during the next school year.

“The continued rise in suicide and opioids death, coupled with the recognized mental health consequences of keeping children isolated, are of great concern to myself, Maryland’s First Congressional District, and the country at large,” he wrote.

Harris said the appropriate role of a local health officer should “to inspect the school to ensure proper guidelines are in place and being followed, not to override decisions made by a school or school system in compliance with the best available science and guidance.”

Harris wasn’t the only member of Maryland’s congressional delegation to weigh in on the controversy.

When asked Thursday what he thinks about the clash between Montgomery County and the state, U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) wrote in an email, “We all want schools to reopen but it has to be done safely.”

By Elizabeth Shwe

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

Local Elections Officials Urge Fewer Voting Sites Due to Poll Worker Shortage

by

Election officials from around Maryland urged the State Board of Elections to reduce the number of voting locations because they do not expect to have enough election judges to staff polls.

“This is your final opportunity to adjust course and save the election in Maryland,” David Garreis, the president of the Maryland Association of Election Officials (MAEO), told the board at its online meeting Wednesday.

So far, local officials estimate they are short about a third of the workers they would need to open all polling sites as Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) ordered last month.

Recruiting volunteers to work long hours steering thousands of voters through polling sites during a pandemic has been difficult. Many longtime poll workers initially agreed to work the election, but dropped out after consulting with families and friends, Garreis said.

Instead of opening every polling location, the association wants the State Board of Elections to allow jurisdictions to open several centralized voting centers.

MAEO’s plan calls for opening the same number of election-day voting centers as early voting sites, with the option of adding two additional centers in each jurisdiction, if needed.

Deputy State Elections Administrator Nikki Charlson said 79 or 80 early voting sites already are designated across Maryland.

The MAEO proposal allows up to 128 voting centers — far fewer than the more than 1,000 called for in Gov. Hogan’s plan. Vice Chairman Patrick J. Hogan (D) floated the idea of allowing local boards of elections to open even more centers.

Traditional polling centers, of the kind Gov. Hogan wants open for the November election, are neighborhood-based. But the voting centers MAEO recommends would pull voters from several precincts across a larger geographic area.

Garreis said local boards would seek large facilities for the voting centers, such as high schools, that would allow for more social distancing.

Under MAEO’s recommendations, voting centers would be open from Oct. 29 through Election Day, hosting both early and election-day voting.

The Nov. 3 election is about 90 days away, and Garreis said time is running out to change the election format.

“Failure to give us the tools we need to be successful is going to put the outcome of the entire election in doubt,” said Garreis, who is also Anne Arundel County’s deputy elections director.

State elections board member William G. Voelp (R) and Patrick J. Hogan agreed that the board may not have the authority to mandate the consolidated voting centers. The decision rests with the governor.

MAEO also asked the state elections board to set up a center to help local boards process mail-in ballot applications.

Board members will decide on the MAEO recommendations at a meeting at 2 p.m. Friday.

MAEO’s requests came days after Gov. Hogan slammed local officials’ requests to close some election-day polling centers.

Hogan issued his decision to hold a more traditional election after errors in the state’s largely vote-by-mail June 2 primary led to delayed results and long lines at polls.

In a letter to the State Board of Elections on Monday, Hogan wrote that Prince George’s County officials’ request to close 229 precincts and open only 15 could disenfranchise minority voters and keep many voters of color from making it to the polls.

But the governor didn’t seem to take issue with consolidating certain polling locations in that letter, and wrote that merging a few precincts is under local boards’ jurisdictions. The idea of opening such a limited number of polling centers as Prince George’s proposed, however, is one Hogan won’t entertain.

“Under existing state law, local boards do have the authority to make decisions regarding the consolidation of polling places in case of an emergency,” Hogan wrote. “However, merging two polling places into one is very different than closing 90% of all polling places in a county.”

In a statement Wednesday, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) defended her county’s request to limit in-person voting in the Nov. 3 election.

“Rather than mail ballots to homes as he did for the primary, the Governor wants us to believe it is in our best interest to put voters, election judges and volunteers at risk, or to engage in the unreliable and overcomplicated process of sending absentee ballot applications because he refuses to mail ballots to the homes of Marylanders,” Alsobrooks wrote.

“The fact that the Governor, who is well aware that Prince George’s County has experienced the greatest amount of COVID-19 illness and death in the state, mocked our concern regarding a safe and responsible voting process for our citizens, demonstrates his high disregard for the health and well-being of the people in my County.”

Vice-chairman Hogan and fellow board member Malcolm L. Funn, the two Democrats on the panel, still hoped to recommend a largely mail-in election to the governor.

Vice-chairman Hogan said he’d lost sleep worrying about the shortage of election workers, and urged Republican board members to recommend automatic mail-in voting.

“I’m pleading one last time for this board … to recommend mailing every registered voter a ballot, and having as many early voting sites, and as many election day sites as possible with the staffing that the [local boards of elections] can produce,” the vice-chairman said.

The five-member board previously split along party lines in recommending an elections format to the governor. Funn and Vice-chairman Hogan recommended automatic mail-in voting and the board’s Republican majority recommended applications for mail-in ballots, citing concerns over voter confidence and fraud.

Funn pushed back on those claims during the Wednesday afternoon meeting.

“There has been no factual indication that mail-in ballots has created fraud,” Funn said.

Republican Voelp said he wants to work to make Hogan’s plan work rather than change the board’s recommendation at this late stage.

Eleven Maryland counties say they won’t be able to open all of their polling locations for early voting and election day as they face a massive shortage of workers.

Allegany, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Talbot and Washington counties all requested polling location changes during the virtual meeting.

Board members will consider the consolidations at their Friday meeting, after they mull the MAEO recommendations.

Calls for the governor to reverse course and conduct a mostly mail-in election on Nov. 3 have grown since he decided to hold a more traditional election.

The governor has repeatedly said state law requires all polling centers to open, but voting rights advocates, local election officials and Democratic lawmakers say his plan will disenfranchise voters.

Advocates have touted the successes of the June 2 largely-mail-in primary — including very high voter turnout and a vast majority of ballots being delivered correctly — as reasons to hold the upcoming general election by mail.

Also at the meeting Wednesday, Del. Michele Guyton (D-Baltimore County) floated the idea of opening curbside voting for the Nov. 3 election. Guyton said curbside voting, wherein voters remain in their car to cast their ballot, would be safer for voters and election workers.

“I’m not willing to stand in line with a lot of other people at polling places, or to volunteer as a poll worker,” Guyton said, adding that many might be comfortable with both if curbside voting was in place.

In keeping with the governor’s decision, the State Board of Elections approved a draft for the state’s mail-in ballot applications Wednesday.

Board members also set the deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot to Oct. 20.

MAEO had requested the deadline be moved from Oct. 27 to give election officials more time to process vote-by-mail requests and send out ballots.

By Bennett Leckrone

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

Much to Consider, Much At Stake in Who Makes School Closing Decisions and How

by

After months of deferring to local health officials for reopening decisions, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) issued an emergency order Monday, overturning Montgomery County’s order prohibiting private and religious schools from holding classes on-site, in-person.

Reactions were strong and divided.

Some say Hogan seems to be contradicting himself.

“On the one hand, Hogan gave authority to local officials, but not any leadership. But then he doesn’t accept a situation that he does not like,” said Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George‘s). “He is cherry picking what group should get what.”

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s). Photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters

At a press conference last week, Hogan said that it is the local governments’ job to enforce public health orders. “What the county leaders wanted was to make their own decisions,” Hogan said. “They don’t have to follow our plans when deciding when to close, they can do what they want.”

All counties must follow state law, but they can decide to be more restrictive than the state law, Hogan said. “That’s what the state constitution allows for, that’s what the federal plan calls for, what the state plans call for,” Hogan said. “They have those powers.”

But when Hogan issued his executive order Monday, in a statement, he called Montgomery County’s decision to shutter all schools “overly broad and inconsistent with the powers intended to be delegated to the county health officer.”

Public systems and private schools across the state are in the process of determining what instructional model they will adopt this fall. While Montgomery and other larger counties have indicated they will hold online classes, Hogan predicted last week that smaller systems will opt for on-site instruction.

While Montgomery County’s public schools have announced plans to hold virtual classes at least until January, the county’s order on private schools was to last only until Oct. 1, “to give people time to figure out appropriate plans and to give us time to get the numbers [the infection rate] down,” Elrich told Maryland Matters.

Montgomery County health officer Dr. Travis Gayles noted that school systems in Indiana, Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere were forced to close soon after reopening because students, teachers and/or staff tested positive for COVID-19.

Even under the executive order as Hogan revised it Monday, local health officials can still close individual schools if they are considered unsafe.

In times of emergency such as COVID-19, the governor has absolute authority to issue emergency orders, which takes precedence over any county order, said former Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler (D).

Still, it is unclear where the line is on how much authority local health officials have, said Maryland Association of Counties’ executive director Michael Sanderson.

Sanderson said it is also ambiguous for related organizations, such as daycare and camp, that can be shut down at the county level. Some of these facilities might also want the same blank slate that the governor has given to private schools, he said.

Del. Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery) called the governor’s actions hypocritical.

“To tell local governments to take responsibility and then take away their power to do their job — that’s frustrating,” Luedtke said.

Del. Trent Kittleman (R-Howard). Photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters

But Del. Trent M. Kittleman (R-Carroll & Howard) said she’s concerned that so much power had been delegated to one top health official in each county.

“It doesn’t sound very democratic,” Kittleman said. “For one person to have that much power and to make that decision for private schools is simply wrong.”

Luedtke said people should trust public health officials more than politicians during this pandemic.

Through his executive order, Hogan is suggesting that “public health decisions should not be made by a public health expert,” Luedtke said.

Luedtke and Pinsky expressed doubt that Hogan’s emergency order was scientifically driven, but rather politically driven to secure himself in the Republican party. After Friday’s announcement that Montgomery County banned in-person learning at private schools, the Republican caucus penned a letter, urging the governor to act.

“There is not a different science for private schools and public schools,” Pinsky said.

Kittleman did not view Hogan’s emergency order as a political decision, but instead, consistent with his general perspective that people should have a choice.

It is enough for the state to lay out the data of COVID-19 transmission rates and deaths and offer no more than guidance to local counties, she said. After parents review the data and the state’s suggestions, they should be able to decide for themselves whether they want to keep their children out of school or not, Kittleman said.

However, Pinsky criticized the state’s lack of specific “reopening metrics” for each county.

“If there are no metrics set as to what are the right conditions to reopen schools and they open prematurely, it is going to endanger the whole population,” Pinsky said.

Although keeping children at home may lower COVID-19 transmission rates, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines have also highlighted the negative impacts of extended school closure on children, especially on social and emotional development.

It is important to understand that there are downsides to both keeping children at home and bringing children back into school buildings, Kittleman said.

“The impact [of school closures] on children is more important to me than even if Hogan’s emergency order was somewhat inconsistent with his previous orders,” Kittleman said.

Gansler noted the ambiguity involved. “In some sense, there is some politics underscoring Hogan’s decision, but also actual health concerns,” he said. “This isn’t one of those things where there is a right or wrong answer.”

Independent schools have spent the summer figuring out how to balance academics and well-being of their students, so having the rug pulled out from under them on Friday is also something to consider, Gansler said.

As first reported by the Bethesda Beat, six families in Montgomery County private schools filed a federal lawsuit against Gayles on Monday, outlining the benefits of attending schools in-person and safety measures that the schools planned.

When lawmakers wrote the provisions of law under emergency declarations, they were mostly considering natural disasters, which typically last for just a few days, Sanderson said. “I am not sure all those laws hold up perfectly in the current circumstance, where we have been in a state of emergency for months.”

“It’s breathtaking how broad the emergency declaration powers are and what comes with it,” Sanderson said.

This executive order in response to a county order is a very rare situation in recent history because we haven’t had an emergency of this magnitude, Gansler said. “It is very unusual on many levels.”

By Elizabeth Shwe

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

Hogan Demands Answers, Action on Delayed Mailing to Voters

by

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) slammed the Maryland State Board of Elections in a letter Monday, demanding to know why voters haven’t been mailed applications to request mail-in ballots yet.

In his letter, Hogan gave the State Board of Elections 48 hours to explain why those ballot applications have not been mailed to voters, and reiterated his call for election officials to open every available polling center for the Nov. 3 general election.

“Under existing law, and to save voters the extra step of having to request an application for an absentee ballot, I directed you to promptly mail applications to every single Maryland registered voter,“ Hogan wrote. “It has now been 26 days, and you have failed to take action.”

Hogan’s letter came as state election officials are looking for a new vendor to do printing for the November election. State Election Administrator Linda H. Lamone has blamed printing vendor SeaChange for late and incorrect ballot deliveries in the June 2 primary.

The State Board of Elections issued a request for proposals from printers last month. Officials hope to have a contract in place by Aug. 17 so the new vendor can prepare for the unprecedented tasks of mailing millions of registered voters both applications for ballots and actual ballots during a pandemic.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore city) responded to Hogan’s letter with a detailed timeline that Lamone sent to him and Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-Prince George’s). In that letter, dated July 30, Lamone wrote that the State Board plans to approve a revised mail-in ballot application by Aug. 5.

Maryland voters should start receiving mail-in ballot applications, with pre-paid return envelopes, after they are mailed on Aug. 28, according to Lamone’s letter. Mail-in ballots will be sent starting Sept. 24, according to her timeline.

Election officials across the state have scrambled to find election workers and polling centers since Hogan announced his intent to hold a more traditional election in November. Advocates have repeatedly asked Hogan to reverse course and hold another largely mail-in election, as Maryland did for the June 2 primary. But Hogan said state law requires in-person polling centers to be open.

“Let me be clear — this is not ‘my plan,’ it is what Maryland law requires you to do,” Hogan wrote.

The governor also slammed local officials who want to limit the number of in-person locations for voting in the general election. Hogan wrote that he’d received a letter from Prince George’s County officials requesting to close 229 precincts and only open 15. Hogan said such a move would suppress voters of color.

“Local leaders have suggested massive closures of polling places, particularly in some of our minority communities,” Hogan wrote. “This would likely result in voter suppression and disenfranchisement on a significant scale, disparately impacting Marylanders of color.”

Democratic lawmakers, local election officials and voting rights advocates have, in turn, accused Hogan of voter suppression due to his decision to require voters to apply for a mail-in ballot instead of automatically sending them one.

By Bennett Leckrone

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

Hogan Strips Counties of Power to Issue Blanket Restrictions on In-Person Instruction

by

Amid pushback against a Montgomery County order that impacted the school President Trump’s son attends, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) moved on Monday to prohibit counties from issuing “blanket” restrictions on in-person instruction.

The two-word revision to the emergency order Hogan issued in early April follows Montgomery County’s decision to ban classroom instruction at private schools until Oct. 1. That decision, made on Friday, meant that Barron Trump would be unable to attend classes at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac.

The decision generated national headlines and was immediately denounced by General Assembly Republicans and Hogan, who reacted on Twitter. The president did not address the matter directly, but at 8:03 a.m. Monday he tweeted “Cases up because of BIG Testing! Much of our Country is doing very well. Open the Schools!”

Hogan’s revision to his April 5 executive order added “(except schools)” to a section granting the counties and Baltimore city the power to impose tighter restrictions on business activity and social interaction than the state’s.

His revised order was issued at 12:45 p.m., moments after Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) and Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles began an online interview with reporters.

“Private and parochial schools deserve the same opportunity and flexibility to make reopening decisions based on public health guidelines,” Hogan said in his statement. “The blanket closure mandate imposed by Montgomery County was overly broad and inconsistent with the powers intended to be delegated to the county health officer.”

Local health officials would retain the power to shut down individual schools for not following public health guidelines.

Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D). Photo by Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters

Elrich and Gayles vigorously defended their decision to bar private schools from holding in-person classes at this stage of the coronavirus crisis.

“We’re operating in a pandemic situation,” Gayles said. “We continue to see increases in cases across the country, across the state and across the region, suggesting that we do not have control over the virus to date.”

A former public school teacher, Elrich suggested that Hogan — a potential 2024 presidential candidate — “may be under a different set of political pressures.”

“These kids deserve to be safe. The teachers deserve to be safe. And the staff deserves to be safe,” Elrich said.

In a follow-up interview, Elrich said he’s “really disappointed with the governor.”

“His change talks about plans but it doesn’t talk about conditions,” the executive said. “He has done the thing that really bothers me — you can have the best plan in the world for conditions that don’t exist. And since he started opening up the state, our numbers have traveled in the opposite direction. And this is just one more decision that I don’t think is based on any scientific basis and could cause us more problems, not less problems.”

“That really bothers me,” he added. “There’s nothing in there that talks about caseload and risk in the context of the decision he’s making. Nothing.”

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), also a former school teacher, criticized Hogan’s executive order on Twitter.

Ferguson

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). Photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters

“One might think there’s been sufficient evidence that science should trump politics during a pandemic, apparently not,” he said. “Clarity and certainty are essential for Marylanders. Arbitrary, discretionary second-guessing will only worsen this crisis.”

What was unclear in the immediate aftermath of Hogan’s revised executive order is whether Elrich could issue his own executive order prohibiting private schools from holding live classes — and if he has that authority, would he choose to use it, given the potential impact on the president’s son and the many influential people whose children attend elite schools in the county.

Public systems and private schools across the state are in the process of determining what instructional model they will adopt this fall. While Montgomery and other larger counties have indicated they will hold online classes, Hogan predicted last week that smaller systems will opt for on-site instruction.

“As long as schools develop safe and detailed plans that follow CDC and state guidelines, they should be empowered to do what’s best for their community,” the governor said in his news release.

While Montgomery County’s public schools have announced plans to hold virtual classes at least until January, the county’s order on private schools was to last only until Oct. 1, “to give people time to figure out appropriate plans and to give us time to get the numbers [the infection rate] down,” Elrich told Maryland Matters.

Gayles noted that school systems in Indiana, Texas, Mississippi and elsewhere were forced to close soon after reopening because students, teachers and/or staff tested positive for COVID-19.

Every day an average of 80 additional people become infected, Gayles said; 16% of the new cases involved individuals under the age of 20.

Gayles said the county’s order was prompted by reports that some private schools were thinking about starting classes — news that led to a town hall meeting.

“From that conversation it was very clear that there were significant gaps in terms of understanding COVID, understanding the principles of transmission, understanding very clearly the types of things that should be implemented to keep students safe, and the types of environment and the types of best practices that have been recommended as transmission-mitigation strategies,” he added.

Elrich and Gayles said the county’s daily infection rate dropped to 40-50 cases a day prior to the state’s move to Phase 2 of its reopening plan and Ocean City’s easing of restrictions on visitors. Since then, they said, the county’s “progress” against the virus had slipped.

Gayles noted that Montgomery County’s prestigious private schools draw from across the Washington, D.C. region and around Maryland. “In these jurisdictions, we’re seeing increases in cases, which again confirms that we are not seeing lower community transmission and we have not put a firm hold on the impact of the virus,” he said.

Within hours of Friday’s announcement that Montgomery County banned in-person classes at private schools, Republicans in the House of Delegates called on Hogan to take action.

“The Maryland Board of Education has said schools can open to in-person instruction if they comply with CDC guidelines and the guardrails established by the state,” said Minority Leader Nicholaus R. Kipke (R-Anne Arundel). “Every public school administration in the state has been given the opportunity to make a decision on reopening, the same opportunity should be afforded to private and religious schools.”

”This is a blatant abuse of power by an unelected bureaucrat,” House Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore and Harford counties) said, apparently referring to Dr. Gayles.

“To threaten imprisonment for the act of reopening a religious schools is draconian and flies in the face of the religious freedoms this state was founded on,” Szeliga added.

But Gayles said the numbers don’t support reopening schools of any kind.

“Reopening is built upon the premise of having lower community transmission and lower daily case loads,” Gayles said. “That is what should be driving the decision.”

On Twitter, Maryland Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) stood with Elrich and Gayles against Hogan’s move.

“I disagree with Gov. Hogan’s decision here. If counties can decide when our public schools can re-open for on-site instruction, then why aren’t they empowered to follow the science and exercise basic common sense on behalf of all students & teachers?” Franchot tweeted.

“The top priority must be preserving public health — without which there will not be an economic recovery or a functioning education system. This is particularly true now that we can see that the COVID-19 disease is surging throughout the country at a truly alarming rate,” Franchot added.

But the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington was “grateful” to learn about the order, it said in a statement Monday afternoon, WTOP News reported. “We will continue to work with our educators and communities to ensure the safe re-opening of the schools of the Archdiocese of Washington and continue to place the health and well-being of our children at the forefront of our efforts.”

By Bruce DePuyt

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

One by One, County Leaders Put Brakes on Hogan’s Reopening

by

Three weeks ago, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said a regional reopening of the state’s economy risked a spike in Maryland’s COVID-19 caseload.

“You could possibly do things in different regions or different parts of the state,” he told reporters at an April 20 news conference. “But what we don’t want is to have one place open, everybody rushes over there and then infects that county.”

With several of Maryland’s largest counties and the City of Baltimore declining to embrace the governor’s move to Stage 1 of the “Roadmap to Recovery” Friday, the state is — for all intents and purposes — moving into the sort of regional reopening that Hogan warned against.

A public health expert said on Thursday that the state will discover in roughly two weeks (COVID-19’s incubation period) whether the move was wise.

Pushback from local leaders on Hogan’s decision to replace Maryland’s “stay-at-home” order with a “safer-at-home” guideline began within hours of his announcement on Wednesday — and it accelerated on Thursday, as local leaders from Maryland’s largest counties and Baltimore City declared, one after another, that they will keep in place restrictions on commerce and social interaction.

Hogan’s order, which takes effect Friday evening, effectively shifts responsibility for managing the crisis to local leaders, many of whom lack the staff resources and access to experts that the governor enjoys, political leaders and health experts said.

There were also questions about whether Maryland has met the health criteria Hogan has for weeks said were essential to loosening restrictions.

“It’s … put the ‘Big 7’ or the ‘Big 8’ in a tough spot, to have to make their own decisions,” said a Democratic official, referring to the large county executives and the mayor of Baltimore.

“The local governments, the county executives have the least amount of staff to be able to figure out the health implications and everything else,” said the official, who would speak candidly only on the condition of anonymity. “Honestly, a countywide basis is kind of silly.”

Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) was one of several local leaders to keep existing restrictions on social interaction and business activity in place.

Montgomery’s coronavirus case load — the second highest in the state — and other key metrics “have not changed enough” to reopen on Hogan’s timeline, he told reporters outside the county administration building in Rockville Thursday.

Elrich also cast doubt on the wisdom of Hogan’s decision.

“I think he went farther than he probably should have right now,” he said. “I think he should have waited until the cases were at least on a downturn for some period of time, so that you knew that you had more control over the virus than we have right now.”

Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) is also keeping current restrictions.

She said Prince George’s, which has the highest caseload in Maryland, has been hampered by a lack of support from the state.

“We need the state to do its part,” she told reporters. “At this point, we do not have it. We do not have gowns that we have needed. We do not have enough PPE. We don’t have enough tests to expand the capacity for what we need. We don’t have enough contact tracers. And these are metrics that were set out by the governor.”

Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young (D) announced an extension of Baltimore City’s “stay-at-home” order on Thursday, saying it would be “irresponsible” to allow more commerce and interaction until the crisis subsides and testing increases.

“As I have said from the beginning of this state of emergency, we are going to follow the data and listen to what our public health experts are telling us – and right now, they are saying it is still too soon to reopen,” Young said in statement.

Currently the city is able to test 570 residents per day, he said. Under World Health Organization guidelines, the city should test approximately 2,700 residents.

“Without more testing capacity, it would be irresponsible to begin the reopening process,” the mayor said.

Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) declared on Thursday that most restrictions will remain in effect.

“After examining the available data and consulting with our public health team, it’s clear that we are not yet in a position to safely move toward a significant reopening,” he said.

Gatherings of 10 people or more are prohibited, malls must remain closed, and churches and beauty salons remain off-limits. Retail stores can utilize curbside pickup, he said, and the “vast majority” of manufacturing firms can reopen as long as they follow guidelines to protect workers.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D) made announcements in line with Olszewski’s.

Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner (D) opted for “a phase-in of the phase-in.”

All retailers in Frederick will be allowed to use curbside pickup, manufacturing plants can open, and small retail shops can open at 50% capacity as long as an employee is stationed at the door and customers wear masks.

In addition, pet adoption, car washes and pet grooming can resume.

She noted that many Frederick residents work outside the county and expressed a concern about increased movement.

In Ocean City, Maryland’s top tourist town, Mayor Richard W. Meehan took a different approach, lifting the town’s restriction on hotel bookings and short-term rentals, effective immediately.

“We encourage residents and visitors to follow health and safety guidelines, including physical distancing and gathering limits,” he said.

“Personal responsibility and individual comfort levels are incredibly important to exercise during each phase of recovery.”

Moving the goalposts?

For weeks leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, Hogan described the foundation that Maryland would need to see before it could safely start to reopen, and on Thursday there are questions about whether the state had hit those targets.

As recently as late April, Hogan said the state needed to see a two-week decline in hospitalizations and ICU use before Phase 1 could be considered.

“The federal guidelines issued by the president last week call for states to meet specific gating metrics before considering lifting restrictions. That includes a 14-day downward trend in key numbers,” Hogan told reporters on April 24.

“We’ve had a couple of days of things that look better, but a couple of days, three days does not make a trend. Right? We need like 14 days,” he added.

At the same press event, Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a top Hogan adviser, offered reinforcement.

“At this point, for the state to move forward in easing social distancing in a lower risk way, there needs to be a period of declining hospitalization and ICU stays and deaths from COVID in Maryland,” he said.

But the latest numbers — including an analysis shared with Maryland Matters — show little evidence of a sustained decline.

The data do show a leveling off. And in recent days, Hogan has spoken less of a need for a steady “decline” and more of a “plateauing.”

New hospitalizations averaged 158 for the week ending May 7, higher than the week before, when there were, on average, 155 per day. For the most recent seven-day period, the state averaged 127 new hospitalizations per day.
ICU utilization has remained in a narrow band over the last two weeks — between 563 and 611 beds. On the day Hogan announced the start of reopening, there were 569 ICU beds in use.
As Hogan spoke Wednesday, Maryland was seeing a spike in new cases, 1,091, up from 751 and 688 the two days prior.
Also on Wednesday, the state saw a spike in its “positivity rate,” 22.4%, up from 16.2%, 14.6% and 18.4% the three days prior.
“Because we’ve plateaued doesn’t mean we’ve started on a downward curve,” said Elrich.

A noted public health expert who declined to be quoted by name said “there has been a moving of goal posts.”

Hogan “set some very high standards originally — declining hospitalizations, declining number of cases, declining infections,” the expert said. “I don’t think we’ve met all that. It’s kind of been shaded. ‘It’s generally gone down.’”

In a letter to Hogan Thursday, the presiding officers of the General Assembly, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), asked Hogan to provide more data to justify his decision for partially reopening the state.

“Many of the actions you have taken throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency undoubtedly have saved the lives of countless Marylanders, and we appreciate your efforts,” the lawmakers wrote. “While your early actions should be applauded, we have concerns about your plan to reopen Maryland without first understanding and having access to the data guiding those decision points.”

Ferguson and Jones went on to ask 15 specific questions of the governing, requesting a response by May 20.

Hogan has been under pressure for weeks from business groups, Republicans in the General Assembly and U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) to ease back on social and business restrictions. The group Reopen Maryland formed several weeks ago, held one protest in Annapolis and has another planned for Friday.

“The problem is, all these indicators are lagging indicators,” said the public health official. “There’s a two- to three-week lag between when you open things up and when you’re going to see cases go back up.”

‘Open’ counties may be a temptation

Elrich said counties that follow the governor’s guidance can expect to see lots of visitors from neighboring jurisdictions that keep current restrictions in place.

“I do worry about things opening up in other jurisdictions and people going there because they can do things,” he said. “If you think about some of the rates in the D.C. metropolitan area, I frankly don’t think you want residents from here going to places where there aren’t restrictions.”

Elrich said Maryland’s big-county executives intend to act in unison. But a municipal official wondered how long that unity can withstand pressure from business owners and groups like Reopen Maryland.

“It’s a massive shift in responsibility to the locals,” said the official. That includes the responsibility not only for decision-making but communicating effectively with the public without the media platform the governor can command, the person said.

Supplies lacking in Prince George’s

Michael Ricci, a spokesman for the governor, told Maryland Matters the state has never received a request for PPE from Prince George’s County.

But Alsobrooks’ aides quickly produced an April 26 letter from the executive to Steve Schuh, Hogan’s liaison with local governments during the COVID-19 crisis, making the case for additional hospital capacity, testing, contact tracing and PPE.

“I appreciate the fact that the State has many requests for support, but since we continue to lead the State in the number of positive cases and hospitalizations, we ask that our requests be prioritized,” Alsobrooks wrote to Schuh, a former Anne Arundel County executive.

“These requests are critical to stopping the spread of the virus in our County, flattening the curve in our State and successfully navigating through the Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery plan proposed by the Governor.”

Speaking Thursday at Alsobrooks’ news conference in Hyattsville, U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D) said Maryland has “fallen behind” in testing and he called on Hogan to “quickly” deploy needed test kits to Prince George’s County.

“This is a commitment the governor has made repeatedly and now he needs to deliver,” Brown said.

“We rank 27th in the country for per capita testing, and the positive daily infection rate is still in the double digits,” he added. On Wednesday, “Maryland was second highest in the nation. Scientists say this simply means we are not testing enough.”

By Bruce DePuyt

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