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November 14, 2024

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

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Testing the Waters Among GOP Insiders, Steele Finds the Temperature Just Right

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Former Republican National Committee chairman and Lt. Governor Michael Steele acknowledged he didn’t know what sort of reception he would get at a high-profile social event in Ocean City on Thursday.

For Maryland politicos who are even half paying attention, the reasons for his apprehension are obvious.

Steele committed an act of apostasy last year when he endorsed Joe Biden over Donald Trump, a man who retains significant support with rank-and-file GOP voters, despite his role in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and other misdeeds.

To make matters worse, perhaps, he remains a regular presence on the network conservatives dislike most, MSNBC.

It turns out Steele need not have worried about how he would be greeted by people attending state Senator J.B. Jennings’ “Sunset Cocktail Reception” in Ocean City on Thursday.

The event, at Ropewalk on Coastal Highway, was one of many social events occurring in concert with the Maryland Association of Counties’ annual summer conference.

But it attracted an A-list crowd that included Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and members of his cabinet, legislators from both parties, former Ocean City Mayor Jim Mathias, one potential rival in next year’s Republican gubernatorial primary, and scores of others.

Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a potential Republican gubernatorial candidate, and Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, a declared candidate for the position, chat at an Ocean City reception. Photo by Bruce DePuyt.

Steele was greeted enthusiastically by seemingly everyone he encountered, enjoying pre-pandemic levels of hugging, back-slapping, reminiscing and laughter.

“It’s nice to walk back into a space where you meet up with old friends,” Steele said. “You see some folks who are working for the other teams, and you’re like, ‘okay, but we’ve got good history.’ So, it’s good. It’s all good.”

Steele advisor Jim Dornan said the former lieutenant governor avoided awkwardness — or outright hostility — due to his “ability to connect with people in an incredible way.”

“Obviously you walk into something like this, with all the history, and you wonder if it’s going to be a great reception, a good reception or a not-so-great reception,” he said. “[We were] a little nervous to start, of course. You can’t deny that. But it goes to Michael’s strength as a personality.”

“He walks into a room and the whole place lights up.”

Being able to survive a cocktail reception at the beach is no predictor of how the Republican primary will shake out.

Steele has formed an exploratory committee as he decides whether to take on a trio of announced candidates, Hogan Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, Trump supporter and state delegate Dan Cox, and Robin Ficker, an anti-tax activist and frequent office-seeker.

Although he made history in 2003 when he took office as the first African-American ever elected statewide, it is by no means clear that there is a lane for someone who turned on a sitting president from his own party.

Schulz’s campaign has been criticized for its slow start, but she has numerous built-in advantages. Running with the support of many members of Hogan’s political team, she is expected to report robust fundraising at the next campaign finance deadline.

In an interview, Schulz brushed aside Steele’s “theatrics.”

“The more, the merrier,” she said of his potential candidacy.

“My strategy is to tell Marylanders every single good thing about what’s happening in our campaign and our message and our vision. And I am not distracted by anybody else’s theatrics,” Schulz said. “I’m focused on the mission and the vision of my team.”

Brimming With Confidence, Franchot Lays Out Plans to “Reinvent” Maryland

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) pledged Thursday to hit the ground running if elected governor next year — adding 100,000 new jobs in his first two years, luring out-of-state students to Maryland colleges, boosting access to health care services and “liberating” teachers from standardized tests.

Franchot offered a laundry list of promises during remarks at a mid-afternoon fundraiser in Ocean City, where state and local leaders are attending the Maryland Association of Counties’ summer convention.

Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) spoke at a fundraiser for his gubernatorial bid Thursday in Ocean City. Photo by Hannah Gaskill.

His platform, contained in a glossy 20-page booklet, copies of which were spread across the tables, would “reinvent” and “reimagine” the state.

The event was held at Liquid Assets, a retail store, bar and restaurant on Coastal Highway, with approximately 100 people in attendance.

The state’s four-term tax collector said his administration would spend its first three months focused on the basics.

“We’re going to fix every pothole on every state road, we’re going to pick up the trash along every state road and we’re going to have every state agency answer the damn phone,” he said to applause.

Then, he pledged, the state would embark on a multi-pronged plan to improve health care by establishing clinics within a 15-minute drive for rural residents or a 15-minute walk for people who live in urban areas.

Maryland would pay the tuition debt of any out-of-state student who attends a state college or university, provided they live here for five years after graduation, he added. And he would fund a national ad campaign to promote tourism.

Franchot was introduced by Salisbury Mayor Jake Day (D).

The gathering included Sen. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore), Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D), Del. Pam Queen (D-Montgomery) and former Ocean City Mayor Jim Mathias.

“People all over the state tell me, ‘We know you, we’ve seen you, you’ve visited,’” Franchot said.

He had a simple message to supporters: “A) You have my personal cell phone number. B) I’m gonna win. C) You’re going to come with me. Everybody in this room is going to come with me to the mansion.

Rice and responsibilities

Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice (D) was walking through the convention center in Ocean City on Thursday, resplendent in a seersucker jacket, bowtie and white pants.

Rice’s plans for 2022 and beyond are a source of great speculation in political circles these days. He’s term-limited after three terms on the county council but hasn’t ruled out running for another office next year. He could also snag a high-profile appointment if there’s a Democratic governor in 2023.

“There’s a multitude of opportunities,” he said.

For now, Rice is focusing on his council duties — and his new, yearlong gig as chair of the National Association of Counties Human Services and Education Steering Committee.

Rice said it gives him an opportunity to focus on the issues he’s prioritized in local government, like more education funding, greater spending on social programs, and expanded broadband, but at a national scale. He’ll spend a lot of time testifying on Capitol Hill on NACo priorities, and also will travel around the country to address advocacy groups and meet with like-minded colleagues.

Rice noted that he was assigned to the county council’s human services and education committee when he was first elected. “I feel like I’ve come full circle.”

As for his political strategy, Rice said he expected to have it sorted out and be able to say something publicly “sooner rather than later.”

By Bruce DePuyt and Josh Kurtz

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

Gansler Launches Gubernatorial Campaign With Call to Legalize Marijuana

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Former state Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) launched a second bid for governor on Tuesday with an embrace of “progressive” policies aimed at addressing long-simmering inequalities.

He also said the time has come for Maryland to legalize and tax marijuana.

A former two-term A.G. who served eight years as Montgomery County State’s Attorney, Gansler lost the 2014 gubernatorial primary to then-Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D).

He has been out of politics for seven years, serving as an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C. One of his current clients, an international consortium of road-building companies, is suing the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Gansler said his loss in the 2014 primary was “really tough. I had never lost an election before. It was like getting a bucket of ice water poured over my head. It was a very humbling experience.”

The prep school and Yale-educated former prosecutor rubbed some people the wrong way early in his career. Many considered him too brash.

But Gansler said his defeat “made me a better person. … It’s made me a better listener.”

If elected, he will seek the legalization and taxation of recreational marijuana. He also said it’s important that the state expunge the records of people who’ve been convicted only of recreational use.

“Look, it’s time,” Gansler said. “It will allow us to regulate the product for safety [and] educate people on how to consume it responsibly.”

He enters an increasingly crowded Democratic primary field that includes Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot, former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, entrepreneur Mike Rosenbaum, former U.S. Secretary of Education John King, philanthropist Jon Baron, and Ashwani Jain, who served in the Obama White House.

Gansler said that as attorney general, his staff worked with every agency in the state, giving him a working knowledge of government that the political newcomers in the field lack.

“People are thirsting for experience, somebody who has a progressive record of getting things done,” he said. “And I would argue that that’s unique to my candidacy in this race.”

Gansler entered the 2014 race having won back-to-back statewide races with 61% and 98% of the vote. But his campaign for governor was tripped up by multiple controversies, including one involving a photograph of him at a party that one of his underage sons attended in Dewey Beach, Del.

Political science professor Mileah Kromer said Gansler will have twin challenges — re-establishing his political persona and dealing with issues from his last race, like the “red Solo cup” flap.

“It’s not starting from scratch, in terms of name recognition,” the Goucher College of Maryland pollster said. “He’s not coming out of nowhere. But he’s going to have the same sort of uphill battle as everybody else to reintroduce himself to voters.”

Gansler raised $224,300 in the filing period that ended on Jan. 13. He reported $428,241 cash on hand.

During the same period, Franchot (D) raised $770,631. His war chest stood at a formidable $2,216,592.

Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz is running in the Republican primary, as is Robin Ficker.

By Bruce DePuyt

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

Commentary: Slicing and Dicing the Democratic Vote for Governor by Josh Kurtz

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The goal in any election is to get 50% of the vote plus one — or, in a multi-candidate field, to get one more vote than everybody else.

So as we contemplate the 2022 Democratic primary for governor, where will the vote come from and how much does a candidate need to become the nominee?

The answer to the second question obviously depends on the size of field. Right now, it remains a lopsided two-person race between Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot, with his 15 years in statewide office and 35 years as an elected official, against Ashwani Jain, a former Obama administration official who hasn’t even been on earth as long as Franchot has been in public office.

But the field of course is going to grow — and probably soon. So let’s talk about the candidates, official and potential, and see where their vote might come from.

It’s always nice to have a political base in a statewide contest. That’s an advantage for Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr., who is contemplating a run for governor.

In fact, of all the potential Democratic candidates, assuming as we do that Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks isn’t planning to run, Olszewski may be the only candidate with a real geographic base. Add to that the fact that he is the only potential Democratic candidate for governor on Baltimore TV regularly, and Johnny O’s geographic base looks even more formidable.

But how secure is that base, really? Olszewski got just a third of the vote in the 2018 Democratic primary for county executive, and while he would probably be a lock if he ran for re-election next year, there are certainly some Democratic voters at home who would oppose him in a gubernatorial primary — either because he raised taxes or for other policies they don’t like, or because some might just prefer another candidate.

Remember, in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor, then-Prince George’s County executive Rushern L. Baker III took just 49.9% of the vote in his home county in a race with nine candidates on the ballot. That’s a cautionary tale for Johnny O.

And let’s not forget about the appeal in Baltimore of Wes Moore, the author and anti-poverty activist, if he runs for governor, which is looking increasingly likely.

Moving to the other population center of the state, a lot of Democrats look at the field of announced and potential Democratic candidates for governor and see an awful lot of people from Montgomery County. True enough.

But while Franchot lays his head on a pillow in Montgomery County every night and represented the county’s most liberal legislative district for 20 years in the House of Delegates, he may not enjoy any kind of home field advantage. Until recently, Franchot as comptroller has marked out territory as a moderate with statewide appeal, geared to the swing voters of Dundalk and Cambridge who love Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) more than the wild-eyed lefties of Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

Similarly, former state attorney general Douglas F. Gansler, who seems compelled to run for governor a second time, is a Montgomery County guy. But Montgomery County is an increasingly diverse place, and Gansler seems to fit in only a part of it. Yes, Gansler has eight years of statewide connections, from his time as AG and his frequent appearances on the state’s Democratic rubber chicken circuit. But where is his base?

And what if U.S. Rep. David J. Trone runs for governor? He’s also a white guy from Montgomery County, though in an economic and social stratosphere all his own. If he ran, he wouldn’t rely on a geographic base so much as his ability to self-fund — which becomes a significant factor in and of itself.

Jon Baron, the former Clinton administration official and policy analyst who is exploring a run for governor, also comes from Montgomery County.

And there are two other potential candidates from Montgomery County. But beyond geography they seem to have several similarities that could cancel each other out.

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez and former U.S. Education secretary John B. King Jr. are both progressive former Obama cabinet secretaries of color who live a couple of miles from each other — ironically, in Franchot’s old legislative district. Both travel in the same political circles and have many of the same national contacts. Do they have to come to some kind of agreement or risk canceling each other out in a Democratic primary?

On top of that, Jain is a former Obama administration official of color who lives in Montgomery County — albeit one who held a much lower profile position than Perez or King.

It is inconceivable that there won’t be a strong Black candidate in the race.

If Moore is the only significant candidate of color, he should get a substantial amount of the minority vote in the primary and would give Olszewski a run for his money in Baltimore, and could have broad statewide appeal — even though there are always risks with a novice candidate. But with King and Perez taking a look at the race, along with U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown, there could be no shortage of candidates of color for voters to choose from.

Here’s another potentially important segment of the Democratic electorate: organized labor. If Perez, a former U.S. and Maryland Labor secretary, is able to line up a significant portion of union support in the primary, that’s significant.

But Johnny O is a former teacher, and is personally close to the president of the Maryland State Education Association, Cheryl Bost, who is a teacher in Baltimore County. Does that give him an advantage in lining up the teachers’ endorsement? Franchot has already won the endorsement of the Laborers International Union of North America, a construction trades union that is eager to see if the comptroller votes for the interstate widening proposals that will come before the Board of Public Works soon.

We’ve had three competitive Democratic primaries for governor in the past 28 years. In 2018, Benjamin T. Jealous won the nine-candidate race with 40% of the vote. In 2014, Brown won 51% in a three-way race. And in 1994, Parris N. Glendening won 54% of the vote in what was essentially a four-way race (Glendening, the Prince George’s County executive at the time, won about 70% of the primary vote on his home turf).

It’s way too early to know for sure who will be at the starting gate when the filing deadline for governor finally rolls around in February 2022. But it’s not too early to start thinking about how the numbers add up. They’ll have to add up for somebody — the question is how, and for whom?

And once again, we look at this field and wonder: How is it possible that a woman of substance and character isn’t gearing up to seek the Democratic nomination for governor?

By Josh Kurtz

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

Spy Interview: Comptroller Peter Franchot on Tax Season, COVID-19 Stimulus, and Md.’s Economy

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During a Friday visit to Easton, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot spoke via videoconference with The Spy.

Franchot talked about Maryland’s tax season, which began Feb. 12; the state’s COVID-19 stimulus checks, processed by his office; and how Maryland’s economy looks after nearly a year of the pandemic.

This video is about 18 minutes long.

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

Comptroller Announces Departure of Chief of Staff Len Foxwell

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In a statement issued early Monday evening, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot announced that Len Foxwell will no longer serve as his chief of staff as of today and will separate from the agency at the end of the month.

Franchot thanked Foxwell for his 12 years of dedicated service and contributions to the comptroller’s office and the state of Maryland, and wished him the best in his future endeavors.

Foxwell is a resident of Easton and a frequent contributor to social media, drawing the ire of Maryland Republicans with a sarcastic Facebook post in April. Locally, he has commented in favor of the proposed promenade in Easton and actively supported calls to remove the Confederate monument from the Talbot County courthouse grounds. Franchot also supports the statue’s removal.

Foxwell is a former staff reporter at The Star Democrat.

Emmanuel Welsh will assume the role of acting chief of staff, according to the comptroller’s office. Welsh has served as deputy chief of staff since 2016.

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

Op-Ed: Pack, Lesher Show Courage on ‘Talbot Boys’ by Peter Franchot

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The past several months have brought momentous change in our country and our state, as we all have grappled with a global pandemic that sadly has claimed too many lives, made so many people sick and brought our economy to a halt.

For some weeks now, we also have been confronted with the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and that of Rayshard Brooks by an Atlanta police officer at a Wendy’s drive-thru.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot

Those horrifying incidents, which stirred painful memories of the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile and too many others, serve as a devastating reminder that institutional racism is still a corrosive reality in our country, and that not all Americans enjoy the same equal rights and protections under the law.

A few weeks ago, Easton was the site of a peaceful protest in front of the Talbot County Courthouse. The protesters gathered to express their anger and frustration with the racial discrimination that continues to divide this amazing community, and did so in a true spirit of peace.

Since that memorable event, the Talbot Boys Monument — both the mere fact of its existence and its prominent location on the Talbot County Courthouse lawn — has once again become a focus of public outcry.

As many of you already know, I have called for the removal of this awful statue, which was dedicated at the height of our nation’s “Jim Crow” era and romanticizes white supremacy and an act of treason against the United States.

Talbot County is one of my favorite places to visit. Over the years, I have attended many meetings, events and special occasions in your thriving towns from Oxford, Easton, and St. Michaels, to your prosperous farms and waterways from Tilghman, Trappe, and Cordova.

Talbot has so many centers of commerce and economic activity, cultural and educational offerings and medical facilities. It is a magical place of beauty, recreation and open spaces. I also have met so many wonderful people — of all ages, races and creeds — which for me and others makes the Talbot Boys Monument stand in stark contrast to the community I have come to know and enjoy.

There is no place in Talbot County, in Maryland, or our larger society for statues embracing heroes of slavery, violent white supremacy and treason.

People of all colors throughout the country are speaking out.

They are tired of being subject to the remnants of a time when human beings were allowed to be bought, sold and traded as the property of others, and were subject to the worst possible forms of physical abuse, sexual assault and emotional ruin, simply because of the color of their skin.

They are tired of living with harassment, abuse, economic discrimination, violence and murder because of the color of their skin.

They are tired of the endlessness of it all.

Placed on the courthouse lawn in 1916, the Talbot Boys Monument is not an historical edifice and its supposed educational value is that it has served as a propaganda tool to romanticize white supremacy, to legitimize acts of treason and to civilize the brutality of slavery.

If you want to experience a real hero, take a few steps to the other side of the courthouse lawn and admire native son, orator, writer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who fled his years of enslavement on a Talbot plantation to freedom and to become a true statesman.

I am in full support of the bipartisan effort by Talbot County Council President Corey Pack and Talbot County Councilmember Pete Lesher in drafting a resolution to bring down the Talbot Boys statue. Both men have shown strength and courage in standing up for what is right for all citizens of Talbot County.

Their beliefs mirror the community’s resolve. I would urge the remaining council members to consider their careful and thoughtful arguments and to listen to the expressions for justice and equality by the protesters.

This is a time of moral clarity for our country. It is a time to do away with symbols that treat men and women differently simply because of the color of their skin. It is time to blot out images that conjure hurt and fear.

I believe Talbot County is up for the challenge of doing what is right.

I have faith that the voices of this community will be heard.

Peter Franchot is comptroller of the state of Maryland. He plans to run for governor in 2022.

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

Franchot Joins Calls for ‘Talbot Boys’ Removal

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Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot wants the “Talbot Boys” statue honoring Confederate soldiers removed from the Talbot courthouse grounds.

A peaceful Saturday protest in downtown Easton for racial justice and against police brutality against people of color included calls for the statue’s removal. Following the protest, demonstrators left their signs at the base of the monument.

Franchot spoke Tuesday morning with The Spy to discuss his position on the statue’s removal.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot

“The Talbot Boys Monument needs to be removed because it was not put up as a memorial to Marylanders who fought for the Confederacy, it was put up in 1916 at the height of the Jim Crow laws and it’s very clearly a message to African-American folks — on taxpayer property, which is the courthouse — that if you want equal justice you shouldn’t come because we’re glamorizing these Confederate soldiers.

“It used to be kind of benignly accepted as oh, well, isn’t it educational, isn’t it historical in nature?” he said. “No, it isn’t. It’s a testimony to a period of time which was horrible for African-Americans which was the Jim Crow days when their participation, their voting was suppressed and where they didn’t have equal justice under the law like other Americans.

“This statue unfortunately is a neon message to them: Don’t come to this courthouse, this publicly funded, taxpayer-funded courthouse, for equal justice because you’re not going to get it.”

Citing the protests against police brutality and for racial justice following the death of George Floyd, Franchot said it was an appropriate time to again ask for the statue’s removal.

“These issues are always kind of radioactive, controversial, but if Virginia, with its history … can be in the process of removing the Confederate general statues along Monument Avenue down in Richmond, certainly Easton or Talbot County can reconsider removing this statue again from in front of the courthouse.

“Hopefully, there will be a different response than last time.”

The Talbot County Council last rejected calls for the removal of the Confederate statue in 2016 and 2017. Current council members Corey Pack, Chuck Callahan, and Laura Price were among the five council members who unanimously voted then against removing the statue.

“I am completely impressed with the demonstrations around the country. Most of them are absolutely peace-loving, Constitutional protests about police brutality,” he said. “Anyone who has seen that video, that 8-minute video of George Floyd being suffocated to death by the policeman with spectators all around saying ‘stop it, you’re killing him’ and he just went ahead and killed the individual right there on camera.

“Obviously, the demonstrations have been widespread, but what’s impressed me is that in rural, all-white areas of the country, traditionally Trump country, for example as far as the voting patterns, there are demonstrations asking for a stop to police brutality.

“I think it’s a reawakening of the country to the injustices that a lot of our citizens face. I hope that the county council … will act quickly and get it removed from public property.”

Asked what he could do as comptroller to ensure the statue’s removal, Franchot said speaking out on the issue was the key.

“I really think with most Americans, and most Marylanders, and most residents of the Eastern Shore, to just remind people ‘can we please do the right thing?’ Given the situation, could we please do the right thing and remove this?

“We know that it doesn’t have anything to do with history or with education or with memorializing brave, young Marylanders who may have erroneously fought for the South in the Confederate War. No, this is part of a domination … of African-Americans for decades and decades following the Civil War. And the message couldn’t be clearer: Don’t come to our courthouse thinking you’re going to be treated equally. You’re not going to be. That’s the message.

“So let’s remove that to the extent we can taking advantage of the change in the nationwide temperament and work together. If we just kind of nudge people in the right direction, you’ll see change because most people are wonderful, compassionate, and generous and empathetic folks.

“Finally, we now as a country are facing some of the racial injustices we know have always existed. And here’s a chance in a small way to remove a blemish, something that I would call a disgrace on one of my favorite parts of the state, Talbot County…. I love the Shore, but that statue’s gotta go.”

“When I went to school, I was taught that the Civil War was not about slavery, it was about states’ rights. No, it wasn’t about states’ rights, it was all about slavery…. (E)verybody now knows that and we simply have to face up to the injustice we had in our country and realize that after the Civil War Reconstruction was set up to continue to punish and dominate African-Americans, particularly in the South, not allowing them to vote.

“Then we have this history of vigilantism and lynchings. A few years after the Talbot Boys statue was put up in front of the courthouse, I think it was 1921, 300 African-Americans were massacred in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a race riot and not a single person was ever arrested or prosecuted for that kind of behavior and it happened all over the country.”

In a Monday Facebook post, Franchot wrote:

“Let’s be clear: The Talbot Boys Monument has no value — historical, educational or otherwise. It was, and is, nothing more than propaganda designed to romanticize white supremacy and legitimize an act of treason against the United States.

“At a time when people of color are more vulnerable to harassment, abuse, economic discrimination, violence and murder simply because of the color of their skin, there is just no place in our society — and certainly not within our taxpayer-funded centers of justice — for a monument that glorifies and celebrates the very worst elements of our past.”

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