New Ehrlich-Kane ticket visits Baltimore charter
Freshly chosen lieutenant governor candidate Mary Kane accompanied former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to a Baltimore charter school this afternoon, their second public appearance since teaming up last night. They were in Silver Spring this morning.
The Republican duo had a private tour of the all-male Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy on East Biddle Street and then spoke briefly to a handful of supporters and reporters gathered on the basketball court. The visit was arranged by Baltimore city councilman Carl Stokes, who attended school in that building. But the Democrat made himself scarce during the public part of the event.
Ehrlich, who as governor pushed the state's first charter school law through the General Assembly, has vowed to double the number of charters if elected this fall. His likely opponent, Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, has pointed to the marked increase in charters approved during his tenure.
After the tour of Bluford Drew Jemison, Ehrlich praised himself and the legislature for passing a charter school law, saying "this place celebrates the success of policy calls made in the great state of Maryland."
Kane, a Montgomery County resident who served as Ehrlich's secretary of state, also spoke highly of the school. "When you come to a place like this, you know that state government can work."
As he did this morning, Ehrlich dismissed questions about Kane raised by the Maryland Democratic Party -- most of which relate to legal troubles her husband faces.
"We should focus on what people want us to focus on," he said, adding that the party "files complaints about us on a daily basis."
John Kane is accused in a federal lawsuit of fraudulent billing. He did not pay his workers as much as he told the government he would, according to the suit. Mary Kane said the lawsuit affects her "as a wife," but she said she was not involved in the day-to-day company operations.
Asked how he can reclaim the governor's office in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2-to-1, Ehrlich said, "We are not intimidated."
He later acknowledged that he needs to post better numbers in Baltimore than he did in 2006, when he lost to O'Malley. In the city where he had been mayor, O'Malley logged a more than 25 percentage-point win over Ehrlich, a Baltimore County native.
He has also said he must do better in Montgomery County. Republican activists there praised his choice of Kane, saying it is sure to energize the county GOP. But Ehrlich said he believes Kane can help him "generally."
"She's a familiar face and a capable person," he said. He has said the leading reason he selected Kane is because he knows and trusts her. "She's part of the family."
Ehrlich and Kane will attend a Charles County Republican dinner tonight and file with the State Board of Elections tomorrow afternoon in Annapolis. Campaign spokesman Andy Barth reports that they'll also be hitting the Washington-area television and radio circuit tomorrow.
Comments
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/KaneDoc.pdf?sid=ST2009071100853
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071100031.html
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Hey I lean towards the GOP but underpaying employees, underbidding contracts...how else to you win federal contracts????
not too smart to pick a person whose husband is caught up in this...and those pictures...they are awfully close to one another...
Posted by: infactO | July 1, 2010 5:39 PM
So is it Bluford Drew or Bluefort Drew? How can you expect to be taken seriously when you can't even edit properly?
Posted by: Susanne Conway | July 1, 2010 6:22 PM
There were a lot more people there to support Bob Ehrlich than a "hand full". Baltimore City for Ehrlich estimates between 75 to 100 supporters in attendance, during what for many was a mid-afternoon work day.
(Julie: I estimated a few dozen spectators, plus the children who attend the school.)
Posted by: Jonathan Brown | July 1, 2010 6:35 PM
Hi Julie, We welcomed former governor Ehrlich, but I did not"arrange" his visit.He called a while ago and asked to visit, and the administration said yes as we do for all requests. I was not a part of the political event, just the school tour as an administrator. And it is Bluford Drew Jemison. Thanks,
Posted by: Carl Stokes | July 1, 2010 8:04 PM
Hmmm. Marvin Mandel, Ed Norris, John Kane? Anyone see a pattern here? Ehrlich loves surrounding himself with felons (or felons-in-waiting). These guys are no better than drug dealers or con artists. Somehow, Ehrlich thinks they help him with his "base". Maybe, but they also help us understand why his base likes him so much.
Posted by: IPFrehley | July 1, 2010 9:26 PM
"There were a lot more people there to support Bob Ehrlich than a "hand full". Baltimore City for Ehrlich estimates between 75 to 100 supporters in attendance, during what for many was a mid-afternoon work day."
Sounds like someone went to the Tea Party School of Crowd Counting. "There were at least 1.5 million people there... uh oh, make that 500,000. What's that? Oh, 60,000 or 30,000 or something. Maybe a hundred or so? Really? OK, fine, it was 24."
Posted by: IPFrehley | July 1, 2010 9:35 PM
Hey IPFrehley I guess you never heard of the pot smoking Currie, Muse of Annapolis shame and Sheila Dixon, Helen Holton of Baltimore fame. All Democrats my good man. Plenty of criminals on both sides of the political fence to throw around. And who hired and brought Ed Norris to Baltimore-Martin OMalley.
Need I continue?
Posted by: john | July 2, 2010 11:48 AM
None of the folks you mention (and Dixon was the only one convicted of anything) are campaigning with O'Malley. O'Malley didn't have any of them at his announcement ceremony. O'Malley brought Norris down from NY because he had a good record of accomplishment. Then the guy committed at least one felony. No evidence O'Malley knew anything about it. No evidence that Ehrlich knew anything about it either. But AFTER finding about it (you know, by him having been convicted) he proceeded to ASK THE FELON TO FOLLOW HIM AROUND!
Posted by: IPFrehley | July 7, 2010 11:29 PM