Ehrlich and O'Malley talk jobs, jobs, jobs in final days
Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. made a final pitch to business leaders Thursday telling the audience at the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner that he'd "clean out" the state's regulatory agencies if elected.
"Enough of the over-regulation," Ehrlich said. "Enough. That is what I see and feel from this crowd tonight."
Ehrlich and Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, have different views on how to improve the state's economy, an issue The Sun wrote about Thursday. Stories on other issues, including crime, juvenile justice, education, transportation and the environment are on the right. ====>>
In his speech, Ehrlich called the Maryland Department of the Environment and the state's labor department "job killers" and accused business leaders in the audience of "placating" the Democratic politicians who "regularly cut your throat."
Gov. Martin O'Malley was invited, but a Chamber official announced that the governor won't make it. The line prompted Ehrlich top staffer Greg Massoni to clap loudly from the back of the room.
O'Malley talked to business leaders Friday, though his focus was Montgomery County. He lunched with a group who largely work in the "innovation economy" that the governor would like to build here.
The group seemed to be doing well financially, with Scott Nash, the founder of My Organic Market, a specialty grocery store saying the economic downturn didn't hurt him much. Gary Skulnik, of Clean Currents, a green energy firm, explaining that new state rules requiring more solar energy production caused him to expand and hire more people.
Several could not resist reminding O'Malley about the so-called tech-tax, a short lived levy on computer services that passed in the Fall 2007 special session and only to be repealed months later.
"It was like having a bad dream and than waking up from it," O'Malley said of the tax. He called the bill the "best tax I ever repealed" and said it was a "boneheaded" thing to do.
"Enough of the over-regulation," Ehrlich said. "Enough. That is what I see and feel from this crowd tonight."
Ehrlich and Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, have different views on how to improve the state's economy, an issue The Sun wrote about Thursday. Stories on other issues, including crime, juvenile justice, education, transportation and the environment are on the right. ====>>
In his speech, Ehrlich called the Maryland Department of the Environment and the state's labor department "job killers" and accused business leaders in the audience of "placating" the Democratic politicians who "regularly cut your throat."
Gov. Martin O'Malley was invited, but a Chamber official announced that the governor won't make it. The line prompted Ehrlich top staffer Greg Massoni to clap loudly from the back of the room.
O'Malley talked to business leaders Friday, though his focus was Montgomery County. He lunched with a group who largely work in the "innovation economy" that the governor would like to build here.
The group seemed to be doing well financially, with Scott Nash, the founder of My Organic Market, a specialty grocery store saying the economic downturn didn't hurt him much. Gary Skulnik, of Clean Currents, a green energy firm, explaining that new state rules requiring more solar energy production caused him to expand and hire more people.
Several could not resist reminding O'Malley about the so-called tech-tax, a short lived levy on computer services that passed in the Fall 2007 special session and only to be repealed months later.
"It was like having a bad dream and than waking up from it," O'Malley said of the tax. He called the bill the "best tax I ever repealed" and said it was a "boneheaded" thing to do.
