Gov. Martin O'Malley said his first 14 months leading the state -- in which his time has been defined as much by Maryland's fiscal woes as any other issue -- have been "the most unpleasant" of all the time he's spent in public life.

He made this remark to a number of reporters after a Board of Public Works meeting yesterday morning, and also said he was playing an active role in efforts to repeal the computer services tax, calling lawmakers and urging them to vote for a combination of cuts, one-time funding from money earmarked for transportation and additional income taxes on those earning more than $1 million a year.

"It's not unreasonable to ask those patriotic citizens to pay an extra percentage" on their income over $1 million, he said. Another option on the table, largely favored by those who oppose his plan, is to make up for the money lost from the repeal with additional budget cuts.

The governor said he would prefer the previous option, but is most committed to repealing the tax. O'Malley even held out the possibility that the session could be extended past Monday if the General Assembly isn't able to wrap things up.

"I don't want to undermine the progress we've made in the special session," he said, referring to many of the programs passed in November that included more funding for transportation and Chesapeake Bay cleanup and an expansion of health care coverage to the uninsured. Lawmakers have already cut those programs or delayed their implementation in order to cover unexpected revenue shortfalls due to the lagging economy, and any further cuts could more definitively undermine those new programs.

O'Malley said he knew many were loathe to consider higher taxes after having raised them by $1.3 billion just a few months ago, but he felt the repeal was the right step.

"I haven't heard of anybody...offering up better alternatives," he said.