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The next time most Marylanders go to the polls, they won't have to wait until Election Day to cast their ballots.

Early voting won't be instituted for municipal elections in 2009, but the General Assembly will hammer out specifics during the coming legislative session in hopes of having it in place for the 2010 gubernatorial election.

Legislators could allow three precincts in each county to open up to 10 days before Election Day. Maryland joins more than 30 states that allow some form of early voting.

The statewide ballot question won a majority vote in all 24 jurisdictions in the state, passing statewide with more than 72 percent of voters in support of the measure.

Supporters maintain that it will make voting more convenient, increase turnout and shorten lengthy Election Day lines, while lessening the impact that inclement weather could have on voter turnout.

An ice storm during the state's Feb. 12 primary election snarled traffic and caused elections officials to extend polling hours by 90 minutes. Even then, many voters were unable to make it to the polls to cast their ballots.

Voters with late work hours, family obligations and long commutes stand to benefit most from the additional polling hours.

Opponents, including the state's Republican leaders, vowed to continue fighting the measure, saying that it is too expensive, susceptible to fraud and tampering, as well as politically motivated to benefit Democrats at the polls.

Taking public for a ride

Public transit proved to be popular with riders this year, but faced budget crises.

The Maryland Transit Administration issued plans to make cuts in service to the MARC commuter trains and MTA bus service as a result of the state's projected budget shortfall.

The agency held public hearings across the state about the proposed cuts, which met strong resistance.

MARC planned to eliminate holiday train service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas.

"Regrettably, MTA must reduce its budget, and while the majority of reductions are taking place in administrative areas, some MARC train and commuter bus services are proposed for elimination," the MTA said in a statement.

The transit administration was looking to cut $25 million from its budget for this fiscal year.

Sen. Verna L. Jones (D-Dist. 44) of Baltimore, vice chairwoman of the Senate Public Safety, Transportation and Environment Subcommittee, said the MTA plans were not finalized and would be brought up in Annapolis.

"With revenues going up and ridership going up, why would you cut a service that has not been performing that well when it's started to perform better?" Jones said.

Soaring gas prices earlier in the year sent ridership soaring as much as 51 percent over the same months in 2007. But ridership remained up even after gas prices began to decline.

A final decision is expected either by the end of this month or the beginning of January, with most of the proposed changes expected to take effect Jan. 12, said MTA spokeswoman Cheron Wicker.

Grasmick, O'Malley

playing nice

The relationship between state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) almost spiraled out of control this year.

Late last year, a state school board made up of then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. appointees gave Grasmick a new contract, despite O'Malley's opposition.

By January, legislation was being considered to extend a superintendent's term when a new governor took office to allow school board members appointed by the new governor to either renew the superintendent's contract or recommend another candidate.

But by February, Grasmick and O'Malley agreed publicly to bury the hatchet and work on three education priorities: biannual teacher surveys to be completed by the state's teachers; expanded career and technical courses and programs to all high schools in the state, and a plan to retain and track top-quality principals.

By July, Grasmick and O'Malley wanted to focus on the education priorities and play down their contentious past.'

‘I think it's a professional relationship, and we're focused on outcomes," O'Malley told a Gazette reporter in July.

Grasmick agreed.

‘‘I do think the governor has the same expectations that I have and that is high achievement for all students, so we're on the same page with that," she said.

All is well, so far.

William Reinhard, a spokesman for the Maryland State Department of Education, said Monday that the department is making progress toward meeting the education priorities.

Money all over the place

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources is looking to the legislature to validate its longstanding practice of using millions of dollars in Program Open Space funds to pay for indoor recreation facilities, including community centers, swim centers and golf course buildings.

The move follows an Office of Legislative Audits finding in August that the department appeared to have flouted state law to pay for projects that were not eligible.

DNR officials said they will continue to award grants for indoor recreation facilities that are already "under development" but will ask the General Assembly to change the law to protect the practice.

State auditors also found record keeping and internal control problems with public land leases, purchases and disbursements, cash receipts, federal funds, payroll and equipment.

Co-chairmen of the legislature's Joint Audit Committee said they want to make sure the law is not being subverted. 

Sen. Verna Jones (D-Dist. 44) said she hopes the process meant to protect public property and public interests are not being circumvented, and her House counterpart in leading the audit committee, Del. Steven J. DeBoy Sr., said he also is concerned about continued failures to account for and ensure  that  special funds are spent only as authorized by state law.

The report covers more than three years — from Jan. 7, 2004 through April 30, 2007 — and two administrations.

For roughly more than three years of the audit period, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) was governor; Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) was governor for slightly more than three months covered by the audit.

Ballot busters

Side by side with the slots question on the November ballot, Montgomery County tax activist Robin Ficker finally succeeded in getting a property tax question passed in after several attempts over several decades.

Under the new law, all nine County Council members, instead of the seven currently required, will have to agree to raise property taxes beyond the charter limit, which keeps tax collections at the inflation level.

For Ficker, the vote was more than a ballot question, it was vindication. Buoyed by his success in November, the political gadfly already has vowed to run for office in 2010.

Meanwhile, Prince George's County voters rejected a phone tax, sending a message to county leaders to cut spending instead of taxing residents. The measure failed by more than 70 percent.

Absent from the ballot in Montgomery County, and watched by advocates statewide, was a possible repeal of the county's law protecting transgender individuals from discrimination.

After several back and forth court battles, Equality Maryland and other advocates got the repeal measure thrown out in court prior to the November election, avoiding a possible repeal and a challenge to equal rights.

Tuition freeze might thaw

Students and parents will keep an eye on the University System of Maryland next year.

In June, the system's board of regents voted 15-1 to freeze tuition and summer school rates for in-state undergraduate students, even though rates still would increase for out-of-state and graduate students.

University system Chancellor William E. Kirwan has acknowledged that tuition can't stay frozen forever. But with the state's ever-growing budget woes, the thaw could come sooner than expected.

"If there is an increase, it will be modest," said Kirwan, who added that any increase would likely fall below the national average of 5 or 6 percent tuition hikes. "I don't think there's much prospect we will see some huge increase in tuition."

Shaun Adamec, an O'Malley spokesman, said the governor hopes to freeze tuition for fiscal 2010, but there aren't any guarantees. The state is facing a budget shortfall of almost $2 billion.

"The economy is really hurting our students, like it's hurting everyone else," Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village recently told a Gazette reporter. "I think it will be a priority to keep our tuition frozen."

Ch-ch-changes

Each legislative session brings some new faces in new places, but 2008 saw the departure of several Annapolis fixtures

Longtime Maryland Association of Counties Executive Director David S. Bliden announced his planned retirement over the summer, although he will remain on staff through the end of the 2009 General Assembly. Bliden formally cedes the leadership reins of MACo to another longtime staffer, Michael Sanderson, on Jan. 1. Sanderson faces the immediate challenge of pushing to maintain funding for local governments as the state's budget crisis deepens.

The Maryland Catholic Conference also will have a new chief, as executive director Richard J. Dowling stepped down in November after 24 years at the helm. His successor is Mary Ellen Russell, formerly the group's deputy director for education and family life. She takes over as the quest to repeal the death penalty intensifies and the fight for same-sex marriage rights continues.

Gay rights advocates also will have new leadership in 2009. Kate Runyon was hired in December as executive director of Equality Maryland, succeeding Dan Furmansky, who became the face of the gay rights movement in Annapolis for the last five years.

The O'Malley administration also suffered some key departures in 2008.

Communications director Stephen J. Kearney bolted in January to launch a strategic communications firm with Damian O'Doherty, a former top adviser to Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. (D).

Deputy legislative officer Sean R. Malone left the second floor in September to become a partner at the lobbying firm of Lisa Harris Jones, who has close ties to O'Malley and other Baltimore city officials. Malone has long been a member of O'Malley's inner circle, having run his re-election campaign for City Council in 1995 and serving in several roles since then.

One legislator also bid adieu in 2008, but not to his seat. Rather Del. Richard B. Weldon Jr. formally left the Republican Party in August and became unaffiliated. Weldon, of Brunswick, who previously said he would not seek re-election in 2010, said the "broken culture in Annapolis" led him to make the switch. The increasingly partisan atmosphere in Annapolis was a big factor in leaving the GOP and "reflects my personal frustration on a seriously flawed process," Weldon said in August.

Meanwhile, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach put to rest any talk that he was considering retiring at the end of the current term. He held a news conference in June to declare his intention to seek re-election in 2010, although he would not address whether he would run for another term as president of the chamber he has led since 1987.

Are retaining walls

up to task?

In the wake of a fatal accident on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, AAA Mid-Atlantic is asking the Maryland General Assembly to call for a study on whether concrete retaining walls need to be stronger.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 10. Candy Lynn Baldwin, 19, of Millington, had left a party celebrating her mother's wedding and was crossing the bridge's eastbound span.

Because of work on the westbound span, the two-lane eastbound bridge had two-way traffic. She reportedly fell asleep and collided with an oncoming 18-wheeler.

The semi jackknifed and, for about 100 feet, it rode the top of a line of Jersey barriers that serve as guardrails. The truck then plummeted into the bay, killing the driver. Baldwin and a passenger were taken to Shock Trauma.

"My gut feeling is that if the truck stayed on the bridge, the driver might have stayed alive. The fact that the truck went over the bridge, it cost him his life," said Mahlon Anderson, director of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Baldwin has not been charged in the wreck. Maryland Transportation Authority police, which has jurisdiction over the bridge, have not released Baldwin's toxicology report. Anderson said his organization was planning to file a public information act request to see the results.

About a week after the accident, radar and ultrasound probes found corroded reinforcements in concrete barriers.

Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) of Elkton became a critic of the state's response to the accident, particularly after the corrosion was uncovered.

He could submit bills in the 2009 General Assembly that would call for an independent inspection of the bridge and to begin the process for a third bridge across the bay.

Standardized test gains, changes

The federal No Child Left Behind Act played a significant role this year.

In August, Grasmick and others celebrated historic gains on the latest round of Maryland School Assessments in reading and math, which are given each spring to third- through eighth-graders to assess progress.

But just a week later, education leaders learned that the tests were shortened. Ronald A. Peiffer, deputy state superintendent for academic policy, said the tests were no less difficult than year's past.

The much-maligned High School Assessments also made an appearance this year. In October, the state school board, with a 7-4 vote, decided in favor of keeping the HSAs as a graduation requirement for this year's seniors.

Some state board members moved to delay the HSAs as a graduation requirement for the Class of 2009. Others wanted to keep the requirement to hold schools accountable for student achievement.

State school board Vice President Blair G. Ewing moved to have the requirement delayed, mainly because students with disabilities and limited-English speakers have not had enough time to prepare for the exams.

His motion failed, 7-4.

"The motion was intended not to kill the HSAs," Ewing said in October. "The intent is to address the issues of fairness that have arisen."

A different kind of health warning

A former Maryland Department of Agriculture microbiologist who retired after battling with supervisors over staffing warned that the workload on scientists at the animal diagnostic labs had created a dangerous public health situation.

Scientist John Abell said he worried that the growing workload, along with new threats caused by avian flu outbreaks and the risk of bioterrorism, prompted him to alert the public.

While the state's animal health service staff has declined over the past four years, the number of necropsies performed on farm animals annually has grown nearly five times.

The number of lab tests performed also has increased by 12,000 a year.

The state's animal health service provides a diagnostic lab as well as field inspections at livestock shows and special sales.

State Veterinarian Guy Hohenhaus said the staff and labs are more efficient than in the past and were working to "meet changing agricultural needs in increasingly tough budget times."

At the same time, worries over bird flu outbreaks had increased public health concerns, leading to more necropsies of dead livestock — from nearly 1,600 in fiscal 2006 to almost 7,600 in fiscal 2009. However, animal inspections at shows, fairs and livestock sales declined from 27,900 in fiscal 2006 to about 20,300 in fiscal 2009.

Vacant lab positions remain unfilled because of a hiring freeze by the state due to the budget crisis.

State lawmakers said they intended to follow up on the issue this legislative session.

Hohenhaus said his department still has vacancies, including the contract position of lab director in College Park, but none of the positions involves agriculture safety.

New look with judicial makeover

Gov. Martin O'Malley continued to reshape the appellate bench in 2008, tapping six jurists to the state's top two courts as part of a rare opportunity for a governor to leave such a lasting imprint on the judicial system.

To the Court of Appeals, O'Malley (D) elevated two women who had served on the intermediate Court of Special Appeals for six and 10 years, respectively. Judge Mary Ellen Barbera succeeded Irma S. Raker in September, representing Montgomery County, while Judge Sally D. Adkins replaced Dale R. Cathell in June, representing the Eastern Shore.

The governor appointed five jurists to the Court of Special Appeals this year:

ïJudge Robert A. Zarnoch, the General Assembly's longtime counsel, filled the at-large vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James A. Kenney III.

ïJudge Alexander Wright Jr., was sworn in with Zarnoch in February, to fill the open seat of Joseph F. Murphy Jr., who was elevated to the Court of Appeals in December 2007.

ïJudge Albert J. Matricciani Jr., assumed the at-large seat previously held by Barbera.

ïJudge Kathryn Grill Graeff, who was sworn in with Matricciani in September, succeeded J. Frederick Sharer as the court's representative to the 3rd Appellate Circuit. Like Raker, Cathell and Kenney, Sharer reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.

ïChristopher B. Kehoe was tapped two days before Christmas to take Adkins' seat on the intermediate bench. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

O'Malley will have several other judicial vacancies to fill before his first term expires, as Court of Special Appeals Judges James P. Salmon and Arrie W. Davis both turn 70 in 2010.

Late last year, O'Malley picked Judge Peter B. Krauser to succeed Murphy as chief judge of the Court of Special Appeals.

Anyone want a hospital?

The search for a buyer for Prince George's County's troubled hospital system continued, although with steadier progress than in past years.

In 2007, county officials rejected an offer of $176 million from the state to keep the financially strapped hospital system afloat.

This year, state legislators drafted several bills aimed at bailing out the system. The General Assembly ultimately passed a plan unveiled by county and state leaders in March.

Under the plan, an independent authority is soliciting bids for the system. The task force, composed of three members appointed by the county, three appointed by the governor and one appointed jointly by the House speaker and Senate president, has been meeting since July.

The county and state have pledged $174 million over five years to upgrade the facilities, which include Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly, Bowie Health Campus and Laurel Regional Hospital.

In the meantime, Dimensions Healthcare, a special nonprofit company the county set up to run the hospital in the 1980s, is continuing to oversee the system, which is saddled with operating losses due to a high number of uninsured patients.

On Dec. 15, the authority voted unanimously to extend its deadline for finding a buyer by 60 days, under a provision in the legislation.

The legislation requires the task force to present a plan to sell the system that the General Assembly can consider in 2009.

WSSC you later?

Washington Suburban Sanitary commissioners continue their nine-month disagreement about raising ratepayers' bills to replace pipes and naming a new manager, as the utility's workers battled another massive water main break Tuesday that shut down River Road, closed schools and sent helicopters to rescue stranded drivers.

Citing a lack of trust, Montgomery commissioners are refusing to meet with Prince George's commissioners, who make up the other half of the six-member panel, unless all Montgomery members are present.

WSSC vice chairman Gene Counihan has proposed requiring that no action may be approved by the panel unless it garners at least one affirmative vote from each county.

But the commission again postponed considering that change to its bylaws last week.

And with no meetings scheduled this month, the commission is on course to enter 2009 without hiring a new general manager. Commissioners disagree on how to interpret the rules they set for selecting a general manager as well as whom to choose.

Andrew Brunhardt, who left the post Feb. 29 after commissioners failed to renew his contract, warned as early as 2007 that the utility needs to raise money and take action soon to avoid disruptive and potentially dangerous major pipe breaks.

In June, a water main break in a secluded area near Rockville left thousands of the utility's 1.8 million customers without water for three days and led the county to order about 1,200 restaurants to close.

While some Montgomery County Council members have called for finding a way to end 3-to-3 vote stalemates on the commission, Prince George's — and some Montgomery — officials have said calls for changes in its governance are premature.

Doug Duncan's days

Doug Duncan, the unsinkable politico, continued his bounce back from depression with an O'Malley appointment to an administrative director position at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The appointment seemed to fit perfectly: Duncan returned to his leadership roots, raised funds for the university and pushed for construction projects, just like in his old days as Montgomery County executive.

Until he spoke out against his new boss.

Duncan told The Washington Times that an O'Malley envoy prohibited him from speaking at a program with former Gov. Bob Ehrlich.

Even weirder, the envoy ordered Duncan to apologize to Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett for condemning a new bathroom built in his office. Soon afterward, Duncan was gone, having resigned for another opportunity.

He resurfaced as the unlikely co-founder of government consulting firm CivicUS.

Then, December saw movement from two former Duncan administrators during his Montgomery County days.

David S. Weaver — formerly Duncan's spokesman in the county, then a spokesman for state Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot — left the comptroller's office for a spokesman position in U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen's office.

The same day, Duncan's former economic development director in the county, David Edgerley, left the state economic development agency for an unspecified future in the private sector.

Speculation has swirled that Duncan and Edgerley will reunite at CivicUS.

Gone too soon

The state Senate lost two of its most beloved members within weeks of each other early in 2008.

The unexpected death of Sen. Gwendolyn T. Britt, less than a week into the legislative session in January, saddened colleagues. The second-term senator from Landover Hills died of a heart attack.

She was remembered as a crusader against racial segregation during her early life and was a leading proponent of equal rights for same-sex couples.

Less than two weeks later, J. Robert Hooper, a Harford County Republican who resigned his Senate seat at the end of 2007, died after a long battle with colon cancer.

He served in local and state government for 17 years (including two terms as a Democrat on the Harford County Council) and was known for his cheery demeanor, even as his health deteriorated. In the Senate, he sometimes crossed party lines to champion health care and farmland preservation.

Prince George's County Democrats picked then-Councilman David C. Harrington (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly to succeed Britt. Harford County Republicans honored Hooper's request to appoint Barry Glassman (R-Dist. 35) of Churchville to fill his seat.

Montgomery County experienced its own series of unfortunate deaths in 2008. On its RIP list were two former county executives, the longest serving County Council member and a former state administrator.

James P. Gleason, 86, the county's first executive and only Republican executive, died Sept. 14 of complications from prostate cancer and a blood disorder. During his time as executive, he held out county funds for construction of Metrorail until federal officials agreed to finish the Red Line and the rest of the subway system.

Neal Potter, the county's third executive, died May 27 at age 93. Potter, also a longtime council member, was remembered as a collaborator and gentle giant.

Gene Lynch, at the time serving on the county's Planning Board, died Jan. 31 at age 50. Lynch ran Potter's executive campaign and held state positions, including serving as Gov. Parris N. Glendening's chief of staff.

Councilwoman Marilyn Praisner died Feb. 1 of complications following heart surgery. Praisner was the council's longest-serving member, a fixture in county and state politics, and was known for her in-depth knowledge of government policy. Praisner was 66.

Praisner's husband won election to fill out his wife's term, and their daughter, Alison Klumpp, is considering a run for the seat in 2010 in what could become a Praisner family political dynasty.