The O'Malley Blog

Gov. O’Malley announces Maryland jobs gains

Numbers are good.

14,000 more Marylanders are earning a paycheck, thanks, in part, to numbers.

After President Obama passed the economic stimulus package, Maryland went to work figuring out the best way to allocate the funds and track how they were being used.

During difficult times, wasting money isn’t an option.

That’s why Governor O’Malley launched StateStat to ensure that every penny is maximized.

After eight and a half months, it looks like the hard work is paying off.

But Governor O’Malley and the rest of his administration realize that the work is far from finished.

“Over the next several months, we’ll continue to move forward to put Recovery Act funds to work, reporting every penny spent and every job saved or created providing unprecedented transparency for the people of Maryland,” said Governor O’Malley.

If you are interested in seeing the numbers for yourself, check out StateStat’s Recovery Jobs database.

If you aren’t a fan of number crunching, focus on just a few more numbers:

• 89 percent – the amount of funding that Maryland has yet to allocate, meaning that more good numbers are on the horizon.
• $2 billion – the amount of anticipated funding that Maryland has yet to even receive from the Federal government.
• 1 – the ranking of StateStat by non-profit Good Jobs First for economic stimulus reporting.

Gov. O’Malley endorses Josh Cohen for mayor of Annapolis

The next year will determine whether we'll be able to build on the progress we've made to improve our schools, protect our environment, and strengthen our economy -- or move backwards. Here's the first step to ensuring continued progress here in Annapolis: we need to elect Democrat Josh Cohen as mayor next Tuesday, November 3rd.

Born and raised in Annapolis, Josh is currently a member of the Anne Arundel County Council and has an exemplary record on the issues you and I care about most. He's leading the way on important land use issues, protecting funding for our schools and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.

I'll be working hard over the next two weeks to make sure Josh is elected, and I hope you can join me.

Volunteer now to help Josh's campaign by knocking on doors, making phone calls or contacting your friends who live in Annapolis:

http://www.martinomalley.com/VolunteerForCohen

Every hour you can contribute will make a difference, but if you can't donate your time, consider making a financial contribution to support Josh's campaign here:

http://www.martinomalley.com/SupportCohen

I'm confident Josh is the right choice to be the next mayor of Annapolis. I hope you'll join me in supporting his campaign to keep Annapolis moving forward.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation honors Gov. O’Malley

Last Friday, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) recognized Governor O'Malley for his leadership on environmental issues.

CBF President William Baker said: "I believe that a new day may be dawning for the Chesapeake Bay, and Governor O'Malley's hard work and leadership have helped us get there."

Governor O'Malley was honored not only for his leadership, but also:

• Pushing for science-based crab fishing;
• Prohibiting the introduction of Asian oysters into Maryland waters;
• Sponsoring Maryland's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act;
• Founding BayStat to rigorously track all aspects of the Bay clean up; and
• Positioning Maryland as the nations' leader on environmental education.

Governor O'Malley has been a strong advocate for environmental issues since he was a child, often talking about his family visits to the Blackwater Refuge and Peachblossom Creek on the Eastern Shore.

What is your fondest memory of the Chesapeake Bay?

Gov. O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Brown honored for their work on domestic violence

The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence awarded Governor Martin O'Malley and Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown for their domestic violence prevention law.

The legislation took guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

In an email to his supporters, Governor O'Malley wrote, "By giving judges more authority to confiscate abusers'' firearms, we will - I am confident - save lives."

Seventy-five Marylanders were killed in domestic violence disputes last year.

If you think you know someone in an abusive relationship - or are in one yourself - please call local law enforcement for immediate help or visit the House of Ruth.

Gov. O’Malley is endorsed by Maryland teachers

Maryland teachers vote for early endorsement of Governor O’Malley

Governor Martin O'Malley received an overwhelming endorsement from the Maryland State Education Association earlier today. In their statement, MSEA said:

Citing his commitment to keeping Maryland's schools first in the nation with record funding, the 71,000-member Maryland State Education Association (formerly the Maryland State Teachers Association) today voted overwhelmingly to endorse Martin O'Malley for re-election as governor at its annual meeting. MSEA's Endorsement Council, comprised of state association leaders, local association presidents and other leaders of its 40 local affiliates, had unanimously recommended early endorsement to the more than 700 delegates from across the state.

"Over the past three years, we have been very fortunate to have a governor who has made a huge investment in Maryland's public school children, despite the tough economic climate," said MSEA President Clara Floyd. "He has listened carefully to educators' views on what we need to create great public schools for every child in our state, and he has shown tremendous leadership in backing his words with actions."

O'Malley's accomplishments so far in the area of education include: historic funding of school construction and renovation totaling over $1 billion; investment of over $5.5 billion in preK-12 education, including funding the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) for the first time; and implementation of the TELL Maryland survey, an instrument for teachers and other educators to express their views about the opportunities and challenges in their schools.

This past year alone, Maryland's public schools were ranked number one in the country for the first time by Education Week, Newsweek, and the College Board. "The governor, with his unflagging commitment to Maryland's schoolchildren, certainly played a major role in this accomplishment," added Floyd. "He is helping us get closer to our goal of teaching all students 21st century skills for a 21st century global economy."

Jason Judd - Frederick’s next mayor

In these difficult times, we know it takes elected officials with real leadership to run our Maryland cities.

Jason Judd - the Democratic nominee for mayor of Frederick - is that type of leader.

Jason's got the vision, ability, and background to see Frederick through these tough economic times - and make sure the city's always moving forward.

Jason was raised in Frederick and graduated from Gov. Thomas Johnson High School. Trained as an economist at Duke, he's spent the last 15 years as a community organizer and national campaign director.

Throughout his career, he's worked on behalf of ordinary families on issues like fair taxes, affordable health care, and accountability to consumers for our biggest banks.

Jason has a progressive agenda and the skills to make it real - creating better jobs, investing in people, and making Frederick's growth more sustainable.

He's also got the long-term vision that'll help Frederick make the right decisions in these tough times.

I hope you'll join me in supporting Jason's campaign. He's the leader Frederick needs now.

To learn more about Jason's record and his plans for Frederick, visit his website:

http://www.juddformayor.com

Gov. O’Malley at Ben’s Next Door in DC

Governor O'Malley and Lt. Governor Brown will be hosting a reception this evening at Ben's Next Door on U Street in Washington DC.

If you are in the area, stop on by to meet the governor and for Ben's famous chili dogs.

Details:

Tuesday, October 13
5:30 - 7:30
1211 U Street NW, Washington DC 20009

Visit http://www.martinomalley.com/october13 to RSVP.