In their first joint appearance of the fall campaign, Democratic Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley and Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich turned a forum on disabilities issues into a slam-fest about each other?s records on a schools and economic policy.
At least 10 times during the 90-minute session at Baltimore?s Hyatt Regency, O?Malley tried to tie Ehrlich to “the poor choices” and “ill-founded policies” of President Bush and the Republican Congress. “We need a governor who stands up to George Bush, instead of giving him cover, or worse, silence,” O?Malley said.
Ehrlich largely didn?t respond to O?Malley?s criticism. Instead, he focused on his administration?s record on aiding people with disabilities, including creating the first Cabinet level department in the nation for them, one of the few Ehrlich moves O?Malley actually praised.
“The federal government is not our enemy,” said Ehrlich shortly before he left 20 minutes early to lead a Cabinet meeting. “Under our administration, it has been our friend,” citing five waivers of federal health funding rules to help created more responsive programs for the disabled.
O?Malley focused on Bush administration budget cuts to the Medicaid program of health insurance, to community development block grants, to housing programs and its failure to provide money to implement the No Child Left Behind Act.
Both candidates used questions about school funding to continue their ongoing arguments about each other?s education policies. O?Malley criticized Ehrlich for failing to fund the geographic index of the Thornton enhanced school funding formula and for not making college education more affordable. He said that “we?ve fallen woefully behind” in funding school construction.
Ehrlich noted the attorney general said the funding for the index had not been mandatory, and “the last thing we want to do is funnel money into a failing school system,” a veiled reference to Baltimore schools.
Ehrlich said city schools have failed to make progress, particularly on helping children with special needs, while “most jurisdictions are doingwell.”
“Six years ago,” O?Malley said, “not one grade school scored majority proficient in reading and math,” but now they all do. “We?re not done but we?re making progress.”
In January, the mayor said, “I hope we?ll have a governor who won?t take cheap pot shots before he runs out the door.”
O?Malley also took swings at Ehrlich on BGE electric rates, his Public Service Commission, the insurance commissioner, and vetoing of a minimumwage hike and the Wal-Mart bill to make the company pay more for health insurance.
