Chants and occasional catcalls from Ehrlich supporters greeted Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley Tuesday as he paraded on the streets of the governor?s hometown of Arbutus Tuesday with his wife, Judge Catherine Curran O?Malley, at his side. But there were also substantial pockets of applause and sign-waving support from O?Malley backers along the Carville Avenue parade route.
It was generally a pro-Ehrlich crowd as Gov. Robert Ehrlich, his wife, Kendel, and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele strolled down the avenue with scores of supporters, waving and greeting old friends, posing for photos with families and tots.
The two groups of campaigners were out of shouting distance, separated by bands, fire engines and other marchers. But that didn?t prevent some contentious taunts from breaking out.
“Go back to the city, you bum,” shouted one Ehrlich devotee. One man had a long-list of hand-printed complaints about the O?Malley administration: “You?ve had more police chiefs than the Orioles have had winning seasons,” read one.
As dozens of O?Malley workers walked and handed out stickers, the mayor left the street to shake hands with every Arbutian brave enough to hoist an O?Malley sign.
By the end, the mayor and his wife were beaming as they clearly had found more than a few friends in a town where Ehrlich captured 80 percent of vote four years ago.
