It?s 18 days until Gov.-elect Martin O?Malley?s inauguration, but who?s counting?
Not his MarylandTransition.com Web site, anymore. The site used to display a daily countdown of the days to the new administration, but that?s now been replaced by a button to buy inaugural celebration tickets online ? $50 a pop for an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people at the Baltimore Convention Center to be catered for free by 75 restaurants from the state Restaurant Association on from 7 to 11 p.m. Jan. 17.
That compares to the $250 ticket price for Gov. Robert Ehrlich?s inaugural party. Ticket prices were kept low to make the event “a celebration for the people,” said Marcia Harris, president of the restaurant group, which had thrown a 3,500-person party when O?Malley was first sworn in as mayor.
Each of the 75 participating restaurants will be preparing 700 portions of their signature dish to be served through the evening, Harris said. The food is being donated because “there are a lot of restaurants that are interested in and supportive of good government,” she said. The association had “a relatively easy time” recruiting donors from its 3,000 members, she said. “We have a vested interest in enlightened government.”
Colleen Martin Lauer, a longtime political consultant and fundraiser for O?Malley, is helping make arrangements for the celebration, but “we haven?t finalized any details yet” for the entertainment, she said. The transition team is asking for donations of up to $25,000 from corporations and wealthy contributors to defray the cost of the inaugural bash.
The O?Malley transition team has treated the inauguration plans as state secrets, with no word on parades, speakers and other details.
The official swearing-in will take place at noon in the state Senate chamber and may be re-enacted outside. Most of the Statehouse press corps will watch the Senate ceremony on TV. One print reporter from The Associated Press and Maryland Public Television will supply the live feed to broadcast outlets.
