The capital of Maryland shifted “downy ocean” this week as the annual Maryland Association of Counties conference got underway Thursday in the Ocean City Convention Center.
MACO [MAY-co] is a combination of schmooze, political chatter and serious talk that brings together the governor, his cabinet and all those who would like to be governor, county executives and their staffs.
Name in lights
As MACO president this year, Howard County Executive Jim Robey had his name in lights on Coastal Highway on the convention center marquee ? but no mention of his state senate bid.
Past MACO presidents include then-Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer, then-Prince George?s County Executive Parris Glendening, and then-Baltimore County Executive C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, so there?s clearly no political component to the job.
Just desserts
You can spend the whole evening at MACO hopping from reception to reception, some of them “official” such Thursday?s ?ice cream social? scooped out by Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens ? who just happens to be running for state comptroller ? and the ?dessert reception? tonight by Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley, who?s be running for governor.
Rep. Ben Cardin hosted a “happy hour” Thursday.
Down in the polls
Former Gov. Harry Hughes tried to give some encouragement to Tom Perez when he endorsed him for attorney general Monday. Hughes noted that “about this time” in his own quest for governor in 1978 ? four weeks away from the primary in a crowded Democratic race, “I was at 7 or 8 percent in the polls.”
One poll at the time dubbed him “a lost ball in high grass.” then Hughes went on to victory after a front-page endorsement from The Sun.
There are a lot of lost balls in the upcoming primary.
Hiring a miracle
Democratic U.S. Senate
candidate Allan Lichtman freely concedes he would need “a miracle” to win the race, so he did what any enterprising candidate might do. He hired one.
This week, Lindsay Miracle, 22, a recent Penn State grad, joined his campaign as press secretary.
She had done some work for a Pennsylvania state senator, but this is her first role in a major campaign. “I just wanted to get more involved,” Miracle said.
In addition to handling media, she also pulled down duty as driver for Lichtman?s yellow school bus. “We needed some more drivers,” Miracle said.
Left-winger?
Rebecca Nelson?s very long-shot bid for delegate in eastern Baltimore includes unorthodox tactics such as reggae music by a Jamaican recording artist at her campaign kickoff, peace symbols on her literature and a voter registration drive this Saturday promoted by a parade of bikers on Harleys and a bunch of off-duty cops driving antique autos.
Her home address seems like a clue ? Left Wing Drive in Middle River ? but that?s really a remnant of the old Glen Martin aircraft plant there.
Hard to break in
Josh Rales, his wife, Debby, their two kids and contingent of volunteers were cheerfully chatting up the lunchtime pedestrians Tuesday on the streets of Annapolis. He?s plunked down more than $2 million of his own money on TV ads, which have “increased enormously my credibility as a candidate,” he said.
“Our challenge in the next four weeks is to convert people who have just warmed up” to his campaign, Rales told five reporters, probably more media attention than he?s gotten in whole campaign. “It?s very hard for people to break in, even if they have a lot of money.”
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