Tonight the county council with have a workshop on the downtown hotel project. More specifically they will discuss signing the non binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). New business items will also be mentioned which are always tons of fun! Maybe Billy will suggest the city replace Marriott with the Trump brand. We’ll be listening so you don’t have too!
frederick local yokel 
Today (Wednesday, February 15, 2017) the Maryland GOP is hammering CE Jan Gardner and State Senator Ron Young for their support of the proposed Downtown Hotel & Conference Center via radio advertisements over WFMD. While I understand that you folks are probably not avid WFMD listeners, have you heard anything about this?
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You are correct about us not being avid WFMD listeners! We tried, we swear! Alas, was too much too bear! We will look into this!
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The ad continues to run today (Thursday, February 16). Although the ad is obviously political, not every political ad implicates the campaign finance or lobbying laws. Since this ad does not specifically advocate the election or defeat of a candidate or ballot issue, the laws concerning campaign finance activity do not seem to apply. Since the ad does not encourage any one to contact an elected official, the lobbying registration laws do not seem to apply.
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We’ve been asking around, but no one is really sure. It is curious as to why they would run this now.
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I would be the last to know of what motivates the State or County GOP leadership. If I had to guess, it would be that CE Gardner & Sen. Young represent embarrassments to local Republicans. 2014 was the highest nationwide GOP waive since 1928, high enough to elect Gov. Hogan in a deep blue state. Despite that, both Jan & Sen. Young were able to win in purportedly deep red Frederick County. A countywide poll on what folks think of Gardner & Young may follow the ads to determine what works and what doesn’t.
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Now for something completely different. During my tenure on the BOCC, I was guilty of occasionally flipping a hot potato into the laps of my colleagues, i.e., proposing a legislative item that would offend a major constituency no matter how they voted and would offend a larger constituency if they abstained. I believe there is an issue available that would be a hot potato for truly conservative he-men. Interested?
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Absolutely.
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It’ll require clout on your part to get at least two (2) County Council members to introduce it . . . may be difficult. I’ll be back in touch.
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Folks may recall (although I can’t fault anyone if they don’t) my “Westphalia” (the peace that ended the Thirty Years War) project, a proposed Mid-Atlantic Interstate Compact on Economic Development Incentives. It would call a truce on the use of economic development incentives in the battle of states and local governments to induce private, for profit business entities to either: 1) relocate to their state; or ii) refrain from moving to another state.
Along the same lines, House Bill 1049 (filed February 8) proposes an interstate compact by and between State of Maryland, Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia whereby those jurisdictions would refrain from providing public funds and public land for a new stadium for the Redskins. See:
http://wamu.org/story/17/02/06/two-legislators-want-region-take-public-money-off-table-new-football-stadium/
Click to access hb1049f.pdf
Having the County Council take a position on same would be flipping a hot potato into the laps of purportedly conservative “he-men” on the Council. Like most he-men, they espouse smaller government, reductions in public expenditures, governmental belt-tightening, rugged individualism, etc. However, all that seems to go out the window when it comes to public subsidies for the billionaire owners of professional sports teams, something most he-men seem to be in favor of.
Ironically, this one may backfire. Could be the he-men will support the proposed compact while the libs side with the billionaires.
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