Legum’s New Line

I’ve been walking around District 30 since January, dodging 3-foot snow banks and continued throughout the summer, even in triple digit temperatures. I’ve talked to thousands of people and many folks are dissatisfied with government. They believe special interests have too much power and their voices are being drowned out.

So how do citizens get a louder voice?

The first step is getting more people out to vote. There is a huge opportunity in this year’s election to increase participation across the board, early voting. Starting Friday at 10AM, you can vote early at a variety of locations around Anne Arundel County.

Here are the two that are most convenient to residents of District 30:

Annapolis Senior Activity Center
119 South Villa Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401 [Map]

Edgewater Library
25 Stepneys Lane
Edgewater, MD 21037 [Map]

The polls will be open from 10AM to 8PM on Friday, September 3 through Thursday, September 9 (except for Sunday, September 5 when early voting centers are closed.)

Everyone should vote early. You may think you will be able to vote on Election Day (September 14) but your kid could get sick or you might have to stay late at work. Bank your vote now and no matter what happens, your voice will be heard.

If you are reading this blog post, I’m fairly confident that, one way or another, you’ll be voting. But make sure to tell all your friends, family and neighbors about early voting.

While you are at it, tell them to vote for Judd Legum for Delegate!

Comments Off

As I walk door-to-door in my district, the economic diversity of the area is striking. One minute you find yourself surrounded by multi-million dollar mansions. You turn the corner and you find extremely modest homes.

The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County recently released a fascinating report documenting the deep pockets of poverty in a largely affluent and bucolic community. Although 39% of families earn in excess of $100,000 a year, many others struggle. The report’s findings include:

Poverty. Over 22,000 Anne Arundel County residents lived in poverty as of the middle of this decade according to recent U.S. Census data, and over 7,000 of these are children.

Health. In addition to difficulties accessing housing, the share of Anne Arundel residents lacking health insurance swelled to 57,000 people in 2007, or more than 11 percent of the population.

Public Transportation. Limited public transportation imposes significant barriers on access to both work and public services for many Anne Arundel citizens. Only 3 percent of Anne Arundel residents utilize public transit to get to work.

A bright spot was in education. The report found that graduation rates have increased substantially over the last several years and the gap between White and minority graduation rates has narrowed considerably.

You can read Pamela Wood’s article on the report here.

You can check out the entire report for yourself here.

Comments Off

Join us June 5 as we officially launch our campaign for State Delegate! Details below:

Comments Off

Recently I wrote about the West/Rhode Riverkeeper’s annual report card and the poor scores those rivers received. Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler’s annual audit on the Chesapeake Bay, which was released this past week, helps explain the cause of the problem. According to Gansler, Maryland is inadequately prepared to deal with the environmental problems facing the Bay and its watershed. The three overriding concerns were specified as:

– pollution related to agriculture and growth

– insufficient agency resources to investigate and prosecute polluters

– inadequate penalties and fines to deter polluters

Gansler did an in-depth review of several rivers, including the West and Rhodes Rivers, both of which are in the district I am running to represent. Specific concerns in this area include:

– Nitrogen problems from septic systems which can be resolved by either connecting private homes to public sewage or installing nitrogen-removal systems for private septic systems. According to sources, there are funds available to repair or replace aging and failing septic systems from several different funds but they aren’t being used.

– Serious Critical Area violations including issues with construction, unlawful boat discharge and other blatant disregard for the laws.

– A high presence of sediments in local creeks showing that sod farms are contributing runoff.

– Considerable deficiency in funding which is due, in part, to insufficient law enforcement, particularly in regard to the collection of fines.

In general, there is a lack of awareness of environmental regulation laws, including boating behavior, farming techniques, sewage treatment, building development and a variety of general precautions for preserving the Bay. We also need to be more stringent about reporting violations, enforcing penalties and appropriating the funds we have available.

I’m running to help fix these problems and bring new energy and urgency to the task of cleaning up the Bay.

You can read the full AG audit here.

Comments Off

Here is the text of the endorsement letter Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen sent to his supporters today:

I am supporting Judd Legum in his campaign for delegate in District 30, which includes the City of Annapolis. I encourage you to do the same.

Judd, like myself, has longstanding ties to this community. His mother was my second grade teacher and his family has lived in Annapolis for five generations. I first met Judd 20 years ago when we attended school together.

I was incredibly fortunate to have Judd’s assistance during my recent campaign for mayor. He was a valued partner throughout a long and highly competitive campaign. I came to trust and rely on his ability to quickly make sense of complicated issues, distilling them down to their essential points.

Judd has a strong commitment to public service and our city. In his law practice, he has volunteered as a pro-bono representative and advocate for dozens of low-income area families. He recently served on my transition team, chairing the City Dock and Market House committee, and has agreed to represent Annapolis on the Severn River Commission, providing advice to the city and county on how to restore one of the Bay’s dirtiest rivers.

Judd is exactly who we need representing us in the state legislature. He will bring new energy, passion and intelligence to the pressing issues that face our city, our region and our state. If we hope to make progress creating jobs, improving schools and revitalizing the Bay, we need Judd.

He has my full and enthusiastic support.

I hope you can join me at an event in support of Judd’s candidacy on April 19. Here are the details:

*April 19, 5:30PM to 7:30PM

* Level Lounge

* 69 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

Please RSVP online at JuddLegum.com/april19. (Info on how to purchase tickets by mail HERE.)

If you are unable to attend, I hope you’ll still make a contribution to Judd’s campaign. We need Judd representing us in the state legislature and Judd needs our help to get there.

Best regards,

Josh Cohen

1 Comment »

Today was an important day in my campaign for state delegate. We submitted our first campaign finance report.

I was extremely pleased with all the early financial support to my campaign. Eighty-five percent of contributions were $100 or less and we didn’t accept a penny from special interest PACs.

I also know, however, that this race won’t be won with campaign finance reports. It will be won by hitting the streets throughout District 30 and talking to voters one-on-one. That effort will start in just a few days and I’ll share the details with you on this blog.

If you’d like to join the hundreds of people who have invested in this campaign so far, you can do so here.

You can find a press release with more details of the filing below. Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

Maryland House speaker Mike Busch is seeking to ban lobbyist-sponsored receptions on legislative property. The move comes after “Sheila Hixson’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party,” hosted and paid for by a lobbyist, was held in the Ways and Means Committee offices. (The event was advertised: “”Food! Friends!! Frivolity!!! Leprechauns & Libations!!!!”) [Washington Post]

Constellation/BGE withdraws their controversial plan to award large bonuses to senior executives but the damage may already be done. [Maryland Politics]

Maryland business, factories and power plants “released more toxic pollutants into the environment in 2007 than they did the year before,” according to a new report by the EPA. Nationwide, toxic emissions are going down. [Bay & Environment]

New study suggests that Maryland should discontinue fees charged to parolees, suggesting the fees create debt that interferes with rehabilitation. [AP]

Headline of the Day: “State Comptroller Targets Soda Jerks.” [WBAL]

Comments Off

Snow blankets the region. [WJZ]

Coincidentally, the snowy owl returns to Maryland. [WBAL]

Maryland’s highest court rules that “[o]perators of newspaper Web sites, blogs and chat rooms that allow readers to post anonymous comments using pseudonyms do not have to readily reveal the posters’ identities in defamation suits.” [Washington Post]

O’Malley emails for help on death penalty repeal. [Maryland Moment]

Rosalind Helderman does a lyrical review of the state song controversy. [Washington Post]

And then asks members of the General Assembly to sing current lyrics. [Maryland Moment]

Comments Off

If you’ve missed your daily fix on Maryland political news, fear not. Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to update the site today or yesterday. But please stand by, Legum’s New Line returns in full force Thursday morning.

Comments Off

Obama rocks a crowd of about 40,000 crammed into War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore. [Politics In Color]]

But he doesn’t acknowledge recently indicted Mayor Shelia Dixon. [Baltimore Sun]

Dan Rodricks speculates that voters, and potential jury members, may give Dixon a pass. [Dan Rodricks]

Good news: the 2008 Farm Bill passed by Congress will provide $188 million to farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce their environmental impact. $23 million has already been released. [BayNet]

The Maryland Public Service Commission will examine the impact of “Constellation Energy Group’s aborted $4.7 billion merger with the Warren Buffett-controlled MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.” [Baltimore Examiner]

Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold annouces his legislative priorities for the General Assembly: the environment and bingo. [The Capital]

A new report by the EPA says that global warming will have a big impact n coastal erosion on the Chesapeake Bay. [Baltimore Sun]

Comments Off