Insider Politics Blog

Toilet Activist Files to Run for Maryland Lt. Governor

Duane Davis, known for leaving toilets as political protest outside the Historic Courthouse in Towson, is running as a Republican in 2014.

A Milford Mill man known for political protests involving putting toilets in front of a county government building in Towson has filed as a candidate for Lt. Governor in 2014. Duane "Shorty" Davis has filed as the running mate with Brian Vaeth, a Perry Hall man. Davis was charged in February 2011 with planting a fake destructive device in the form of a toilet outside the Historic Courthouse in Towson and making false statements about a fake destructive device. He was acquitted of those charges seven months later. Davis, a caterer, said in a February 2013 article that the incident in 2011 was a protest of alleged corruption in Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration. He claims that he had made political statements using toilets previously, …

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Report: Brown in Talks with Ulman About Lt. Governor's Office

Current Lt. Governor Anthony Brown may be trying to persuade Howard County Executive Ken Ulman into running with him, according to the Washington Post.

Would Howard County Executive Ken Ulman be interested in becoming Lt. Governor Ken Ulman? On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that Ulman may be in talks with current Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown about being Brown's running mate in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Brown, Ulman and Attorney General Doug Gansler are considered by many as leading Democratic candidates for the Governor's office in 2014. The Post reports that a Brown/ Ulman alliance could eliminate much of Gansler's fundraising advantage. Currently Gansler has about $5.2 million in his campaign coffers compared to Ulman's $2.1 million and Brown's $1.6 million, according to the Post. But would Ulman, who at 32 when first elected in 2006, was the youngest county executive …

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Ulman Proposes Increases for Education, Public Safety in Operating Budget Without Tax Increases

In a statement and interview before the release of his fiscal year 2014 budget proposal, Ulman said there would be "record funding for education."

Before the release of his fiscal year 2014 operating budget proposal, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said in a statement that the propsed budget has "record funding for education" and a "big boost for public safety." Ulman announced the budget with a news release, but his office did not distribute a copy of the budget as of 2 p.m. on Friday. In the statement, Ulman indicated he would propose a $920.8 million continuing-costs budget that would include 130 new education and health positions in the county as well as 12 new police officers, while not increasing taxes. More than half of the budget, $497.5 million is proposed for K-12 public education, a $15.1 million increase over last year, according to the statement. “This is a responsible…

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Ulman Supports Medical Marijuana, Doesn't Take Position on Decriminalization

Medical marijuana and decriminalization of small amounts of the drug are issues currently being debated in the Maryland legislature.

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said in a statement he supports medical marijuana, but through a spokesperson said he has not taken a position on marijuana decriminalization legislation. Ulman is rumored to be a contender for the governor's office in 2014, although he has not formally declared his candidacy. Due to term limits, he is prohibited from running for a third term as Howard County Executive.  He has previously weighed in on state and national issues, including economic development, gun control and gay marriage. Currently, the Maryland legislature is debating two different bills involving marijuana use in the state. One, which passed the state Senate in March, would decriminalize up to 10 grams of marijuana and make possession …

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Ulman: County to Invest $2 Million in School Security 'Immediately'

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman was joined by local leaders at an event on Monday to release the final report of the joint task force on school safety.

County Executive Ken Ulman said Monday that $2 million would be spent to update security measures at Howard County schools, an initiative taken following the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut. In addition, a task force recommended emergency response training and measures to create a safe climate for students and help identify children who may be suffering from issues. “All of what we’re doing is trying to put together the best possible group of policies to diminish the chances that we have a tragedy in Howard County,” said Ulman. The recommendations were released Monday at an event at Thunder Hill Elementary in Columbia and was prepared by a joint task force on school safety. By the end of this year, the county plans on installing …

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County Leaders, Activist Urge Residents to Turn in Unwanted Guns

Residents who turn in guns at Saturday's event will receive $100 and a free gun lock.

County Executive Ken Ulman and Howard County Police Chief William McMahon shared the podium on Friday with a family member of a victim of accidental gun violence to ask residents to turn in unwanted guns on gun buyback day. McMahon said police will give people $100 for each gun brought to the Dorsey Building at 9250 Bendix Road in Columbia from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Police said anyone who turns in guns will remain anonymous. Up to three guns can be turned in for money, although police will take as many guns as a person brings. On turning in weapons, Ulman said, “If you don’t think you need a [weapon], even if it’s specifically secured… now is the time, you get $100, bring it on in.” The money to pay for the guns is coming from …

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Ken Ulman Named 'Doer, Dreamer, Driver' for ICBN

Government Technology magazine named the Howard County Executive on its top 25 list of technology movers and shakers.

Government Technology magazine Thursday announced its Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2013; its  “Annual salute to the men and women who truly make government more efficient, more effective and friendlier to the citizens it serves.” On that list: Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. The magazine focused on the Inter-County Broadband Network (ICBN), which, Ulman said in the article, will be finished ahead of time. In the summer of 2011, Ulman, Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. John Sarbanes and other state officials showed off the spools of fiber optic cables in a warehouse in Elkridge.  “I’m honored to receive this award,” Ulman wrote in a statement.  “Howard County prides itself on innovation, and it’s flattering to …

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Maryland County Execs Fear Sequester Effects

Howard, Prince George's and Montgomery County officials say federal spending cuts would wreak havoc on local economy.

Ranking officials in Howard, Prince George's and Montgomery County are urging Congress to come to a compromise which could avert steep cuts in federal spending–known as the sequester–set to go into effect on March 1.  Howard County Executive Ken Ulman told the Baltimore Sun that sequestration could have an economic impact in his county. Businesses in Columbia have already said they plan layoffs if sequestration happens, he told the Sun. According to data released by Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker's office, the effects of sequestration could wreak economic havoc on Prince George's County. “Sequestration would feel like a cold to most of the nation, but to Prince George's County and the rest of the Washington metropolitan …

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Report: Ulman Locked out of Superdome

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman was reportedly locked out of the Super Bowl during the power outage at the Superdome.

  Howard County Executive Ken Ulman went down to New Orleans to watch the Baltimore Ravens play in the Super Bowl along with his brother Doug Ulman and his father Lou. Ulman's brother Doug, the CEO of Livestrong, had acquired the tickets, according to Sam O'Neil, an Ulman administration official. But when the lights went out just after the start of the third quarter, it was Ulman who was out in the dark—he was locked out of the building, according to an Explore Howard report. Ulman told Explore Howard he had gone outside to call his wife, when the power went out, and the stadium went into lockdown. "I turned around, the building was dark and they locked the doors," Ulman told the paper. "It was bizarre." Once power was restored, Ulman was …

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Ulman Says County is a Model for Maryland

Howard County Executive said progress in the county is a model for the state in his State of the County address.

  County Executive Ken Ulman proclaimed that Howard County’s investments in education, sustainability and public health have made it a model for the rest of the state in his State of the County address on Thursday. Addressing a room filled with businesspeople at Turf Valley in Ellicott City, Ulman joked about social media and shouted-out to the Ravens. But he also focused on the county’s lowest unemployment rate in the state and its Triple-A bond rating. “It is important to note that none of these accomplishments have been achieved by accident,” said Ulman. “They all happen by design. They are the result of the decisions we have made together.”  “Through our choices and our decisions, we have created a model for Maryland,” said Ulman.  In …

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