LInda Lamone, the former state elections director, during her March 10 appearance before the Senate Executive Nominations Committee. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)
An ongoing grudge between a state senator and the state’s longest-serving elections director took another turn Friday night.
The Senate was poised to vote on dozens of appointments made by Gov. Wes Moore (D), including the nomination of former state Elections Director Linda Lamone to a seat on the Commission on Judicial Disabilities.
But Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery) had Lamone’s nomination separated so it could be voted on separately.
Kagan is a longtime adversary of Lamone’s. In 2023, Kagan sponsored a bill to reverse a two-decade old law that had made it nearly impossible to remove Lamone from her job overseeing the Maryland State Board of Elections — a law frequently called the “Linda Lamone for Life Act.”
That bill passed, and Lamone announced her retirement two weeks later.
On Friday, Lamone was up to become an attorney member of the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities. She had served on the state’s Attorney Grievance Commission for 30 years, chairing it for 15, before leaving last year.
Her nomination faced no questions and no opposition during a Monday hearing before the Senate Executive Nominations Committee. But on the Senate floor, Kagan revisited old grievances over purchases of elections equipment and other issues, describing Lamone’s tenure as a “record of failure.”
Lamone’s nomination failed 20-25.
‘Good Cause’ bill may be in bad shape
Senate Judicial Proceedings Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) says his committee is stalled on legislation that would require landlords to cite a specific reason for failing to renew a lease with a tenant – also known as the “good cause” evictions bill.
“We’re at an impasse, and we’re running out of time,” Smith said between floor sessions Friday. He said he was still trying to get more of the committee to support Senate Bill 651, but with crossover day on Monday, the odds are not looking good.
Smith’s comments came just days after renter advocates caught word that Judicial Proceedings was considering an amendment to limit counties to either Good Cause evictions or rent-stabilization efforts in their local renters’ policies — they cound not have both..
Advocates balked, saying both good cause evictions and rent stabilization policies are needed to ensure renters have access to stable and affordable housing. But Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), supported the amendment, sasying that too many regulations tend to drive away developers and landlords.
Advocates argue that there is not enough data that supports the correlation, but amid the state’s housing shortage, Ferguson is not taking any chances.
Amendment or no, Smith says he won’t bring the bill to a vote if he knows it does not have enough support to get out of committee, meaning it’s likely dead for the year.
Good cause evictions legislation has been introduced for the better part of 10 years. Last session, the House approved the measure 96 to 37, but stalled once it got to Smith’s committee.
Braveboy declared winner of special primary
Now it’s official.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy won the Democratic nomination for county executive, according to official results Friday, with 43,942 votes, or 46% of the total vote in a field of nine in this month’s special primary election.
Former County Executive Rushern L. Baker III finished second, with 18,270 votes, followed by At-large County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins, with 16,180 votes, and County Council Chair Jolene Ivey — who dropped out the race less than three weeks before the election — with 8,374 votes.
The rest of the Democratic field was state Sen. Alonzo Washington with 4,952 votes; Tonya Sweat with 1,485; Ron Hunt, 661; Marcellus Crews, 492; and Albert Slocum, 181.
Hawkins had the endorsement of former county executive and now U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, but Braveboy had the endorsement of Gov. Wes Moore (D), which she touted as one of the keys to her victory.
Braveboy will now face GOP nominee Jonathan White in the June special election for executive. White won the Republican nomination with 1,365 votes, Jesse Peed’s 1,243 votes and George McDermott’s 1,005. White has his work cut out for him in the heavily Democratic county, where the winner of the Democratic primary is considered the heavy favorite to win the general election.
Voters in Council District 5 also voted for a replacement for Ivey, who was elected to her at-large seat last fall.
Former school board member Shayla Adams-Stafford won the Democratic nomination with 5,126 votes, easily outpacing second-place finisher Ryan Middleton with 2,988 votes. The rest of the Democratic field was Kendal Gray with 985 votes, Theresa Mitchell Dudley with 701 and Christopher Wade with 408. Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh had pulled out the race, but still got 136 votes.
Republican Fred Price Jr. ran unopposed and will face Adams-Stafford in the June 3 special general election. The winners of the county executive and council races will serve the remaining two years on the terms for those seats.