Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) exchange greetings at the Committee for Montgomery breakfast Friday. Photo by Joe Andrucyk/Governor’s Office.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) may have effectively gotten the boot from his voters earlier this month when they overwhlemingly supported imposing two-term limits on county executives. But he got a mouthful of unanticipated public praise Friday from Gov. Wes Moore (D) at the annual Committee for Montgomery legislative breakfast.
Moore, who stylistically could not be more different from Elrich, and comes from a younger political generation than the county executive, nevertheless described him as a visionary on a number of fronts. This was a lead-in to a broader discussion by Moore on the state government’s response to former President Donald Trump’s pending return to the White House, and especially to its potential impact on Montgomery County, where the federal government is so prominent.
“There’s a phrase, ‘I’m a man of my times but the times just don’t know it yet’ — that’s Marc Elrich,” Moore said. He went on to hail Elrich’s work on adopting a living wage in Montgomery County, promoting bus rapid transit, and helping to turn the county into a biotech hub, extending thanks “on behalf of the entire administration.”
Of course, Moore continues to pronounce Elrich’s name “El-RICK,” rather than the preferred “El-RICH.” But we suspect Elrich has been called worse. In fact, we know he has.
Elrich seemed truly stunned and grateful for the governor’s shout-out. Montgomery County has a (largely outdated) reputation for its political politesse, especially compared to the rest of the state. In fact, though, politics in the county can be a seething cauldron of factions, resentments and pent-up ambitions, and Elrich is rarely hailed by any of his fellow politicians.
“Wow, that was a nice introduction,” he said after following Moore on the program. And Elrich returned Moore’s praise.
“I can’t tell you how different it is to work with this governor compared to working with the previous governor,” he said. Moore, he added, possesses “a drive to really make Maryland something.”
Even though Elrich won’t be able to seek reelection in 2026, he is anticipating another run for a seat on the county council, where he has already served three terms.
A second term for Nicole Beus Harris
Maryland Republican Party Chair Nicole Beus Harris was elected to a second two-year term Saturday at the state GOP convention at the BWI Westin.
Beus Harris was expected to face a tough challenge from her predecessor, Dirk Haire, which would have pitted members of two of Maryland’s premier power couples against one another. (Beus Harris is married to U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st), while Haire is married to former Anne Arundel County Councilmember Jessica Haire, a former and possibly future candidate for county executive). But Haire folded his campaign in the middle of last week.
Joining Beus Harris as officers of the state party are Richard Osborne, the chair of the Talbot County GOP, as first vice chair; Kathleen Smero of Baltimore County, who ran unsuccessfully for a House of Delegates seat in 2022, as second vice chair; Richard Collins, a member of the Carroll County Republican Central Committee, as third vice chair. Longtime Secretary Mark Uncapher and longtime Treasurer Chris Rosenthal were reelected.
Attention Maryland history buffs
C-SPAN’s “Book TV” program will air a discussion of the 2023 book “Self-Destruction: The rise, fall, and redemption of U.S. Senator Daniel B. Brewster,” twice this coming Saturday, at 10:40 a.m. and 10:40 p.m. on C-SPAN 2.
Brewster (D), a close ally of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, was Maryland’s U.S. senator from 1963-1969, after serving four years in the U.S. House and another eight years in the House of Delegates. His young Senate staffers included two Marylanders who would later reach the highest echelons of power in the U.S. House: Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.
But Brewster’s career was largely done in by alcoholism and various legal and personal troubles, and he lost his bid for reelection in 1968. He later found redemption working as a farmer and as an alcoholism counselor.
The C-SPAN 2 broadcast is of a conversation about the book and Brewster’s life that took place earlier this year the Maryland Center for History and Culture, featuring the author, John W. Frece, along with moderator and historian Charley Mitchell and members of the Brewster family.
Names in the news
— U.S. Rep.-elect Johnny Olszewski Jr. (D-2nd) has been elected the freshman representative to the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, defeating Rep.-elect Herb Conway (D-N.J.) in a vote last week.
The Steering and Policy Committee is responsible for appointing members of the House Democratic Caucus to committee seats and helps shape caucus priorities. The panel is considered an extension of House Democratic Leadership and also vets candidates for committee leadership posts and votes to provide recommendations to the full caucus.
— Cornerstone Government Affairs, a national lobbying firm with an Annapolis office, is expanding its Mid-Atlantic operations, with two new lobbyists becoming part of the Maryland team.
Cornerstone, which is based in Washington, D.C., and has operations in 14 states, is opening a Delaware office and a practice focusing on the D.C. government. As part of that expansion, the firm is adding Manny Geraldo and Derron Parks, who will represent clients in both Maryland and D.C.
Geraldo is a former manager for government relations and public policy at Washington Gas. He has also served as the assistant general counsel to the Department of Energy and Environment in D.C., and also worked for two D.C. city council members. Parks is also a former top D.C. city council staffer. He worked as head of government and industry affairs for Rad Power Bikes, and has also done legal and lobbying work for tech companies, including Meta and Samsung.
“Their experience and relationships are outstanding, and we are excited to have them join us,” said Cornerstone President Campbell Kaufman in a statement.