Op-Ed - Centreville Spy

Op Ed: What Comes After The Rain By ShoreRivers Riverkeepers

October 2, 2025 by ShoreRivers Leave a Comment

As summer gives way to fall and we wrap up our seasonal Swimmable ShoreRivers program, we can’t help but feel a bit disappointed by what our bacteria results have shown this year — from pass rates 24% lower than last year across our watersheds and our first ever site that failed to meet safe swimming standards 100% of the time it was tested, it’s been impossible to see the data come in week after week and not have concerns.

This spring and summer have brought more rain than usual — in May alone, parts of Maryland received nearly 9.5 inches of rain — five inches more than the 10-year average. June added another 4.5 inches, again above average. And while we know that rain replenishes our farms, gardens, and forests, too much too quickly has consequences for our rivers. Stormwater runoff carries with it everything on the land — fertilizer, pet waste, sewage from failing septic systems, and pollutants from roads — sending it downstream into the places where we’re swimming, fishing, and boating.

Through our Swimmable ShoreRivers program, we monitor bacteria levels weekly at over 50 recreation sites across the region from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This year’s rainfall has meant more frequent “fail” results under the Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) threshold for safe swimming. These results can be frustrating and sometimes alarming, especially for families hoping to cool off with a swim in the water. As parents, pet owners, and boaters, we regularly check the bacteria counts at our favorite swimming spots, and share that frustration when the closest ones to our launch site test too high to risk our loved ones’ health.

Here’s why it matters. The MDE standard for swimming areas is 104 colony-forming units (CFU) of Enterococci per 100 milliliters of water. That’s a technical way of saying: once bacteria concentrations reach that level, the likelihood of gastrointestinal illness, skin infections, or ear infections goes up. It’s not a magic line where danger suddenly begins, but a benchmark informed by decades of epidemiological data. It doesn’t mean that swimming, boating, or kayaking is impossible. Risk is gradual, not absolute, and our monitoring exists to give you information to make the most educated choice for yourself.

We also know that this is only part of the story. The above average spring rainfall increased the freshwater flow into the Chesapeake Bay by 20% this year, while the temperatures in June and July were the fourth and second highest in 131 years, respectively. These factors are contributing to higher-than-average hypoxia and anoxia (sometimes known as low oxygenated “dead zones”) in the Bay. Warming waters linked to climate change also create better conditions for pathogens like Vibrio vulnificus, while humans ourselves may contribute things like Staphylococcus bacteria (commonly coming off of swimmers in the water) and the Enterococci our program measures for each week. These challenges are real. But they are also reminders that our rivers are living systems that are both dynamic and responsive, and — if we reduce the pressures we place on them — capable of healing.

At ShoreRivers, we believe the story doesn’t end with failure — it begins there. Our job is not just to measure problems but to provide solutions. By understanding what drives high bacteria levels, we can act together to reduce them. Rain will always fall, but what happens on the land before it reaches our rivers is up to us.

So how do we move forward? Together. We need investments in green infrastructure that slow and filter runoff, stronger agricultural best practices, and upgrades to outdated septic systems and aging sewer infrastructure. These changes require collaboration across communities, governments, and landowners, as well as regulations and funding at both state and federal levels, which have admittedly been harder to come by lately. And just as importantly, we need access to reliable information and shared values — families checking bacteria results before they swim, neighbors cleaning up after pets, and all of us recognizing that actions on land have impacts downstream and that these are issues that have to start being priorities at every level.

At ShoreRivers, we are committed to being a trusted source of science and a partner in solutions. We see our rivers as living, resilient places that sustain us. The higher fail rates we’ve seen this season are not reasons to give up — they’re reasons to lean in. They remind us why our work matters, and why hope, collaboration, and stewardship are more powerful than fear.

The Bay and its rivers need us. Every raindrop that falls is an opportunity to act: to choose better land practices, to invest in cleaner water, and to ensure that future generations can swim, fish, and find joy in these waters. With science as our guide and community as our strength, we can make our rivers swimmable — rain or shine.

For Clean Water,
Ben Ford, Miles-Wye Riverkeeper
Matt Pluta, Choptank Riverkeeper
Annie Richards, Chester Riverkeeper
Zack Kelleher, Sassafras Riverkeeper

ShoreRivers protects Maryland’s Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education, and engagement.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Maryland’s fiscal apocalypse by Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr.

January 12, 2025 by Opinion Leave a Comment

Maryland’s State Budget is teetering on the brink of an unprecedented financial collapse. The refusal to address formula-driven mandatory and entitlement spending threatens to thrust the state into a cycle of automatic “runaway” deficits, culminating in a financial “Extinction Level Event” in the near future. Despite the gravity of this crisis, political leaders have shied away from the structural reforms necessary to restore fiscal stability. Without bold action, Maryland’s taxpayers face a perilous future.

At the heart of Maryland’s fiscal woes is the rigid structure of formula-driven mandatory spending. These formulas mandate funding levels for key programs, such as education and Medicaid, irrespective of the state’s revenue performance.

The failure to redefine and adjust the mandatory and entitlement spending based on economic realities is not a trivial oversight; it is a catastrophic misjudgment that will surely lead to a financial collapse from which there is no recovery. The state’s budget will collapse under its own weight—not due to inadequate taxation, not by trimming the discretionary budget, but because of otherwise well-meaning mandatory spending formulas whose costs become prohibitively unsustainable as they approach reality. Senate President Bill Ferguson underscored this reality, acknowledging that entitlement programs constitute the bulk of the growing deficit. Yet, political leaders have made little progress in reforming these spending mandates.

The illusion of fiscal health under the Hogan administration was largely sustained by federal COVID relief funds, which artificially created budget surpluses. These one-time funds masked the structural deficit and deferred difficult financial decisions. However, with the federal COVID money now evaporated, the true extent of Maryland’s budgetary challenges has come into sharp focus. Moreover, the upcoming Trump administration is likely to scale back discretionary federal spending, which has traditionally bolstered Maryland’s economy due to its reliance on federal contracts and agencies. This reduction in federal support will further exacerbate the state’s financial challenges, leaving Maryland ill-prepared to weather the storm.

Another significant drain on the state’s resources is Governor Moore’s commitment to “climate investments.” While addressing climate change is a noble goal, it is fundamentally a national and global issue, not a state-specific one. Maryland’s taxpayers should not be saddled with debt for initiatives that will have a de minimus impact on global climate trends. Prioritizing these expenditures over addressing the budget crisis is fiscally irresponsible and diverts attention from urgent structural reforms.

The recent Gonzales Poll reveals that a majority of Marylanders oppose tax increases to address the budget deficit. More than three-quarters of respondents oppose increases in income, property, and sales taxes. Even among those who strongly approve of Governor Moore’s performance, a significant majority oppose new taxes. This opposition underscores the political peril of pursuing tax hikes without first addressing the state’s spending problem.

While commendable as a good first “baby step”, Governor Moore’s recent proposal to save $50 million through government efficiencies is a drop in the ocean compared to the nearly $3 billion deficit – a deficit that is projected to double by 2030. While symbolic gestures like streamlining laptop procurement and reducing underutilized state vehicles are commendable, they fall far short of the comprehensive restructuring needed and do nothing to adjust mandatory spending.

The Moore Administration’s reliance on outside consultants, such as Boston Consulting Group, further diminishes the credibility of these efforts. Not only will the consulting firm receive 20% of any identified savings, but this agreement could cost taxpayers up to $15 million over two years. This expenditure – which has been billed as a measure to save money- epitomizes the mismanagement of resources that has plagued the state.

In a December 11, 2024, opinion article in Center Maryland, I called upon Governor Moore to “reorganize Maryland’s bloated bureaucracy” for the first time in over 50 years before considering tax increases. This reorganization should include revisiting mandatory spending formulas, recalibrating spending mandates to align with the state’s fiscal realities, addressing unfunded pension liabilities that loom like a ticking time bomb, and eliminating redundant programs through a thorough review of state operations. Recent proposals that have been quietly suggested by legislative leaders such as Senate President Bill Ferguson – such as raising the capital gains tax – fail to address the structural deficit and punish success, should be outright rejected.

Maryland is at a crossroads. The state’s leaders must confront the hard truths about its fiscal trajectory and embrace meaningful reforms. Without immediate decisive action, the combination of formula-driven spending, evaporating federal support, and misplaced priorities will lead Maryland toward a financial catastrophe. The time for half-measures is over; the state’s fiscal survival depends on bold, transformative leadership.

Clayton A. Mitchell, Sr. is a lifelong Eastern Shoreman, attorney, and former Maryland Department of Labor’s Board of Appeals Chairman. He is co-host of the Gonzales/Mitchell Show podcast, which discusses politics, business, and cultural issues.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Analysis: Moore’s delicate balance as the session gets under way

January 9, 2025 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Gov. Wes Moore (D) made the scene across Annapolis Wednesday, as tradition dictates for governors on the opening day of the General Assembly session.

He started the day at a forum sponsored by The Daily Record, presided over a meeting of the Board of Public Works, visited both chambers of the legislature for their inaugural floor sessions, met with reporters individually and in a press gaggle, and dropped by several receptions sponsored by lobbying firms and interest groups.

At each event, Moore displayed his usual irrepressible optimism about the future of Maryland, and hailed his “partners” in the legislature and advocacy community. But he also struck a sober note, highlighting the state’s challenging fiscal picture and the uncertainty over the impact the incoming Trump administration could have on the state’s fortunes.

What was notably missing from Moore’s multiple presentations, on day one of the 90-day legislative session, was a specific or defining agenda for the next three months, or a list of priorities.

Some of that will take form next week, when the governor releases his annual budget proposal. With the state facing projected deficits of almost $3 billion, Moore said Wednesday that he’s planning for $2 billion in cuts and that he’s asked state agencies to go line-by-line through their budgets and “find these inefficiencies.”

“You’re going to see them come from a collection of buckets,” he told reporters at a news conference.

Two sources familiar with the administration’s thinking said one of the largest single cuts would be a trim of about $110 million from the University System of Maryland.

Sources familiar with the budget proposal also said it will likely include what was described as a “Maryland Stadium Authority model for major IT projects.” Details were not available and it is unclear if that model would be a standalone agency or rolled into another existing department such as the Department of Information Technology.

Even if Moore achieves his targeted cuts, that would leave about $1 billion of structural deficit for fiscal 2026 unaccounted for. But he repeated his mantra Wednesday that “the bar remains very high” for tax increases.

Echoes of Hogan

As for the rest of his agenda, Moore said it will fully develop later rather than sooner, given the transfer of power about to take place in Washington, D.C.

“Over the next 90 days, we need to figure out what’s going to happen with the new federal administration,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “And that’s a huge factor.”

Moore is now halfway through his four-year term — a fact that seemed to almost surprise him when a reporter mentioned it. He came into office with a lofty agenda, vowing, among other things, to eradicate childhood poverty, reorder the state economy, build the Red Line in Baltimore and confront climate change.

Progress on those fronts has been incremental, and now Moore and other policymakers will be preoccupied by “the two storms,” as he describes them — the deficit and the incoming Trump administration. But Moore is undaunted and said Maryland’s potential will not be diminished.

“I inherited a tough economy, right?” he said in the interview with Maryland Matters. “I inherited an economy that was in a fiscal crisis, I inherited an economy that was in a multibillion-dollar structural deficit. So it’s not like that has changed — I inherited that. That was my day one reality. I think about what we’ve been able to navigate in those first years despite these choppy waters.”

Throughout the day, Moore took some not-so-subtle jabs at his predecessor, former Gov. Larry Hogan (R), without naming him.

“I inherited a structural deficit that was the largest we’ve seen in two decades,” he said during The Daily Record event. “That was completely papered over by [federal] COVID money. We didn’t actually address the structural issues.”

It’s a time-honored tactic for governors to blame their predecessors for the state’s fiscal condition and economic climate they inherited: Hogan routinely criticized his immediate predecessor, former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), practically until the day he left office.

What’s noteworthy about Moore is that in many ways, he is promoting an agenda that isn’t dissimilar from Hogan’s, whether it’s holding the line on taxes, pushing to grow the state’s economy to generate more revenues, boosting the state’s business climate, resisting spending mandates, scaling back certain regulations, and reforming procurement practices and other government programs. And he’s been more vocal about these priorities as the state’s financial condition worsens.

“We’ve got to make it easier for businesses to come to our state and thrive and grow and grow,” he said during his news conference.

Moore, like Hogan, does not always communicate his positions to lawmakers in advance.

Two years ago, he surprised Democrats in the House and Senate with a call to end the automatic increases on the gas tax tied to inflation, but that policy remains intact. In December, he caught lawmakers off guard again when he called for the General Assembly to pass a bill to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores and other retail outlets and have the measure on his desk by the end of session.

The bill is not one of the governor’s priorities. On Wednesday, however, he chastised lawmakers who so far appear to be digging in against his call.

“It’s not even my bill,” Moore said during The Daily Record event. “I just think the General Assembly should listen to the people on this and I think they should do the work.

“And when they do the work, I think they will come to whatever they believe to be the right solution that addresses all the concerns, all the questions. But I just think all the people in the state of Maryland have been speaking fairly clearly on this and the General Assembly has not heard it,” Moore said.

It wasn’t like Hogan once comparing the 90-day session to spring break for irresponsible lawmakers, but the comment did not soften the stance of some legislators.

“I think the House and Senate are listening to the people and small-business owners,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). “The issue that the people are most worried about is closing the $3 billion deficit, appropriately.”

House Economic Matters Chair C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), whose committee has jurisdiction over liquor issues, said he “takes great umbrage” at Moore’s comments.

“We have done the work in the past,” he said. “While it might be new to him and his administration, it is not new to the General Assembly. It is not new to me as chairman. It is not new to me as a member of the Economic Matters Committee.

“I take umbrage to the fact that somehow, some way if we don’t come to his solution, we haven’t done our work — because we do our work,” Wilson added.

Wilson described himself as a supporter of Moore’s but said the governor’s approach on the issue of expanded alcohol sales “seems shortsighted.”

“It’s like you’re picking a fight with people that can fight and have just as many rocks as you do,” Wilson said. “We are an equal branch of government … and I pray that the governor realizes that we do our job and take our job seriously.”

One clear difference between Moore and Hogan: Hogan killed the Red Line, in 2015, and Moore has been working to revive it. During his news conference Wednesday he did not say what kind of mode of transit he’s seeking or how he thought potential federal funding would be impacted by the new Trump administration. But Moore was steadfast in his insistence that an east-west transit connector is vital to the economic health of the Baltimore region.

“You cannot have economic mobility if you don’t have physical mobility,” he said.

‘We’re thinking about what is possible’

Some Democratic lawmakers, after eight years of Hogan, said they’re surprised that Moore hasn’t offered them more guidance or a concrete agenda for them to consider early in the session.

“I think that would be helpful,” said Del. Pam Queen (D-Montgomery), who co-chairs the legislative Study Group on Economic Stability. “You would think, because we’re all of the same party, we’d have more of that, especially in difficult times.”

Queen, who has been in the legislature since 2016, said the third year of a term is often when a governor and his administration become more sure-footed and assertive with the legislature, “so this is the year when you’d expect that kind of thing to happen.”

Ferguson said it makes sense to see what the early policy moves are out of the Trump administration and the all-Republican Congress before fully advancing a legislative agenda in Annapolis.

Del. Regina T. Boyce (D-Baltimore City), vice chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, said that even as they wait for a more comprehensive agenda from the Moore administration, lawmakers are intent on moving their own priorities.

“We’re thinking about what is possible with the budget,” she said. “As Speaker [Adrienne] Jones says, we won’t balance the budget on the backs of education, on the backs of health, on the backs of transportation, and ultimately, on the backs of poor people. We’ve got to ensure that we’re funding our priorities and keeping the promises we made.”

Moore told Maryland Matters that the progress his administration has made in the past two years gives him hope for what’s possible under the challenging conditions the state is facing now.

“We’ve really been able to break the back of violence and homicide in Baltimore and across the state and have real momentum to be able to go further now and get more done,” he said.

“That we’ve been able to go from being 43rd in the country in the state on unemployment to having one of the lowest unemployment rates in our country, because of the investments we’ve made, and also the investments in trade programs and apprentice programs. That we were able to lead in a time of absolute crisis in one of the largest and sustained maritime tragedies in our nation’s history and know that the bridge is being to be rebuilt on our watch with federal funding,” he said.

Asked, as he looks ahead to the changing of the guard in Washington, what the Democratic “resistance” ought to look like, Moore replied, “I haven’t put much thought into it. I say, ‘I’m not the leader of the resistance, I’m the governor of Maryland.’”

by Josh Kurtz and Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters
January 8, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Real Debate We Need by Heather R. Mizeur

July 5, 2024 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

It matters that the leader of the Free World has the faculties and mental acuity to perform the functions of such a demanding job. While it’s important never to rush to any conclusions based on one flubbed televised performance, it is healthy for us to have a discerning moment after President Biden’s recent debate stumbles raised questions about his fitness for office. But what feels most lost to me in this national dialogue is an opportunity for us to elevate a conversation about how our culture routinely dismisses the wisdom of our elders and pushes them to society’s margins once certain signs of aging appear.

We all know that the moment we are born, we begin our journey towards death. The life we build between these two events shapes just a brief snapshot in time. But fear of aging, becoming irrelevant, missing our chance to make a difference in the world, experiencing body limitations, navigating discomfort, or facing the ultimate unknown of what it means to no longer live this life is often met with desperate attempts to avoid acceptance of this certainty.

The desperation is subtle, perhaps even subconscious. But it is a dominant force in our culture. And as a result, we are often missing out on the incredible fullness of life we could experience by inviting our seniors to be in the center of our civic life, sharing their wisdom and teachings, and helping to guide our own journeys to becoming an elder. Is it any wonder that we fear aging when the cultural response is to assume we are no longer capable of expressing our fullness of being when our bodies grow older? What if the opposite is true, and we are missing the benefit from years of experience and insights when someone enters their golden season?

We have an opportunity in this moment – regardless of political ideology – to hit the pause button and take a closer look at how we instinctively respond to signs of aging around us and spend some time uncovering whether we jump to conclusions about what that means.

Is losing a train of thought, stuttering words, having a forgetful moment, or needing help securely walking down a set of stairs a sign of anything other than an invitation for patience? How would our world feel differently if we embraced rather than rejected that?

There was other behavior we saw on display at that debate that should raise additional important questions. How much value as a society do we place on honesty, kindness, and being a good human? Why is there not a collective outrage about rampant lying, criminal behavior, and outright plans to overthrow democracy and replace it with a dictatorship? These should not be partisan issues.

This election is really a referendum on us, the people. For two hundred and forty-eight years now, we have been living in a delicious experiment of self-governance where the government’s powers are derived from the consent of the governed. Democracy requires our active engagement and participation to work.

So it’s good to ask questions. I’m just a fan of asking ones that go deeper than the surface. It’s hard to take a good look at ourselves. However, in doing so, the true freedom we seek is there. We are not going to find our way out of this mess without a willingness to stretch our understanding of self and others.

I stand ready to offer my own wisdom – which grows each year as I age into this beautifully flawed body – about how we can reject the division and come together again as neighbors dedicated to finding common ground, solving big problems, and sharing big dreams again. We cannot have freedom, equality, and justice without infusing our humanity into the cause.

Heather R. Mizeur is the founder of a non-profit organization, the #WeAreOne Alliance, dedicated to disrupting the division and finding connections to foster honorable civic engagement. She was the Democratic Nominee for Maryland’s First Congressional District in 2022 and she owns and operates Apotheosis Farm in Kent County with her spouse, Deborah. She can be reached at [email protected]

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

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Echoes of Hogan

‘We’re thinking about what is possible’