‘Capital for a day’ hits Leonardtown

State announces annual city tour

Friday, April 18, 2008

O’Malley (D) will lead a cavalcade of state bureaucrats to the St. Mary’s County seat in July as part of the ‘‘Capital for a Day” program, which enables local officials to show off their communities and garner regional media attention.

La Plata was among three cities that were proclaimed capitals for a day last year. There, the O’Malley administration held a Cabinet meeting, discussed priorities with local elected officials, met with local counterparts and attended numerous public events.

Leonardtown Mayor J. Harry Norris III was among the mayors who joined O’Malley for Monday’s announcement in Annapolis.

‘‘By working together with the diverse cities and municipalities throughout our ‘One Maryland,’ we can strengthen our commitment to protecting our families, creating new jobs, growing our middle class, expanding and improving education, and bringing opportunities to more people,” O’Malley said in a statement.

Leonardtown, which is celebrating its 300th anniversary next month, plans to key on the revitalization of the waterfront during the administration’s visit, Norris said Tuesday.

‘‘The state’s been very instrumental in what we’ve been able to do with the waterfront,” he said. ‘‘It’s nice to be able to have them here and show them what was accomplished with their help.”

The lineup for the rest of 2008 also includes visits to Hagerstown in May, Chestertown in June, Pocomoke City in August, the Port Towns communities of Prince George’s County in September, Cumberland in October, Gaithersburg in November and Ellicott City in December.