Calvert set to be ‘Capital for a Day'

Governor, cabinet to spend June 19 here assessing needs

Friday, May 29, 2009

An agenda for the June 19 visit is still being mapped out, although one of the stops will be in Chesapeake Beach, which is home to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert, Prince George's).

O'Malley (D) is scheduled to start his day at a prayer breakfast with community leaders in Chesapeake Beach, Mayor Bruce Wahl said on Tuesday.

"I'm just tickled pink that they considered a stop in Chesapeake Beach," he said. "It's always good to get the governor and cabinet members here, so they can get a first-hand look at the issues that are important to us."

O'Malley will then convene his Cabinet for a meeting at a to-be-determined location, said his press secretary Shaun Adamec. The rest of the day's activities have not yet been finalized. A representative from the governor's office was in Calvert on Tuesday scouting possible event locations.

Previous destinations have highlighted a theme specific to that location or related to an existing project.

O'Malley's July 2007 trip to La Plata centered around the town's post-tornado revitalization and a severe drought that plagued farmers statewide and caused the governor to declare a drought emergency on a sun-parched lawn in front of town hall. His visit to Leonardtown last July featured a tour of the Leonardtown Wharf revitalization, the establishment of a new smart growth initiative, a visit to a nearby farm and a presentation at Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

Efforts to clean the Chesapeake Bay could be among the themes of the Calvert County visit.

"It's a recognition that our capacity for progress isn't confined to the State House," Adamec said of the Capital for a Day program's objective. "It's an opportunity for us to take the state capital to every corner of the state for the governor to engage citizens in a recognition that what goes in Annapolis really does affect the lives of where people live and work."

Unlike previous destinations, O'Malley will not declare any one town "Capital for a Day," choosing instead to make multiple stops throughout the county.

Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert), who represents northern Calvert, also had not heard of the Capital for a Day program coming to the county. She expects local officials will "roll out the welcome mat" and put on its best face for the administration.

"I admire the governor's efforts to really reach out to all parts of Maryland," she said.

The governor's visit will culminate in an appearance at the River Concert Series at St. Mary's College, where his band, O'Malley's March, will perform Celtic rock songs as part of the Maryland 375th Birthday Weekend Celebration.

abrody@somdnews.com