Adrian for Laurel

The week before last, I attended the Maryland Municipal League’s (MML) fall conference - Titled “Excellence in Leadership”, it was held in Cambridge, Maryland Nov 6-8 and was a great opportunity to: (a) further equip in my role as Councilman, (b) be briefed on the latest updates happening in our state, and (c) connect with hundreds of municipal leaders from around Maryland.

I enrolled in the Academy for Excellence certification program and over the course of the three days took classes including: Structures of Municipal Government; MD State Budget Outlook; Rising costs of electricity & how to support residents; and more. Some takeaways to pass on:

• Maryland only generates about 30% of its own electrical energy and is also in the process of closing down old coal plants, all at a time when the demand for electricity is increasing. This means it has to purchase power from other states like Pennsylvania and Ohio and is causing the outlook for electricity prices to be headed strongly higher.

• Maryland Comptroller Liermann shared the results of various reports her office has issued (such as on MD’s lagging labor force participation) and outreaches her office has done. One tip: Her office has partnered with the IRS to offer an integrated FREE federal - state tax preparation software for this coming season called DirectFile, so be on the lookout for that come January.

• State Delegate Barnes, State Senator Augustine, and Governor Moore’s legislative aid Luedtke shared about the upcoming ~$2 billion state budget crunch expected to be a huge issue this coming MD legislative session - Deficits arising from spending commitments made the last few years are anticipated to reach $4 billion and grow to $8 billion in the coming years as well without changes. An implication for Laurel: “bond bill” initiatives and Highway User Revenues (both of which contribute funding to cities like Laurel) are potentially in the crosshairs.

I also connected with Mayors, Councilmembers, and Staff from municipalities including Cambridge, Mount Airy, Greenbelt, Takoma Park, Denton, Forest Heights, Berwyn Heigts, Union Bridge, Eagle Harbor, Frederick, La Plata, Taneytown, Leonardtown, Hagerstown, and more. It was helpful to hear what other cities are doing, to make connections, to share knowledge and resources, and more.

A big memory for me was also the ability to visit the Harriet Tubman (Ross) museum, hear local Cambridge resident and historian share about his life experience growing up in Cambridge (which was sadly marred by prejudice), and about the life of the tenacious Harriet Ross who led so many of her family to freedom in the North. Myself and fellow members of Laurel City Council (Councilmembers Clark and Mills) were also able to take a picture in front of the new and now famous mural, “Take My Hand” (pictured below).

The MML Fall Conference was packed full of information and connections and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to join with other municipal leaders as we all strive to help our city’s flourish in the years to come!