Governor Martin O’Malley Delivers Keynote Address before the Maryland Municipal League
O'Malley highlights Maryland's progress as product of choice, not chance
OCEAN CITY, MD (June 30, 2009) – Governor Martin O’Malley delivered the keynote address tonight before the Maryland Municipal League, a membership association of city and town governments through the State. During his address, the Governor highlighted Maryland’s progress, even during difficult economic times, and the choices that produced such progress.
“Maryland is once again that center State, leading the way in times of great adversity, better positioned than other states to pick ourselves up from off the mat, and power through this recession,” said Governor O’Malley. “I would submit to you that this is no accident. Our progress together is a product not of chance, but of choice. We’ve made tough choices to protect the hardworking families of our State – choices that are allowing us to make our government work again for every family in Maryland.”
Noting the challenging economic times that all local leaders must navigate their respective jurisdictions through, the Governor acknowledged that “the hardworking families of our State need and deserve a government that works for them. I would arguer that never have they needed us more. In these times, when we face both great challenges and great opportunities, the stakes are too high to leave our future up to chance.”
Governor O’Malley asked the audience to imagine Maryland five years from now, asking “What kind of State do we want to be in five years? What sort of future will we choose for Maryland?”
“We can admit to each other tonight that we don’t have all the answers about how that future will look,” said Governor O’Malley. “But there are some things that we do know. We know that the choices we make today will have a direct effect on the kind of State we will be tomorrow. And we know the costs of inaction.”
The Governor highlighted extraordinary signs of progress that set Maryland apart from many other states, including Education Magazine’s ranking of Maryland’s public schools as number one in the nation, saying, “It’s not by chance, but by choice that today our students’ test scores are on the rise in every county, in every grade, in every subject and across every single demographic line.” The Governor noted that our choices today can elevate our public schools to a position of global leadership.
Maryland’s economy has weathered the national recession better than many other States. Governor O’Malley outlined the choices that have allowed Maryland’s high-tech and high-potential sectors such as life sciences to thrive even in difficult economic times. “We know that we can create jobs and grow our economy if we choose to support and invest in bio and aero and green technology; if we have the courage to set and defend our goals for creating and protecting hundreds of thousands of Maryland jobs in growth sectors, and we choose to reawaken a newfound commitment to science, technology, engineering and math education.”
The Governor also highlighted ways the State has strengthened the safety net for Maryland’s working families, passing sweeping foreclosure reforms, expanding health care coverage, and standing up for Maryland’s energy ratepayers. “We know that we can continue to protect our hardworking families if we choose to put our families first in these difficult times,” said Governor O’Malley.
Also noting Maryland’s progress on the environment, Governor O’Malley said “We know that if we have the courage to set tangible, achievable goals and to hold our efforts open and accountable, we can save our waterways. We can grow smarter. We can create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. We can reduce our energy consumption and increase our use of renewable energy.”
Noting the importance of state and local partnerships to maintain and build upon this progress, Governor O’Malley concluded his remarks: “Throughout the 375 year history of Maryland, as a people we’ve been confronted with a timeless question: Will we allow our circumstances to change us, or will we work together to change our circumstances? What type of State will we be in 5 years? The choice is ours.”
A voluntary, nonprofit, nonpartisan association controlled and maintained by city and town governments, the Maryland Municipal League (MML) works to strengthen the role and capacity of municipal government through research, legislation, technical assistance, training and the dissemination of information for its members. Through its membership in the National League of Cities MML offers legislative representation in Washington, urban research programs, and a national municipal government information exchange. MML is the only statewide organization in Maryland composed solely of municipal officials and devoted to the promotion of all branches of municipal administration.
