Ask The Governor
A Special Edition of Direct Connection
Monday November 24, 2008
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Interview with Governor O’Malley, Continued
Jeff Salkin
“Let’s get to a couple more calls. Kathy in Anne Arundel County. Kathy, thank you for calling, go ahead.
Caller: Kathy
[16:37:00] Hi, good evening gentlemen. I was wondering if the governor might foresee anytime in the near future that some of the bailout money would trickle down to small businesses to help the small business centers of Maryland that are struggling through these times also.[16:54:11]
“What kind of small business Kathy?
Caller: Kathy
[16:56:01] I actually own a small business that employs under twenty-five people that supplies ice and various other products to our consumers. [17:05:24]
Jeff Salkin
“And you see all these bailouts, and you want to know when yours is coming up?”
Kathy
[17:09:12] Well I don’t necessarily need a bailout, I’m just wondering if some of the money is going to free up a cash flow that small businesses will be able to maybe get loans or any help that they also need. [17:24:07]
Jeff Salkin
“Kathy, thank you very much. There is a little bit of bailout envy going around now. The automakers are next. Apparently, they’re going to caravan now instead of fly to Washington. They’re going to drive their GM or Chrysler or Ford vehicles . Where does it stop? Should the little guy be looked at here? [17:41:02]
Martin O’Malley
It’s my understanding and I think it was the hope of those that voted for the 700 billion dollars, that that would free up what has become a credit engine that has ceased in our country. So the hope was that secretary Paulson or his successor would find a way to, with those additional dollars, start to free up these credit markets so that small businesses would be able to get loans and so some degree of normalcy would start to return to that. [18:17:07] That hasn’t happened yet. And I’m sure that in naming his economic team first, in the course of his transition, that this is priority number one for President-elect Obama: How can we make sure that that 700 billion dollars is not something that simply goes to banks, stays at banks, and the banks use to buy up other banks, but rather something that enables the economy to start moving again, that allows a small business to get that loan that they’re unable to get right now. So that’s the hope and I think that Kathy, we just need to support our new president and the new team he has in place and hopefully they’ll find a way to make sure that that happens. [18:59:59]
Jeff Salkin
“There’s a rumor going around, speaking of his new team that’s being assembled, that your lieutenant governor Anthony Brown is on the short list for a cabinet post in the Obama administration. Can you add anything to that and have you seen a flurry of resumes coming in for people who want to be the next lieutenant governor? [19:16:08]
Martin O’Malley
I have not see a flurry of resumes and from a very selfish standpoint, I hope that doesn’t happen because I rely on Anthony Brown every day. He’s been a terrific lieutenant governor. He managed our whole transition process so it doesn’t surprise me that President-elect Obama would have recruited him to take a leadership role, and given his military background, to have him look at veteran’s policies and the like. So I would hope that I don’t have to look for a new lieutenant governor. I want him to stay. We just came out of a budget meeting and at those meetings he provides a really valuable perspective with the years he served in the General Assembly and his knowledge of state government. So I have not see a flurry of resumes and I hope I don’t ever have to see a flurry of resumes.[20:04:22]
Jeff Salkin
“Has the topic come up between the two of you?” [20:06:13]
Martin O’Malley
Oh we talked about it. Certainly. And recently, there was a lot more speculation I believe. A blogger and then some publications started writing that he might be on the shortlist for V.A. Secretary and I think that speculation is natural given his talents and given his military service and I think he may well be the highest ranking elected official that has served in Iraq in elected position in our country, I do believe. And also he went to Harvard and was in roughly the same year, or either a year ahead or a year behind President-elect Obama. So all of that speculation is natural, given his talents and we certainly talked about it and he’s focused on doing the best job he can as lieutenant governor and doing the best job he can now that he’s been tapped on the transition team. But it doesn’t surprise me that he’s sought after and frankly, I think the people of our state should be proud of the fact that not only Anthony Brown, but some other cabinet members, Tom Perez in Labor, Licensing and Regulation sort of the czar of workforce development, he’s playing the leadership role in the transition and we should be proud of that as Marylanders.[21:21:19]
Jeff Salkin
“Jeffrey in Prince George’s County. Jeffrey, thank you for calling. Go ahead.” [21:27:02]
Caller: Jeffrey
Thank you. Good evening Governor. My wife and I are home owners and we’re wondering, what is your position on getting the purple line started up and connected to the rest of the Metro system? [21:47:14]
Martin O’Malley
[21:49:00] Well I’m very much in favor of the purple line. We have a number of big transit projects that we’re pursuing and I’m also hopeful that with a federal government that’s a lot more engaged, and with a president like Barack Obama , who understands infrastructure centrality to our own economic security and growing our economy, that we’ll be able to get some more federal help for those as well.[22:16:08] There are some who say why don’t you just pick one project and think small. Why try to pursue a number of things at the same time. But I think we’re heading into a phase again, as a nation, where the infrastructure is going to be high on the federal priority list in a way that it certainly wasn’t under outgoing President Bush. It feels good to say that. Outgoing President Bush. So we are pursuing the purple line.[22:40:05] We have allocated state funding for the planning and design of the purple line. There are still debates as to whether it’s heavy rail, whether it’s light rail, whether it goes above ground, whether it goes below ground, whether it goes through a golf course, whether it goes underground through the golf course, and all of those sorts of things. And similar conversations are going on about the red line in Baltimore. We have a subway and a light rail that tend to go on one access, north and south. I’m sure it would be nice and I think you’d get more ridership if you could go east to west on it. So the red line is part of that. [23:12:17]
Jeff Salkin
“Garrett in Montgomery County. Garrett, thank you for calling. Go ahead
Caller: Garrett
[23:16:13] Good Evening Governor. We are starting a new business, offering renewable energy and building efficiency solutions for existing real estate. I have two quick questions for you. What can we expect for Maryland’s government to help this important and growing industry and also a more specific question , could you please look into why Maryland offers renewable energy credits also known as recks(?) for photovoltag and other renewables, but not solar thermal hot water.[23:44:02]
Martin O’Malley
[23:45:20] But not for solar thermal hot water.
“I know there’s a difference between the flat panels on the roof that generate electricity and some other technology that heats water.
[23:55:22] Well this is a brave new world and I know that a lot of countries are ahead of us in these technologies and the applications of them. We do have one of the more forward looking energy policies when it comes to solar and if there’s something that we’ve missed, we can certainly go in this legislative session and make those available. [24:17:09]
Jeff Salkin
“I’ve got about thirty seconds and I know we wanted to talk about bay stat for a second. [24:21:07]
Martin O’Malley
We only have thirty seconds in the whole?
Jeff Salkin
“We do. Now we’re at about twenty-five. Everybody should go look at the bay stat website, right?” 24:30:14]
Martin O’Malley
We just had a meeting with the executive council with, you know, governor Kane and governor Rendell and mayor Fenty and on our state website is a program called Baystat, where we actually are measuring performance when it comes to bay restoration and improving the health of the bay, and I just commend viewers in Maryland to go check it out. It’s Baystat, you’re going to be hearing more about Baystat and also more about Maryland’s green print, which we’re going to launch shortly.[24:58:10]
Jeff Salkin
“And we have the internet address on the screen there. baystat.maryland.gov. And the good news is that we’re going to have more time to talk about all this stuff in roughly a month. Governor thank you for being here with us.” [25:07:25]
Martin O’Malley
Jeff thank you. That flew.
Jeff Salkin
“It really did. We’ll have to do it again. Governor thanks again. Thank you for watching Direct Connection. From all of us at MPT, have a good night.
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