State Roundup: Moore Begins Transition, Headed By LG-Elect Miller; Meets With Hogan

MOORE ANNOUNCES TRANSITION PLANS: The transition between Gov. Larry Hogan’s and Gov.-elect Wes Moore’s administrations officially got underway Thursday as Moore announced who will be leading his transition process and both the outgoing and incoming governors met at the State House in Annapolis. Hannah Gaskill and Sam Janesch/Baltimore Sun

  • “This is the way it should be,” Moore said. “When the governor says we’re going to have a smooth and orderly transition, this is what the people of the state want.” Moore later described his meeting with Hogan as “an important moment for this state.” Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters
  • Moore described the work over the next few months as “the first salvo” that “the ideals we laid out during the campaign, we’re making them real starting today.” Moore tapped his running mate, Aruna Miller, to chair a transition team of more than two dozen business, faith, political and nonprofit leaders. The transition steering committee also includes leaders from around the state, including western Maryland and the Eastern Shore as well as Republican Sen. Addie Eckardt. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record
  • Miller, a former delegate representing Montgomery County’s District 15 in the Maryland House of Delegates, said they wanted a team inclusive of the entire state. Cleo Hirsch, who led the COVID-19 response for Baltimore City public schools, is the executive director for the Moore-Miller transition. Christine Zhu/Bethesda Beat 
  • Earlier in the day, Moore met privately with Hogan for about an hour. The outgoing Republican governor said he gave some advice and tips to the incoming Democratic governor. Pamela Wood/Baltimore Banner

BALTIMORE CITY SQUEEGEE PLAN WILL INCLUDE ENFORCED ZONES, FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Baltimore will begin enforcing anti-panhandling ordinances on squeegee workers in several designated high-traffic zones early next year as part of a plan rolled out by the city’s Squeegee Collaborative on Thursday. Emily Opilo and Lee Sanderlin/Baltimore Sun

  • A second measure recommended by the collective included the provision of up to a year of financial support for squeegee workers who enter workforce education, training and entrepreneurial programs. Conditions specify that the worker must stay enrolled in the program for the entire year and commit to stop squeegeeing.Timothy Dashiell/Capital News Service in Maryland Reporter
  • Mayor Brandon Scott said previous attempts at resolving the issue failed because they lacked the sustained investment and dedicated problem solvers to break the cycle that he said this plan has. David Collins and Greg Ng/WBALTV

GOP AG CANDIDATE WON’T CONCEDE: The Republican nominee for Maryland attorney general said he will not concede the race despite trailing his Democratic opponent by more than 300,000 votes. In an email sent to supporters Thursday morning, Michael A. Peroutka, a retired lawyer and one-term Anne Arundel County Council member, alleged that “many odd and suspicious incidents were reported by poll watchers, and more reports are being gathered today.” Joe Heim/Washington Post

COMPTROLLER-ELECT SETS TRANSITION TEAM, MOSTLY WOMEN: Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman announced her transition team in Annapolis Thursday morning as she prepares to take control of the office in January, and five out of six members are women. Amy Simpson/WBFF

DEMOCRATS WON’T ‘ROLL OVER’ WITH HOUSE PARTY CHANGE: With Republicans hoping to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Kweisi Mfume said Thursday that “we’re not prepared to roll over and play dead” if Democrats lose their majority. Mfume, a Baltimore Democrat who was handily re-elected in Tuesday’s midterm election, hosted a forum of area faith leaders at Cylburn Arboretum, near the Coldspring neighborhood. Jeff Barker/Baltimore Sun

COMMENTARY: TAKE BETTER CARE OF OUR KIDS: The current behavioral health crisis is at the point where families have nowhere else to turn except hospital emergency departments — a care setting no one believes is in the best interest of our youth. Solutions do exist, however, if we prioritize our kids and their mental health and choose to invest in much-needed programs and services. Dr. Harsh Trivedi, CEO and President of Sheppard Pratt/Baltimore Banner

NEW RSV RESOURCE WEBPAGE, FUNDING: The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today launched a new webpage with resources about respiratory virus infections spreading this fall and steps Marylanders can rapidly take to protect themselves. Maryland Department of Health/Southern Maryland Chronicle

  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus, otherwise known as RSV, accounts for 57% of new hospitalizations in the state, according to Dr. Jinlene Chan, deputy secretary of public health services at the Maryland Health Department. The state is reallocating $25 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding and will be distributed statewide but not all the hospitals will be given the same amount. Scott Maucione/WYPR

WIFE OF U.S. REP. ANDY HARRIS IS RUNNING FOR MD GOP CHAIR: Nicole Beus Harris, wife of Congressman Andy Harris, is running for Maryland Republican Party ChairBrian Griffiths/The Duckpin

DEMS GAIN IN FREDERICK COUNTY: Democrats gained ground in the key local races in Frederick County — including the Board of Education and the County Council’s at-large and District 1 seats — following the first day of post-Election Day mail-in ballot counting on Thursday. Jack Hogan/Frederick News-Post

GOP INCUMBENT CONCEDES IN HOUSE OF DELEGATES RACE: Maryland Del. Brenda Thiam has conceded her election bid to Maryland House of Delegates District 2B after more mail-in ballots were counted Thursday. Julie Greene/Hagerstown Herald-Mail

FENTANYL ACCOUNTS FOR MOST OPIOID-RELATED DEATHS: Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, accounts for the majority of all opioid-related overdose deaths in Maryland. In 2020, the drug was present in 70 percent of all opioid-related deaths, though, due to overlap between the use of these drugs, that percentage may be larger. Capital News Service in MarylandReporter.com

CITY COUNCIL HOSTS JOHNS HOPKINS POLICE FORUM: Several Baltimore City Council members expressed concerns about the creation of a Johns Hopkins University police force at a virtual town hall Wednesday evening. Sabrina LeBoef/Baltimore Sun

STATE WILL FACE CHALLENGES SETTING UP A LEGAL MARKET: Maryland voters approved recreational cannabis 2-to-1, the easy part. Now, state lawmakers will try to set up a legal market that is safe, equitable and affordable. That’s the hard part. Giacomo Bologna/Baltimore Sun