2010 Election Preview Edition

Gubernatorial Candidate Preview

Reminder: The special editions of the Towson Advocacy Program (TAP) newsletters are designed to keep you informed of who is running in your district for state and local office. It is important to note that Towson University does not endorse any candidate, but we hope the information provided will help our alumni, students, faculty/staff and community members be active and engaged Maryland citizens during this election process. If you wish to opt out of these special emails, please click here.

Maryland Gubernatorial Candidates:

General election candidates running for the office of Governor for the State of Maryland were given the opportunity to answer the same questions. At the time of publication, the following candidates responded to the questions:

QUESTION 1: When fully funded, public colleges and universities can provide access to high quality instruction, state-of-the-art technology and facilities, student services, and an abundance of extracurricular engagement opportunities. How can you help the State maintain affordable tuition while also ensuring that all state institutions of higher education are fully funded in order to offer students the best education possible?

QUESTION 2: While in-state undergraduate student tuition has remained steady over the past four years, public institution budgets have been cut and employees have been furloughed for three of those years. What is your view on future State budget cuts and furloughs for State employees?

Candidates for Governor of Maryland:

• Maria Allwine (Green):
  Question #1 Answer: My long-term goal is providing free public higher education. To accomplish this and increase funding in today's economic climate, Maryland must access new revenue sources. O'Malley and Ehrlich are dishonest by not proposing this. I will institute a progressive income tax system, increase marginal tax rate on highest earners (over $250,000), close numerous corporate tax loopholes, increase corporate tax rate (corporate taxes measured as part of revenue is lowest in decades), institute financial transactions tax. I will establish state-owned bank modeled on North Dakota's. Deposit base is all state revenues with money plowed back into our communities providing low-interest loans for economic development, equaling local jobs, local investment, money for education. Important function is providing low-interest student loans, increasing enrollment, revenues for universities and colleges, removing predatory student loan industry from Maryland. This bank contributes portion of profits to state's general fund, increasing state's commitment to higher education.
  Question #2 Answer: I will not reduce the state's spending commitment to public higher education, nor will I support continued furloughs. Furloughs harm working men and women and cannot be sustained long-term. It is wrong to use already over-burdened working families to balance our state's budget. I am the only candidate to support an independent forensic audit of all state agencies to uncover waste and target potential cost savings which, as we all know, would be significant. Such an audit, along with new sources of revenue and the creation of a state-owned bank as outlined above will ensure that higher education funding is not only permanently preserved but becomes, once again, a state funding priority.

• Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (Republican):
  Question #1 Answer: The cost of higher education at university system institutions should be affordable and predictable for families planning for their children. Tuition and budgetary policies should reflect this priority; as governor I will push for long-term predictability in this area.
       In order to meaningfully control costs, policy makers must recognize that while tuition is a significant part of the cost of a higher education, it does not reflect the total cost. I will work to focus the efforts of university system stakeholders on spending tax-payer dollars in the most effective and efficient ways guaranteeing that public money is spent to benefit students first.
      Along with efficient use of tax dollars, must come a commitment to need-based financial aid programs. During my first administration, I increased funding for need-based scholarship programs by 93 percent. If elected, I will again make these programs a priority in my plan for public higher education in Maryland.
  Question #2 Answer: I will not furlough state employees. I believe that kind of decision is a dangerous message to send the people who make the operations of state government possible. At a time when quality is so important at our public institutions of higher education, furloughing professors, staff members, and administrators hurts our reputations and more importantly, our families.
      The extended "freeze" did not control costs; it made a higher education more expensive and set Maryland on course for even higher costs over the coming years. Total student costs at College Park, for instance, increased 35% the past four years. What's worse: the people who make higher education possible at our state institutions--state employees--were hurt and demoralized. My budgets will reflect what is best for our institutions and our employees in the long term, not just for the next election.
  
  
• Susan J. Gaztanaga (Libertarian):
  Question #1 Answer: I appreciate that the contribution these institutions make to their communities goes far beyond the student populations they directly serve; however, the hard fact remains that, in these difficult times, we need to look at ways that they can become more self sustaining and less dependent on state funding. My campaign platform revolves around lowering taxes and making Maryland business friendly. In the long run, this will result in more families being able to afford college. In the short run, we can explore attracting corporate funding for certain programs of study. The business community has a vested interest in ensuring a well prepared work force. The cost of a college education has gone up faster than any other sector of our economy, and we need to take a look at why this is happening and act accordingly, perhaps reviewing and restructuring faculty salaries and pensions.
  Question #2 Answer: Before the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the State Senators and Delegates put anyone on furlough, they should take a pay cut themselves. As governor, I will lead the way by taking a pay cut, putting forward $90,000 of the $150,000 governor's salary to pay off the state debt, and encouraging others in high places to do the same. Neither O'Malley nor Ehrlich is willing to take this step. They will claim it is merely symbolic, which it is not, because it will send a message to the many other overpaid officials (e.g., the Public Service Commission) who will sense that change is in the air. O'Malley lies professionally (makes promises he knows he cannot keep), and Ehrlich is apparently unable to think outside the box. Vote for me -- I'm fresh and new, yet I still know politics.

• Eric Delano Knowles (Constitution):
  Question #1 Answer: Most politicians will address these questions with the answers you want to hear, that's not me. I will only tell you the sobering truth. The age of borrow and tax (and printing at a Federal level) is going to come to a harsh end. It can be done responsibly by a person like me and bring about less pain, or it can be run off a cliff by those politicians that will promise you everything and strong-arm the citizen taxpayers out of their money until there is nothing left to give. Everything in society is more expensive due to a faulty monetary policy of the Federal Reserve and its devaluing dollar and horrendous fiscal policies of both the Federal and State Government. The best way to make tuition affordable is to get the government middle man out of the picture allowing colleges to charge students what their education is worth.
  Question #2 Answer: The budget can be cut responsibly by getting the government out of any business that the private sector can create jobs in. Through this privatization, those people who formerly performed those functions under the State can now take those expertises into the private sector where they can actually make them competitive and profitable. This will not only make the flow of capital more direct by eliminating the need for government to take it's cut off the top, but it will also eliminate furloughs as the money will go to where it is actually needed... to pay the people who provide the service. 'It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society' -- Krishnamurti. It is time to rethink the way we allow government to operate our lives before our government goes bankrupt and we are forced to do it after the fact.
  
  
• Martin O'Malley (Democratic):
  Question #1 Answer: After college tuition skyrocketed 40% under Bob Ehrlich, I made the important investments that allowed Maryland to become the only state in the country to freeze college tuition for four years. We invested a record $462 million into scholarships and financial aid and created Maryland's first dedicated higher education scholarship fund.
       As a result, Maryland went from the 6th most expensive university system in the country to the 21st. And even as our universities became more affordable, they also became better quality. This year, eight universities were named Best Value--including Towson University.
       During these difficult times, we've increased the four year investment in our University System by nearly $1billion--a 29% increase over the previous administration, helping to improve our universities. But I know that more needs to be done and I will continue to invest in education because I know that education is key to moving Maryland forward.
  Question # 2 Answer: Just as every small business and family has been impacted by the national recession, every state in the nation has faced tough budget challenges over the past few years. Many other states have layed off state employees; increased college tuition; and cut critical social services.
       In Maryland, we have made the tough decisions to invest in our most critical priorities: education, public safety and job creation. Because of this, Maryland is in better fiscal shape than most states and is better prepared to emerge from this global economic recession.
       I believe that our best days are still in front of us. And as soon as our economy recovers, furloughs will be the first thing to go. I have taken furloughs and understand the difficulty it imposes on our families. But I prefer furloughs to layoffs and will continue to make job retention and creation a number one priority.