The Runback: A Change is Gonna Come
Retirements and Term-Limits are going to make Annapolis a different place
Welcome to another week of The Runback. Have you been enjoying The Duckpin? Do you have comments or suggestions? Do you want to write for us? Let me know at theduckpin@gmail.com. And please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Thanks in advance.
2022 Candidate Information
We have launched a one-stop shop for candidate information for the 2022 Election. Bookmark this page, as it will be updated through the 2022 Election. This includes our first round of candidate surveys, which include, Dennis Frazier for Delegate, Ronald Bass for Montgomery County Sheriff, and more.
News and Politics
Stunt: Don't read too much into Western Maryland's talk about bolting to West Virginia.
The O'Malley Boomlet Makes No Sense: Why would Catherine Curran O'Malley leave her judgeship to run for Attorney General?
Arizona Continues Its Descent Into Madness: Just when you thought the Arizona GOP couldn't become more detached from reality.....
For Frederick Republicans, It's Time to Cut Bait: Steven Hamrick is an albatross around the neck of the party. Time to find somebody better in a hurry
Even in Op-Eds, Facts Matter: Sonia Shah makes a good point about Baltimore County redistricting, but immediately blows up her credibility in the process.
Sports
Juggernauts End Dream Season With a National Championship: MAW Champs go 7-0 at the 2021 United Wiffle Tournament to win their first national title.
The OCHO: Week 6 Take a look at our newest column about the NFL. Take a look for it every Monday.
The Painful Moments of Sports: Let's relive the pain together.
Let's Have a Real Playoff, Week #9: Once again, I am beating the drum for 16-team playoff.
The Monday Thought
Twice in the past week a long-serving Maryland Constitutional office has announced their retirement.
First, State Treasurer Nancy Kopp announced that she was leaving by the end of the year. The General Assembly will elect her successor no later than the beginning of the 2022 General Assembly Session.
A few days later, Attorney General Brian Frosh announced his retirement and his intention not to seek re-election.
We could relitigate their two careers at length (and there is plenty on both of them) but I want to focus on the monumental change that is about to happen in Annapolis.
https://www.marylandmatters.org/2021/10/21/brian-frosh-expected-to-announce-he-wont-seek-re-election-as-attorney-general/
Maryland officially has seven constitutional officers: Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, Treasurer, Secretary of State, and Adjutant General.
The Governor and the Lt. Governor are term-limited.
The Comptroller is running for Governor.
The Treasurer and the Attorney General are retiring.
The Secretary of State serves at the pleasure of the Governor.
The Adjutant General took office in 2019 and may have retired by that point.
Presumably, all seven of these offices will have different occupants on the third Wednesday in January 2023.
This has never happened before. Even looking strictly at the elected officers (excluding Adjutant General and Secretary of State) there has always been at least one holdover among the five since the reinstitution of the position of Lt. Governor in 1971. Even going back further and looking at the remaining four, you have to go back to the 19th Century to find a time with such turnover in State Government.
This type of change is unprecedented.
What does it all mean? It’s hard to say, but what we do know is that the average age of this group will be lower. Of the seven I mentioned, only Adjutant General Timothy Gowen under the age of 60. Secretary Wobensmith is 61, Kopp is 77, Frosh is 75, Franchot will be 74 next month, Governor Hogan is 65, and Lt. Governor Rutherford is 64.
The next slate of Constitutional Officers, unless Franchot is elected Governor, were practically all come from an entirely different generation of public officials than the current crop.
Wherever this ultimately goes, it will make 2022 and even more fascinating election cycle to watch.