Frick Talks “House of Cards” Tax Breaks On MSNBC – District 16 Del. Bill Frick was on MSNBC’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” on Wednesday to talk about how the Maryland General Assembly “out-Underwoods, Frank Underwood,” a reference of course to the main character of Netflix’s popular “House of Cards” series.
As you might know, the show is filmed in Maryland and the show’s production company recently threatened to leave the state if it didn’t get extra tax benefits.
Frick on March 27 stood up to that threat by introducing a budget amendment that would allow the state to take, by eminent domain, any of the production company’s property if the show did leave town. Frick told reporters he was just doing what Frank Underwood would do.
That budget amendment was eventually taken out in conference, but the show did not get the additional $3.5 million in tax breaks it was looking for.
Frick told Wagner that Media Rights Capital — the production company that promised it’d leave in a letter demanding the additional tax breaks — is to blame. He also said the economic incentive that film production companies bring is fleeting, as opposed to traditional corporations that set up headquarters or other facilities.
“Media Rights Capital kind of has themselves to blame for the controversy about this,” said Frick, who bemoaned the “over the top, melodramatic way they threatened the state.”
The state’s tax incentive program will remain at $15 million to be doled out to all the shows that film in Maryland, including HBO’s “Veep.” According to reports, Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office is negotiating with Media Rights Capital to bridge the gap.
Pro-Choice Endorsement Controversy in District 18 – Speaking of political drama, a significant pro-choice advocacy group is facing controversy in District 18, which includes Chevy Chase and parts of Bethesda.
David Lublin over at the Seventh State has the full rundown, but here’s what happened in a nutshell:
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland’s Maida Schifter sent D-18 delegate candidate Natali Fani-Gonzalez an email on April 4 letting her know that the PAC was awarding her its endorsement. On April 9, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland Chair Edward Terry called Fani-Gonzalez to say that the email had been mistakenly sent out by an intern.
The problem? Schifter is no intern. She’s on the board.
Fani-Gonzalez claims that pressure from “external forces,” perhaps meaning the district’s three incumbent delegates, forced NARAL to pull back its endorsement and claim it was a mistake. She’s not happy. She shared her email to NARAL with Lublin:
Over the past decade, I have been part of numerous Boards, including Goucher College, Emerge Maryland, the Maryland Latino Coalition for Justice, to name a few.Therefore, I would appreciate if you do not insult my intelligence with such frivolous rationalization.
The true story: you decided to take back my endorsement under external forces’ pressure.
When asked about the allegation, NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland told BethesdaNow.com that the endorsement was a clerical error and apologized. Fani-Gonzalez was supposed to get a 100 percent Pro-Choice rating, but the three endorsements were apparently reserved for the incumbents:
This was a clerical error that had a large and unfortunate impact. We understand the magnitude of our error and apologize for the confusion it has caused. We have reached out to each of the candidates, including Ms. Natali Fani-Gonzalez. The NARAL PAC board endorsed the incumbent candidates from District 18. We mistakenly issued an endorsement to a fourth candidate who was intended to receive a 100% Pro-Choice rating, which is used for candidates who do not receive an endorsement but reflects their Pro-Choice values.
Berliner Touts Endorsement From Sen. Ben Cardin – District 1 Councilmember Roger Berliner, locked in an unexpected race with former at-large Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg, this week announced the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin:
Councilmember Roger Berliner announced today that Senator Ben Cardin is supporting his campaign for re-election to the Montgomery County Council representing District 1. Senator Cardin’s support continues the momentum of the Berliner campaign.
Senator Ben Cardin released the following statement, “Councilmember Berliner holds the kind of progressive values our community needs — standing up for ratepayers, leading on transit, and fighting for social and economic justice.”
“There are few public servants — and rock solid Democrats — held in higher regard than United States Senator Ben Cardin. It is an honor to have him standing with me once again supporting my re-election,” said Councilmember Roger Berliner
Berliner previously announced he had the backing of the Sierra Club, the Montgomery County Public School Retired Employees, State Senators Frosh (D-16), Madaleno D-18), and Feldman (D-15), Mayors and Councilmembers from the municipalities in District 1, as well as 100 community leaders.
D-16 Candidates Share Thoughts On 2014 Session – The 2014 General Assembly ended Monday and a few of the District 16 candidates who hope to take part next year shared thoughts on what did and what didn’t get done in Annapolis this year.
Marc Korman said the county’s delegation must advance school construction funding next year, a measure for which it did not get the support it was looking for in 2014. He also said Metro still requires more oversight from the state. On the minimum wage, which the General Assembly raised to $10.10 per hour by 2018, he was unimpressed:
A bill to raise the minimum wage to $10.10/hour did pass, but it does not go far enough. First, the General Assembly did not link the minimum wage to inflation, so it will not rise with the cost of living. Second, the wage increase is littered with exceptions that undermine its effectiveness. Although this raise in the minimum wage is a good start and should be applauded, the issue must be revisited as we advance this important policy to reduce poverty and income inequality.
Read the full email to supporters here.
Jordan Cooper also sent an email to supporters about the session, praising a funding bill for pre-K programs in low-income communities and the minimum wage:
While for many of us these policies may seem like common sense, there is, has been, and will continue to be significant opposition to them in Annapolis. I applaud the progress that our legislators have made this session. If elected, I will work tirelessly to ensure that these advances are not quickly eroded, and that we continue to be ahead of the curve as a state dedicated to progress for all of our citizens.
