April 30th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
In the late 1990’s, then speaker of the house Casper Taylor successfully pushed for the "One Maryland" bill, aimed at providing tax havens and other incentives for businesses to invest in depressed parts of the state. The basic concept being: what benefits one part of the state, benefits all parts of the state- and putting an end to the notion that Maryland begins in Baltimore and ends in Frederick. While the idea had some initial successes under the leadership of Taylor and then Governor William Donald Schaefer- a longtime supporter of western Maryland- that spirit of cooperation seems to have died in recent years according to Delegate Kevin Kelly. Kelly said the so-called “big three” counties in the state- Montgomery, Prince Georges and Baltimore- have the votes to dictate the outcome of virtually every piece of legislation heard in the General Assembly. He said those larger metropolitan areas have made it clear during recent sessions that years they have little concern if a particular bill may negatively impact rural Maryland…
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