Craig Williams, director of policy and U.S. government affairs at biotechnology firm Amgen, will serve as Hogan's chief of staff. Hogan cited Williams' expertise on the state health care system as a strong point, in a state that suffered a disastrous roll-out of its Affordable Care Act sign-up portal. Williams previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Bob Ehrlich.
Maryland Senator Joe Getty, who is currently leading the Hogan transition's legislative and policy team, will stay on as the chief legislative officer in the Hogan-Rutherford administration. Hogan said Getty's top charge will be to "get the state’s financial house in order," following revelations that Maryland's finances are in even worse shape than initially believed.
Continuing on the finance theme, Bobby Neall, former member of the House of Delegates, state senator, and Anne Arundel County Executive, rounded out yesterday's appointments. Neall was named a special adviser to the governor on fiscal matters. Hogan called Neall the "most experienced and most trusted fiscal mind in our state."
Neall will join Hogan again today in Annapolis for a media briefing on the state budget, with the latest analysis of the financial shortfall ahead of next year's legislative session.
Hyperlocal and non-partisan as always.
ReplyDeleteif 7:14AM thinks every article written by every media outlet about Governor Hogan is partisan, then he's in for a long four years.
ReplyDeleteHogan will be our Governor, get over it. Let's work with him and try to succeed together.
Certainly hogan is an appropriate story, he's just making fun of Dyer's love affair and biased news reporting is all.
DeleteBias? This reads like a straight news story to me.
ReplyDeleteChoice of coverage implies bias also.
DeleteBob was talking about the council members picking and choosing the format and not letting him defend himself. Well it is funny how bob ignores some posts and questions and topics like this.
DeleteI'm sure 7:14AM thinks whatever the MoCo Young Democrats fart out today is newsworthy. You have no news judgement. Robert does. Period.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that "every article ...about Hogan" is partisan. I didn't vote for him, but I accept that my fellow Marylanders elected him to be our next governor, and I want him to succeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd I said nothing about "every media outlet" - those were your words, not mine. I was referring specifically to this one.
I just note that Dyer has never had anywhere near the same level of coverage for our current governor, or our state government in general, and none during the time that he was governor-elect.
A reader pointed out in Dyer's archive when Omalley was elected there was 0 coverage.
DeleteRobert Dyer is not a non-partisan, traditional news reporter. I don't think he's ever made that claim.
ReplyDeleteHe's a blogger and a clownish blogger at that a fact he's never actually disputed.
His only comebacks have been blaming other news outlets for things, or creating conspirancy theories about local politicians who laugh at his overall clownishness.
Just look at his photo array of Hogan here. Total clown move. Can't wait to see his clown response.
He never claimed to be non partisan. But he does claim non bias and demands respect as a "hard news" source.
DeleteA "clownish blogger?" This blog has broken a lot of big stories, and exposed a lot of shenanigans in the county and local government. I've never blamed other news outlets for things or "created conspiracy theories." Any regular reader is laughing at your comments, Anonymous. I realize you think the only legitimate news outlets are ones that cheerlead for the elected officials of Montgomery County. "Gosh, here's what the County is doing for you today! Here's their 3-point plan to tackle the urgent hot dog cart crisis! Here's what needs to be changed in planning - it must be true, it says it right here in the press release!"
DeleteThat's not what you're going to get here. Where's your work and accomplishment? All you do is post Anonymous troll comments on the hard work of other people to push a tired, failed political agenda.
If Hogan appointed Riemer, would Dyer stomp his foot through the floor and proceed to pull himself cleanly in half like Rumplestiltskin?
ReplyDeleteWhy the defense of Riemer? Even the Post said he hadn't accomplished anything and had a thin resume.
ReplyDeleteBob's not exactly out on a limb here, even the Post agrees.
Classic.
ReplyDeleteDyer, just embrace the clown.
Multiple readers think Dyer is a clown. In dyer's logic that makes it evidence and fact and there can be no other alternative.
Delete9:48: "Multiple readers?" More like one guy using a lot of Anonymous or fake names.
DeleteYou think it's all the same person? Every single anonymous or fake name commenter? I am ashamed you think that.
DeleteIt's the same negative anonymous guy everyday. He was in the room when Robert testified to the council. I'm assuming he's not a council member considering that he didn't know hearing rules. He's either staff or in the so called press.
ReplyDelete"...push a tired, failed political agenda."
ReplyDeleteSo how come you're the one who lost the election?
2:51: Because there was a media blackout for coverage of challengers during the general election. Plain and simple.
DeleteWait you think the only reason you lost was because of a blackout for coverage of challengers?
Delete2:28: "I've never blamed other news outlets for things or 'created conspiracy theories.'"
ReplyDelete3:22 "Because there was a media blackout for coverage of challengers during the general election."
Took you less than an hour there.
3:55: If the media blackout is mere conspiracy theory, where are the Post, Gazette and Sentinel articles from throughout the election season? Oops.
DeleteHe embraced the clown so tightly that he suffocated.
ReplyDeletePoor Mr. Clown.
Kind of like the scene in "Gladiator" between Commodus and Marcus Aurelius.
ReplyDelete"I would butcher the entire world if you would only love me, Mr. Clown!"
"Here's their 3-point plan to tackle the urgent hot dog cart crisis!"
ReplyDeleteDoes this involve a Youtube video with Frosty the Snowman wallpaper in the background?
5:59 No, just a County Council press release.
Delete2:28: "I've never blamed other news outlets for things"
ReplyDeleteYou can keep your "Oops," Rick Perry.
ReplyDeleteIt's well documented that local county media simply ignored the challengers.
ReplyDeleteExample: The Sentinel simply excluded Green Party and Republican candidates from articles about debates. Wouldn't even mention that they participated.
Meanwhile, Riemer accidentally squeezes a fart out during a council meeting and it launches a multitude of newspaper articles and posts from his favorite blog. Local bloggers blush when Riemer praises their latest positive PR.
You didn't help your cause by not responding to your boy Aaron Kraut when he asked to you: "Why should voters vote for you?"
ReplyDeleteAnd don't say the didn't cover any challengers, they have Green Party Tim Willard on there and Republican Rose Li.
6:10: I did submit a response, but due to me putting the deadline on the wrong week, it was a few days late. I'm talking more about the newspapers - The Seventh State had a couple of posts that mentioned me, as well. It was the print and radio that were neglectful. Bill Turque did more than his predecessors, but overall there was not enough coverage of the numerous debates, nor of my side of the hot button issues. No paper ever reported on Hans Riemer's massive out-of-town Wall Street donations. We never found out what his union supporters' reactions were to Mr. Riemer taking contributions from 2 pioneers in outsourcing, Bain Capital and Danaher Corporation.
DeleteAnd here's WaPo with a write-up on you: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/10/20/snapshots-of-candidates-for-at-large-seats-on-montgomery-county-council/
ReplyDeleteIf you search "site:bethesdanow.com dyer" you'll get plenty of results, including an article about Dyer's "Weekend At Bernie's" speech, with a video link, and hattips for all those rare occasions when Dyer has actually scooped Kraut.
ReplyDeleteIf you search "site:robertdyer.blogspot.com + kraut", or "bethesdanow", you'll only get the comments, no actual mention by Dyer. It's as if Bethesda's best blogger had never been born.
Maybe it's some kind of weird "It's A Wonderful Life"-style tribute to Kraut.
6:53: You seem awfully emotionally invested in the other website. Are you an investor or something?
DeleteYou awfully emotionally scared of other websites and sources. Are you a plagiarist or something?
Delete9:50: I'm not scared of anybody. Everything on this site is original and clearly attributed and credited. Stop making libelous statements, "Robert Diller."
DeleteSo your comments about the council being in on the alcohol issue scandal isn't libelous? But that was?
DeleteFlynn, my report on the likely cover-up of illegal activity at the DLC by Councilmember Riemer until after the November 4 election was based entirely on the facts and evidence. A cowardly person, hiding their identity behind a fake name, just made an accusation with no evidence to support it. There is no similarity between the two situations. Check the dictionary.
DeleteIt's funny comparing the photo of our governor-elect that runs here, with the one that you-know-who just published this morning. The latter is much less Photoshopped, much more true-to-life.
ReplyDeleteReaders don't care about this inside baseball discussion about who your favorite blogger is.
ReplyDeleteYou do know that you're arguing about who has the best blog that covers a small suburb of Washington, DC the best? This isn't exactly the White House press corps. Lighten up a little.
We're here for Bethesda news and views, not a contest about your favorite blogs.
11:09 we all get that. Bob himself just takes himself so seriously as a hard news source is why everyone makes fun of him. :) he sets himself up too easy.
Delete2:28: "I've never blamed other news outlets for things or 'created conspiracy theories.'"
ReplyDelete3:25: "'Multiple readers?' More like one guy using a lot of Anonymous or fake names."
Or are you operating on the premise that it is implausible that you'd have more than one reader?
Robert has only one reader. And that one reader hates him.
ReplyDeleteSucks to be him, doesn't it?
Well according to Dyer, I am the same person as my coworker Wrol Evans. Lol.
DeleteFlynn, a quick Google and Facebook search turns up no trace of anyone named Wrol Evans. Doesn't mean he's not real, but he must be living off the grid if he is.
ReplyDeleteLol. Must be a conspiracy theory. Indeed.
DeleteLooks like it so far, Flynn. Who of a certain age has no online trace of existence in 2014?
DeleteFacts! Evidence!
Delete9:35: Search for the name Wrol Evans yourself, and tell me if you get any results. Facts! Evidence!
Delete10:34 That's pretty much it. The media never allowed the narrative to change. That seems to be their main role in the election. I saw no articles about the county not having attracted a single major corporation in over a decade. The incumbents were not endorsed by a single Chamber of Commerce in the county - for the first time in history! Their job creation numbers aren't even on the same planet as our neighboring jurisdictions'. The sector plans they passed allow demolish more affordable housing than they create. MCPS has declined since 2010. Where are the articles about these topics in the Post, Gazette and Sentinel?
ReplyDeleteWhere is the coverage of a sitting councilman, Hans Riemer, who gets a huge amount of money from Wall Street banks and Wall Street lobbying firms, and pioneers in outsourcing like Bain Capital and Danaher Corporation? In what other media market does a story like that not get written? Where's their story about Riemer likely covering up DLC crimes until after he was safely reelected? George Leventhal just admitted a few days ago that he and the council have "oversight" authority over the DLC. And had it when those alleged crimes were committed. Why does the DLC inventory work on paper when Hans Riemer told us for 4 years that he was the god of digital and open data? It's unreal.
I don't even want to get into the Post's endorsement tactics, which are an insult to anyone who did their homework and closely followed the Republican, Democratic and Green candidates' individual campaign efforts and messages.
"Hans Riemer told us for 4 years that he was the god of digital and open data"
ReplyDeleteOhhhh reeeeeaaaalllllyyyy?
7:02, Yeah, really, as did his buddies in the media. Ultimately, even the Post editorial board acknowledged Riemer had no major accomplishments after 4 years. Strangely, the paper's narrative during the election never reflected that failure.
DeleteThere is a high demand for housing in the Washington metropolitan area, and an extremely high demand inside the Beltway, including in lower Montgomery County.
ReplyDeleteIf you keep the supply static, the cost of housing will rise.
And you can't increase the amount of housing in lower Montgomery County, without increasing density.
So what is your alternative?
7:56: We can increase density in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring. We can't increase density away from Metro in places like Westbard. You are advancing a false argument. We are under no obligation to provide unlimited amounts of housing in Montgomery County. Outside of the urban edge cities I mentioned, we would be insane to "increase the amount of housing in lower Montgomery County." There is no such thing as infinite growth. This area is fully developed. Imposing some type of overlay sprawl onto existing built-out areas is sheer madness, and an environmental disaster. Developers should not be driving planning decisions in Montgomery County, and any argument for heights over 45' in Westbard is clearly coming from them. This idea that there is great demand, and therefore we have to build housing no matter the cost to the environment, to children, to quality of life is Gordon Gekko on steroids. Madness.
Delete7:56 AM - so your talking point about "affordable housing" was a crock of BS, just as I though it was.
ReplyDelete8:56 AM - I repeat my previous question. When did Riemer "tell us that he was the god of digital and open data"?
9:20: My support for affordable housing is a matter of record, and I've been testifying at public hearings for years to stop the County Council's efforts to demolish affordable buildings countywide. If you're trying to claim that luxury apartments - the only kind being built anywhere in Montgomery County today - are affordable housing, you're the one with the credibility problem.
DeleteThe County Council and Planning Board you support have approved plans that will create a net loss of affordable housing over the next 10 years. They also have thwarted the original plan that envisioned the Arlington Road corridor as a place for affordable housing near Metro. Instead, it has become the most expensive housing area in Bethesda! Stop trying to deflect the shame and outrage of your County Council's abysmal record on affordable housing onto the activists who are actually advocating for current and future residents who need it.
The description of Riemer's boasts was not in quotes, but is a very accurate summation of his and the media's assessment of his hi-tech advocacy. But then we found out the county is running on Windows 2000, the DLC has paper inventory control, and 311 doesn't get it done when developers illegally close sidewalks in Bethesda. Oops.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete1:46: I'm deleting your comment due to your offensive language. If you can make your point without resorting to insensitive terms, I'll be glad to leave it up. I do think it's laughable for someone to play the race card about Westbard given the record of your favorite County Councilmembers that is shameful and an abomination on affordable housing. It's laughable because many people who shill for developers in comments on Greater Greater Washington, Wheaton Patch and elsewhere use code words and outright racist language in advocating for high-density development, and demolition of affordable housing. Your suggestion that luxury apartments, townhomes and condos at Westbard will be affordable housing is equally laughable.
DeleteWhy must everything be built in Bethesda?
ReplyDeleteWhy not Westbard?
Why must everything be built in Bethesda?
ReplyDeleteWhy not Westbard?
3:32: Because downtown Bethesda has a Metro station. The same common sense applies to development in downtown Silver Spring versus suburban White Oak. It seems the smart growth folks are now supporting a new kind of overlay sprawl away from transit. Apparently they'll do and say anything in the service of developers. Westbard is not transit-oriented development.
DeleteYou're not going to keep housing affordable by building no new housing at all, in an area where there is extremely high demand.
ReplyDeleteAnd you seem to have forgotten that the County requires developers to include moderate-priced units in new rental construction.
Why are you against building affordable housing in Westbard? Are you really hate to see "those" people in your precious neighborhood?
3:52: There already is a diverse demographic living in Westwood Tower, which has a much larger percentage of affordable units than any of the "smart growth" developments recently approved. Park Bethesda and Kenwood Place have always been more affordable than downtown Bethesda prices. I haven't heard any complaints in the neighborhood, nor have I noticed any negative consequences. But to say 12.5% would provide any significant number of affordable units, that would require a height and density totally out of scale with a non-TOD area like Westbard.
DeleteThat's why the Arlington Road corridor was designated affordable, until your beloved County Council sabotaged the plan to satisfy their developer masters. That corridor was in walking distance to Metro, and government services, two other priority considerations for placement of affordable housing. Neither exist in the Westbard area. The logical decision would be for the County Council to simply exercise its authority to allow more density in downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring, and boost the MPDU requirement accordingly, and also acquire or build affordable buildings in partnership with the HOC. There's always the potential to boost the number of affordable units at Westwood Tower, which would accomodate more nearby service workers without substantially increasing the burden on roads or schools. That's assuming affordable housing is the genuine priority. But do you seriously advocate dropping thousands of new residents and cars - the equivalent of a small town population - into a 2-city block space? No matter what the consequences on schools, traffic, and the environment? And nowhere near a Metro station? This is really a seismic shift for the "smart growth" movement, who have claimed TOD is infallible doctrine. Remarkable.
"...your beloved County Council..."
ReplyDeleteLOL, you need to lose the resentment. Seriously.
7:28: What's the "resentment?" I'm speaking to someone who is passionate about our failed county council, making that an appropriate statement. I find "smart growth" advocates backing away from their core claim-to-fame of TOD to be a more fascinating topic though, I must admit.
ReplyDelete"I'm speaking to someone who is passionate about our failed county council"
ReplyDeleteLOLwut?