From the Hogan-Rutherford Committee to Change Maryland:
Governor-elect Larry Hogan announced the appointments of four more Cabinet secretaries at a press conference today—his 11th press conference of the transition period between the November election and his January 21 inauguration. The appointments are as follows:
-Secretary of the Department of Planning: David R. Craig. Craig, a candidate for governor last year, served as Harford County executive from July 2005 to December 2014. He was also a state senator and delegate as well as a two-time mayor of his hometown, Havre de Grace.
-Secretary of the Department of Aging: Rona E. Kramer. Kramer is a small-business owner and senior vice president and general counsel at Kramer Enterprises, a commercial real estate company. She served in the state Senate representing northeastern Montgomery County from 2003 to 2011.
-Secretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development: Kenneth C. Holt. A former member of the House of Delegates, having represented parts of Baltimore and Harford Counties, Holt is also a businessman, the founder of a software engineering firm, and the owner and operator of a farm where he breeds thoroughbred racehorses.
-Secretary of the Department of Business and Economic Development: R. Michael Gill. Gill is chairman and principal of Evergreen Advisors, a mid-Atlantic investment bank. He founded the Baltimore-based, leading technical services company Americom, and has served on the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland and the Baltimore County Economic Development Commission.
“I am honored that all four distinguished Marylanders have agreed to join us in our effort to change Maryland for the better,” said Governor-elect Hogan.
This is gonna be interesting…
Craig as head of planning, what a joke. He made a mess out of Havre de Grace while he was Mayor and screwed up the County. Can anybody say Patterson Mill Walmart?
And don’t forget Eva Mar and Water Street!!
As if his getting the zoning code changed two days before the Eva Mar plans went public to accommodate the Eva Mar developers and his good friend Joe Snee was not bad enough. He goes and puts the county on the hook for potentially millions of dollars of environmental clean up costs for the Water Street property to accommodate his other good friend John Paterakis all for a few thousand dollars from Paterakis’ confidant, Maurice Wyatt and his wife. Yes the same Maurice Wyatt who was convicted on bribery charges for involvement in the Governor Mandel scandal back in the 80s.
The only thing worse would be to appoint Richard Slutzky to the head of Maryland Ethics Commission.
You harford county nimby liberals sure are a whiny bunch.
Ya’ll probably voted for Obama because you didn’t want Hillary and then poof, she becomes Secretary of State and probably our next POTUS. It is what it is and there is nothing we can do about it. Except blog as the goofballs we are on this amazing trusted news platform.
Parks named after him statewide. He didn’t get the transportation job.
Hogan hired an out of state professional instead of a political hack for the Secretary of Transportation. Craig missed that job but Hogan did put him in charge of square potholes…secretary of planning.
The Secretary of Transportation actually has to do something and show results, hence an out-of-state expert. The Secretary of Planning is a fluff job to reward political pals.
David Craig is the consummate believer in “big government.” I hope his new planner job doesn’t involve working with developers……
For the past 8 years Maryland has been moving towards centralized planning, over the objection of many of us in Annapolis. As a result we have the Tier Development Maps, we have Transit Oriented Development and even the infamous “Rain Tax”, which has made Maryland the source of late night television jokes. Some of us believe that the zoning and planning in Harford is different then the planning that is needed out in Oakland, and that is all different from the development and zoning issues in Ocean City. Planning is better when it is local and I think David will do a GREAT job. I am anxious for him to get started and thankfully he will have a Governor he works for who loves the Chesapeake Bay but appreciates private property rights.
David Craig as Secretary of Planning is a developer’s wet dream!! While I do not entirely disagree with entirely with everything you say, as far as O’Malley moved the pendulum in one direction, Craig will move it back in the other direction towards the anything goes development mentality running rampant in Harford County. We need balance.
The Maryland Department of Planning is mostly a fluff department that wasn’t even a cabinet level position. They do mostly statistical work related to community development and smart growth initiatives. Mostly a coordinating position working with other departments but not a department with any meat to it. Planning remains mostly a local government domain not a state function and it will remain so for the most part. I don’t think Hogan is looking to grow government nor do I think he thinks highly of Craig. It is mostly a political payoff for Harford County and maintains our county with a presence in state government.
Hogan can thank the voters that supported him. ABC Anybody But Craig There was a reason people didn’t vote for Craig.
Then why not just abolish the Office of Planning and send Craig packing? Given our budget deficit, we could use the cost savings to help fill the gigantic financial hole.
Not surprised you like Craig as Secretary of Planning. If we were to follow your playbook, chaos and lack of coordination are good and the public interest be damned. Craig’s priorities are to reward his well-heeled business friends in Havre de Grace and build schools that are not needed. He’s never articulated a vision of what would be good for Maryland or its people, so let’s put him at the head of the planning department. In the meantime important needs will be ignored by him and the public and his boss Hogan will only have to learn costly lessons as important resources are frittered away on frivolous Craig projects if his past is to be a guide. Nice comment, Wayne.
You are certainly entitled to voice your opinion.
People have elected him for political positions, and not you (or me).
End of story.