David H. Murray, a 20-year-old UMBC economics major and Sondheim Scholar, has advanced to the general election for a Prince George’s County Board of Education seat (District 1) after receiving roughly 1,500 more votes than candidate Zabrina Epps in the April 3rd primary. ‘I’m extremely pleased, very happy,” said Murray, in news coverage of the election. “I didn’t take it for granted. I worked for every single vote.” Murray earned 56% of the vote, while Epps, an academic advisor at CCBC, earned 31%. UMBC sophomore Edward Burroughs, who was running for school board in District 8, was also successful in… Continue Reading Two UMBC Students Win Primary Elections for Local School Board
“Mitt Romney has been treated rather roughly, even unfairly, by the national media,” suggests UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller in his latest Baltimore Sun column. The article, “Worry about Romney’s positions, not his gaffes,” argues that it’s time for the national media and voters to focus on Romney’s policy platforms, rather than his relatability.“What Mr. Romney would actually do in the White House matters more than how personally awkward he may be,” writes Schaller, “And on this count, his long list of social issue flip-flops and his troubling economic proposals are sufficient cause for concern.”
As election season moves into high gear, UMBC faculty are providing media with insight into both local and national political developments. Laura Hussey, assistant professor of political science, commented for AP on Maryland state Sen. Anthony Muse’s campaign to oust U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin. Muse has promoted himself as a better advocate on issues such as consumer protection, but Hussey notes that Cardin maintains an incumbent’s advantage, benefiting from name recognition, prominent endorsements and strong financial support. Hussey argues that if the seat were open, rather than occupied by an incumbent, demographic and geographic differences between Muse and Cardin would… Continue Reading UMBC Faculty Comment on Upcoming Elections for AP and National Journal
The Washington Post this weekend featured a reflection on the turbulent development of Nationals Park, home to the Washington Nationals. The article concluded with a comment by UMBC economics professor Dennis Coates, who wrote a report opposing the stadium deal in 2004. Coates argued that sports facilities redistribute (rather than increase) leisure spending and asked: “Does it make sense to spend all those tax dollars on a stadium that will just attract the entertainment dollar from Georgetown or Adams Morgan to the ballpark area?” However, he also suggested the investment might pay off if the District’s goal was to attract… Continue Reading Dennis Coates, Economics, in the Washington Post
UMBC sophomores Edward Burroughs III and David H. Murray are making waves in their run for seats on the 8-member Prince George’s County Board of Education. Burroughs is currently serving his first term on the county board and is also a former student representative for the group. Murray, a Sondheim Scholar, previously served as a student representative on Maryland’s State Board of Education. To learn more about their campaigns, see this week’s TV news segment from WUSA9 and Washington Post story on the Maryland Schools Insider blog.
Patch reports that nearly 60,000 people turned out for early voting in Maryland, March 24-29, but that accounts for just 1.88% of eligible voters statewide. UMBC public policy professor and chair Donald Norris, quoted in the story, suggests these early votes will have little impact on the overall election turnout. “Virtually nothing improves voting turnout except when people are really, really excited about what’s going on in a campaign,” Norris said. The GOP presidential primary candidates are now trying to energize Republican voters across the state through local speaking appearances.
UMBC’s Shriver Center has partnered with College Gardens for 15 years to offer children in Southwest Baltimore tutoring, mentorship and supervised activities after school. This week, WYPR highlighted the hard work of UMBC student volunteers in a news feature on the program, which parents say “provides a safe, academic haven for their children.”Service-learning intern Brittany Rush ’12, GES, has worked with College Gardens for two years. She tells WYPR’s Gwendolyn Glenn that she came into the program aware of negative stereotypes of Baltimore city youth, but she quickly found that “these kids all do care about their futures and the… Continue Reading UMBC Shriver Center on WYPR
The GOP presidential primary is drawing more attention in Maryland than usual, AP reports, given the protracted fight for the nomination among the top candidates. Anticipating a low primary election turn-out among Maryland Republicans, which already comprise a relatively small group, former Gov. Ehrlich suggests the results are “difficult to predict.” Don Norris, UMBC professor and chair of public policy, disagrees. “I think it’s going to go for Romney,” he says, “because even the base in Maryland is not as conservative of a base as…some other states.”
On March 28th Leslie Morgan—professor of sociology, co-director of the UMBC/UMB Ph.D. program in gerontology, and one of the nation’s foremost scholars of aging—will present the annual Lipitz Lecture, a Social Sciences Forum event (4:00 p.m. UC Ballroom Lounge). Morgan is UMBC’s 2011-12 Lipitz Professor, an honor that seeks “to recognize and support innovative and distinguished teaching and research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.” Leslie Morgan’s latest publications include Quality Assisted Living (see preview video) and the Baltimore Sun op-ed “Questions to ask before choosing assisted living.” Her lecture will explore the complex influences of longer lives on… Continue Reading “Dilemmas of Longevity”: Leslie Morgan to Present Lipitz Lecture (3/28)
The latest Baltimore Sun column by UMBC political science professor Thomas Schaller delves into the Democratic primary election in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District, a seat held by longtime Republican incumbent Roscoe Bartlett.Schaller focuses on the candidacy of Dr. Milad Pooran, a 35-year-old Iranian-American physician and veteran of the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps. He sees Pooran as both “a different kind of candidate” and distinct from Maryland current Democratic House delegates who, as a group, “aren’t short on political careerism or business connections.” Learn more in his Sun column.
“The protracted battle for the Republican presidential nomination is about to thrust Maryland’s GOP voters into the unusual position of having a voice in a national political contest even though they live in one of the country’s most reliably blue states,” reports today’s Baltimore Sun. The battle for the state’s 37 delegates has begun. One Maryland lawmaker suggests, “Maryland is a state that could be up for grabs,” but UMBC public policy chair and MIPAR director Donald Norris has a more reserved perspective. “Every delegate at this point is important,” he says. “But could Maryland knock one of them out?… Continue Reading Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Baltimore Sun
UMBC’s Eric Zeemering, assistant professor of public policy, commented in the Baltimore Sun this week on a measure that would allow residents of New Windsor to recall their local elected officials. Zeemering credited the sluggish economy with motivating recall efforts and petition drives across the U.S. “There is not mass public distrust of government,” he said. “In many cases, this is about the serious budget and services challenges these jurisdictions face as the full impact of the recession unfolds.”
