Montgomery County state lawmaker Kirill Reznik once again is pissed at Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R).
(BULLETIN: H2O is wet!)
The reliably cantankerous Reznik over the 4th of July holiday weekend Facebook blasted Hogan as a “lying asshole” and a “pathetic excuse for a Governor.”
“I try not to curse on social media,” Reznik said, “but you’ll pardon the temporary lapse.”
Reznik – a bar-certified attorney, and longtime Hogan critic – has earned himself somewhat of a reputation for personalizing his political disagreements.
It’s been an open Annapolis secret for years that the District 39 representative can descend into the mud if or when he’s politically challenged.
A Miner Detail makes an effort to remain on Mr. Reznik’s good side, of course.
For whatever reason – could it be politics, or could it be personal? – Larry Hogan – more so than even Hamza Khan or Bobby Bartlett – is so often the bee that buzzes about in Reznik’s proverbial bonnet.
What’s eating at Kirill Reznik?
Kirill Reznik could create a Bingo game entirely devoted to being pissed off at Larry Hogan.
O-73. Again, O-73: “Larry Hogan burns ants with a magnifying glass for fun.”
O-73! O-73!
Bingo!
(That’s Eric Luedtke’s second-straight win today!)
So, what mortal political sin is Larry Hogan going to hell for this week, according to the book of Reznik?
Change Maryland’s ad campaign targeting Elrich, Hucker, and Korman
A Hogan-linked political action committee – Change Maryland – on June 29 launched a barrage of Facebook ads targeting three of the loudest opposing voices dead-set on defeating Larry Hogan’s signature traffic congestion relief plan.
The Change Maryland ads are featured on Mr. Hogan’s personal Facebook page.
The ads directly target Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D), state Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery), and Montgomery County Councilman Tom Hucker (D) for their staunch opposition to Mr. Hogan’s traffic relief plan.
“County Executive Marc Elrich is trying to kill Governor Hogan’s common-sense plan to widen and fix the crumbling American Legion bridge at no cost to taxpayers,” the ad says.
Fact Check: True.
The ad continues, “He’s playing political games at the expense of Montgomery County jobs and residents.”
Fact Check: It depends on your definition of “political games.”
Mr. Elrich has long opposed Hogan’s traffic congestion relief plan; in fact, Elrich was the driving force behind the motion to remove the project from the environmental analysis.
But Elrich doesn’t like Hogan personally, and Hogan has no use for Elrich.
Hogan and Elrich are two fundamentally different people who operated for years in two fundamentally different political circles.
The two men couldn’t be more different from one another.
Hogan is a wealthy real-estate mogul and successful businessman; he’s a proponent and booster of private-sector enterprise.
Elrich, on the other hand, is the perfect embodiment of Takoma Park’s outside-the-political-mainstream far-left counter-culture.
As for Korman and Hucker, both men adamantly oppose vast swaths of Hogan’s road widening, managed toll lanes plan.
Korman is the chairman of the House Transportation and Environment Subcommittee; Hucker is the chair of the Montgomery County Council’s Transportation and Environmental Committee.
Reznik’s “secret negotiations” remark
Larry Hogan, Reznik opined, “is more interested in signing a 50-year deal with a company he has been secretly negotiating with for years that will kill transit and not do a lick for relieving traffic.”
That’s an interesting pronouncement from Reznik.
Reznik was one of 13 state legislators in 2009 who signed a joint letter, addressed to the Maryland State Highway Administrator, expressing “fervent support” for light rail as “the mode choice” for Montgomery County’s Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT).
Here’s the kicker:
Reznik and other state lawmakers at the time expressed support for “Express Toll Lanes (ETLs)” as a component of the project, “to help reduce congestion on I-270.”
“We also think that the Montgomery County Planning Board’s recommendation of reversible lanes is worth further exploration, as it could alleviate traffic congestion while mitigating negative environmental impacts,” the letter said.
“These ETLs should be combined with general-purpose lanes without tolls, so that these new transportation facilities will be financed in large part by private investments.”
In summary:
- Under Martin O’Malley’s (D) governorship, Mr. Reznik, a Democrat, supported express toll lanes “to help reduce congestion on I-270;.”
- Mr. Reznik also supported financing the “new transportation facilities in large part by private investment.”
Which of Martin O’Malley’s moderate gubernatorial Republican successors supports building express toll lanes “to help reduce congestion on I-270, financed in large part by private investments?”
Accelerate Maryland Partners, Transurban & Macquarie Capital
In February 2021, Maryland transportation officials announced it had selected Accelerate Maryland Partners LLC (AM Partners) as its “developer to perform Predevelopment Work and deliver the American Legion I-270 to I-70 Relief plan.”
Accelerate Maryland Partners LLC is a Transurban USA Operations Inc. consortium that includes Macquarie Infrastructure Developments LLC, an Australian investment bank, Dewberry Engineers Inc., and Canada-based Stantec Consulting Services.
“This is a generational opportunity to advance Maryland’s transportation infrastructure and drive lasting economic impact for the local community,” said Mark Bradshaw, Head of Infrastructure Projects, Europe & Americas at Macquarie Capital.
“Our development plan is underpinned by local partnerships with the community and educational institutions to develop and train the workforce and create opportunity for local minority and disadvantaged businesses enterprises.”
Reznik’s claim that Hogan “has been secretly negotiating with Transurban “for years” lacks evidence.
The governor and other state officials visited Australia in 2019 for an “infrastructure and economic development” trip.
During that trip, Hogan was photographed at a reception with Transurban officials. Hogan was also photographed meeting with Macquarie officials during the same trip abroad.
The process to select Transurban included “40 experts” without outside influence, Maryland Transportation Secretary Gregory Slater confirmed in February 2021.
“No one in the governor’s office was involved in this procurement,” Slater said, as reported by The Washington Post.
Either Renik has unimpeachable proof that Hogan has been “secretly negotiating” a procurement with Transurban for years – or he doesn’t.
State lawmakers, as a rule of thumb, generally shouldn’t throw out baseless accusations, on Facebook no less, unless they have the smoking gun.
Learn more about Larry Hogan’s P3 traffic congestion relief plan
In July 2020, Maryland state Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery County), Gaithersburg City Councilman Neil H. Harris, Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce President Dr. Marilyn Balcombe, and Montgomery County businessman and traffic relief activist Emmet Tydings joined A Miner Detail Podcast to explore and unwind Mr. Hogan’s traffic relief plan.
Listen to and watch the podcast below.
A Miner Detail Podcast
A Miner Detail’s YouTube Channel
Maryland’s General Assembly is currently reviewing the design contract that the Maryland Department of Transportation signed with Accelerate Maryland Partners.
“The $54 million agreement is expected to go before the Board of Public Works in the coming weeks,” Maryland Matters reported.
Ryan Miner is the Editor, Founder, and Publisher of A Miner Detail, a leading Maryland politics blog featuring Maryland political news, political commentary, and opinion.
- In addition, Ryan Miner is the host of A Miner Detail Podcast.
- Feedback and News tips: Ryan@AMinerDetail.com.
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