(Nov. 20, 2014) Republican Gov.-elect Larry Hogan said Monday that a larger-than-expected budget problem will likely affect how quickly he is able to keep a campaign promise to roll back taxes in Maryland.
The comments are Hogan’s first in public since a joint legislative committee heard that Maryland faces nearly $900 million in combined budget deficits in the current budget and fiscal 2016 budget years.
“We’re going to try and get spending under control and roll back taxes as quickly as we can but obviously it’s a factor,” Hogan said. “We’ve got to figure out how big a problem we have with this deficit and how we’re going to address it.”
Erin Montgomery, a Hogan spokeswoman, said after the news conference that the governor-elect still planned on unspecified tax cuts in his first year in office.
Hogan made his comments during a news conference to announce six new members of his transition team, some of whom will be charged with helping develop budgetary and economic development strategy for the incoming Hogan administration.
Among those named to the transition team are leaders in business, education and law. Many of the selections have experience in state budgets or economics including:
Former Republican state Sen. Martin G. “Marty” Madden, R-Prince Georges and Howard Counties and a former member of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, and Blair Lee IV, chairman of Silver Spring-based Lee Development Group and a political columnist. Lee is the son of Blair Lee III, former Democratic lieutenant governor and acting governor. Hogan said both Madden and Blair Lee IV will be advising his transition team “on many, many issues in general.”
Nancy S. Grasmick, the first woman to serve as state schools superintendent and held the position from 1991 t0 2011. Grasmick, who currently is advising Towson University on its teaching programs, will serve as education adviser to Hogan.
U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr., who will serve as Hogan’s liaison to the judiciary.
State Sen. Joseph M. Getty, R-Carroll County and member of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Getty will serve as legislative policy adviser to Hogan. Getty, who was a near-constant presence with Hogan during the campaign, previously served as legislative and policy director under Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Anirban Basu, chairman and chief executive officer of Baltimore-based Sage Policy Group. Basu will head up economic and economic development policy for the transition team.
Those six will join former state Sen. Robert R. Neall, a Republican turned Democrat from Anne Arundel County, who was named last week as Hogan’s budget adviser during the transition.
“We’re going to focus in on the budget and fiscal issues,” Hogan said, adding that policies and legislative agendas will be announced around the time he takes office next year.
“It’s kind of a compressed time frame to put together a cabinet and a staff and review a budget that they’ve been working on for a year,” said Hogan, a real estate developer who has never held public office. “We’re going to do it with all due haste and let you know in January what we are going to roll out.”
Hogan said budget deficits discussed last week were a concern.
“The problem seems to be even greater than we expected it to be,” Hogan said.
Last week, budget analysts told a joint legislative committee that a sluggish economy and lower-than-expected revenue will leave a $291 million budget deficit in the current year. An additional $593 million structural gap is projected for the fiscal 2016 budget.
“I’ve been talking about these issues for three years. Much of the time I was the lone voice in the wilderness talking about the problems. Now people are starting to realize that what we were talking about is true,” Hogan said. “Quite frankly, even I am surprised at the magnitude of the problem. The task ahead of us is vast.”
The comments are Hogan’s first in public since a joint legislative committee heard that Maryland faces nearly $900 million in combined budget deficits in the current budget and fiscal 2016 budget years.
“We’re going to try and get spending under control and roll back taxes as quickly as we can but obviously it’s a factor,” Hogan said. “We’ve got to figure out how big a problem we have with this deficit and how we’re going to address it.”
Erin Montgomery, a Hogan spokeswoman, said after the news conference that the governor-elect still planned on unspecified tax cuts in his first year in office.
Hogan made his comments during a news conference to announce six new members of his transition team, some of whom will be charged with helping develop budgetary and economic development strategy for the incoming Hogan administration.
Among those named to the transition team are leaders in business, education and law. Many of the selections have experience in state budgets or economics including:
Former Republican state Sen. Martin G. “Marty” Madden, R-Prince Georges and Howard Counties and a former member of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, and Blair Lee IV, chairman of Silver Spring-based Lee Development Group and a political columnist. Lee is the son of Blair Lee III, former Democratic lieutenant governor and acting governor. Hogan said both Madden and Blair Lee IV will be advising his transition team “on many, many issues in general.”
Nancy S. Grasmick, the first woman to serve as state schools superintendent and held the position from 1991 t0 2011. Grasmick, who currently is advising Towson University on its teaching programs, will serve as education adviser to Hogan.
U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr., who will serve as Hogan’s liaison to the judiciary.
State Sen. Joseph M. Getty, R-Carroll County and member of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Getty will serve as legislative policy adviser to Hogan. Getty, who was a near-constant presence with Hogan during the campaign, previously served as legislative and policy director under Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Anirban Basu, chairman and chief executive officer of Baltimore-based Sage Policy Group. Basu will head up economic and economic development policy for the transition team.
Those six will join former state Sen. Robert R. Neall, a Republican turned Democrat from Anne Arundel County, who was named last week as Hogan’s budget adviser during the transition.
“We’re going to focus in on the budget and fiscal issues,” Hogan said, adding that policies and legislative agendas will be announced around the time he takes office next year.
“It’s kind of a compressed time frame to put together a cabinet and a staff and review a budget that they’ve been working on for a year,” said Hogan, a real estate developer who has never held public office. “We’re going to do it with all due haste and let you know in January what we are going to roll out.”
Hogan said budget deficits discussed last week were a concern.
“The problem seems to be even greater than we expected it to be,” Hogan said.
Last week, budget analysts told a joint legislative committee that a sluggish economy and lower-than-expected revenue will leave a $291 million budget deficit in the current year. An additional $593 million structural gap is projected for the fiscal 2016 budget.
“I’ve been talking about these issues for three years. Much of the time I was the lone voice in the wilderness talking about the problems. Now people are starting to realize that what we were talking about is true,” Hogan said. “Quite frankly, even I am surprised at the magnitude of the problem. The task ahead of us is vast.”