Money became the central concern of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s July 24 town hall meeting in Laurel, as dozens of area residents, business and community leaders listened to the governor’s message on the economy before asking him for any sort of fiscal help he could provide.

Sitting in front of a banner that advertised a phone number for homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure and introduced by state Sen. James Rosapepe as the man who “fights the fight for working families,” O’Malley established the theme early as he spoke of Maryland’s financial position amidst the worst economic recession since World War II.

“These are tough times, but historically, in tough times, it’s been Maryland’s role to be that central state for other states to rally around,” he said. “We are in a much stronger position than virtually any other state in the union.”

Despite that proclamation, O’Malley had a hard time making promises to members of the audience that pleaded with his administration to help their struggling businesses and organizations get the money they needed to stay afloat.

Valerie Nicholas, who runs a Laurel-based nonprofit group fighting against domestic violence, was one of several to ask for such assistance.

“I’ve had the hardest time getting money to fund my programs,” she said. “You talk about public safety, and I’m at the forefront of that and I need your help.”

Adrian Rousseau, director of Laurel Boys and Girls Club’s mentoring program, echoed those comments.
“Our only focus is the children of our community,” he said. “We need help now to help our children.”

One woman even took the time to ask for money to help with a campaign for hand-washing.

Cynthia Wood, 2009’s Mrs. Prince George’s County, said she hoped to get a small state health grant to encourage state residents to wash their hands in an effort to cut down on illnesses.

O’Malley responded that operating budgets for businesses, organizations and government agencies across the state had suffered much the same way that both organizations had.

“There are very few programs and organizations I’ve seen that I could say were adequately funded for what they do,” he said. “But right now we have a patriotic duty to hold strong and push through this recession.”

Several people also sought help in the ongoing efforts to avoid home foreclosure. O’Malley responded with harsh criticism of national mortgage lenders.

“They tell our residents, ‘We’ll help you if you’re current on your mortgage,’ ” he said. “Well, if you’re current on your mortgage, you probably don’t need the help.”

He said he is hoping to seek legislation that would allow homeowners facing foreclosure seek mediation with banks to allow them to stay in their homes while catching up on payments.

O’Malley added that he believed the state was still in a stronger position than several other states, noting some of the troubles he heard about at the National Governors Association earlier this month.

“Meeting with some of the other governors made me feel like some of our problems are a breeze,” he said. “I would never trade our issues for the shortfall California is facing.”

While some spoke with the governor in hopes of seeking money, others focused on what the state was doing to add to its own coffers.

Bill Ferguson, past president of Laurel Chapter 422 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, sought to find out what the state was doing to reap more tax revenue.

“What exactly is being done to close the loopholes that prevent us from collecting more tax money from businesses,” he asked. “I know small businesses are hurting, but that is money this state can use.”

On the flip side, Nancy Taylor, a local business owner said she believed more needed to be done to help local business owners.

“CNBC recently ranked Virginia as the number one place to grow business in the country,” she said. “What are we doing to grow current business here and attract new businesses?”

O’Malley criticized the rankings, saying they punished Maryland for implementing environmental standards that are stronger than Virginia, while noting that Forbes Magazine ranked Maryland’s workforce as the third most-skilled such force in the nation.

“No matter how you look at it, Maryland is a good place to do business,” he said. “We have job gains in several areas in the state where BRAC will arrive soon.”

O’Malley concluded his town meeting much the same way as he started, urging residents to be strong, saying he believed the economy would likely turn around soon.

“I don’t know how the story goes from here, but I know that we will write the next chapter together,” he said.

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