(October 8, 2000) As long as we're discussing 'money in politics' let's get the update from Cumberland. You already know the start of this story: Delegate Kevin Kelly worked tirelessly for more than a year to get one-time funding for a local shooting range. Safety training by police and other local groups was held up, waiting on a ventilation upgrade, a cost of only $25,000 (out of the billion tax dollar state surplus.) But in the eyes of Parris Glendening and Casper Taylor, Kelly's proposal looked like a pressure point last session. 'Vote for gun control or kiss your own legislation goodbye.' Kelly did the right thing, as was never in doubt - he fought the good fight against gun control, and let the budget chips fall where they did. As threatened, Taylor and Glendening killed the range funding in April.
Now fast forward from April to September. Casper's feeling the heat from constituents about his role in passing the gun control package - correctly so! - and the letters of praise his crew ghostauthored for publication in local papers aren't helping. Apparently the polls telling him what was safe to do were wrong. What's a politician to do?
Well, like any pol, Taylor knows it's time for some quick gesture so he can later claim to be a friend of gunowners. Attention engine room, full reverse, we're coming hard about! All of a sudden, his good buddy Glendening declared that the proposal he and Cas just killed is a "critical public safety project." And funding that wasn't available five months before now magically came forth. The range improvement is now on a fast track ... and Cas Taylor is first in line trying to take credit for Kelly's hard work setting the project up.