School construction funding fight is part of ongoing drive to strip power from the governor

Maryland’s governor has long been considered one of the most powerful in the country, mainly because of his control over spending and appointments.

The Maryland General Assembly has for decades sought to chip away at any governor’s power, mainly through spending mandates and other legal restraints.

Last week’s action in the Senate and House to pass a new mandate on school construction and take the governor out of the decisions on what schools should be funded is just another chapter in that ongoing drive to shift the balance of power.

Removing the Board of Public Works from doling out the school construction money was ostensibly based on Comptroller Peter Franchot’s persistent cajoling of local public officials about hot classrooms, cold kids and crumbling buildings.

The legislators are certainly ticked at Franchot, but the real target is Gov. Larry Hogan, who often joined Franchot in lambasting superintendents, executives and even bureaucrats who worked directly for them...

http://marylandreporter.com/2018/04/01/school-construction-funding-fight-is-part-of-ongoing-drive-to-strip-power-from-the-governor/