Rule of Law for Thee But Not For My Crony

Martin O’Malley’s sincere concern for the environment stops at the water’s edge (pun fully intended) when it comes to lining the pockets of his phony environmentalist rent-seeking cronies.

The details of the shady Kudner Land deal are now coming to light, thanks to top notch reporting by Travis Dunn at the Easton Star Democrat (subscription required) and publicity from O’Malley Watch.

One other thing to remember when looking at this sketchy land purchase, is that this same Board of Public Works voted 2-1 to deny a wetlands permit to developer K. Hovnanian for their proposed Four Seasons development on Kent Island. O’Malley and Peter Franchot voted no, Nancy Kopp voted yes. The BPW denied the permit even though Hovnanian followed all laws and regulations required in the planning. Both O’Malley and Franchot explained that their votes turned on concerns about the development’s environmental impact on the Chesapeake Bay and the surrounding tributaries. O’Malley said, “They have jumped through every hoop…but this is not a canine hurdle exercise.” No governor, it is not. It is the rule of law and one should expect the man charged to “bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland, and support the Constitution and Laws thereof” to fulfill that oath even when it contradicts his own pet policy agendas and payoffs to political allies. Even though she had reservations about the development’s impact on the bay, Nancy Kopp at least expressed an interest in upholding the rule of law saying “I'm not happy about it in my heart either, but it is important to apply the laws and the regulations in a consistent way for all people.”

Consistency however, is not a concern, when connected O’Malley cronies like David Sutherland want to develop environmentally sensitive land. They need not jump through the dog hoops of laws and regulations, when O’Malley can run a dog and pony show at the Board of Public Works to land them a sweetheart deal at taxpayer expense.

Another fine example of what O’Malley Watch has deliciously dubbed O’Malley Operating Procedure Standards (OOPS).