In his State of the State address Wednesday, Gov. Larry Hogan emphasized bipartisan co-operation, his proposal to cut $400 million in taxes and investments in Baltimore.
No one anticipated the riots that followed Freddie Gray’s death in police custody last April, he said. But the event kicked off what he described as an era of revitalization for the city.
To that end, he promised to invest $135 million in transit in the city, and he highlighted his existing proposals to demolish vacant row homes and to rebuild the city jail.
"The renewal of Baltimore City, and the continued growth of our entire state, will require an environment of trust and cooperation – one in which the best ideas rise to the top based upon their merit, regardless of which side of the philosophical debate they come from," he said.
Despite the call for bipartisanship, reception for the speech split largely along party lines, with Democratic leaders of the House and Senate saying the speech lacked substantive ideas.
"He didn't talk about the hospital in Prince George's County. He didn't talk about what we need to do in Baltimore City,” said Senate President Mike Miller. “It wasn't a problem-solving speech. It wasn't a moving the state forward speech."