🏛️ The Maryland Wire
Daily Intelligence & Statehouse Analysis
Saturday, October 24, 2026
🆓 ANNAPOLIS WIRE NOTES & MEDIA ROUNDUP
Quick reads, lateral moves, and verified news from around the Free State.
Board of Public Works Meeting Final Notice: The Board of Public Works (BPW) will convene next Thursday, October 29, at 10:00 AM in the Governor’s Reception Room to act on the state’s procurement and capital grant agenda.
Local Media Procurement Compliance: Executive branch agencies and marketing primes continue establishing DGS/DBM auditing compliance protocols under Governor Wes Moore’s Executive Order mandating public information ad spend go to Maryland-owned local media [Maryland Office of the Governor].
Stadium Authority Board Meeting: The Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) reminds registered vendors that its Ad Hoc Board of Directors meeting convenes this coming Wednesday, October 28, at Camden Yards [Maryland Stadium Authority Portal].
Community Solar Program Filings: The Public Service Commission (PSC) accepted formal pilot filings for new distributed energy generation projects across the Eastern Shore, continuing regional grid expansion tracking.
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When the name is the liability: AIPAC retires its PAC
AIPAC just retired its endorsement and its PAC — not its money, and Maryland’s Fifth District is where you can watch why. On Wednesday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee told its members it is done endorsing candidates, done making contributions through its political action committee, and done earmarking money for races — a letter broken by Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod. The sentence that matters for every government-relations professional in Maryland: ‘Endorsements, direct PAC contributions, and earmarking will no longer be part of our approach so we can expand individual giving and utilize new tools to help our friends win.’ Barry’s read is the practitioner’s read: AIPAC concluded its own name — attached to a candidate, printed on an endorsement, read aloud in a debate — now costs its friends more than the money helps them. The money is not going anywhere. The label is coming off, and every lobbyist with a client who funds a super PAC should be taking notes.
Source: The Maryland Wire (via The Maryland Wire)
Trimbath launches the Maryland Christian Education Association
Jeffrey Trimbath’s Maryland Family Institute is launching a new effort, the Maryland Christian Education Association, and its new Executive Director, Mark Zockoll Ed.D., opened with a guest commentary in the Baltimore Sun on October 20 urging Governor Wes Moore to opt Maryland into the new federal scholarship tax credit program. The program starts January 1, 2027: taxpayers get a federal credit for donations to approved scholarship-granting organizations funding tutoring, books, supplies, computers, special-needs services, and private-school tuition — and scholarships can also benefit public-school students. Thirty-one states are on the IRS participation list; Maryland is not, and Moore has publicly dismissed the program as a ‘tax scheme,’ per the op-ed. States elect annually — for 2027, advance election by January 1 and the state’s scholarship-organization list is due February 15 — and Zockoll, a Salisbury resident, estimates up to about $550 million in scholarship funding could flow to Maryland. Trimbath confirmed the launch himself in an email to Barry, so this one is filed as a Wired Maryland item, not a paid-tier Wire piece.
Source: Baltimore Sun
Josh Paper moves to Chair Smith’s office
Josh Paper has started as Chief of Staff to Senator William C. Smith Jr., chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Paper’s background checks out: in spring 2022, at 24, he became Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager to Delegate Dana Jones (District 30A), and his announcement credits that four-year, two-election run with 35 bills passed into law. He says he’s ‘thrilled to be hitting the ground running with Chair Smith and the team.’
Early voting opens with Question 3 as the loudest fight
Early voting opened Thursday, October 22, and runs through October 29 ahead of the November 3 general election — and Question 3, the constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting, is already the loudest fight on the ballot. Governor Wes Moore and Representative Jamie Raskin rallied in Silver Spring for a yes vote, with Moore’s new ad arguing that voting for Question 3 will help suppress President Donald Trump’s ‘illegal power grab.’ On the other side, Delegate Kathy Szeliga (Republican) is urging voters to scrutinize the ballot wording. The amendment would not affect the 2026 midterms, but it would open the door to a redrawn map that could flip Maryland’s sole Republican House seat — and a September UMBC poll found 53 percent of likely voters opposed, against 25 percent in support.
Source: Maryland Matters
Moore announces $23 million-plus for homeless veterans’ homes at Perry Point
Governor Wes Moore announced October 23 that the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has closed financing for the second phase of HELP Perry Point Veterans Village in Perryville — more than $23 million to add 77 homes for at-risk and formerly homeless veterans and their families on the campus of the Perry Point VA Medical Center, functionally doubling the community’s capacity. The package mixes federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity, HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan funds, and bond financing, with additional state money to keep the solar-powered community energy-efficient. ‘To honor their sacrifice and their service, Maryland’s veterans deserve the highest level of care and support, and that includes a roof over their head,’ Moore said.
Source: Office of Governor Wes Moore
Maryland’s $60,000 teacher-pay floor is real — and uneven
This school year, for the first time, Maryland public school teachers must be paid at least $60,000 — the floor set by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future — but the Banner’s October 23 check of district data shows the gaps between counties remain wide. Montgomery County leads the state in starting salaries for teachers with a bachelor’s degree, followed by Prince George’s County, while Worcester County, the state’s top-performing system, sits near the minimum. State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright recently announced open teaching jobs have fallen from a high of 2,145 in 2022 to just under 600 — a number the administration credits in part to the higher pay, and a number smaller districts say they stretched hard to meet in a brutal budget year.
Source: Baltimore Banner
CAIR Maryland grades the delegation before November 3
The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations released its 2026 Maryland Congressional Scorecard on October 23, a public-education resource grading the state’s federal lawmakers on civil rights, religious freedom, and human rights issues ahead of the November 3 midterms. The scorecard examines selected congressional actions on Palestinian human rights, weapons transfers to Israel, U.S. military involvement in Iran, immigration enforcement, government surveillance, campus speech, and religious freedom. ‘Marylanders deserve to know how the officials who represent us are using the power entrusted to them,’ said CAIR Maryland director Zainab Chaudry. CAIR notes it is a 501(c)(3) that does not endorse candidates — the scorecard is an accountability tool, not a voter guide.
Source: CAIR
Harris runs on local issues in the First District
Representative Andy Harris, Maryland’s sole congressional Republican, is staying laser-focused on local issues as he seeks a ninth term in the First District — telling an Aberdeen audience, ‘I don’t represent Baltimore City. I represent small communities.’ Capital News Service reports the hardline conservative, who has backed President Donald Trump for over a decade, is striking a balance between supporting the party’s agenda and differentiating himself from some of the president’s more politically fraught positions as the Republican majority wrestles with affordability headwinds. His Democratic challenger, Dan Schwartz, is canvassing the Eastern Shore — Caroline County included — with the argument that district residents feel left behind by their representative. The seat spans the Shore and reaches into the Baltimore suburbs, and it is the one the Question 3 fight is ultimately about.
Source: Capital News Service
Woman of Distinction: Michelle Daugherty Siri
When it comes to advancing gender equity and expanding access to justice across Maryland, few leaders carry the institutional weight and grassroots respect of Michelle Daugherty Siri.
A native Marylander, Siri earned her undergraduate degree from The College of William & Mary before returning home to attend the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, graduating with honors in 2002. Her early career spanned both the private and public sectors, where she developed a deep understanding of civil rights, employment law, and litigation. However, her true calling emerged in systemic advocacy and community-driven legal work.
Siri’s statewide prominence grew significantly during her nine-year tenure as Executive Director of the Women’s Law Center of Maryland. Under her leadership, the organization spearheaded vital policy initiatives and provided direct legal assistance to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, establishing Siri as one of the state’s foremost champions for women’s rights. Her work elevated her profile nationally and politically, culminating in her run for Lieutenant Governor alongside gubernatorial candidate John King Jr. during the 2022 Democratic primary.
In late 2023, Siri stepped into her current role as Executive Director of the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC), the state’s primary funder of civil legal aid. In this position, she oversees millions of dollars in grants that support dozens of legal aid organizations, ensuring low-income Marylanders have access to legal representation in critical matters like housing, family law, and consumer protection.
Beyond her day-to-day leadership, Siri’s track record has earned her a spot in The Daily Record’s Top 100 Women Circle of Excellence and service on the Maryland Commission for Women. Whether navigating legislative halls in Annapolis or funding essential community legal networks, Siri remains a cornerstone of Maryland’s civic and legal community.