🏛️ Wired Maryland: Morning Intelligence Briefing (November 11, 2026)
1. Procurement & Tech Pipeline Mechanics
Quantum & Master Contract Channels: An analysis of the IonQ–Carahsoft partnership and how routing College Park-developed quantum hardware through Carahsoft’s contract infrastructure opens rapid-validation state (CATS+) and federal (GSA/SEWP) procurement pipelines.
Commerce Wrote In: Following up on economic development proposals, highlighting key inputs submitted directly to state commerce officials.
2. Legislative & Unregistered Influence
The Invisible Lobbyists: The counterpart to registered Annapolis lobbying rolls—examining the legal firms and public affairs practices structuring non-registered, multi-million-dollar transactions across bond deals, P3 partnerships, tax appeals, and municipal zoning dockets.
Wired Maryland Profile: Katherine “Kathy” Klausmeier: A deep dive into the Baltimore County Senator’s committee leverage and legislative footprint heading into the upcoming session.
3. State Strategy & County Procurement
What Does Chris Van Hollen Actually Want?: Strategic analysis of U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen’s political positioning and federal policy targets.
The Big Boys in County Lobbying: Breakdown of key influence networks and top-earning firms operating at the county commission and executive levels across Maryland.
The Moore Money Map: The Full Vendor List: A comprehensive audit of state vendor disbursements, procurement flows, and campaign finance ties connected to Governor Wes Moore’s administration.
1. Congressional & Federal Dynamics
What Does Chris Van Hollen Actually Want? A strategic breakdown of U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen’s political positioning, policy maneuvering, and long-term ambitions within the federal landscape.
2. Legislative & Statehouse Spotlights
Wired Maryland Profile: Katherine “Kathy” Klausmeier: An analysis of Baltimore County Senator Kathy Klausmeier’s legislative footprint, committee influence, and local political calculus.
The Invisible Lobbyists: Exploring the transactional public affairs ecosystem—examining the un-registered firms structuring major bond deals, P3 partnerships, tax appeals, and zoning dockets outside traditional legislative rolls.
3. State & County Procurement & Lobbying Mechanics
The Big Boys in the County Lobbying: A deep dive into regional lobbying footprints and key players influencing county-level government decisions across Maryland.
The Moore Money Map (Full Vendor List): A detailed audit of state vendor lists, campaign finance disbursements, and procurement flow surrounding Governor Wes Moore’s administration.
🆓 MARYLAND WIRE NOTES & MEDIA ROUNDUP
Quick reads, lateral moves, and verified news from around the Free State.
Board of Public Works Agenda Live: The BPW agenda for the November 18, 2026 meeting is formally published. The Board will meet at 10:00 AM in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State House in Annapolis.
Historic Restoration Solicitations Close Tomorrow: State contractors in specialized historic preservation trades are submitting final PDF proposals via eMMA today for state historic carpentry and timber restoration projects closing Thursday, November 12, at 1:00 PM EST.
Stadium Authority Audit Committee Session: The Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) Audit Committee convenes next Wednesday, November 18, at 10:00 AM, ahead of the full MSA Board of Directors meeting on December 1, 2026.
DoIT Technical Acquisition Gatekeeping: IT integrators bidding on open state software and system modernization packages continue navigating DoIT’s new Technical Acquisition Team mandates, requiring modular delivery milestones over multi-year monolithic rollouts.
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💡 Direct email to
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Montgomery County Council votes 6-5 to keep the Dickerson incinerator
The Montgomery County Council voted 6-5 on Tuesday to keep the Dickerson incinerator open for the long term, rejecting outgoing County Executive Marc Elrich’s plan to close the facility and long-haul the county’s trash to out-of-county landfills. Council President Natali Fani-González led the keep-it-open side, joined by Evan Glass, Sidney Katz, Shebra Evans, Kate Stewart, and Dawn Luedtke; Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson, Kristin Mink, Laurie-Anne Sayles, and county executive-elect Will Jawando voted no. The resolution, which is non-binding, calls for refurbishing the Resource Recovery Facility — in operation since 1995 — and starting an in-county food-scrap composting facility; funding for the refurbishment would have to be approved in the fiscal 2028 capital budget, and the county’s operating contract with Reworld runs to 2031.
Source: Maryland Matters
Schumer says he’s confident; Van Hollen says no coronation
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says he is confident he will be reelected to lead Senate Democrats, but Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen says there should be no coronation and that he is actively listening to colleagues urging him to consider a bid. Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Bernie Sanders have also lined up against Schumer, who has faced criticism from inside the caucus. Senate Democrats will hold at least 54 seats after picking up seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas.
Source: Maryland Matters
Dennis McCoy, Baltimore City delegate and lobbyist, dies at 84
Dennis C. McCoy, who represented Northeast Baltimore in the House of Delegates from 1975 to 1987, chaired the Baltimore City delegation for seven years, and later founded the lobbying firm Government Affairs-Maryland, has died at 84. Former U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin and former Del. Maggie McIntosh praised McCoy as a consensus builder in a Maryland Matters obituary by Josh Kurtz.
Source: Maryland Matters
High court removes Penman from Harford County Council
The Supreme Court of Maryland has removed Harford County Council Member Aaron Penman from office immediately, ruling that the county charter bars him from serving on the council while employed as a sheriff’s deputy. The order, by Chief Justice Matthew J. Fader, reverses a lower appellate court. County Executive Bob Cassilly, whose administration pushed for Penman’s removal, said the decision invalidates bills Penman sponsored. Penman did not seek reelection, and his term was already set to expire December 7, when the new council takes office.
Source: Maryland Matters
Health panel backs extending the insurer tax and new drug-price power
The Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission, co-chaired by Sen. Cory McCray and Del. Bonnie Cullison, has recommended removing the 2028 sunset on the 1 percent insurer assessment that funds the state’s reinsurance program, and letting the Prescription Drug Affordability Board use federal Medicare negotiated prices when setting upper payment limits. The lone opposition came from Matthew F. Celentano of the League of Life & Health Insurers of Maryland. Both recommendations now head to the General Assembly for the January session.
Source: Maryland Matters
McIntosh’s lead over Mangione grows to 865 in Baltimore County’s District 5
Democrat Shawn McIntosh widened her lead over Republican Council member Nino Mangione in Baltimore County’s District 5 after Monday’s round of mail-ballot counting, 19,185 votes to 18,320 — a margin of 865, up from just over 300 on Sunday evening. Mail ballots have broken heavily for McIntosh, 5,951 to 2,602, and provisional ballots have not yet been reported. The race, for a seat Republicans have held for 32 years, is still uncalled, and County Election Director Ruie Lavoie told WMAR-2 News the goal is to certify results Friday, November 13.
Source: Good Morning Towson
Anthony Brown joins 42 attorneys general pressing the FCC on robocalls
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general on Tuesday urging the Federal Communications Commission to improve its Robocall Mitigation Database, arguing that better data on noncompliant providers would cut unlawful call traffic. Brown is part of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, which launched Operation Robocall Roundup in 2025.
Source: MarylandFeed
Maryland health department lands $168 million more in rural health money
Gov. Wes Moore announced Monday that the Maryland Department of Health has received $168,410,111 in federal funding for the second year of the five-year Rural Health Transformation Program, to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities. The program is funded entirely by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; the first budget period totaled $168,180,837.61. Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani oversees the program.
Source: MarylandFeed
Moore leads 16 governors pushing Congress on cannabis banking
Gov. Wes Moore, who chairs the National Governors Association, is leading a group of 16 governors urging Congress to pass the SAFE Banking Act in the lame-duck session, so state-licensed cannabis businesses can use banks instead of running mostly on cash. “Legal cannabis businesses in states like Maryland still run mostly on cash,” Moore said, “which makes them targets for robbery and puts workers, customers, and the surrounding community at risk.” The bill was reintroduced in June by Sen. Jeff Merkley, with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Steve Daines among the cosponsors, and in the House by Rep. Dave Joyce, but neither chamber has given it a hearing.
Source: Marijuana Moment
Worcester County keeps its lobbying firm for another year
Worcester County commissioners voted unanimously last week to retain R&R Solutions LLC as the county’s lobbying firm for another 12 months, at the same $108,400 the contract cost in its first year. The firm will advance the county’s legislative priorities, including widening Route 90, opposing offshore wind development, and preserving local control over county affairs.
Source: Ocean City Today Dispatch
Commerce wrote in. They were right.
The Maryland Wire’s new correction piece owns two mistakes in last week’s Commerce story, after Daniel Leaderman, the department’s senior communications manager, wrote in. SB 247, which would have converted the Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit into a grant program, never became law — the Senate passed it 42-0 in February and the House passed it 111-20 in April, but the Senate never concurred in the House amendments, and the cross-file, Del. Mark Chang’s HB 400, never left the House Ways and Means Committee. The credit stays a refundable tax credit, $10 million for the fiscal 2027 cycle, first come, first served through the queue that opened September 1. And Matthew Cimino, the managing director of policy and government affairs, is the front door to Commerce’s money, not its gatekeeper — the Secretary and the finance and business-attraction teams approve the incentive packages.
Source: The Maryland Wire
The Moore money map: the full vendor list
The Maryland Wire’s new research brief maps every dollar the five Moore-Miller committees spent this cycle: about $17.64 million once the transfers between committees are stripped out. SKDK took $4.25 million across four of the five committees, including $3.57 million in television through the slate, and the Pivot Group took $421,208 — the only vendor paid by all five committees. The slate’s corrected total is about $3.72 million, after a first pull missed the fall television payments. The next reports are due November 17 and will show the final weeks, including the Question 3 television buy, which is in no filing yet.
Source: The Maryland Wire
Woman of Distinction Tisha Edwards
Wired Maryland feature — November 11, 2026
Tisha Edwards did not wait for the banking world to invite her in. In April 2025 she was named president and CEO of the Maryland Bankers Association, the voice of the state’s banks, and she came to the job with something no banker before her had: she had just come from Governor Wes Moore’s office, where she was his secretary of appointments, running the process that filled the state’s board and commission seats.
Before Annapolis she ran Baltimore. She was interim chief executive of Baltimore City Public Schools, chief of staff to the mayor of Baltimore, president of BridgeEdu, the college-access nonprofit, and the founding executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success. She was also chief of staff on Moore’s gubernatorial campaign, so she knows the governor’s operation from the inside, not from the outside looking in.
In December 2025 she joined the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, the board that governs the state’s public universities. She holds a law degree and a master’s in social work, both from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the law degree in 2001 and the social work degree in 2000, and in 2023 the law school’s Black Law Students Association named her its Alumni of the Year. She sits on the Board of Advisors for the university’s School of Social Work.
That is a resume that crosses a line most people in this town never cross: public schools, City Hall, the governor’s office, and now the banks. She has run the appointment process, she has run a school system, and now she runs the association that speaks for Maryland’s banks. The bankers hired a public servant, and the public servant knows where every board seat in the state sits.
Sources:
University System of Maryland Board of Regents biography; University of Maryland, Baltimore, The Elm, March 30, 2026.