CUMBERLAND — The importance of partnerships among local, state and federal leaders was highlighted Friday at the annual Mountain Maryland PACE breakfast in Annapolis.
Roughly 300 people, including commissioners from Allegany and Garrett counties, attended the event, which was sponsored by the Cumberland/Allegany County Industrial Foundation and Garrett County Development Corp. A reception Thursday evening was also part of the event.
PACE, an acronym for Positive Attitudes Change Everything, began with a reception at the Hilton Inn in Annapolis in 1977.
Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, was keynote speaker at Friday’s breakfast, where he praised several local Republican leaders, including his “cigar buddy” Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss and Garrett County Commissioners Chairman Paul Edwards, a fellow bald man, who has the “best haircut” and is an avid Baltimore Ravens fan.
Moore said he’s visited Western Maryland roughly a dozen times and thanked area officials for prioritizing outdoor recreation.
“We vacation in Western Maryland,” he said of his family.
Moore said his daughter and son have enjoyed experiences in the mountains, including the state’s black bear cub tagging program.
“You’ve changed the way that my kids view the state,” he said of Western Maryland’s diversity and history.
Moore talked of his support for the Senator George C. Edwards Fund, which was included in his state budget proposal made public earlier this week.
“It’s works,” he said of the fund’s goal to further economic growth.
Moore highlighted projects, including Frostburg State University’s relatively new Education and Health Sciences Center, the recently renovated Baltimore Street in Cumberland and the state’s $8.7 million purchase of Savage River Lodge in Garrett County.
“Partnership produces progress,” the governor said.
He addressed the state’s $3 billion “fiscal crisis,” and said his proposed budget is geared to build an economy that “grows the middle class.”
Moore said infrastructure priorities include improvements for interstates 81 and 68.
“It matters … how we are spending taxpayer dollars,” he said.
The proposed budget will “double the standard deduction” that is widely applied in Allegany and Garrett counties, Moore said.
The financial plan, which requires approval by state lawmakers, will lead Maryland “into a brighter future” but “will not be simple” to pass, he said.
Republican state Sen. Mike McKay (R-Allegany, Garrett, Washington) said Moore looks at Western Maryland “through the eyes of a trusted friend.”
Other speakers at the breakfast included U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney and Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, all Democrats.
Despite political differences, local, state and federal leaders have a lot in common “that brings us together,” Van Hollen said.