EHRLICH AD: MORE TYPICAL EMPTY PROMISES

O'Malley-Brown Campaign Sets the Record Straight;
Exposes Ehrlich's Failed Record

Baltimore, MD - The O'Malley-Brown Campaign responded decisively to Bob Ehrlich's first ad that is filled with more of the false innuendo and empty promises we've come to expect from the failed former governor. As governor, Ehrlich raised taxes and fees by $3.3 billion (including the property tax) on every Maryland family, presided over record spending increases, cut school construction funds, and cut critical programs to protect the Chesapeake Bay.

"In his pie in the sky TV ad, Bob Ehrlich is once again distorting the facts and making more empty promises as he tries to run away from his record. Marylanders have good reason to be skeptical of Ehrlich's empty promises, given his record as the biggest spending governor in Maryland history who raised taxes and fees by over $3 billion," said O'Malley-Brown Campaign Manager Tom Russell.

"While Bob Ehrlich's empty promises are an insult to the intelligence of Maryland voters, Governor Martin O'Malley has been honest with Maryland families about the tough decisions we've made to cut state spending, reduce the size of government, and at the same time protect core priorities like public education, improved public safety, and restoring the Bay," added Russell.





Fact Check

The best indication of what someone will do in the future is to look at what they've done in the past. So at the O'Malley-Brown Campaign, we're setting the record straight on Bob Ehrlich's failed record.

Bob Ehrlich said he would reduce taxes, but actually raised taxes and fees by $3.3 billion when he was in office -- including a 58% increase in the state's property tax, a tripling of corporate filing fees, and the 58% car tax increase. In fact, while in office, Bob Ehrlich didn't cut a single tax.

Under Governor O'Malley, 85.8 percent of Marylanders now pay less in state income taxes. All individuals making less than $88,750 and married couples making less than $172,500 now pay the same or less in income and sales taxes than they paid during the Ehrlich administration.

Bob Ehrlich said he would save us all money, but actually increased state spending by a whopping 33% and issued over $2.7 billion in new debt. And since he returned to the campaign trail, Bob Ehrlich has made more than $850 Million in new campaign promises without offering any plan for how he would pay for them.

By contrast, Governor O'Malley has made the tough decisions to cut spending by $5.6 Billion, reduce the size of state government and make Maryland one of only 8 states to maintain a Triple A bond rating. According to the Baltimore Sun, "O'Malley has made repeated rounds of cuts to keep Maryland's budget in balance over the last four years - in fact, cutting projected spending far more than Mr. Ehrlich did."

Bob Ehrlich promised to fight for Maryland jobs, but then hiked small businesses' taxes and tripled their state filing fees. He encouraged Maryland businesses to move jobs overseas and joined a law/lobbying firm that specializes in offshoring jobs.

By contrast, Governor O'Malley has fought to keep jobs in Maryland-- expanding access to credit for Maryland businesses, providing new tax credits for hiring, and investing in new innovative programs to expand economic growth in Maryland. Under his leadership, Maryland has retained jobs better than all but four other states and our unemployment rate remains 25% below the national average.

Bob Ehrlich may say he cares about public education, but Bob Ehrlich actually failed to fully-fund our schools and created a crisis in public school construction when he was governor. On top of that, Ehrlich has already promised a return to the 40 percent increase in college tuition that defined his one term in office.

By contrast, under Governor O'Malley, Maryland was recently named a winner in the Race to the Top initiative for its efforts to reform our public schools. Governor O'Malley has froze college tuition costs, fully-funded public education in our state and he ended the crisis in school construction. Under Governor O'Malley's leadership, Maryland has doubled the number of charter schools to 42 and the National Education Association named Governor O'Malley "America's Greatest Education Governor" for his efforts to support public education in our State and provide our teachers, students, parents and education professionals with the tools they need to build the #1 ranked public school system in the nation.

And Bob Ehrlich says he cares about the Bay, but Bob Ehrlich actually cut critical programs, like Program Open Space, for Bay restoration. Bob Ehrlich allowed over-development and sprawl and actually tried to sell state owned land for development on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Under Governor O'Malley, the Chesapeake Bay is the healthiest it's been in years - receiving its highest grade since 2002 from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Governor O'Malley's Baystat program has been adopted as a national model for efforts to retore the enitre Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Click here to read more about Bob Ehrlich's failed record on taxes and spending.