Clinton will have a new family
living in Government House.
Governor elect Wes Moore will be
sworn in as the states 63rd Governor.
He acknowledges his win is breaking barriers,
but he says he's focused on getting to
work and there are a few issues that
will require his immediate attention.
Wednesday is gonna be the big day for you.
Are you ready for Inauguration Day?
It's gonna be a long day.
But I'm so ready.
Yeah, you know this. I'm.
I'm ready to get to work.
How is that
day gonna look different, feel different
from what we've seen in the past?
That day is going to represent something
pretty historic in the state of Maryland.
But the thing that I want people to
also see is not just the two faces
that are going to be inaugurated.
I want people to pay attention to the crowd.
We are going to watch people
from all over the state also,
because we are, we're, we actually are,
are providing buses and shuttles for
people to come from every corner
of the state to come to Annapolis
to witness it for themselves.
As final preparations for
Inauguration Day continue,
Moore is getting the incoming
administration ready to tackle several
budding issues like a potential recession,
a staggering number of state job vacancies,
and what to do with the state's estimated
2 1/2 billion dollar surplus. Outgoing
Governor Larry Hogan.
Should a warning to those in Annapolis
to keep a tight lid on spending,
he said this that it would be a
mistake for the legislature to
use its newly expanded budgetary
power to return to the old habits
of raiding the rainy day fund or
recklessly spending down the surplus.
Do you agree with that position?
Our administration is
going to be disciplined.
Our agenda is an ambitious 1.
Ambitious does not mean being reckless.
I believe deeply that we are
have to be smart because you know
we do have a surplus right now,
but there's three main reasons
why we have a surplus.
We have a federal government that
is infused capital in historic ways.
We have market performance particularly
in equities that is that is created,
you know a real lift and we have a
historic number of vacancies that
are sitting and state agencies which
is which is you know means a lot of
basic services are not being performed.
Does that mean that the money and
the surplus? This fair game. Then
I think what you're gonna do,
what you're gonna see with the budget
that we are going to be presenting
and and we're going to be presenting
our budget on a on January 20.
So pretty much within hours
of being inaugurated,
you are going to see a a budget
that is going to be reflective of
the fact that we understand that
that surplus is there and there
are things that we are going to
invest that we think is going
to create a significant level of
societal return on that investment.
Alright, so the governor
like had a lot to say there.
He did tell me that he was going
to make news again on Wednesday
saying that his administration
would make a major announcement.
I was trying to get out,
I was going to say what you think I
was working throughout the afternoon,
but he wasn't giving much information.
Just saying that they would make some
sort of announcement at that time,
you know, listen, I mean he,
he has got to get ready for what
will be a bit unusual time, right.
It's going to be tough.
Potentially we could dip into a recession,
it's likely. They might hold it off,
but it is certainly possible.
Companies,
corporations are starting to lay people off.
We've been talking about that.
So he will have to respond to that in kind.
2 1/2 billion dollars in this
state serve plus is a lot of money.
Governor Hogan says listen,
you have that money.
Don't spend it recklessly.
He's saying that they're going to
be disciplined in their approach,
but they do intend on dipping into
that money that he made absolutely
clear. You followed this from the
beginning when it I'm not even
going to say it seemed like a
dream because this young man is
so highly qualified and has been,
it feels like. This moment,
he's been waiting for this moment,
preparing for it.
But what have you noticed from
when you first started following
him to this moment?
Yeah, that's really,
that's a really good question because
I'll be really honest with you.
He was not the fan favorite at the time.
Very much everyone thought Peter
Francho was gonna be the one to pull
it out because he is is the statesman
has been in office for so many years.
I will say that the thing that I've
appreciated about Wes Moore and
his campaign is that they are very
disciplined in their messaging, right.
No one veers military background,
no one veers off task.
They understand what the objective is.
Everyone that you talk to that's
associated with the campaign says
pretty much the exact same thing.
They do not.
Get ahead of where Wes or Runa
Runa is at at any point in time.
They are very disciplined in their messaging,
which I think is an indication
of how they will lead and govern
and Marylanders will appreciate
that absolute clarity. Absolutely.
And and and they deserve it as well, right?
Yeah. Thanks.