Wes Moore: Work, wages and wealth will be North Stars

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Editor鈥檚 note: Maryland Matters reporters sat down with some of the candidates for governor at the recent Maryland Association of Counties conference. Interviews with these candidates have appeared over the past few days. And we will bring you interviews with other gubernatorial contenders as the campaign unfolds.聽

Wes Moore likes to say he comes 鈥渇rom a long line of preachers and teachers.鈥�

But over a coffee recently in Ocean City, one particular preacher in his lineage came to mind: his grandfather.

His grandfather was the first on his mother鈥檚 side to be born in the U.S.

But his great-grandfather, a vocal minister, was run out of the country by threats from the Ku Klux Klan, resettling his family in Jamaica.

Years later, Moore鈥檚 grandfather would return 鈥� 鈥淗e always said I was born here and no one has the right to take away my American-ness鈥� 鈥� and become the first Black minister in the Dutch Reformed Church.

But despite a righteous life that revolved around giving back to others, his grandfather was unable to accumulate wealth, something that鈥檚 held in common by too many generations of Black Americans, Moore says.

鈥淭his is a person who devoted his entire life to his family, his entire life to his country, who was maybe the most patriotic man I鈥檝e ever met in my life 鈥� and he wasn鈥檛 able to hand over anything to his children and grandchildren,鈥� Moore said.

Moore sums up his focus in seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022 alliteratively: 鈥淲ork, wages and wealth will really be the north stars.鈥�

What does that mean? Those concepts touch on everything a state administration should be focused on, from the training that students will receive in schools to getting rid of transportation deserts, to thinking of housing in new ways, and eradicating health care bills as the leading cause of bankruptcy in the state.

鈥淲e can be so much better when you think about the assets that this state has,鈥� Moore said.

He notes that Prince George鈥檚 County 鈥渉as a real stake to claim鈥� for being the nation鈥檚 highest-income African American jurisdiction, but still struggles with issues like high foreclosure rates and low wealth.

鈥淎nd it鈥檚 a core distinction between saying we have high income and saying we have high wealth. Those are two different things,鈥� Moore said.

The pandemic has brought issues of inequity into stark relief. In the coming weeks, Moore plans to release a set of equity-focused policy proposals on the campaign鈥檚 core topics of work, wages and wealth.

鈥淔or some people this past year was an inconvenience. And for some people this past year was catastrophic.鈥�

One policy Moore wants to enact quickly is an acceleration of the state鈥檚 move to a $15 minimum wage.

鈥淭he fact that we are talking about putting together a $15 minimum wage by 2025 is absurd,鈥� Moore said of the state鈥檚 current policy. 鈥淚t will not [take] until 2025 in my administration. It鈥檚 something that Maryland should have already had done.鈥�

Moore said the state also needs more direction when it comes to universal plans for improving peoples鈥� lives.

鈥淲e have a state that is asset rich, and strategy poor,鈥� Moore says, listing some of the things that make Maryland great: the Chesapeake Bay, Johns Hopkins, NASA, and more. 鈥淲e have all these assets that are sitting there and no strategy about how they鈥檙e interacting, how they鈥檙e coordinating, how we have a school system that鈥檚 actually preparing our students to take advantage of those assets.鈥�

While recognizing the governor鈥檚 limited ability to drive education policy in Maryland 鈥� with a state school board and superintendent, as well as elected local school boards 鈥� Moore said he would drive support for education reform as governor.

鈥淐onstitutional indirect responsibility does not mean abdication of responsibility,鈥� he said, alluding to Republican Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.鈥檚 veto of the multi-billion-dollar Blueprint education reforms. 鈥溾€he constitutional responsibility of the governor to be able to think about our educational system has never been more pronounced.鈥�

There are some issues with the implementation of the Blueprint 鈥� particularly the large local contributions required of Prince George鈥檚 County and the city of Baltimore, he said. But 鈥渁ddressing those things in the operationalization and implementation should not come to the detriment of actually getting stuff done.鈥�

The plan includes universal best practices that all Maryland children deserve, Moore said, not just the wealthiest ones.

鈥淲e should be implementing a universal pre-K system in the state. All the data continues to reinforce that the earlier we can get kids inside of classrooms, in a structured educational environment, it is the best thing not only for the child, but it is the best thing for the family.鈥�

The Blueprint will be the 鈥渃ore driver of 鈥� the future of the state鈥檚 economy, the future of the state鈥檚 workforce, and what鈥檚 the future of the state鈥檚 prospects,鈥� he said.

Moore has never held elected office, but 鈥渕y entire professional career I have been involved in government: state government, local government, federal government,鈥� he said, noting his careers as an Army paratrooper and officer, head of an organization that guided first-generation and disadvantaged college students, and running one of the largest nonprofits in the country, Robin Hood, which he left earlier this year to run for governor.

Some of the things he鈥檚 most proud of during his four years at Robin Hood 鈥渨eren鈥檛 just the allocations of cash鈥� but changes in public policy, including an adjustment to make the child tax credit fully refundable.

鈥淟iterally we cut the child poverty rate in almost half in the stroke of a pen,鈥� Moore said.

Earlier this year, he advocated for a bill to provide state financial assistance to close the 鈥渁ppraisal gap鈥� in some neighborhoods, or the gap between the cost of construction or renovation of a home versus the potential sale price, a dynamic exacerbated by historic red-lining practices.

鈥淚鈥檝e worked with state government, for my entire professional career, and I鈥檝e been public service, my entire professional career,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淚 just haven鈥檛 been a politician.鈥�

dgaines@marylandmatters.org

聽our interview this week with Republican Kelly Schulz.聽聽our interview this week with Democrat John King.

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