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After decades of public service, pushing for policies he thought would help the state of Maryland and its people along the way, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) led his last Maryland Association of Counties town hall as a congressman Friday.
He listened to the concerns of state officials and advocates interspersed with praise for his service.
鈥淵our friend, Ben,鈥� said MACo Second Vice President M.C. Keegan-Ayer, when introducing him. 鈥淗e鈥檚 really truly been a friend to every Marylander.
鈥淭his session is annual favorite at the MACo summer conference. It is our chance to hear directly from our esteemed senator, asking questions about what鈥檚 happening at the federal level,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd since he is going to be leaving Congress at the end of this year, this is our last town hall forum with Sen. Cardin.鈥�
Cardin announced in May 2023 that聽.
The 80-year-old senator has fostered a legacy as a public servant.
He was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1986, serving as House Speaker from 1979 to 1986. He moved to the U.S. House in 1987, representing Maryland鈥檚 3rd District, before being elected to the Senate in 2006.
When he walked up to begin the discussion Friday, Cardin was greeted with a standing ovation from the auditorium.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing, you announce you鈥檙e not going to run for reelection, the nice things people say about you,鈥� he joked.
Even though he鈥檚 leaving, Carding told the audience he鈥檚 not leaving yet.
鈥淲e still have about four and a half months left of this term of Congress. We still have a lot of things we鈥檝e got to get done,鈥� he said, before opening the floor of the town hall for questions.
鈥淟et鈥檚 open it up to some friendly discussion,鈥� Cardin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my last time here. Please be kind to me.鈥�
Cardin talks shop
As he requested, the questions were kind, but got right down to business.
Cardin said President Joe Biden remains committed to the federal government fully funding the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, but said Congress still needs to pass legislation to make that happen.
鈥淭he good news, right before the recess of August, we got over the last hurdle in the Senate in regards to the committee鈥檚 signoff on the 100% federal funds,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e on our way to getting that legislation passed.鈥�
Robert Sandlass of Harford County noted changes being made to clear the way for the Key Bridge project and wondered if that would lead to more opportunities to expedite infrastructure projects by easing regulations.
鈥淵ou spoke about the funding for Key Bridge, one of the other great things you see is also some of the regulatory hurdles are being fast-tracked,鈥� Sandlass said. 鈥淎s far as when it comes to Congress, what are some things that we can do to expedite the construction of our infrastructure?鈥�
Cardin said he agrees that it 鈥渄oes take too long for us to get through infrastructure improvements,鈥� but added that 鈥渞egulations are there for a particular purpose,鈥� such as environmental protection, public safety and impacts on communities.
鈥淪o we don鈥檛 want to get rid of the regulatory framework, but we have to move in a more efficient way,鈥� he said.
Several questions revolved around funding 鈥� specifically if federal funds could go directly to county governments instead of being funneled through a state agency first, as was the case with distribution of some COVID-19 recovery funds.
Cardin said he likes the idea 鈥� 鈥淚 believe we work best when we get the funds to the local levels of government,鈥� he said 鈥� but thinks the option is unlikely.
鈥淲ill that happen in the future? I find that when you have tight budgets, they usually take the low-hanging fruit to save money and cut off your aid. That鈥檚 not right, but that鈥檚 what bureaucrats at the federal level tend to do when they don鈥檛 have enough money to fund their particular agencies,鈥� he said.
鈥淯nless we can get back to more reasonable budgets, it鈥檚 going to be challenging to get direct funding coming to the county,鈥� he added.
Other topics included the future of the federal child tax credit, Social Security, and evictions.
Key to the city
At the end of the town hall, Ocean City Mayor Richard Meehan presented Cardin with a key to the city.
鈥淏en Cardin鈥檚 given 58 years now towards serving the state of Maryland, and that鈥檚 a long career and he鈥檚 accomplished so much for our state,鈥� Meehan said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been a consistent advocate for each and everyone of you in this room.鈥�
Meehan recalled some of Cardin鈥檚 work on Ocean City鈥檚 Beach Replenishment Project, citing it as just one example of how the longtime elected official as helped the area.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if that project would have happened or would have continued to be funded in its maintenance phases if it hadn鈥檛 been for Sen. Cardin,鈥� Meehan said. 鈥淚 am very proud on behalf of our citizens to present you with this key.鈥�
鈥淚 really appreciate this key,鈥� Cardin replied. 鈥淚 hope it opens a couple doors for me.鈥�
