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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.
“Your friend, Ben,” said MACo Second Vice President M.C. Keegan-Ayer, when introducing him. “He’s really truly been a friend to every Marylander.
“This session is annual favorite at the MACo summer conference. It is our chance to hear directly from our esteemed senator, asking questions about what’s happening at the federal level,” she said. “And since he is going to be leaving Congress at the end of this year, this is our last town hall forum with Sen. Cardin.”
Cardin announced in May 2023 that he would not seek reelection.
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’s 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.
“It’s amazing, you announce you’re not going to run for reelection, the nice things people say about you,” he joked.
Even though he’s leaving, Carding told the audience he’s not leaving yet.
“We still have about four and a half months left of this term of Congress. We still have a lot of things we’ve got to get done,” he said, before opening the floor of the town hall for questions.
“Let’s open it up to some friendly discussion,” Cardin said. “It’s my last time here. Please be kind to me.”
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.
“The good news, right before the recess of August, we got over the last hurdle in the Senate in regards to the committee’s signoff on the 100% federal funds,” he said. “So we’re on our way to getting that legislation passed.”
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.
“You 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,” Sandlass said. “As far as when it comes to Congress, what are some things that we can do to expedite the construction of our infrastructure?”
Cardin said he agrees that it “does take too long for us to get through infrastructure improvements,” but added that “regulations are there for a particular purpose,” such as environmental protection, public safety and impacts on communities.
“So we don’t want to get rid of the regulatory framework, but we have to move in a more efficient way,” he said.
Several questions revolved around funding — 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 — “I believe we work best when we get the funds to the local levels of government,” he said — but thinks the option is unlikely.
“Will 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’s not right, but that’s what bureaucrats at the federal level tend to do when they don’t have enough money to fund their particular agencies,” he said.
“Unless we can get back to more reasonable budgets, it’s going to be challenging to get direct funding coming to the county,” 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.
“Ben Cardin’s given 58 years now towards serving the state of Maryland, and that’s a long career and he’s accomplished so much for our state,” Meehan said. “He’s been a consistent advocate for each and everyone of you in this room.”
Meehan recalled some of Cardin’s work on Ocean City’s Beach Replenishment Project, citing it as just one example of how the longtime elected official as helped the area.
“I’m not sure if that project would have happened or would have continued to be funded in its maintenance phases if it hadn’t been for Sen. Cardin,” Meehan said. “I am very proud on behalf of our citizens to present you with this key.”
“I really appreciate this key,” Cardin replied. “I hope it opens a couple doors for me.”
