Boss O’Malley
And they are not just any special interests but close allies of Governor O’Malley. A long list of political supporters would benefit from the State Center development, including lobbyist Sean Malone, Mr. O’Malley’s labor commissioner during his time as mayor of Baltimore. He represents State Center LLC, as well as other organizations that stand to gain from this legislation, including East Baltimore Development Inc., the secretive, taxpayer-funded organization overseeing the haltingly slow redevelopment of land around Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The lobbyist’s influence on the legislation was so strong that Mr. Simmons said he was told to “work it [his objections] out with Sean Malone.”
Jon Laria, managing partner of Ballard Spahr’s Baltimore office, development lawyer and member of Mr. O’Malley’s gubernatorial transition team, is another person with a lot to gain from the project. He is counsel for State Center LLC and vice chair (with Ms. McIntosh as chair) of the governor’s Task Force on Sustainable Growth and Wastewater Disposal. Cozy, isn’t it?
