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Municipal league goes ‘back to the future,’ Bouchat goes big, more in political notes

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Municipal league goes ‘back to the future,’ Bouchat goes big, more in political notes

Jun 28, 2025 | 8:44 am ET
By Lauren Lifke Danielle J. Brown
Municipal league goes ‘back to the future,’ Bouchat goes big, more in political notes
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Frederick Mayor Michael O'Connor (left), the outgoing president of the Maryland Municipal League, hands over the reins -- and the gavel -- to incoming president, Pocomoke City Mayor Todd Nock, on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Maryland Municipal League/CGI)

Pocomoke City Mayor Todd Nock wants to take the Maryland Municipal League “back to the future.”

Nock, who took over presidency of the league this week, made the comments after being handed the gavel by Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor, the outgoing president. In his first speech as president, Nock reminisced about his younger self and about the people who nurtured him, before challenging his fellow mayors and city leaders to work to develop the next generation of leaders.

“This year, Maryland Municipal League is going back to the future. Back to our communities. Back to building the next generation of leaders,” Nock said, according to text of his speech provided by the league. “We’re going to be present. We’re going to show up.

Because here’s the reality—we won’t be elected forever. Our job is to prepare, teach, and nurture not just our youth but also support our elders and entire communities,” he said. “It is time to go back home and be who the people elected us to be.”

Nock went on to tell the municipal officials assembled in Ocean City for the league’s annual summer conference that he did not want to be in their communities just “when you polish statues and cut ribbons. I want to be there when you’re hosting community events, when you’re connecting with residents, and when you’re doing the hard work that truly matters.”

Nock will serve a one-year term as president. While he was elevated to the presidency Tuesday, Bladensburg Mayor Takisha James was elected to replace his as president-elect, and will serve once Nock’s term ends.

Dashboard data targets gun violence

The Maryland Department of Health launched new data on gun violence statistics that health officials say will help track trends in gun violence and find solutions to reduce those numbers.

“As someone who has served as a surgeon in emergency departments in Maryland, I have personally seen how Maryland families and communities suffer from the impact of gun violence and its resulting trauma,” Health Secretary Meena Seshamani told reporters Thursday. “Our ultimate goal with these resources is to develop … data-driven solutions that will save the next life, that will protect the next family and that will heal our communities,” she said.

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The dashboard includes a decade of fatal and nonfatal shooting statistics, updated monthly to have “almost a real-time assessment of what gun violence looks like at the state, county and ZIP code level,” Seshamani said. It also includes the number of homicides and suicides related to firearm use.

From Jan. 1 through April, there had been 187 deaths due to firearms, according to the dashboard. About 54% of those deaths were suicides.

In addition to the dashboard, the department released a preliminary state plan to develop a public health approach to lower gun violence. Besides incorporating dashboard data, the plan calls for increased education efforts for effective gun violence prevention strategies and improved coordination between state agencies and local jurisdictions to bring down gun violence.

“It’s always important for us to remember that these statistics — they’re not just numbers,” Seshamani said, “They are real people. They are real victims of a public health crisis.”

You can’t be in the minority if you’re the only one…

Months after frustration of being in the minority drove Del. Christopher Bouchat (R-Frederick and Carroll) to say he would not run for reelection, the freshman Republican has modified that statement a little.

He will not seek election to a seat in the House of Delegates. He will seek election to an office on the second floor of the State House — the governor’s office.

Bouchat has not yet formally filed for the office, but confirmed his intention to run for governor, first reported by last week by the Baltimore Sun. While he has not filed the paperwork, Bouchat said he intends to start running ads this weekend on Fox45 in Baltimore, not actually pitching his candidacy but urging people to visit  Maryland’s many historic sites. It’s a version of the short video on his delegate site, quickly rebranded to a “Bouchat for Governor” page.

Municipal league goes ‘back to the future,’ Bouchat goes big, more in political notes
Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat (R-Frederick and Carroll) sports a Maryland flag-themed top hat on opening day of the 2024 session. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)

Bouchat said he decided to walk away from the House after one term because of the “super minority status” of Republicans in Maryland, who hold just 28% of seats in both the House and Senate,.

“It’s pretty much hopeless to be a Republican in the Maryland General Assembly,” Bouchat said. “Maryland has been under a legislative dictatorship by the Democratic Party for 105 years.”

He blames that on gerrymandering of legislative districts. Which got him to thinking about the goveror’s race.

“On a governor level, it’s not gerrymandered — it’s statewide,” Bouchat said.

His biggest goal, if elected, is to create a solution to gerrymandering

“What I’m offering is historical,” Bouchat said. “This is going to be one of the greatest political science accomplishments in the history of the world.”

If he files, Bouchat would not be the first Republican to throw his hat in the ring for the governorship: John Myrick and Brenda Thiam are already filed for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. Political observers are waiting to see if two-term GOP Gov. Larry Hogan will run for his old seat. And the Republican nominee will likely have to take on Gov. Wes Moore (D), a fundraising juggernaut in a deeply blue state.

While he has not officially filed, Bouchat has until February to sign up.

“I’m in no great hurry,” Bouchat said. “It’s a bit of a strategy to watch it all unfold.

Burd steps up at state retirement system

Robert “Bob” Burd, the deputy chief investment officer for the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, will step up next week to serve as acting CIO, the system’s board of trustees announced.

Burd will take over as interim chief on July 1, with the retrirement of current Chief Investment Officer Andrew Palmer, who has served in that role since 2015. The interim appointment of Burd was announced at the trustees June 17 meeting.

Burd has served as deputy chief investment officer since 2011, helping shape “asset allocation strategy, managing investment risk and overseeing manager selection across the $70 billion portfolio,” according to a news release from the system.

“Bob brings a deep understanding of our portfolio and a steady, principled approach to leadership,” said Executive Director Martin Noven. “He has earned the trust of the Board and I’m confident in his ability to lead the division with focus and integrity during this transitional period.”

Burd served as acting CIO once before, and system officials said his appointment now ensures uninterrupted leadership.

“Bob has worked side-by-side with our team to deliver long-term value for our members,” said State Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, Chair of the SRPS Board of Trustees. “We are fully confident in his ability to guide Maryland’s investment program during this interim period.”

The board said that under Palmer’s tenure, the system “achieved consistent outperformance, expanded internal asset management capabilities, and implemented strategic reforms across public and private markets. Burd has been instrumental in advancing these efforts and will provide continuity and stability during the leadership transition.”