"I heard a noise, it's that close to me," Maryland Governor candidate Ed Hale recalled of the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore two years ago today. The Republican businessman and Charm City resident's home was within earshot of the catastrophe that unfolded on March 26, 2024. Two years later, progress on the construction of a replacement bridge has stalled as the cost of the project ballooned fivefold under the administration of Governor Wes Moore (D). Running afoul of federal funding guidelines, and Moore's relentless personal attacks on President Donald Trump, have led to the possibility that former president Joe Biden's vow to pick up 100% of the tab is now in serious jeopardy. Hale scheduled a press conference within sight of the bridge yesterday to excoriate Moore for the lack of progress, 24 hours ahead of the predictable Moore media blitz.
"It's a bridge that I've used pretty much all of my life," Hale told reporters Wednesday. "I'm from around here. This is my house right here," he added, gesturing toward his home. The neighborhood around the former bridge connection "is hurting, because it takes forever to go from here to over there," Hale said.
Hale argued the floundering rebuild is "emblematic of a governor that's really not paying attention to this whatsoever. He'll smile and say that he is, but he's not. And what you see is anger on both sides of the bridge, all around [Anne Arundel and Baltimore] County and just, the citizens here are extremely upset and don't like the idea that we're not getting this done. There's no end in sight for this thing to be done."
"We are a ship without a rudder," Hale charged of Moore's leadership of the state, saying the current governor's attention is largely consumed by his quest for the presidency in 2029. He announced that in lieu of a workable solution from the Moore administration, "I have a plan."
"I'm going to have the bureaucrats involved, the engineers, and the construction companies involved in this whole process, and see what they can do," Hale said. "And if they don't have a reasonable explanation, they're not going to last long in my administration." He suggested the state turn to Maryland-based firms that do similar work around the world to rebuild the bridge, saying he knows they are qualified because he has hired many of them for his own projects. "I've talked to a bunch of people, and they're standing by, ready to do it."
Hale cited the outflow of residents and wealth from Maryland to other states in recent years. Voters are "now telling me, 'If you don't win, we're moving,'" Hale recounted. A recent poll found that over 60% of Maryland residents are either in the process of leaving the state, or are considering a move. "We can't continue to have this happen," Hale said.
"We don't have economic development. We don't have job creation. We are the worst in the nation for job creation," Hale explained, noting that as a private sector businessman, he has created tens of thousands of jobs. By "every metric you can think of, we're failing," Hale said. "I don't intend to fail. I intend to make things better. Help is on the way."
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