It's not a statue in front of the office building that bares his name but Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller did receive a bust of himself this week courtesy of the Regional Manufacturing Institute.
Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, a Perry Hall Democrat, gave a sneak preview of the small, light-weight bust of Miller moments before presenting it to the Senate's top dog.
"You can't have too much Mike Miller," Klausmeier said.
The technology is similar to what was used in a scene of Jurassic Park 3 where a copy of a velociraptor's larynx was recreated. The institute offered legislators in Annapolis the opportunity to have themselves scanned into a computer and get busts of themselves.
Miller seemed impressed with the petite bust but joked that it looked "petrified."
Miller then placed the bust on the rostrum.
David Moon at Maryland Juice issued a $30 reward for anyone who could procure him a bust of the Senate president. No word on if he's landed one.
The rest of us are holding out for a bobblehead.
The Bird Man of Annapolis
Forget the debate over whether Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback or not. No, the Super Bowl champions have opened up a whole new debate—Does Maryland need a second state bird?
Sen. Bobby Zirkin, an Owings Mills Democrat, Thursday introduced a bill that would add the raven to roster of official state symbols.
Currently, the Baltimore Oriole is the official state bird. Zirkin's bill would not supplant the current title holder but make room in the nest for a co-state bird.
Zirkin previously introduced this bill at the request of school children several years ago. It was last introduced in 2007 by Baltimore City Del. Nathaniel Oaks.
The House and Senate are also taking up the hotbed issue of whether or not the softshell crab should be the official state sandwich.
Here is a list of other state symbols:
- Bird—Baltimore Oriole
- Boat—Skipjack
- Cat—Calico
- Crustacean—Blue Crab
- Dessert—Smith Island Cake
- Dinosaur—Astrodon johnstoni
- Dog—Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- Drink—Milk
- Fish—Rockfish (Striped Bass)
- Flower—Blackeyed Susan
- Folk Dance—Square Dance
- Fossil Shell—Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae
- Gem—Patuxent River Stone
- Horse—Thoroughbred Horse
- Insect—Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly
- Reptile—Diamondback Terrapin
- Song—Maryland, My Maryland
- Sport—Jousting
- Team Sport—Lacrosse
- Theater—Center Stage
- Theater (Summer)—Olney Theatre
- Tree—White Oak
So Close and Yet So Far
President Barack Obama was in Annapolis this week but some were disappointed that he didn't drop by the State house.
Obama was a few blocks away meeting with Democratic U.S. Senators in advance of his State of the Union speech next week.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Democrat, called it "ridiculous" that POTUS could not find time in his schedule to visit the capital and the legislators.
"The President should have come from the Westin to here for a joint session," Miller said Thursday. "It's huge Democratic state. We've carried him in overwhelming majorities in...two elections. I mean the very least he should have done was come down here to say a collective 'thank you' to the people of the state of Maryland."
Here's hoping for a crab summit. The J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake is coming up in July.
There's An App For That?
Credit Don Curtis with what might have been the most entertaining testimony in the more than eight hours spent on proposed gun control legislation.
The La Plata resident and gun owner said he is moving out of Maryland because of the bills but he's apparently leaving behind a property with some impressive security features.
"We have an electrified gate. The sensors went of and they kept going off," Curtis said as he told the committee a story about a police SWAT team that showed up at his house after buying what he called "small quantities of ammunition" from a local gun store.
"My home is a technological fortress," Curtis said, adding that if an intruder urinates "on my property I'll know it and can record it and put it on YouTube."
He didn't say urinate.
That should be an interesting property listing.
Checkmate
Montgomery County Democratic Sen. Jamie Raskin is known in Annapolis for his chess accumen but he's probably wishing for a little anonymity just a day after a hearing on several gun control bills.
Someone snapped Raskin during the hearing in what appears to be a game of online chess. Raskin has previously won the legislative chess tournament.
The photo of Raskin surfaced online via Twitter and on Breitbart and other conservative websites and social media.
Raskin was not immediately available for comment.
Old What's His Name
Matthew Gallagher might want to consider wearing a more prominent name tag.
Gov. Martin O'Malley's chief of staff since 2009 is finding that people are having a hard time with his name lately.
On Wednesday, during ceremonies honoring a number of past and present state official and legislators, House Speaker Michael Busch was introducing him when he froze up.
"I also want to recognize the governor's chief of staff who's here today," Busch said, taking a longer than usual pause.
An aide could be heard prompting Busch with Gallagher's name.
Busch casually played off the gaff as an improvement over the last time Gallagher was introduced.
"He first was introduced as Mr. MacNamara at the State of The State so he's come along way since then," Busch said.
Maryland General Assembly Notebook 2013 is a round up of the notable and quotable from Annapolis.