Who Said That
Chris DeCardy, president of the Heinz Endowments. That foundation, along with others in Pittsburgh, has helped the city change its economic focus to robotics, AI, life sciences and advanced manufacturing. Pittsburgh is one of several major cities where foundations are pushing economic development strategies in parallel with city governments themselves. (Governing – Jan. 2, 2025)
Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. He backs an effort to expand alcohol sales beyond liquor stores, allowing sales in grocery stores and perhaps other retailers. Some legislators worry that increased competition could hurt small business owners, but surveys show overwhelming support for allowing such sales, which would bring Maryland in line with laws in adjoining Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.(Maryland Matters – Dec. 11, 2024)
Weld County, Colo., Commissioner Kevin Ross. The county is seeing its assessed value drop from nearly $25 billion last year to less than $20 billion this year, but its budget remains in fairly good shape. That’s in part due to a property tax rate increase but also for finance decisions made over time to take into account the county’s boom and bust sectors, particularly energy. (Denver Post – Dec. 15, 2024)
Alderman Anthony Beale. He was complaining about Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget, which increases spending from last year and includes accounting gimmicks to avoid a property tax increase. Beale was among a group of 15 aldermen (there are a total of 50 on the board) who called on the mayor to cut spending by an additional $824 million. (The Center Square – Dec. 16, 2024)
Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, which makes gas turbines. He exalted about new orders in a recent earnings call with investors. The incoming Trump administration is expected to push for increased energy production. Along with growing demand for power from data centers, that’s setting the stage for industry growth. (Heatmap – Dec. 10, 2024)
Former Michigan House Speaker Craig DeRoche. He is now the president of the conservative Family Policy Alliance and was summarizing a message Republican legislators and governors are sending to members of the incoming Trump administration — namely, that they are not waiting for Donald Trump to take office to advance more conservative agendas on issues such as gun owners’ rights, abortion, illegal immigration and requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools. (Washington Post - Dec. 13, 2024)
American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan. He’s one of the military history buffs waging a legal fight to protect Civil War battlefield sites in Northern Virginia from data center development. One of the world's largest is planned to cover 2,000 acres next to Manassas National Battlefield Park. Preservationists say a report to Virginia lawmakers that found data center projects don't pose any more of a risk to historic sites than other types of large-scale development minimizes their threat. (Axios – Dec. 12, 2024)
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom was referring to a proposed $4.5 billion reservoir in Northern California, which would be the first in decades. Newsom says the reservoir is needed to maintain the state’s water supply and is part of California’s adaptation strategy in response to climate change. The plan will require numerous federal permits. (Sacramento Bee – Dec. 10, 2024)
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Frey vetoed a resolution approved by the City Council that called on the University of Minnesota to drop all disciplinary actions against students who participated in a pro-Palestinian protest in October. A 7-6 council majority expressed support for “nonviolent campus activism opposing war and supporting Palestinian human rights,” but the university says the protest was in fact violent. (Minneapolis Star Tribune – Dec. 9, 2024)
Philip Hamburger, a Columbia University law professor. He was referring to Chevron deference, a legal doctrine that held that in most cases courts should defer to federal agencies when it came to interpreting statutes. In June, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine. That ruling has unleashed a flood of legal challenges against regulatory decisions and will provide part of the legal basis for the incoming Trump’s administration’s efforts to cut spending through the new Department of Government Efficiency. (Washington Post – Dec. 8, 2024)
L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. She sponsored a ballot measure, narrowly approved by voters last month, which will expand the Board of Supervisors from five members to nine, while also creating an elected county executive. The county had not changed its governance structure for more than a century. (Governing – Dec. 9, 2024)
Alexis Simpson, newly chosen as the Democratic leader in the New Hampshire House. Republicans, who increased their majority in November, reelected Sherman Packard to a third term as speaker on Wednesday. In his acceptance speech, Packard also emphasized the need for civility and cooperation between the parties. (New Hampshire Bulletin – Dec. 4, 2024)
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, announcing he will run as an independent for governor of Michigan in 2026. He’s served as a Democrat as mayor. Like other swing states, Michigan tilted to the right in November, with Donald Trump carrying the state and Democrats losing their state House majority. Other prominent Democrats might have been tough for him to beat for the nomination, but Duggan argues an independent can govern more effectively and detoxify the political environment in Lansing. (AP – Dec. 4, 2024)
Mitchell Rutherford, a high school biology teacher in Tucson, Ariz. Rutherford explained that students’ cellphone use in his class was so pervasive that it distracted him to the point of being a bad husband and suffering mental health challenges. Numerous states and school districts have implemented policies to restrict or ban cellphone use during the school day due to concerns about students becoming distracted, anxious or depressed. (NPR – Dec. 3, 2024)
Jared Polis, the Democratic governor of Colorado, reacting to President Biden’s Sunday night pardon of his son Hunter. Polis said that he could understand Biden’s desire as a father to protect his son, but argued that this decision could be used as precedent by future presidents and will tarnish Biden’s legacy. (X – Dec. 1, 2024)
Democrat Andy Kim. The New Jersey congressman won a Senate seat last month. He argues that for his party to regain power, it must convince voters it’s working for their interests. Kim twice carried a district that voted for Donald Trump and was able to present himself as an anti-establishment candidate this year, running for a seat vacated by Democrat Bob Menendez, who was convicted on corruption charges. (Philadelphia Inquirer – Nov. 26, 2024)
Lauren Book, a former Florida state senator, announcing her intention to run again. Book has served as the Democratic leader in the state Senate but had to leave office a few weeks ago due to term limits. She intends to run either in 2026 or 2028 to represent a neighboring district. (South Florida Sun Sentinel – Nov. 26, 2024)
Macon, Ga., Mayor Lester Miller, in reference to the city’s plan to implode a vacant 16-story hotel at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Last year, Macon-Bibb County spent $4.5 million to buy the hotel in a federal bankruptcy proceeding. The city-county has hired a demolition firm to blow up the building for $2.6 million. Miller says the city hasn’t yet decided on how the land will be used. (Associated Press — Nov. 20, 2024)
Staten Island, N.Y., Borough President Vito Fossella, calling upon Whoopi Goldberg to apologize to a local bakery for suggesting on air that the business had declined to make her a batch of desserts because of her political beliefs. The 145-year-old bakery said that their decades-old boiler had malfunctioned and had to be replaced, so the establishment could not commit to making a large order. (Associated Press — Nov. 16, 2024)
Dr. William Morrone, the medical examiner for Bay, Midland, Tuscola, Arenac and Iosco counties in Michigan, regarding the news that at least three deer hunters have died of heart attacks so far during the 16-day season. Morrone said he had never seen three people die in 48 hours from heart attacks while deer hunting before and that hunters should better prepare themselves for the rigors of the outdoors. Two of the men who died were trying to haul away the heavy animals. (Associated Press — Nov. 20, 2024)
Brian Rice, president of California Professional Firefighters, the state’s largest firefighter organization, responding to a threat President-elect Donald Trump made at a campaign rally in October to withhold firefighting aid from the state. (CalMatters — Nov. 8, 2024)
Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, reassuring residents in a news conference that his administration is ready to fight against Trump administration policies that could harm Illinois’ most vulnerable populations including LGBTQ+ people, immigrants and people with disabilities. (State Journal-Register — Nov. 8, 2024)
Sharyn Vane, a Jewish parent of two Texas public school graduates, at a September public hearing on the state Education Board’s vote on Bible-infused lessons in public schools. (New York Times — Nov. 18, 2024)
Lich Vu, a 70-year-old resident of Oklahoma. Vu was stopped by Oklahoma City police officer Joseph Gibson for making an illegal U-turn. Vu, a Vietnamese immigrant, refused to sign the ticket, even though Gibson warned him that could mean going to jail. The two argued and miscommunicated due to a language barrier. Gibson is now under investigation, with body cam footage showing him slamming Vu to the ground. (NPR – Nov. 14, 2024)
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, regarding the Pentagon’s latest report on UFOs that revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena. (Associated Press — Nov. 14, 2024)
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, urging people to avoid lighting fires as the state has had to manage approximately 200 fires this month. (Associated Press — Nov. 12, 2024)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, regarding the nearly 90,000 DACA recipients in Texas, and more than 500,000 across the nation, who are now eligible to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act through Jan. 15. (Associated Press — Nov. 12, 2024)
The Yemassee, S.C., Police Department, regarding the escape of 43 monkeys from an Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center last Wednesday. Officials urged residents to lock their doors and windows until the primates were captured; as of Sunday evening, 25 of the monkeys have been recovered. The female rhesus macaque primates are very young and weigh between 6 and 7 pounds. (NPR — Nov. 11, 2024)
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, regarding the distribution of racist text messages to Black college and high school students on Thursday and Friday following the election. Jones’ 17-year old son, a high school student, was one of those who received the text on Wednesday night. The message, which said the recipient was “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” is from an unknown sender. (NPR — Nov. 7, 2024)
Republican Elijah Haahr, a former speaker of the Missouri House. He was explaining why state voters approved ballot measures to protect abortion rights, raise the minimum wage and guarantee paid sick leave for workers, while also voting by wide margins to elect Republicans who oppose those proposals. Haahr noted that out-of-state progressive groups spent millions of dollars to support the ballot measures. (Missouri Independent — Nov. 7, 2024)
