A who's who of Harford County businesspeople and politicians gathered Thursday to listen to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski do what she does best -- speak her mind.
"It's going to be rock 'n' roll in the new Congress. I'm ready for it," said the short-in-stature senator, who brought her own footstool so she could peer over the podium.
The crowd of about 90 applauded several times during her speech on what she hopes to achieve during the next congressional session.
Ms. Mikulski said her main concerns include technology, strengthening exports and transportation.
"We have gone from bucolic Harford County to bumper-to-bumper Harford County," she said. "The new [Interstate] 95 growth corridor is Baltimore to Harford to Cecil County."
Her goal is to beef up MARC train service, Ms. Mikulski said. "This is where the future is. You need transportation. People are looking to commute at reasonable prices," she said.
She had some advice for fellow party members. "Democrats can't only be viewed as part of the resistance movement. They have to offer alternatives and stop whining and start winning," said the senator, who will be running for re-election in 1998.
Ms. Mikulski said she also supports several aspects of the Republican Party's "Contract with America," a plan to remake government.
"One of the first things is that Congress goes by the same rules as you go by in business," she said.
The senator backs opportunities for those who want to help themselves, and welfare reform. "It should not be a way of life, but a way to a better life," she stressed.
Ms. Mikulski was battling a cold that often left her coughing uncontrollably at the beginning of her speech. "I've got little germs that Newt Gingrich has been praying for me to get," she laughed.
After drinking a little hot water and lemon, Ms. Mikulski continued her talk in what she called her Lauren Bacall voice. "This is water, no matter what they say about people who live in Fells Point," she joked.
Ms. Mikulski was the keynote speaker at the seventh CEO Council breakfast at Harford Community College. "I'm pleased to be here to meet with the tycoons of Harford County," she said.
The group included such county notables as Maj. Gen. Richard W. Tragemann, commander of Aberdeen Proving Ground; Warren Hartenstine, Forest Hill businessman; new County Council President Joanne S. Parrott; interim HCC President W. Stephen Pannill; and Del. Mary Louise Preis, a 34th District Democrat.
Ms. Mikulski promised the Harford businesspeople that they would receive follow-up letters explaining how her office can help them deal with government channels.
"I've tried to make this conversational, not rhetorical," she said.