Months ago, Gov. Parris N. Glendening predicted that he would not face opposition in his bid to regain the Democratic nomination for governor. His remark seemed oddly confident at the time as discontent was mounting within his own party and some of his detractors were calling him a one-term governor.

With the Sept. 15 primary election less than a month away, Glendening's prediction, while not entirely accurate, is being borne out. Harford County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann's campaign abruptly ended two weeks ago, leaving Glendening to face two marginal challengers.

One is Dr. Terry McGuire, a Davidsonville physician and abortion opponent. McGuire, 55, has been standing, it seems, next to virtually every highway in the state during the last few months holding up bright yellow signs bearing his name. Lawrence K. Freeman, a 47-year-old writer from Catonsville and a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, also has his name on the ballot.

Glendening, 56, has plenty of campaign money, name recognition and the power of incumbency. Possessed of these advantages, he is looking past primary day toward November's general election. In 1994, Glendening won a narrow victory - fewer than 6,000 votes out of 1.4 million cast - over Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey. Some observers are predicting a close Glendening-Sauerbrey rematch.

Recently, Glendening was interviewed by Thomas W. Waldron, the State House bureau chief for The Sun, and McGuire was interviewed by Sun reporter Michael Dresser.

The Sun chose not to interview Freeman, who does not appear to be waging an active campaign.

Terry McGuire

Why should Maryland voters elect you governor?

This administration has [followed] the agenda of a small cadre of extreme liberals who are strongly in favor of unrestricted abortion, over-regulation of Maryland business and disregard for taxpayers' money. If the people in this state are as fed up as I am with these policies, I ask them to go to the polls on Sept. 15 and take back the Democratic Party.

What are the three most important things you would like to do as governor?

The three most important issues in this state are education, crime and health care. On the issue of crime, I would encode into law no parole for violent offenders. For those who commit a crime of murder, rape, robbery or aggravated assault, I will use the full power of the governor's office to encode into law no parole. If you do a violent crime under a McGuire administration, you will do all the time. On the issue of education, under a McGuire administration, we will have a phonics-based curriculum preschool, first, second and third grades, so that a child receives a basic educational instructive program. The math will be taught also with basic methods. On the issue of health care, again I will use the full power of the governor's office to hold the HMOs themselves liable for malpractice. That is the only way to ensure accountability for the average citizen in the state of Maryland.

As a physician, what changes would you make in the way that Maryland regulates HMOs?

This administration, this governor has been an HMO man since he began as county executive in Prince George's County, when he changed the insurance program to an HMO for coverage of all county employees. In addition, he has established the MCO [managed care organization] system, which is an HMO system for Medicaid patients. The only way that an HMO can continue to make a profit is to restrict care. As governor, I would do away with the MCO system for Medicaid patients, which has already overspent over $100 million dollars in its first half-year.

You are running as a "pro-labor, pro-life" candidate. What specific policies would you adopt to advance both those agendas?

On the issue of life, I do not think that there is any worse or [more] horrendous procedure than partial-birth abortion. Inserting a catheter into the back of a baby's skull, sucking out the brains, collapsing the head and then delivering a dead baby up to one second before a live birth is diabolical. I will promise the people of this state to ban that procedure. I would push for parental-consent laws, noting that a teen-ager must receive permission from the parents today to have their body pierced but not to have an abortion.

Labor establishes a living standard for the average American. This is not to excuse the problems that union management has. However, I believe in the concept of labor, and put me down as pro-labor. I have no specific initiatives or things that I would change at the present time.

Marylanders in 1992 voted decisively in favor of maintaining a woman's right to choose an abortion. Would you, as governor, seek to reopen that debate? If so, what leads you to believe opinions have changed?

I think that the whole idea of choice is a misnomer. I think that the real choice is to have sex. If a bill was presented to me on my desk to place it on the referendum again, certainly I would sign it. That is an issue that should be decided by the people.

If you could write an ideal abortion statue, what would it be?

I haven't thought of it.

Do you support the death penalty? If so, how do you square that with your pro-life philosophy?

The question of the death penalty involves dual ideas of justice and punishment. The problem with the death penalty is that it is neither justice nor is it punishment. The only real justice would be to have the perpetrator suffer the same way that the victim suffered. That is unconstitutional because of the 8th Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. I would support the will of the people, and if a bill was placed on my desk to rescind the death penalty, I would sign it.

What are your views on the issue of slot machines at Maryland's race tracks?

As former chairman of the Concerned Citizens Against Commercial Casinos, I was very active along with other groups in the state to prevent casinos from coming into the state. The governor remained silent until we developed a grass-roots program to stop casinos. I sent the letter to him in 1995 which suggested that he veto any legislation concerning casinos to essentially stop the bill. I would support a referendum on the issue of slot machines. They would be completely owned and operated by the state of Maryland, 10 percent of the proceeds going to racing purses and the remaining 90 percent being returned to the taxpayers as tax relief.

Would that be decided on a statewide basis or a county-by-county basis?

It would be decided on a statewide basis, but if a particular county voted against it, no slot machines would be located in that county. In addition, I should also state that no slot machines would be located at race tracks, off-track betting parlors or hotels.

Slot machines are identified by casino opponents as the most addictive form of gambling. If you're going to allow them, why not permit other forms of casino gambling?

I think that they are very highly addictive, and I agree with [the casino opponents]. But I also feel that people have a right to vote on the issue. I would support the will of the people, pro or con.

How could you operate effectively as governor, especially in dealing with the legislature, with no previous experience in elective office?

That's an interesting question, and I think that the people should understand that those in office have not done such a good job with their so-called legislative experience. But I have been in practice in medicine for 28 years and dealt with various problems of our society. In addition, I manage two family farms and was vice president of the family's construction firm. So I have a broad view of experience, in addition to having been involved in politics for most of my life.

You've criticized the state's new curbs on farm-nutrient runoff. As governor, would you seek to undo any provisions of the bill passed this year?

I feel that this program has violated a basic constitutional right, the right of entry to private property. I would rescind the legislation to make it voluntary. I feel that every farmer in the state is as concerned about the environment as every other person, and would cooperate voluntarily in this endeavor.

Could you explain how your position differs from Governor Glendening's stand against parole of inmates sentenced for murder and rape?

My position differs significantly in that I would take this out of the hands of the governor's office. I would encode it into law and would include murderers, rapists, armed robbers and those who commit aggravated assault.

How do you expect to beat an incumbent governor when you have little name recognition and relatively little money?

I was at a German festival at Carroll Park in Baltimore City on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and I was the only gubernatorial candidate who attended. I can only estimate that I personally talked to 600 to 700 people and only found one person who said they would vote for Glendening. That's how I will win this election.

If you do not win the primary, will you support the nominee of your party?

I think you should ask Mr. Glendening that first. I would like to say that I have been treated very poorly by the Democratic Party structure and that Mr. Glendening has avoided any direct debate with me.

Parris N. Glendening

Why do you deserve a second term?

We have done a really good job the last four years working together with the legislature, local officials, with community leaders. I think where the state is now, compared to four years ago, our economy is booming, more jobs than ever in the history of the state. We now have the third-highest family income. The unemployment rate is down to a nine-year low. And 107,000 people moved off of welfare into productive activities.

It's the first time in 52 years that we've gone through a four-year session without any new taxes or tax increase. We reduced or eliminated 15 business taxes, and we reduced the personal income tax by 10 percent. We did all of this in a very fiscally responsible way.

We took on the issues that some people didn't want to take on, whether it's Pfiesteria or Smart Growth. But it's not just about what we've done, it's about where our priorities are in the future as well. We stood tough against the elements who want to bring casinos and slots in the state. Our priorities are very, very clear.

You have made education a major priority. What are you #F proposing to do in a second term to improve the public schools? And what will you do to ensure that any new money for education is well spent?

It's not just money. You need substantial, sustained investments in the classroom, and in construction programs, and in our colleges and universities. But you also need to demand quality. We have tried to do both. You know what we have done in terms of additional huge financial investments for teachers in the classroom. In some areas, we need to reduce class size, and secondly, we cannot recruit and retain the best and brightest in our society in the classroom. When a young math major comes out of a four-year degree program and can start at $60,000 in private industry and jump up to $120,000 in five years' time, it's awful hard to say to him, "Well, yes, but come start in the classroom at $22,000."

We have backed [state schools Superintendent] Nancy Grasmick and some of the tough actions that she has had to take, whether it was the partnership direction for Baltimore City or reconstitution of schools in Anne Arundel and Prince George's [counties] and the Eastern Shore. But we cannot permit a school to continue to fail, simply saying, "We need more money." We've also seen during my numerous personal visits to the schools how poorly maintained some of the libraries are. We started a three-year program to upgrade every one. So we've taken a varied approach, one to improve quality, enforce it and provide the resources to do so. Then, secondly, invest in education as our top priority.

Do you believe Maryland is a safer place to live than four years ago, and what will you do in a second term to reduce crime?

Maryland is clearly a safer place to be. All you have to do is look at about every statistic - murders down 15 percent, armed robbery down 20 percent, rape down 20 percent. Our goal ought to be a crime-free, violence-free society, and we can't be happy by saying homicides are down. So we've outlined a multistage plan on how we're going to deal with this. It will start with aggressive enforcement of our anti-gun violence bill. And, by the way, this is one of the clear distinctions between me and my opponent [GOP gubernatorial candidate Ellen Sauerbrey]. She's spent her entire public career fighting against our anti-gun violence bill. I believe those laws work, and all you have to do is look at the decline in multiple gun sales.

People used to be able to walk into a gun store and buy 25 guns at a time and go out into the streets of Baltimore and sell them. You can't do that anymore. The other part is that the lieutenant governor [Kathleen Kennedy Townsend] is doing a wonderful job on this. After all, here's a woman whose father was killed by gun violence, and her uncle, the president, was killed by gun violence. She's done a wonderful job in aggressively enforcing the program.

The other part is our Hot Spots Program where we're devoting our resources to those areas where we know most of the crime occurs. Ninety percent of the crimes occur in 3 percent of the state. We ought to be putting most of our resources right there as well. The Hot Spots program does work, and we've already announced the program to triple the amount of coverage.

The other part that works is the strong preventive program, and that's why we have, for example, expanded our after-school programs. I support the death penalty in extreme cases. I also believe that for those absolutely violent predators, when they get sentenced to life imprisonment, it should mean life imprisonment. People shouldn't be out in eight or 10 years. There have been no paroles granted for a person with life in prison. The other part we believe strongly - the police officers on the street do make a difference. That's why we expanded the number of state troopers by 225.

With the state enjoying a large budget surplus, why can't we cut taxes some more for average, hard-working Marylanders?

First of all, we've cut taxes significantly. There are $2.2 billion dollars back into the economy that would have been into taxes just four years ago. But secondly, we have a huge need in education and infrastructure that includes our campuses.

Likewise, we know of a number of major improvements that we can do to help revitalize existing communities. I would urge that we be fiscally responsible, and as the Bible says, "There will be seven good years and seven years of famine." Now I don't anticipate seven years of famine, but I do believe that prudent fiscal responsibility dictates you be careful about expenditures. But my first priority is education and investment, particularly in one-time school constructions, school modernization, class-size reduction that is so pressing. Our future is based on what happens in the classrooms, and that is where we ought to be investing. If the lowest tax were what mattered the most, then everyone would be moving to Mississippi.

How do you differentiate between lottery, horse racing and keno, and something like slot machines?

First of all, it is clear from every study, and I don't even think the opponents deny this, everyone acknowledges that slot machines are the most addictive form of gambling by far. I'm not saying that you don't have an occasional person that doesn't have a problem with the lottery. I understand that, but the absolutely most addictive are the slot machines themselves.

Secondly, it's very clear from all across the country that when the slot machines and casinos come in, that's when you get organized crime, increases in crime and increases in domestic violence. People lose their paycheck, they lose their rent money or their mortgage payment. They go home and start drinking and start fighting, and domestic violence goes right through the roof. I'm responsible for what happens on my watch, and on my watch [slots] would be a major expansion of the gambling in the state. I'm just not going to permit it. It's awful hard to go back and undo things that have been here forever, but I can stop further destruction of the basic values of society on my watch.

Remember, there is a clear distinction here. I have said "No!" in case you didn't hear before. What I have said is, "No slots, no casinos and no exceptions." My Republican opponent has said she's willing to consider it and will probably have a referendum if necessary. I have to tell you, that is so misleading because what happens is [that] those big casino companies come in, and they pump $10 million or so into a television campaign to convince everyone that everything is going to be all right. I think that if you have basic values of what's right and wrong, you stand up and you tell the public you think this is wrong, you're going to oppose it, and I don't care about referendums or anything else.

Your critics raise questions about your commitment, about your keeping your word. Is that fair? Does that bother you?

You can't find one single person who can give you a specific example on this. And I'm saying that because I do keep my word and the fact is, if anything, I get criticized for being almost too loyal. When I say I'm going to do something, I go do it. Even with some controversial areas such as when I made the commitment in the last campaign to the entire public, I said we're going to have collective bargaining for state employees. I forced that because I think that was the right thing to do. That's why, when I said I was going to invest in education, no matter what, even though there was immense pressure just to slash taxes, it would have been the wrong thing to do, and it would have been the

wrong time, and we stuck with that. When I give my word, I stand by it. In fact, if you go back and you look at our list [of 1994 campaign promises], you will see that 98 percent of what we committed to do, we, in fact, did.

! Pub date: 8/23/98