Painting a dire picture of the state's finances, Gov.-elect Larry Hogan warned Marylanders of "tough decisions" ahead as he prepares to take on a budget with a projected $900 million revenue shortfall over the next two years.
Hogan held a news conference Tuesday morning after meeting with five Republican county executives at an Annapolis restaurant, warning that Maryland faces a serious fiscal crisis.
"We've maxed out all the credit cards. We've drained all the savings accounts.We've broken into the kids piggy banks. We have no money left," he said.
The Republican governor-elect took a swipe at Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley as he promised to make "tough decisions" to get the state's finances in order.
"That's something that hasn't been done for eight years," said Hogan, who takes over from O'Malley Jan. 21.
Hogan declined to say Tuesday what those choices might be but he promised that amid the deep cuts he expects to make he also hopes to find some money to restore highway aid to local jurisdictions that was slashed as the O'Malley administration grappled with the recession.
"We're going to try to find some money to put into highway user revenues so they can work on improving the roads and bridges in their counties that have been suffering over the last eight years," Hogan said.