12/17/02
\The prime topic of conversation for Maryland Farm Bureau delegates meeting in the organization’s annual convention in Ocean City last week wasn’t on the list of resolutions.
The buzz was all about the potential secretaries of agriculture for the new Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) administration. The names were familiar to many:
• Stephen Weber, current Maryland Farm Bureau president and Baltimore County farmer;
• Former Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Lewis Riley and Wicomico poultry farmer; and
• Dr. John Brooks, a Baltimore County veterinarian who serves on the state Agricultural Commission and helped as an advisor to Ehrlich’s campaign.
Brooks, in a telephone interview, said he runs a busy veterinarian practice. His strong suit, he said, are the issues of protecting agriculture against bioterrorism, a concern in many states as a result of the 9/11 attacks.
Weber, a long-time leader in the farming community, is active in many agriculture organizations, including Farm Bureau, LEAD-Maryland and the Maryland Agro-Ecology Center.
Riley was well-liked in his earlier term as agriculture secretary, winning accolades from many in the community. He left the post to attend to personal matters and his farm.
Gov.-elect Ehrlich’s transition team has made no comment about the position. Observers say it could be one of the three candidates rumored at Farm Bureau, or, it could be someone else who would have a good relationship with the governor.
All applicants have been asked to apply on-line at the Ehrlich-Steele transition team Web site.
The Web site, www.ehrlichsteeletransition.org, lists an extensive list of state agencies and commissions and boards for which applicants can apply.
Maryland’s Nursery and Landscape Association is encouraging its membership, meanwhile, to promote Harford County nurseryman Walter A. Wicklein for deputy secretary, assistant secretary for resource conservation or assistant secretary for plant industries and pest management. The nursery industry contributes $1.15 billion to Maryland’s economy, proponents of Wicklein say.