Maryland Governor’s Ideas Spotted in Louisiana

One gubernatorial candidate’s slick new plan for Louisiana’s future takes more than a few hints from the one that helped elect Maryland’s governor last year.

At least 15 sentences of “A New Beginning for Louisiana,” a 32-page report issued June 29 as part of state Treasurer Mary Landrieu’s campaign for governor, are nearly identical to Gov. Parris Glendening’s report.

For example, the report quotes Landrieu as saying: “Random, rampant violence has families across our state fearing for their safety in the streets, in the schools, even in their own cars and homes.”

The Glendening report said: “Random, rampant violence has families across our state fearing for their safety on the streets, in schools--even in their own homes.”

Landrieu, who approved the plan’s final wording, said she read Glendening’s report and spoke with elected officials throughout the country.

“I’m going to seek good ideas inside the state and outside the state,” she said.

“Out of 100 people who worked on the plan, one person [also] worked on the Glendening plan. Some of the same language was lifted,” she said.

The one person was Kim Haddow, a Washington-based media consultant. Haddow wrote Glendening’s plan, his press secretary Dianna Rosborough said.

Haddow is with Greer, Margolis, Mitchell, Burns & Associates, which works for Democratic candidates throughout the country. She referred calls to Landrieu campaign spokesman Jay Marlin.

“Obviously, some of the sentences were from the Glendening plan,” Marlin said. “The problems in Maryland are equally applicable in Louisiana.”

Candidates often borrow ideas from each other, Marlin said.

The similarities between the reports were disclosed Saturday by the Times-Picayune newspaper. None of the other candidates has publicly criticized Landrieu for the report.