This new session of conversations is with the members of the Frederick County Delegation. We extended an invitation to each of our representatives for a focused conversation on their passions and priorities with the hopes of providing valuable information and insight to the Frederick County community. The work of our Legislative Delegation during the annual 90-day Maryland General Assembly session impacts all of us, our lives, our families and our businesses. Here firsthand from our legislators as they share their priorities and plans to deal with Maryland’s most pressing issues.
In this interview Delegate Pippy discusses:
[1:01] Past history and experience
[5:23] Removal of Comptroller’s alcohol authority
[7:23] COVID, the Economy, and the value of small business
[10:51] Upcoming Policy Issues
[13:40] Responsibilities and Accomplishments as Chair of the Delegation
[18:07] The Importance of Bipartisanship
[23:47] Legislation and Small Business in Frederick County
Transcription edited for readability:
Rick Weldon: I hope everyone already knows Jesse but in case you haven’t had the opportunity to be exposed to Delegate Pippy, I wanted to talk a little bit first about your past experience laying the groundwork and paving the way for your present service, and that was your roll as the Chair of the Local Liquor Board.
Delegate Pippy: So I had the opportunity to join the Hogan Administration early in his tenure after 2014. There was a position open with the Frederick County Board of Licensed Commissioners which is locally known as the Liquor Board. When I read the description of that role I thought it was just such an interesting and fascinating position.
To give you an example, they are state officials and they are appointed by the Governor to oversee the sale and distribution of alcohol. In Frederick County we have hundreds of licensees. We have restaurants, breweries, distilleries, even when the Great Frederick Fair wants to serve alcohol they have to get a license. So this position oversaw tens of thousands of different events and organizations and licensees and citizens and you get to work with legislators, local officials, and fire marshals. I thought it was a very important role and an important place to help make a difference.
As you just mentioned, the liquor board has been around for nearly 100 years since prohibition ended and a lot of the laws on the books were very archaic. I was proud to be the youngest chairman of the liquor board of the state of Maryland and what I brought to the table was looking at these old liquor laws that needed to be updated.
For example, on Sundays in Frederick County you couldn’t serve alcohol until 11:00am and if you were someone who liked to attend brunch you wouldn’t be able to get a mimosa until 11, and many people would start attending breakfast/brunch at 9-10:00am. So we had that law changed. It may not seem like a big deal but if you are a restaurant in Downtown Frederick and you want to have people coming to brunch, that is a big deal. So we had Cafe Nola testifying as well as Brewer’s Alley and Isabella’s. I went through each regulation and each law over and over to help make Frederick County more welcoming to businesses.
That is ultimately what got me interested in the General Assembly because a lot of these decisions have to come from there. So as a regulator I had to appeal to my delegation to get the laws changed and now as a legislator myself, I have the opportunity to be there and work with other legislators to continue to make Frederick County more business-friendly.
Rick Weldon: You have really done a fantastic job with that. I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve talked with restaurant owners about that couple year period of time that was revolutionary in terms of Frederick County adjusting to boots on the ground.
I know you were also involved in discussions about the off-premise sales during the pandemic and that has been a lifesaver. The ability to be able to convey alcohol products off-premise while doing curbside food delivery was crucial to our restaurants and I know you played an important role in that.
How do you feel about the issues with the Comptroller? The general assembly majority taking away from the comptroller, his historic role in overseeing alcohol?
Delegate Pippy: So I actually voted against that law that was passed to essentially strip the Comptroller of his oversight of alcohol. I did so because I thought as it pertained to modernizing the alcohol industry, Franchot was doing a good job. Peter Franchot is a Democrat but even as a Republican, a lot of people thought fiscally he was doing a good job. He is a fiscal conservative and a lot of breweries and wineries and distilleries liked what he was doing. I think that, like you mentioned the Economic Matters Committee and some other folks, stripped him of that authority for political reasons so I did not support that.
I worked with the Comptroller’s office for years on helping our local breweries, wineries and distillers and I didn’t think he deserved to have what happened happen. So we will find out what the new setup is once they establish the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. And Rick as you know, sometimes things happen in Annapolis that aren’t “good”. There are plenty of things that I want to happen that don’t and plenty of things that do happen that I vote against. At the end of the day we do our best to make things better for folks back home but that’s one of the things that didn’t go the way we wanted.
Rick Weldon: So I know there are a lot of other things going on that aren’t necessarily going the way you’d like but something I’d really like to discuss is the economy. Nationally, regionally, here in Maryland and even here in Frederick County. What’s your take on where we are? What are you seeing both in the current fiscal year and in the year you will have to work on starting in January?
Delegate Pippy: The pandemic has been brutal. There is no question. It has arguably been the most difficult year I have faced along with all my fellow Marylanders. There is not a person or industry that hasn’t been severely impacted by this pandemic. I would imagine for the businesses, particularly those involved with the Chamber and in Downtown Frederick, it’s been very tough.
We have spent the first four months of this pandemic fielding thousands and thousands of calls related to folks in unemployment. The Department of Labor was overloaded and were not able to deliver everyone with relief in a timely manner and then you had businesses that were just shut down. I couldn’t imagine being a small business person with expenses that don’t end and not having the revenue or the customer base coming in. It has been beyond brutal and there is not a day that has gone by where I am not constantly reminded about the continual struggle related to this pandemic. We are nowhere near out of the woods.
We are going to literally put things into overdrive. There will be a budget deficit which is going to be problematic because in Annapolis there is usually some money that can go towards business relief for other programs that can help people. I am sure there will be less of that.
We will also need to look at regulations. We discussed the regulation regarding take out alcohol. For 80 years in Maryland, they prevented people from having alcohol to go, but we knew the restaurants needed it. So much money they make comes from alcohol sales and if they aren’t allowed to have people in restaurants eating or drinking, so many more would be going under. So we are going to have to look at other laws like that to do what we can to make sure our small businesses can keep going.
I happen to believe that small business is essential to a healthy environment. I am a proud pro-business person and I think that an entrepreneur who starts a business and creates jobs…the impact that has on all of our communities is essential. Many people do not understand what happens when businesses go under. The trickle effect that occurs when employees lose their jobs and insurance; they stop spending money they lose access to care… It is a real problem.
We will have to get very creative in the upcoming session to keep businesses on track and get them up and running again.
Rick Weldon: It’s going to be a very tough time. As you start looking forward, doing bill research, what do you see as some of the big policy issues that are going to hit you in committee?
Delegate Pippy: Well in addition to the pandemic fallout, I serve on a judiciary committee that tends to handle things related to crime and the justice system. We have had some national incidents related to policing. While this isn’t going to directly relate to small business, there are going to be several crime bills that are going to be pushed through trying to reform policing in the country.
It is always good to have reform and to make organizations and people better, but we cannot do that at the expense of law enforcement. In Frederick County, we like a safe community and we value the ability to walk in Downtown Frederick and feel safe from crime or assault. That is not a partisan issue, that is something we all agree- Democrat, Republican, Independent- we all agree that we want to raise our families in a safe community. So I will be fighting to ensure that we work on meaningful reform but not at the expense of our law enforcement.
Another policy issue that would impact Frederick County is the Kirwin Commission. That is a very expensive program that was enacted. When dealing with a pandemic or a recession or a dip in business activity, we need to be doing the things that spur activity not hinder activity. When raising the minimum wage, or raising taxes on businesses that are already struggling, in my view that does not help.
We need to be doing the things that make an entrepreneur go out, put some money to work, buy some property and investments and start a business. When you add expenses to that, those entrepreneurs don’t do it. That’s what some people in Annapolis do not understand. When you want to encourage someone to risk their money to start a business, we need to be helping them and not hurting them. So we will be fighting for those principles down in Annapolis as well.
Rick Weldon: So something I’m not sure everyone understands is the distinction between one of the representatives representing District Four along with Delegate Ciliberti and Delegate Cox but also your expanded responsibility as Chair of the Delegation. Eight people with very disparate political views- you guys really run the gamut.
You have a burden to make sure that important local legislation makes it through the General Assembly process in the middle of all the policy arguments and passionate ideology. Can you talk a little bit about your role as Chair of the Delegation and how you navigate that? I think you have done a really incredible job and it’s worth describing that to our viewers.
Delegate Pippy: I appreciate that. It’s tricky, especially in Frederick because I think we are the only delegation that is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. There are four Republicans that represent a conservative district like myself, and then there are four Democrats that represent a more liberal district- District 3 – which includes the City of Frederick.
In order to manage and help each member of the delegation, you have to be open-minded. As Delegation Chair my priority shifts from District 4, to District 4 and District 3. I want to make sure that the projects all throughout the County- even in parts I do not represent- get funded. I want to make sure the legislation that my colleagues in District 4 and District 3 put through gets worked. Much like within any leadership role, you have to look beyond yourself. I was proud to work with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle this past session to bring home projects all over the county.
We had a record amount of projects from the Recovery High School in Downtown Frederick to Madigan’s Playground, to Platoon 22 Veteran Center, to Brunswick to Middletown. We brought home a significant amount of projects and it’s only because I think I’ve built a reputation to be able to work with others across the aisle in Annapolis.
There is so much more we can agree on than disagree on. There are definitely party issues as a conservative Republican that I will not support. Not only because that’s how I feel but because it’s the consensus of how my constituents feel. But 80% of the issues, I believe to be nonpartisan. If we spent more time focusing on those, you would be surprised at what we could accomplish. I felt that bringing on some of the money for funding was a nonpartisan issue that we could all agree on. We had a great agreement between the Republicans and Democrats. There was some other legislation that as a Delegation we put through and got through. We need more folks that are willing to work across the aisle now more than ever. I’m not saying I’m the one but if politicians in general would think more about Marylanders and less about their own political parties, life would be a lot easier. People would be surprised at what we could accomplish on their behalf.
So I was given an opportunity for a leadership role and I hope I did a good job in helping out my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and I hope I was able to do some good for Frederick County.
Rick Weldon: I was fortunate enough to spend seven and a half years in the environment you find yourself in and you wouldn’t be surprised to know I still have many great friends. Your minority leader Nic Kipke is a dear friend, we spent lots of long hours together in the HGO Committee Hearing Room and Nick has done a great job with thoughtful and non-emotional argumentation. Kathy Szeliga, who came in after I left, is great and she is a great leader of the Minority Party.
You won’t be surprised that from legislative staff, from reporters, and from legislators that you are viewed as a high water mark in terms of what it takes to get things through. Can you give us some examples of colleagues from the other side of the aisle that you’ve worked with to find common ground?
Delegate Pippy: I’ll give you three examples. A couple of days ago we had three pieces of our legislation take effect. One related to overwhelm the gang statute, another to make strangulation a felony in Maryland – which was a big deal. But there were three bills. So last year we put through the Human Trafficking Reform Act, which was a massive- one of the largest bills on human trafficking that has ever been enacted in Maryland.
I cross-filed that bill with Senator Lee who is a state senator from Montgomery County and she is very Liberal. I am obviously a conservative Republicans from Frederick County and on several issues in Annapolis we are always on opposing ends- for example regarding gun legislation. In my district, we like our second amendment and in her district, they do not. But on this issue, on human trafficking and making it a crime of violence, we worked together. We both agreed that human trafficking is wrong and it happens in Maryland and we needed to do something about it. So what we did is we focused on what we agreed on, an issue that is important to all Marylanders, and we pushed that through which ultimately took about 10 years.
We did the same thing with strangulation which was protecting those from domestic violence. In Maryland, strangulation is a misdemeanor, but in forty-eight other states it is a felony. In Frederick County, we have had a dozen strangulations, one of which resulted in death in Middletown a few months ago. So she and I worked together on making it a felony.
If you can find issues that are nonpartisan that you can work with your colleagues on you would be shocked at what you can accomplish. There are so many issues in Maryland- breweries for example- we work together to help them out! We have these nonpartisan issues in all of our municipalities so that is what I focus on.
Yes, there will be disagreements with these individuals on certain policies but on the very next bill, they’ll be working with you. That is the lesson- every day is a different day with a new opportunity to work on something that can make a difference. I don’t focus on the negative stuff, I focus on the stuff that we can accomplish together.
Rick Weldon: Well it’s working Jesse. When I hear from a reporter that works from the Baltimore Sun that the high watermark comes from you- clearly it’s working. You’ve been recognized by Role Call as a 100% pro-business legislator. At the time of a pandemic when our members are desperate to see light at the end of the tunnel, an influential member of the house getting a 100% pro-business score is a big deal.
Maryland Retailers Association, one of the largest and most credible trade organizations in Annapolis, gave you an all-star award as well. I know you don’t focus on that kind of recognition but that tells our businesses who are scared about what’s going to happen that you are someone they can trust and depend on to take care of issues that are going to affect them.
Meanwhile, you are doing all of this while you and Lindsey are trying to take care of two young children. Please talk about the challenge of a 90-day session where you are essentially having to work in Annapolis working 10-12-14 hour days and raising a young family.
Delegate Pippy: I will say during the three months in Annapolis the burden is on Lindsay. She does a great job with our four year old and two year old, and it really is tough. For all the working parents out there, I understand and I feel the pain and the struggle that this pandemic and just being a working parent, in general, has brought on- but you know, we are workers. We are going to keep going out and doing our best.
For the Chamber community out there, when every bill comes to the floor I have several thoughts, and one of them- if not the first one- is how will this affect our small businesses back in Frederick County. That is really the barometer because there are real people with real jobs and real companies and these bills have a genuine impact. Sometimes in Annapolis, they pass things and you are just genuinely shocked that they would even put that into law. So we will continue fighting for the small guy in small businesses because in my opinion that is the heart and soul of a good community in the state of Maryland.
Rick Weldon: Well it doesn’t get much better than that so on behalf of the nine hundred and some member businesses and organizations of this Chamber, I want to say thank you Jesse for your hard work and for your thoughtful and intellectual curiosity that you bring to the table every day down there. Keep up the great work and if we can do anything to help you in communicating your priorities to our membership I am only a phone call away.
Delegate Pippy: I appreciate the time. We will talk again, thank you.
JESSE T. PIPPY
Republican, District 4, Carroll & Frederick Counties
House Office Building, Room 326
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3118, (301) 858-3118
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3118 (toll free)
e-mail: jesse.pippy@house.state.md.us
fax: (410) 841-3462, (301) 858-3462
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.