Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, 2001?

FIELD(letterdate) FIELD(nameline) FIELD(title) FIELD(organization 1 ) FIELD(organization2) FIELD(addressl) FIELD(address2) FIELD(address3) FIELD(address4) IFNOTBLANK(city)FIELD(city), FIELD(state) FIELD(zip9)ENDIF Dear FIELD(salutation2b): You were one of a number of prominent businessmen and businesswomen across the state who chose to contact either Senator Alex Mooney or me regarding the Maryland Chamber’s position on a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project. As you know, the Bush Administration has now repealed, through executive order, all PLAs where federal money applies, thereby rendering this hard fought issue moot. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to revisit our Chamber’s new and dangerous vision in the waning days of the Glendening era. The tumult resulting from my initial reaction to the Chamber’s strategic decision to "work behind the scenes" and thereby keep a low profile during the PLA debate led to a face-to- face meeting with Kathy Snyder at my office in Lutherville. At this meeting, Ms. Snyder informed me of the Chamber Board’s decision to change direction in its dealings with the notoriously anti-business Glendening Administration. I appreciated Ms. Snyder’s open and forthright defense of this new approach. At least I (and everybody else who cares) know what to expect from the Chamber over the next eighteen months. Presently, the end of the PLA debate leads me to note that the Chamber’s quiet approach led to a PLA subject to harsh criticism from the contractor community. Only through the intervention of the Bush Administration was this bad deal put to rest. Simply put, the Chamber’s flawed strategy failed its initial test. Further, I note the general uneasiness with the Chamber’s approach by numerous pro¬ business members of the General Assembly. I have no reason to suspect this relationship will get any better as long as the current leadership follows its present path. Why is it the business community must indulge, placate, and acquiesce to a governor who during the last campaign did not even to bother to show up at the Chamber’s own gubernatorial debate? Moreover, what is