OCEAN CITY, MD—Governor Wes Moore delivered a forceful call for urgent action to local leaders Saturday, urging them to accelerate efforts on key issues ranging from affordable housing to public safety in the face of federal policies that he said were “unraveling” the lives of Marylanders.
Speaking at the closing session of the 2025 Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) summer conference in Ocean City, Moore said the state must “speed up” its work and become a state of “yes and now,” rather than “no and slow.”
“Partnership produces progress,” Moore told the assembled county officials. “But let’s not allow partnership to produce paralysis.”
Moore highlighted what he described as negative impacts from federal policies, citing “mass layoffs, higher prices, universities under attack, mass deportations, cuts to programs like food assistance and health care — just to pay for big tax breaks for billionaires.”
He told the audience that these policies were “hurting Democrats and Republicans,” and that it was the community leaders in the room who understood the direct impact on their constituents.
The governor outlined several areas where he said the state must move faster, including:
- Affordable housing
- Economic growth
- Lowering the cost of energy
- Making health care more affordable
- Supporting higher education
- Expanding access to work, wages, and wealth
- Improving public safety and breaking cycles of poverty
Moore repeatedly emphasized the need for urgency, stating that “speed is what Marylanders are asking of us” and that “urgency is the instrument of change.” He challenged the local leaders to act immediately, not in the future.
Drawing on his military experience, Moore concluded by saying that leaders who perform well during challenging times are the ones who are remembered.
“It’s those who are willing to lead in hard times who become legendary,” he said. “So let’s go out and be legends.”
View the full remarks as prepared at governor.maryland.gov.
Photo via the Maryland Governor’s Office
