A “no vacancy” sign can finally go up at the Maryland General Assembly, as every seat in the 188-member state legislature is now filled.

The General Assembly has spent the last several months dealing with a post-election series of departures and appointments, which meant there was often a few vacant seats. That merry-go-round ended on Thursday with swearing-in ceremonies for two new delegates, both Democrats.

Del. Ryan Spiegel now represents District 17 in Montgomery County, filling a seat previously held by Kumar Barve, who was appointed to the state Public Service Commission.

Spiegel, an attorney and former member of the Gaithersburg City Council, was sworn into office on his 45th birthday. “I could think of no better way to celebrate my birthday,” he said.

And Del. Malcolm Ruff now represents District 41 in Baltimore City, filling a seat previously held by Tony Bridges, now an assistant secretary at the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Ruff addressed his new colleagues who observed the ceremony: “I’m ready for this new journey with you all.”

Baltimore City Democrats charged with recommending a replacement for Bridges deadlocked between Ruff, an attorney, and Angela Gibson, a former delegate. Gov. Wes Moore had the choice between the two and selected Ruff.

Two ex-candidates for gov publish books

If you’re looking for a unique summer read, two unsuccessful Democratic candidates from last year’s race for governor have books out.

Ashwani Jain recently published a memoir, “Redefining the Room: Overcoming Cancer and Self-Doubt to Finding Purpose in Politics.”

Jain, 33, finished seventh of the 10 candidates on the Democratic ballot for governor last year, with 2.05% of the vote.

The youngest candidate in the field, Jain ran a low-budget, all-volunteer campaign out of his Jeep Wrangler.

According to promotional materials, the book recounts his life story as a survivor of childhood cancer who has worked in government and the nonprofit sector. It also offers tips for finding purpose in life. The Kindle version is for sale for $6, and all proceeds go to charity, according to Jain.

Another back-of-the-pack Democrat, Jerome Segal, also has a new book.

“85 Rochdale Road: A Novel” is an autobiographical novel focused on the impact that socialist leader Norman Thomas had on a young Segal. It’s available for free as an Audible audiobook.

Segal, a socialist philosopher, finished the Democratic primary for governor in second-to-last place, with 0.64% of the vote. But he’s not done with politics, having launched a longshot campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2024.

Climate advice for the gov

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters gave Gov. Wes Moore’s early efforts at combating climate change an overall positive assessment in a new report.

But the group cautions that much more work lies ahead for Moore and Maryland.

“The Moore Administration has made swift and encouraging progress on a range of crucial environmental actions during its first six months in office,” LCV Executive Director Kim Coble said in a statement.

She added: “But because of the urgency of climate change and the challenges associated with implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act, the Administration must now execute an ambitious strategy, including prioritizing access to federal funding, to achieve their stated goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2035.”

The LCV’s suggestions for Moore’s next steps include:

• Hiring a chief sustainability officer to coordinate the state’s decarbonization efforts
• Creating a system for tracking the progress toward the Clean Solutions Now Act, which has requirements for reducing carbon emissions, transitioning government vehicles to electric, and more
• Creating a plan to obtain money from the federal government and private sources to use in climate programs
• Developing a plan to get the state to 100% “clean energy” by 2035
• Prioritizing environmental justice by better assessing negative environmental impacts on “underserved and overburdened communities”

Read the full report at the Maryland League of Conservation Voters website.

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com