In March of 2021 current Council Member Dawn Luedtke was nominated and elected to the Olney Theater Center Board of Directors.
And though as of 2023 she is no longer part of the Board of Directors, while campaigning for the County Council, Dawn highlighted the Olney Theater on her campaign website.
And her bio on the Montgomery County Council member website highlights her involvement in theater and her role as an advocator for it.
A longtime theater performer and advocate, Dawn is Vice President of the Opera Baltimore Board of Directors, Secretary of the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Graduate Club Board of Directors, and previously served on the Boards of Directors of the Olney Theatre Center, Transformation Theater, LLC, and the Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts.
Now enter her husband, Eric Luedtke. From 2011 to 2023 Eric served in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Montgomery County. He was the House majority leader during Wes Moore’s campaign and election.
In 2023 he was called up to the “big leagues” and was offered a position in the Wes Moore administration as the Chief Legislative Officer. Here he is doing his best impression of a mix between Top Gun and an overaged Groomsman.
But the text of the tweet is spot on. The fact of the matter is that Wes’s bills flow through Eric. They are shaped by Eric. Championed by Eric. Pushed by Eric.
This week Lt Gov Aruna Miller announced that Olney Theater was receiving $11 million dollars from the Wes Moore administration.
Aruna does not mention what has enabled this money to be allocated or where it is coming from, but she does mention that the D-14 legislative team played a role, meaning it probably was via legislation….or more directly, through Eric Luedtke.
The issue is not Olney Theater receiving funding. The arts are important. But the issue is that this does not pass the smell test one bit. What role did Eric play in pushing for and securing the funding? Was he influenced or swayed by his wife’s passion and involvement in the Olney Theater. And how was this need prioritized against all of the other needs in the state and county. Was favoritism shown? Is this an $11 million political gift to secure support? It could be looked at that way. What sort of show is this?
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