It will be WBAL's Ron Smith, without commercial interruption, when the Maryland Public Policy Institute holds its first-ever Charles Carroll of Carrollton Award Dinner this September in Annapolis.

Smith will accept the Charles Carroll of Carrollton Award, which goes to the Marylander who has done the most to advance the cause of liberty for Marylanders. The dinner will take place Thursday, Sept. 29, at Charles Carroll House, 107 Duke of Gloucester St., in Annapolis.

"Ron Smith is a fitting winner for this first-time award," said Christopher Summers, president of the Maryland Public Policy Institute, which sponsors the award and the dinner. "Since 1984, he has been the conservative voice in Baltimore, one of America's most liberal cities. He asks the tough questions and delivers the tough answers in a town that often doesn't want to hear it. And he does it in a way that generates a lot of respect."

The dinner and award honor Charles Carroll, a farmer, member of the Continental Congress and one of Maryland's original U.S. Senators. Carroll was the only Roman Catholic and one of just four Marylanders to sign the Declaration of Independence. He also served 19 years in the Maryland Senate and helped establish the state's government. Carroll was a great champion of individual freedoms, particularly religious tolerance.  

Dr. Matthew Spalding of The Heritage Foundation -- an expert on the Constitution and the founding principles - is keynoting the event; U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.-1st, will serve as Honorary Chairman.

Founded in 2001, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The organization seeks to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government and civil society.

For more information on the dinner, contact the Maryland Public Policy Institute at 240-686-3510. Tickets are available at www.mdpolicy.org or by calling Amber Schwartz.