Furlough Watch: Del. Jon Cardin
Del. Jon Cardin was one of 25 state legislators from Baltimore County who gave up some of his $43,500 state salary in a first round of voluntary furloughs in January.
Beyond the appearance of his name on a list of legislators who participated, Cardin is not talking and declined to provide information on how many days’ salary he gave up.
“There are certain matters that can remain private,” said Cardin, a Democrat who represents the 11th District, which includes Owings Mills, Pikesville and part of Timonium.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch gave up five days’ pay in January and asked other legislators to do the same. Last month they released a list of more than 150 legislators who gave up as least one day’s pay, which equals about $120.84 after taxes.
The list did not contain information on how many days each senator and delegate gave up. Spokespeople for the House and Senate said the information was protected by personnel law unless the legislator agreed to release it.
“I don’t want to compare myself to other legislators,” Cardin said. “We’re all participating.”
Other legislators from the county have released the information at the request of Patuxent Publishing Co. One of those legislators is Sen. Bobby Zirkin, who also represents the 11th District.
Last month, Busch and Miller sent a letter requesting legislators participate in a second round of voluntary furloughs. The salaries of the governor and state legislators cannot be reduced nor increased once their term begins, according to state law.
Busch and Miller announced they were taking the maximum 10-day furlough and asked other legislators to participate by giving up eight to 10 days’ salary. They also asked legislators to sign a waiver allowing the legislature to release information on how many days each senator and delegate surrendered in this round.
The second request comes as 67,000 state employees are being required to take up to 10 days in unpaid leave. This is the second time in a year that the state employees have been furloughed.
State employees earning $40,000 to $49,999 will be required to take three furlough days. Those earning $50,000 to $99,999 will lose four days’ pay. Those making more than $100,000 will lose five days’ pay under Gov. Martin O’Malley’s plan.
On top of that, employees will receive five additional unpaid days off as the result of the closure of government offices. Most of those will be scheduled on the last business day before a holiday.
“I don’t think I signed that waiver,” said Cardin, who said he sent in a check for his portion of the second furlough request. “I’ll have to think about (signing it).
“I don’t want to create an issue with my colleagues, some of whom are less inclined or less able or think they are less able to do it,” he said.
Cardin said he did not think that withholding that information created an issue of transparency.
“Certainly, I hope everyone is telling the truth,” Cardin said. “In that sense, I don’t think it creates one — especially when it’s voluntary.”