In Baltimore County, vetoes of County Council bills are rare.
Unanimous passage of most bills usually signals that the council — with two more votes than the five required for a veto override — can overturn any attempt to thwart its legislative will. (more…)
Former County Executive Don Hutchinson may or may not be seriously considering a run for his old office, but the mere mention of the possibility has raised an interesting question involving the County Charter.
Baltimore County executives have been restricted to two consecutive term limits since 1978, when Hutchinson was elected. Since then no executive has served more than two terms. Now the question arises as to what one tiny little clause in the County Charter may really mean. (more…)
Don Hutchinson for county executive in 2010?
The Democrat says his eight years running the county were some of the most enjoyable of his life and he believes he could legally run again.
The question is: Will he? (more…)
Councilman Ken Oliver’s trial Tuesday marks the first time a Baltimore County Councilman has been charged with a crime while still in office. If convicted of any of the charges, which include two felonies and six misdemeanors, Oliver could be forced to resign or be removed from the position he has held since December 2002 — which would also be another first in Batimore County. (more…)
The ongoing scuttlebutt about President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet has generated an interesting scenario that’s filling e-mail boxes and has local tongues wagging.
It seems to have started after Republican Del. Pat McDonough talked about a musical chairs set of appointments during his Saturday radio program on WCBM.
It goes something like this:
Attorney General Doug Gansler, who co-chaired Obama’s Maryland campaign, is in line for a big-time appointment from the incoming president, most likely to the Department of Justice. From there, Gov. Martin O’Malley would appoint County Executive Jim Smith to replace Gansler. To complete the cycle, the County Council would replace Smith with out-going Council Chairman Kevin Kamenetz, who already has the needed votes. (more…)