Strange Bedfellows

Is the topic of pension reform so hot that it can’t be discussed in public?

Depending on who you talk to, it’s an issue that’s already been addressed — or one that should continue to be talked about as a campaign issue leading up to the elections in November.

Steve Bailey, chairman of the Baltimore County Chapter of Americans for Prosperity, is in the latter camp, but says it’s an issue at least one councilman doesn’t want people talking about. (more…)

Criticism by the Baltimore County firefighters union of an endorsement by Councilman John Olszewski Sr. has another county labor union president crying foul.

Cheryl Bost, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, said Friday in Annapolis that she was disappointed to see Olszewski  criticized as no longer being friendly to organized labor in the county. (more…)

Last week I wrote that the Baltimore County Professional Firefighters Association wasn’t tickled about Councilman John Olszewski Sr.’s “endorsement” of Kevin Kamenetz for county executive, and that the union was officially backing fellow Democratic Councilman Joseph Bartenfelder.

It’s easy to see how one might make that leap since the union was clearly irked by Olszewski’s move and they’ve only donated money to one county executive candidate — Bartenfelder.

But Mike Day, president of the union, told me Monday that the support is somewhat less than official — at least for the moment. (more…)

Sorry for the delay in posting but here’s my weekly conversation with Maryland Morning News Anchor Bill Vanko about county politics including last week’s endorsement of Kevin Kamenetz for county executive by fellow Democratic Councilman John Olszewski Sr. We also talk about how other eastside elected officials are lining up and what that might mean.

This three minutes literally left me struggling to catch my breath.

The head of one county union said he and his members are not pleased with last week’s pseudo-endorsement of Kevin Kamenetz by fellow Democratic Councilman John Olszewski Sr.

Mike Day, president of the Baltimore County Professional Firefighters Association, said union leaders were so displeased with Olszewski’s plans that not only did they not attend an Olszewski fundraiser two days before the endorsement, they voted not to make a donation to his campaign.

And Day didn’t have much nice to say about Friday’s announcement, either. (more…)

County Administrative Officer Fred Homan, not County Executive Jim Smith, will meet with members of the county’s House delegation Friday to answer questions about the county’s projected $144 million budget deficit.

The delegation asked Smith to meet with them last month regarding the budget at the request of Republican Del. Pat McDonough, who represents the 7th District including Cockeysville, Middle River and part of Perry Hall.

The political ramifications of such a request must also be noted since McDonough is mulling a run for county executive in 2010, and Smith is  considering a run for state senate in McDonough’s district. (more…)

Councilman Vince Gardina’s resignation from his job as a substitute teacher has ended a review by the county attorney but hasn’t stopped some from raising questions about whether it is appropriate for a council member to work as a teacher in the county.

Republican former Councilman Wayne Skinner said he believes that an agency that receives “50 cents of every dollar in the county budget” is clearly a county agency. Working for the system is clearly a problem, he said.

Skinner has some experience with such issues. He was an administrator for the state Department of Assessments and Taxation at the same time he served as a councilman — a position we now know is in conflict with holding office as a councilman in the county, according to the County Charter. (more…)

All that snow is adding up to a lot of additional red ink for the county.

Maryland Morning News anchor Bill Vanko and I talk about the bill for the two February blizzards and how the county hopes to pay for including a possible reimbursement from FEMA.

“I just turned off the lights and shut down my computer. We’re all screaming uncle over here. We’re trying to figure out who did what and offer him up as a sacrifice.”

~ Baltimore County Bureau of Highways Chief Tim Burgess on Wednesday afternoon, after being asked for his reaction to an updated weather forecast that day that warned of 20 to 30 inches of new snow.

Maryland’s Morning News Anchor Bill Vanko and I talk the politics of snow removal on this week’s chat.