Strange Bedfellows

Two cars driven by Council Chairmam John Olszewski Sr. were vandalized late last year, according to a police report released on Thursday.

The cars, a 2006 Ford Mustang and a 2007 Jeep Laredo, each had punctured tires from an incident that occurred sometime in November, according to a police report filed Dec. 16 by Olszewski at the Dundalk precinct. The Mustang is registered to Olszewski himself while the Laredo is the councilman’s county-owned vehicle, according to police records. (more…)

There wasn’t much to vote on during the County Council meeting Monday night, but Councilman John Olszewski Sr. did find one item on which he felt the need to abstain.

At issue was a contract for on-call snow removal services with Crusse Construction.

Contracts with independent companies for such services are not uncommon. The county has 32 other contractors that augment the county’s snow removal efforts at a rate of $110 to $160 per hour.

This year the county has budgeted $6 million for storm-emergency cleanup, plus an additional $1 million for on-call contractors.

So far, for three storms this winter, the county has spent $4.5 million, including $1 million for payments to snow-removal contractors.

Olszewski said after the meeting he abstained because he was concerned about a “possible conflict of interest.”

Olszewski said Crusse Construction is owned by his wife’s stepbrother.

“I’m not even sure I had to abstain, but I just thought it was best to play it safe,” Olszewski said.

As expected, Councilman John Olszewski Sr. will be named the next council chairman. This photo was taken tonight inside the council chambers about 30 minutes before the council was set to meet and vote. (click to enlarge)

When the County Council meets tonight, the first order of business will be to select a new chairman.

Democratic Councilman Joseph Bartenfelder served his fourth, and by his account final, year as chairman in December. Three Democrats, including Vince Gardina, Ken Oliver and John Olszewski Sr., have expressed an interest in the job that pays $60,000 annually — about $6,000 more than the salary for a councilman who is not chairman.

Odds are that the councilman who is sometimes known as Johnny O will be elected to serve for the third time in as many terms, according to council observers.

Four councilmen have controlled the position since 1996 — Bartenfelder, Olszewski, Kevin Kamenetz and Sam Moxley.

“It’s worked out ahead of time,” said Republican former Councilman Wayne Skinner, who served on the council from 1998 to 2002. “Those four decided.”

Those who have served previously as chairman have denied there is a deal in place or that Olszewski is a lock for the position.

One by one the county’s seven councilmen are speaking about the possibility of reforming the pension plan that has been in place for the last 50 years.

The issue attracted attention after it was revealed that Democratic Councilman Vince Gardina would retire after completing an unprecedented fifth term and be eligible immediately for a pension equal to 100 percent of his current $54,000 annual salary.

Since then, some on the council, including Gardina, have expressed an opinion about possible changes to the system. Not everyone, however, has made up his mind.

“It’s something I haven’t thought about,” said Councilman John Olszewski Sr., a three-term Democrat who represents the 7th District, including Dundalk, Essex and part of Rosedale.

Current Council Chairman Joseph Bartenfelder said he wanted to cap council pensions at 60 percent 10 years ago but had no support. Two weeks ago, he said he’d sponsor a bill with a similar cap if he could find at least three more votes.

Olszewski said he couldn’t comment on Bartenfelder’s idea, repeating that it wasn’t something he had thought about.

Would you support an effort to reform the pension system, I asked Olszewski.

Olszewski smiled and said, “You never say never.”

Councilman Bryan McIntire had an idea when it comes to dealing with all the restaurant fliers and other advertisements that Councilman John Olszewski Sr. says are littering his district: Pick them up and throw them out.

Olszewski is sponsoring a bill — intended to prevent unwanted advertising circulars from becoming litter. The bill would require that businesses using fliers and circulars as advertising to maintain a toll-free number that residents could call to end delivery. The bill would also make it illegal to place those fliers or circulars on cars. (more…)

Speed camera legislation is the big item on today’s 2 p.m. council work session.

But that bill has all but masked another issue on the agenda — the re-introduction of a bill that will ban the delivery of unwanted fliers and circulars. That bill, sponsored by Councilman John Olszewski Sr., will also receive a hearing this afternoon.

The bill is identical to one filed by Olszewski earlier this year, before he amended it in an attempt to make it clear the law would not target small community newspapers. (more…)

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…)

The County Council will vote tonight on a bill sponsored by Councilman John Olszewski Sr. that would create a so-called do not distribute list for advertisements and fliers that are left on the doors of county homes.

Several councilmen expressed concerns that the bill runs afoul of free speech rights in the Constitution.

Not so, Olszewski said last week and said he had an opinion from the state Attorney General bolstering to back him up. (more…)

There are lots of ways one can spend his retirement. Charles “Buzz” Beeler, a former  Baltimore County Police officer who retired in 2005, is looking to spend his time as the next county councilman from the 7th District.

Beeler, 60, is planning to run against Democratic incumbent John Olszewski Sr. in the Democratic primary next election.

“I look around and see the changes down here, and I don’t think they are good,” Beeler said. (more…)