The council passed a bill earlier this year that reforms pensions for councilman but it might still be a campaign issue this September and November.
Maryland Morning News anchor Bill Vanko and I talk about it in today’s installment of our weekly talk about county politics.
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…)
If Mike Gimbel decides to seek the council seat held by Democratic Councilman (and soon-to-be county executive candidate) Kevin Kamenetz, he says it will not be a typical campaign.
“Everything that is traditionally done, I’m going to do the opposite,” said Gimbel, who served as the county’s drug treatment czar for nearly three decades. “I’m not going through all that crap of taking money from people who can’t afford it. There won’t be any bumper stickers or signs. I’m just going to go door-to-door and talk to people and see if my name holds up.” (more…)
Councilman Kevin Kamenetz’ s nascent county executive campaign picked up another eastside endorsement Thursday morning.
In a video posted on Youtube, Democratic former state Sen. Michael Collins praises Kamenetz for his management of the county budget and said the councilman who represents Owings Mills, Pikesville and Ruxton, has demonstrated a “dedication, an understanding, and concern for our natural resources, particularly our waterways.” (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…)
Council Chairman John Olszewski Sr. didn’t use the word endorsement at a Friday morning announcement, but the message was clear: When Kevin Kamenetz announces his run for county executive, Olszewski will support him.
Olszewski stood in front of Dundalk High School, his alma mater, with a handful of supporters behind him holding signs. Some were hand made, proclaiming an “East - West” partnership. Others were more professionally made and were clearly from Kamenetz’s as yet undeclared campaign, proclaiming Kamenetz as “The next era of excellence.” (more…)
County Council Chairman John Olszewski Sr. is holding a news conference outside Dundalk High School at 11 a.m. today (yes, regardless of weather) to “make an important announcement regarding his intentions in the 2010 County Executive race for Baltimore County,” according to a cryptic one-sentence e-mail sent out on the councilman’s behalf Thursday night.
The announcement of a county executive run is not out of the question but certainly a long shot. There are other possibilities for today’s event each with their own upsides and downsides. (more…)