Strange Bedfellows

Here’s part two of my top five list of Baltimore County political stories for 2009. (Part one can be found here).

2. Pensions and Salaries. Pocketbook issues continued to dominate the news in the county after it was reported by the Baltimore Sun that five-term Democratic Councilman Vince Gardina was eligible to retire at age 53 and earn a pension equal to 100 percent of his $54,000 annual salary. Four other councilmen have served four terms each and are eligible to collect 80 percent of their salaries immediately at the conclusion of the current term.

A month later, the county Personnel and Salary Advisory Board proposed raises of 8 percent and 2 percent respectively for the county executive and council that would take office in 2010. The reason for the difference between the two was apparently hashed out in a closed door meeting that violated the state’s Open Meetings Act, but clearly was influenced by the ongoing pension flap.

Then-council Chairman Joseph Bartenfelder said he would not introduce the salary increase bill as long as he was chairman. Later, County Executive Jim Smith announced he would not send such a bill to the council.

Next month, the council will consider two pension reform bills — one sponsored by Councilman Kevin Kamenetz and the other by Councilmen Joseph Bartenfelder.

Watchdog groups aren’t happy with either, and are expected to call for publicly-funded defined benefits pension plans to be replaced with 401K-style plans.

1. Council Kingmakers. The fact that developers and their attorneys give money to county executive and council candidates in Baltimore County is as surprising as the faux outrage of Claude Raines — as the corrupt gambling Capt. Renault –  shutting down Humphrey Bogart’s club because he is “shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” … just as a club employee hands the captain his winnings for the night.

What IS news here is the way in which Michael Paul Smith, the son of County Executive Jim Smith, and David Gildea, a former law clerk to Smith when the county exec was a Circuit Court judge, have gone about backing unknown and untested potential candidates in three open council races, and are said to be seeking a candidate for at least one more race (but possibly two). The private fund raising events in Smith and Gildea’s homes, with their suggested $1,000 per person donations, caught the attention of other candidates and the public.

The council wields a great deal of power when it comes to zoning and development decisions, and community associations and activists didn’t need 20-20 vision to make the connections between those open seats and attorneys with land use practices who might be interested in seeing friendly faces making those calls.

So there it is, my list of the top five political stories for the county for 2009.

Do you agree, disagree? Did I overlook something that should have been on the list? Feel free to leave me a comment below.

Happy new year to everyone and I’ll see you in 2010.

The Baltimore County Revenue Authority publicly supported a Senate bill that would require a public hearing before the quasi-governmental agency can close, sell or transfer facilities. But, that support doesn’t mean there weren’t concerns.

Don Hutchinson, a current board member and former state senator and county executive, wondered aloud during the board’s March 26 meeting if hearings “cause complications with communicating with the county.” (more…)

The public lost out when the quasi-public county Revenue Authority board awarded a $5,500 severance payment to Nevins and Associates at its Dec. 4 meeting.

The five-member board voted unanimously to close the meeting at the request of Hanan Sibel, the board’s chairman, who said he wished to discuss a “matter pertaining to compensation and personnel.” That’s one of 14 exemptions recognized by the state Open Meetings Act.

The act is designed to ensure that public officials do the people’s business in the open. (more…)

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Thomas Minkin, chairman of the county liquor board, is vowing to end the policy that requires people to disclose who they are and why they want a file on a liquor license holder.

The issue was raised last month after I asked to see a file on a licensee and was asked to fill out the form.

Minkin agreed that the policy, which predates his appointment to the board, was a violation of the state Public Information Act’s prohibition on requiring people who wish to view a public document to explain who they are and why they wish to see the record.

Drop by the county Liquor Board and ask to see a file on a licensee and you should expect (for the next few days, anyway) to explain who you are and why you want the information.

Trouble is, that policy appears to conflict with the state Public Information Act. (more…)

The Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association issued a statement applauding a county decision to reduce the fees charge to the public to obtain copies of police reports. (Our story can be found here.)

“I commend Baltimore County police for their decision to simplify the process for getting copies of police reports,” John Murphy, executive director of the association, wrote in an e-mail. “These are public records, and people should be able to get any police report at reasonable cost and without explaining why they want them.”

Patuxent Publishing Co., which publishes this Web site, requested that the county review both policies because they appeared to be in conflict with the Maryland Public Information Act. In 2005, the county reviewed and ultimately reduced the per-page cost for copies of public records from $1 to 50 cents per page as the result of an inquiry from Patuxent Publishing Co.

Last week, the county reduced the fees from a flat $10 per report to 50 cents per page. Officials also said they would no longer require people to explain why they are requesting a report.

That requirement is still listed on the police department’s Web site. Bill Toohey, a police spokesman, said last week that the department would work quickly to implement the recently announced changes.