Strange Bedfellows

Republican former Del. Ken Holt said Tuesday afternoon he is not ready to announce a decision about his intentions for the 2010 election.

Holt said in January that he was considering a run for county executive and hoped to make a decision by early February.

“It’s a big decision — kind of a life decision,” said Holt, adding that he has been attending various community meetings and functions around the county, including a recent meeting in Hereford as well as two on Tuesday in Arbutus and Middle River.

“We’re definitely moving closer,” Holt said. He would not provide a timeline for an announcement.

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…)

Let’s face it, nothing is as political in any county as snow removal.

County executives have been nearly run out of town on a rail because of it. That’s why executives hold annual press conferences to tell county residents how they are preparing to keep the streets clear when the snow arrives.

Add to the political fodder a Monday night press release from county Republican Central Committee Chairman Chris Cavey, who criticized County Executive Jim Smith and the County Council for what he desribed as a failure to properly plan for last weekend’s blizzard.

“Everyone knew it was coming,” Cavey said. “They were calling it Snowmageddon and stuff like that.” (more…)

Republican former Del. Don Murphy called Monday night from an unlikely place — a hotel room in Needham, Mass.

Murphy, a political campaign consultant and Catonsville resident, and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Wargotz arrived in Boston yesterday. Wargotz hopes to challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Barbara Mikulski this November.

The pair plan to work election day for Scott Brown, a Republican who appears to have a good shot at beating Democrat Martha Coakley in Tuesday’s special election to determine a replacement for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

“The only thing we said we wouldn’t do is phone calls,” Murphy said during a phone interview late Monday night. “We can do those from home.” (more…)

Who says Democrats and Republicans can’t get along?

Members of the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club and the 42nd District Republican Club, both of which meet in the Towson area, plan to get together Dec. 12 for a day of service to a local charity.

“It’s cats and dogs living together in harmony, it’s mass hysteria,” joked 42nd District Republican Club President John Fiastro, who was borrowing liberally from Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman character in “Ghostbusters.”

The groups will come together to do some painting and light renovation work for the Assistance Center of Towson Churches located at Calvary Baptist Church, in Towson. The center provides assistance for motel placement, bus tokens for medical and job appointments, a food pantry, eviction prevention services and referrals to local homeless shelters.

Despite the differences in political philosophy, “one thing we definitely can agree on is that this group does good work and we want to help them,” Fiastro said.

Tracy Miller, Fiastro’s Democratic Club counterpart, said the idea arose from a casual conversation she had with Republican Del. Bill Frank.

Miller said she called the center to offer help and they made one modest request — to paint a small bathroom. Miller said that with the number of people both clubs were hoping to round up she thought they could do more than just paint a bathroom.

“It kind of sounds like it should be a joke,” Miller said, referring to the possibility of getting 20 Democrats and Republicans into a small bathroom.

So, in addition to painting the bathroom, club members will do some additional painting and light renovations, with all of the materials being purchased by the clubs, Fiastro said.

Miller said the group might also volunteer to make sandwiches for those in need.

And at some point, the clubs will order some food and have lunch together, Miller added.

The clubs are still competitive. Miller and Fiastro both said they were each hoping to turn out more volunteers than the other. Miller said she hoped to muster 15 to 25 people, including some students from a Democratic club at Towson University. Fiastro said his initial head count was at 10.

It’s not Herbert Hoover’s promise of “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage,” but Chris Cavey, chairman of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee, is making one promise for the 2010 election season:

“We’re looking for, at a minimum, filling every slot on the ballot,” Cavey said. “In this upcoming election, we need to give voters a choice.”

Cavey’s not saying who will be filling all these slots. Local-level candidates have been tough to come by while there seems to be an abundance of Republicans running for seats in the General Assembly — especially in the 7th District.

A year of tea parties, spirited town hall meetings about health care, two councilmen with legal troubles and the continuing flaps over pensions for County Councilmen and raises for local elected officials have convinced Cavey that 2010 could be a pivotal moment for the GOP locally.

The party was in a similar position 20 years ago. Strong voter dissatisfaction and a property tax protest in the county led to Republican party gains in nearly every level of local government from sheriff to county executive.

Three Republicans were elected to the council. Donald Mason, a fiscally conservative Democratic councilman from Dundalk, frequently voted with Republicans and helped that party control the council for four years.

Roger Hayden, an underfunded county executive candidate, defeated Democratic incumbent Dennis Rasmussen.

Cavey believes there are a lot of reasons to hope for history to repeat itself next year. Not the least of which is what he and others believe is a growing sense of discontent among voters.

“I truly believe (voter) sentiment is running in that direction,” Cavey said.

Now all he needs are candidates.

Sen. Larry Haines returned four days of his $43,500 annual legislative salary late last year. Haines, a five-term Republican who represents the 5th District, released documents showing he participated in a furlough program requested by House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller.

The 5th District includes parts of northern Baltimore County, including Parkton and Hunt Valley and Phoenix.

Both Busch and Miller returned five days’ salary and asked fellow legislators to also give up between one and five days’ pay at the same time 67,000 state employees were being furloughed for up to five days based on individual salary levels.

By law, the salaries of state lawmakers cannot be increased or decreased during their term.

More than 150 legislators participated in the voluntary furlough days, including 25 of 29 legislators who represent Baltimore County, according to lists released by the House of Delegates and state Senate.

The lists did not contain the number of days each legislator voluntarily gave up. State officials said such information was protected by law as a personnel matter. Patuxent Publishing Co., publisher of this Web site, is asking each legislator who represents the county to voluntarily release information on the furlough days taken in late 2008 and early 2009.

Haines provided a copy of a form dated Dec. 22, 2008 showing that he authorized four days pay totaling $483.36 to be withheld.

Del. Pat McDonough returned five days of his $43,500 annual legislative salary late last year. McDonough, a two-term Republican who represents the 7th District, released documents showing he participated in a furlough program requested by House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller.

The 7th District includes Cockeysville, Honeygo and Middle River.

Both Busch and Miller returned five days’ salary and asked fellow legislators to also give up between one and five days’ pay at the same time 67,000 state employees were being furloughed for up to five days based on individual salary levels. (more…)

Another County Councilman is weighing in on the issue of possible pension reforms for council members.

Bryan McIntire, the council’s lone Republican, said he believes the current council will have to confront the issue.

“It’s out there,” said McIntire, who represents the 3rd district, including Parkton, part of Cockeysville, and Kingsville. “The public is concerned about it, and it must be addressed.”

McIntire made his comments during a Thursday night phone interview. All seven councilmen were called about the pension issue. (more…)

Baltimore County Republican Central Committee Chairman Chris Cavey told me Tuesday night that he is withdrawing as a candidate for chairman of the state party.

Cavey forwarded an e-mail to me that he sent to party central committee members around the state.

Cavey provided no additional information and said he would be unavailable for most of the night.

Cavey was one of three candidates vying for the post. His withdrawal leaves only Audrey Scott and Daniel “The Wig Man” Vovak (so named because of his penchant for wearing powdered colonial-style wigs during his 2006 U.S. Senate race).

A final vote is expected Nov. 14 at the state party convention in Bowie.

Here is Cavey’s e-mail: (more…)