Strange Bedfellows

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…)

Chris Cavey, the chairman of the county Republican Central Committee, said Wednesday he will seek to replace Jim Pelura as the state party chairman.

Cavey said he sent letters to 243 Republican Central Committee members from around the state and met with four county committees last week. He has four more similar meetings scheduled for this week, including two Wednesday night.

“It’s just a campaign like any other campaign,” Cavey said. “I have 243 doors to knock on.”

Pelura, who has been under fire from fellow Republicans, including Cavey, announced he was resigning from the position effective Nov. 14, the date of the next statewide Republican central committee convention in Bowie. The new chairman will be elected at that meeting.

Cavey, who is first vice president of the state party, is the only announced Baltimore County candidate for the top GOP post in Maryland.

If he wins he will have to give up his role as chairman of the county party — a position he has held since he was appointed in December 2002.

Local elected officials who support deer hunting could be targets at the ballot box next year if one local animal rights activist has her way.

Enid Feinberg, a Phoenix resident who has opposed deer hunting in the Loch Raven reservoir, said she would like to see three county officials unseated in 2010 because of their support of deer hunting — Democratic Sen. Jim Brochin, and Del. Joseph Boteler and Councilman Bryan McIntire, both Republicans.

“Knowing what I know about them, they’re certainly high on my list,” Feinberg said.

Brochin and McIntire have been supportive of expanded deer hunting in the reservoir area. And Boteler sponsored a bill in the General Assembly last year that would have allowed hunting on Sundays on private property in Baltimore County. Boteler’s bill did not pass.

“In my opinion, hunting is legalized animal cruelty,” said Feinberg.

Feinberg said she has joined an organization called  Maryland Votes for Animals. Carolyn Kilborn, who is the only attributed writer on the Web site, was not immediately available for an interview. The site states that the group has “one overriding mission: To create an ever-growing voting bloc of animal advocates who will elect representatives willing to champion and vote for animal protection legislation, and to hold politicians accountable to their constituents.”

The organization lists a Towson mailing address on it’s Web site, but Kilborn lives in Annapolis.

“There’s no way to win for animals other than at the ballot box,” said Feinberg, who said she was speaking for herself, not for Maryland Votes for Animals.

“Our politicians are truly failing us,” Feinberg said.

Feinberg said one strategy could be the formation of a political action committee that could provide financial support to candidates who favor issues such as stronger laws against animal cruelty or are against hunting.

Maryland Votes for Animals formed a political action committee to participate in the 2010 state elections. State Board of Elections records show that Votes For Animals registered as a PAC on June 15. Kilborn is listed as the chairman of the committee, Jared DeMarinis, director of candidacy and campaign finance for the State Board of Elections.

State Republican Party Chairman Jim Pelura’s resignation announcement last week could have an effect on the  Republican party here in Baltimore County.

Chris Cavey, the chairman of the party’s central committee in the county, said he is considering the possibility of replacing Pelura.

“I honestly don’t know right now,” said Cavey, who is also the first vice president for the GOP in Maryland. “I need some time to think about it. It could be fun. I just have to see.”

The position does not come without a cost. If Cavey wants to guide the state party, he’ll have to give up his position as chairman of the Baltimore County Central Committee.

Last week, former Del. Al Redmer sent an e-mail to supporters saying he was not interested in the position.

Ellen Sauerbrey’s name has also been mentioned, according to a report by Alan Brody of The Gazette.

The state party is expected to elect its next chairman at its state convention in Bowie on Nov. 14.

It started as an academic exercise for Doug Riley.

The former Republican councilman from Towson, who now works for Pope and Hughes, was talking to Virginia Barnhart, a former county attorney who works with Riley, about whether a two-term county executive would be barred from running for office a third time.

The topic was driven by continued talk that former County Executive Donald Hutchinson might run in 2010 for the office he held from 1978 to 1986. Some believe the County Charter might prevent another Hutchinson run. (more…)

Four Baltimore County legislators were not on the list of 155 senators and delegates who gave up at least one day’s pay as part of a voluntary program in January.

That doesn’t mean all of those four kept the money. Two, in fact, Del. Bill Frank and Sen. Andy Harris, both Republicans, announced they would give up the pay — just not to the state.

Instead, they both said they would make a donation to charity.

Patuxent Publishing Co., publisher of this Web site, is asking the 29 legislators who represent Baltimore County to voluntarily release information showing how many days pay they gave up in January. The House of Delegates and Senate declined to provide that information when asked last month, saying the information was a personnel matter. (more…)

Prior to the Tuesday evening vote on speed camera legislation, a few councilmen took the time to explain why they were about to vote the way they were about to vote.

Councilman Vince Gardina, a Democrat who represents the 5th District, said his vote was based, at least in part, on what he explained as a month-long “unscientific experiment.”

“Over the last month or so I’ve been trying to drive the speed limit all the time,” said Gardina, who represents Perry Hall, Carney and Towson. (more…)