Candidates for Baltimore County Council in the 6th and 7th districts met for a candidate forum hosted by the Essex-Middle River Civic Council last Wednesday, Oct. 8. Incumbent Cathy Bevins (D-6) and her Republican opponent, Jason Samios-Uy, and District 7 candidates Joe DiCara (D) and Todd Crandell (R) remained issue-focused throughout the two-hour forum, which featured a mix of questions drawn from the audience and those devised by a panel of moderators that included EMRCC President Bob Bendler and East County Times Editor Devin Crum.
Republican County Executive candidate George Harman was also present for the beginning of the forum, although his opponent, Democrat incumbent Kevin Kamenetz, was not. Harman was given the opportunity to speak and answer a few questions before he had to leave for another event.
“With the current executive, there is a bit of an arrogance about him,” he declared. “They are running the county based on what the administration wants to see done. I want to run the county based on what the community wants to see done.” He pledged that community input would begin six months to a year before a decision is made, not at the end of the process.
Another focus would be on bringing jobs to the county, he said, and to do so he would restore funding for the Department of Economic Development and lobby state legislature to repeal some of the taxes and fees it has imposed. He favors tax breaks for all businesses instead of targeting relief to only certain businesses.
Harman’s work at the state departments of natural resources and the environment has given him a different view of the stormwater remediation fee, known popularly as the “Rain Tax,” than many of his fellow Republicans.
“We have more people in the watershed, and when you add more people to the landscape you have more strain. That’s why the concept for the storm water tax is very important. We need to amplify that,” he said. But he still takes issue with the bill’s implementation, saying the county council should have taken more time for deliberation to find an implementation method that was less harmful to businesses and nonprofits. He also suggested using general fund money that is part of the county’s $200 million surplus to pay the obligation without the need for a tax.
His background also makes him an advocate for open space throughout the county. ”We need to preserve it in blocks of 30, 40, 50 acres so the space can actually be used for rec. activities,” he said, instead of the current preservations which often occur in small parcels of three to five acres.
Harman was thoughtful when asked about the possibility of an elected schoolboard, noting that personal experience has shown how expensive and stressful mounting a campaign is and whether that would be advisable. He does oppose the governor or the county executive appointing the board, however, suggesting that perhaps local PTAs could nominate people from their ranks to serve.
After Harman’s departure, the stage was turned over to the four county council candidates, who were given two minutes per response. Some questions were more general and directed to all the candidates, while others were specific to particular districts and addressed by those canddiates only.
Asked about the oversaturation of workforce and low-income housing on the east side of the county versus elsewhere, all of the candidates said that this was an issue that needed to be addressed, and that efforts should be made to distribute it more evenly. Bevins and DiCara pointed to their previous success at stopping additional housing from being built (55 units in Rosedale and a four-story high rise, respectively) while Samios-Uy and Crandell both said that more scrutiny needed to be given to those applying for housing assistance to make sure they really need it. Crandell additionally suggested Towson as a place where such housing might be a better fit.
Each candidate also said that they would be selective in how they approved variances for new construction in the county. “We need to be smart in how we handle the code; we need the jobs and we need the growth. So I would use [variances] as a surgical tool to get things done,” declared DiCara. Crandell said regulations need to be enforced but that if the variance requested would lead to an improvement he would consider it; Bevins also said they are approved on a case-by-case basis. Samios-Uy wondered “Whose decision is it that it’s best for the community to give a variance? As always, community input should be number one.”
Regarding public works projects, DiCara said that smart inlets, bulk trash pickup and increased fines for people who dump large items like tires and furniture to help protect the environment, as well as upgraded pumping stations and sidewalks and additional speed bumps would be priorities. Crandell focused on infrastructure improvements to prepare for the revitalization of Sparrow’s Point. He also plans to have a staff person to help local organizations secure grants to do projects on their own, without county funding, and a neighborhood scorecard system that “would create a mechanism of communication and accountability between the community and the councilman.”
Samios-Uy said that he would like more street lights in certain neighborhoods and that the community concerns brought to his attention would become his priorities. Bevins noted that she has gotten traffic calming measures in several parts of the district, including near Franklin Square Hospital, and approved the purchase of five new street sweepers for the county, as well as supported the single-stream recycling that the county adopted.
Both sets of candidates got fired up over long-debated issues. For District 7, that was the North Point Government Center sale. In response to a question about government transparency in light of the controversy, DiCara said, “Frankly, I’m a little bit tired of talking about it [the government center]. That was a sale that was voted on by two Republicans- two. That’s the PUD process, that’s the law, that’s how it works.” He did say that he would have sought community input “from day one” of the process.
Crandell responded, “Well, Joe, I’m not tired of hearing about it, because there are lessons to be learned. I don’t think the folks opposed to it have given up. Let’s not sell park land for fast food. We can do a lot better.”
For District 6, the issue was the Paragon outlet mall proposed for White Marsh, which the County Council sent back to the county for approval as a material change.
Samios-Uy declared, “I believe the community needs the voice, and the communities I’ve spoken with seem to be against this PUD. They say it will bring 1,600 jobs- what kind of jobs are they going to be, minimum wage?”
Bevins responded by noting that a plan for 1,250 apartments is already approved for the site and that that plan could go through regardless of the decision on the Paragon proposal. “This plan, the outlet mall, is job creation. $8 an hour jobs, $10 an hour - people need those jobs too,” she argued. She also said that the developer will build a new ramp to Rt. 43 and improve the intersection at Route 40 and Ebenezer Road.
Bevins also became passionate about the proposed relocation of the MARC train station to Middle River Depot. “It’s been a two year fight for me to get that done,” she said. “We want the depot to not be a shopping center but to be a destination. People have gotta get away from ‘It’s just retail.’ It’s not. These are professional buildings.” Samois-Uy said that he would need more information on the plan and what, precisely, the objections are before making a decision.
In their closing remarks, each candidate made their final pitch for votes. Bevins explained, “Everything I’ve told you that I’ve done for the past three and a half years I have done because the community asked me to. I have experience, and, frankly, I’d like to be re-elected. I have way too much left to do.” She also mentioned her endorsements by various county workers’ unions.
Samios-Uy contrasted himself by saying, “I am not a professional politician, so I don’t have a voting record. But I have had interactions with a whole lot of the people in the community- I have had them in my classroom.” He feels that his experience as a teacher has given him the skills in prioritizing, listening and presenting information clearly that will allow him to be effective if elected.
Joe DiCara touted his extensive work throughout the Essex community over the past 40 years and asserted, “I will be with you and for you every day.”
Crandell took the opportunity to raise a new issue in the debate: property taxes, vowing to look into the possibility of lowering them, if not for all residents than at least for senior citizens who have lived in their houses for decades. “I want to work so hard for our district because I am so excited for the future of our area,” he declared.
