General Assembly approves $200,000 in grants for Angel Park

(Originally published in The East County Times, Vol. 20, No. 28 [April 16, 2015], pages 2 + 6)
- by Emily Blackner -

Both the Maryland House and Senate voted to approve bond bills in the amount of $100,000 to help finance the construction of Angel Park, an all-access playground planned for Perry Hall. Legislators from the 7th and 8th districts collaborated to get the measures approved, netting $200,000 toward the $1.5-million project.

Delegate Kathy Szeliga (R-7) noted that this was a bipartisan effort, with herself and fellow Republicans Rick Impallaria, John Cluster and Christian Miele working with Democrat Eric Bromwell to sponsor the measure. Across the state house in the Senate, Democrat Kathy Klausmeier and Republican J.B. Jennings pushed for their bill.

“I’m thrilled. I really can’t be more proud of the community and all the groups that have come together,” Del. Szeliga said. “I believe this park will be something Perry Hall is proud to have.

“Passing legislation is never easy, but there was a lot of support behind this,” she continued. “The Assembly felt that, number one, the project was funded to such a tremendous level by the community, when a lot of times you get people who say ‘well, give us this money and then we’ll do fundraisers.’ And number two, it was shovel ready.”

According to Angel Park Planning Co-Chair Kelli Szyczbor, the campaign has $823,000 in the bank, with another $120,000 pledged. This leaves $400,000 to go to reach their fundraising total.

Szyczbor and three other committee members travelled to Annapolis on Saturday, March 14, to testify in both the House and the Senate about their project and why it should receive funds.

“It was a neat experience testifying in Annapolis. You only get a few minutes to sum up this awesome project that you’ve spent so much time on,” she commented. She also noted that Szeliga and Jennings, who introduced them, as well as Bromwell and Klausmeier were very supportive throughout the process.

“[The legislators] said they could see our passion for it, and that it is going to be a unique playground,” Szyczbor recalled.

As previously reported in the East County Times, Angel Park will be an all-access playground, meaning that children of all abilities, including those with special needs, can play together. The equipment and layout will be designed to accommodate everyone’s needs under the guidance of New York-based Leathers & Associates. The staff at Leathers & Associates, along with Angel Park committee volunteers, solicited suggestions from over 4,000 area schoolchildren to find out what elements they would like to see in a playground, and many of these ideas were included in the final design.

The park will be located on 2.5 acres of land acquired by the county through a land swap agreement in 2012. Also on the property will be a 200-seat amphitheater that will allow community groups to present outdoor concerts, plays and other shows. The amphitheater is financed by a gift from the Cole Foundation.

The 2012 land transfer was approved by County Councilman David Marks (R-5), who Szczybor says has been a big supporter of the project from the beginning, offering advice and guidance to the committee.

“We’ve worked with our state legislators to obtain funding for worthwhile projects in the past, and I applaud my colleagues for supporting Angel Park,” he stated. “The community has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to build Angel Park, and I believe government should support that type of private sector support.”

The website, www.Angel-Park.org, allows for community members to donate money or pay for individual pieces of equipment in honor of their loved ones, the angels we all have in our lives for whom the park is named, said Szczybor.

For her, that angel is her son Ryan, who she lost to leukemia at the age of 15 months.

“This whole project is all about the community. My son’s memory is what’s pushing me and inspiring me, but in the end it’s about the whole community and coming together,” she declared.

Szczybor said that they hope to begin construction on Angel Park the first week of September. Hundreds of community volunteers will be needed to build the park, she said. Those interested in helping can visit the Angel Park website or contact Michelle Streckfus at shellestreck@gmail.com.

District 6 delegation sees success with Night in Annapolis, bill passage

(Originally published in The East County Times, Vol. 20, No. 25 [March 26, 2015], pages 5 + 7)
- By Emily Blackner -

The General Assembly delegation from District 6 and 7 welcomed constituents to Annapolis on Monday night, March 23, for the District Night in Annapolis.

This free event was designed to give residents of the district the opportunity to meet their elected officials where they do their work and to observe a General Assembly session. From 6 - 8 p.m., a reception was set up in the Thomas V. Mike Miller Senate Office Building’s President’s Conference Center for visitors to eat food and meet fellow District residents. The elected officials milled about the room speaking to the voters, who came out in large numbers; the room was standing-room only for portions of the night with over 175 constituents in attendance. There were also slideshows featuring facts about the delegates and senators, the General Assembly in general and the legislation introduced this session.

The evening was hosted by the entire District 6 and 7 Delegation, but Sen. Johnny Ray Salling (R-6) spearheaded the effort. “On behalf of myself and Delegates Metzgar, Long and Grammer, we want to thank each and every one of our constituents who joined us for District 6 Night in Annapolis,” Salling stated. “It was a great success and we hope to continue hosting events like this for the hard-working residents of the sixth district for years to come.”

The delegation also welcomed Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford as its special guest for the evening.

“It’s good to be here- well, it’s good to be anywhere, but I was pleased to accept this invitation from these fine representatives,” Rutherford said.

Other notable attendees were 7th District County Councilman Todd Crandell and Al Mendelsohn, chair of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee.

Senators Salling and J.B. Jennings (R-7) attended for most of the night; however, the House of Delegates was called into session earlier than originally planned, so Dels. Ric Metzgar (R-6), Bob Long (R-6), Robin Grammer (R-6), Kathy Szeliga (R-7), Pat McDonough (R-7) and Rick Impallaria (R-7) had to leave early to attend.

“The House is going in a little early, and that always makes me a little nervous thinking of what they will get up to,” joked Rutherford.

That evening’s session addressed several topics, including a discussion of fracking in Maryland as well as a second reading vote on HB 644, the Welcome Home, Stay Home Act, which was introduced by Del. Metzgar. The bill authorizes county, municipal and city governments to grant a tax credit for senior citizens age 65 years and older who have lived in their homes for 40 years and for all retired members of the armed forces aged 65 or older. The credit would last for up to five years and equal as much as 20 percent of the total property tax assessed. Monday’s vote cleared the way for a third and final reading, which took place on Tuesday morning and resulted in the measure’s passage by a vote of 138 - 0.

“It passed unanimously; not a single red dot was on that board,” Metzgar said. “The word that comes to mind is ‘awesome.’ It was something that I ran on; I’m a strong advocate for veterans and an even stronger advocate for seniors.”

The bill’s initial title is the Welcome Home, Stay Home Act because when first introduced in February, it also included people who had previously resided in Maryland, left the state and then returned in its list of individuals who would be eligible for the tax credit. That version made it out of the Ways and Means Committee with only three “nay” votes, but the general House membership expressed concerns and the language about returning residents was removed from the bill after its first reading.

“They struck a couple of things, but it’s still a workable bill. The important thing to know is you got a bill through by a freshman delegate,” Metzgar said. He also noted that the individual counties and municipalities can decide how - or perhaps whether- to grant the credit.

The bill will now be introduced in the Senate and follow the same process.

“They seem to be moving pretty fast,” Metzgar said of his colleagues in the other chamber. “Now I’d want to urge people to call their senators and ask them to support House Bill 644.”

County Council votes to reduce “rain tax;” amendment for repeal fails

(Originally published in the East County Times, Vol. 20, No. 22 [March 5, 2015], page 1 + 6)
- Article & photo by Emily Blackner -

At its March 2 meeting in Towson, the Baltimore County Council voted to reduce the amount charged for the stormwater remediation fee, commonly referred to as the “rain tax.”

The Council unanimously passed bill 9-15, which will lower the fee collected in each category by about a third, from $39 to $26 for single-family homes and mobile homes, from $21 to $14 for attached homes and from $32 to $22 for condominiums. For businesses and nonprofits, the rates will fall from $69 to $46 and $20 to $14, respectively, for each 2,000 square feet of impervious surface on the property.

Although the Council’s vote was unanimous, the meeting was not without discord. Councilman Todd Crandell (R-7) introduced two amendments to the bill, one of which would have reduced the fee down to one cent

“This amendment effectively zeroes out the stormwater remediation fee,” Crandell described. “This fee, in my opinion, unfairly targets Baltimore County employers. We pay a lot of lip service to business-friendliness, and this is an opportunity to put our votes where our mouths are.”

Speaking in support of the measure, Councilman Wade Kach noted that the county is running a surplus in its rainy day and emergency funds which could be used to pay for the stormwater remediation projects currently funded by this fee.

Councilman Tom Quirk argued that these funds are already earmarked to fund school construction and upgrades in future fiscal years, and that those projects are at risk if the fee is lowered any more than the one-third proposed.

Councilman David Marks (R-5) acknowledged that he voted against the initial bill imposing a fee, but said he had concerns about the amendment. “One of them has to do with the mechanics of lawmaking,” he explained. “If we pass this and the County Executive vetoes it, and there aren’t the five votes to override, we’re stuck with the current rates.”

Council Chair Cathy Bevins (D-6) agreed, stating that she had confirmed with the administration that the amended bill would be vetoed. “I am not going to risk the reduction,” she declared. “I think the constituents want real relief. All or nothing is not good governing and real relief is better than a failed repeal.”

Crandell responded, “I disagree with the contention that we will somehow miss out on the one-third reduction, because there is still time to introduce a new bill. We could put in another bill on our own.” 9-15 was submitted by Bevins at the request of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

In the end, the Council agreed with Bevins’s view and the amendment failed 2 - 5. Crandell and Kach were the two “aye” votes.

A second amendment introduced by Crandell stated that should the General Assembly change the state law mandating that the county initiate a fee, the County Council would review this issue again. That amendment passed unanimously.

Before voting to approve the reduction, the Council heard from Vince Gardina, director of the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability, who testified before the Council that the one-third reduction would still provide enough money to fund the county’s stormwater remediation projects. Gardina had previously spoken with the Council during the Feb. 24 work session when Bill 9-15 was first discussed. There, he explained that, as the stormwater remediation program underwent a review, the expert panel was able to pinpoint approximately $8 million in savings from the initial $34.4 million cost estimate. This gave the county the opportunity to propose the reductions.

“We absolutely can meet TMDL goals [even with these reductions],” Gardina assured. “This would not mean cuts in implementation of the projects to reduce the pollutant load.”

However, he did note that under the new rate, the projected revenue would be $16.4 million, which is close to the $16.3 million projected cost of the projects the county will undertake. “So any lower and we have to take from the general fund or somewhere else,” Gardina asserted.

“This is not a political issue,” Gardina declared at Monday’s meeting. “You have to realize that no matter who’s in charge at the state level or who’s in charge at the federal level, this is an order by the federal courts on a law that’s been on the books since the 1970s. We don’t have an option.”

The stormwater remediation fee was imposed after a federal court case brought against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation over its lack of enforcement of the Clean Water Ac of 1972. The case was settled when the EPA agreed to enforce the total maximum daily load (TMDL) restrictions on pollutants heading into the Bay. The projects funded by the fee are designed to reduce the amount of the pollutants nitrogren, phosphorous and suspended sediment through restricting the runoff of polluted water.

Gardina had told the Council that the other counties that do not have a fee or who have a very minimal one are out of compliance with the EPA regulations and could face fines of up to $10,000 a day and a denial of the MS4 permits used for new construction.

“I spoke with the EPA director for Region 3, and he said that they are giving some flexibility up front to allow the programs to get ramped up, but I think they are limited in that flexibility,” Gardina said. The county attorney confirmed on Monday that defiance could lead to litigation.

In the end, it was this view, as well as the unanimous desire of the Council to maintain a healthy Chesapeake Bay, that won the day and led to the defeat of Crandell’s repeal amendment.

“The other counties seem to be thumbing thier noses at the state,” Councilman Quirk said. “But I think Baltimore County should be commended for following the rules. And I am willing to pay my fair share for a clean Chesapeake Bay.”

House of Delegates members offer legislative update

(Originally published in the East County Times, Vol. 20, No. 22 [March 5, 2015], pages 2 + 5)
- by Emily Blackner -

With the 2015 legislative session just over a third completed, the East County Times reached out to several local Delegates to find out what they have been able to achieve so far.

District 6

With all three of its delegates freshman, and all three Republicans for the first time in memory, the District 6 contingent had to “hit the ground running,” according to Del. Ric Metzgar.

He is the primary sponsor of three bills and co-sponsor of dozens of others. Among them is a proposal for a toll plan for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, calling for commuters to be able to pay a flat $20 for a two-axle vehicle to make unlimited trips over the bridge.

“It’s exactly the same toll plan as they have at the Hatem Bridge in Harford and Cecil counties,” he explained. “I feel our residents deserve the same benefits. We want to save them money however we can.”

Metzgar is also the driving force behind the Welcome Home, Stay at Home Act, HB0644. The bill calls for a property tax credit of 20 percent to be granted by counties, cities and other municipalities to seniors over 65 who have lived in their home for 40 years, retired military personnel and people who lived in Maryland within the last ten years, then left the state and have now returned.

“We want to bring people back home where they belong and have them spend their money here,” Metzgar declared.

The credit would be granted for five years as the legislation is currently written, but Metzgar hopes that the committee will amend the proposal to extend that time frame. The process began on Feb. 25 when the bill had its first reading.

Metzgar noted that he had bipartisan support for all of the bills he submitted. He also said he feels there is bipartisan support and momentum for a repeal of the stormwater management fee, known as the “rain tax,” which was a campaign promise for many of the Republicans elected last November.

Robin Grammer, Metzgar’s colleague, is also advocating for a “rain tax” repeal. His other main focus this session is on gun rights; specifically, he has a bill in that would repeal parts of SB231 of 2013, Gov. O’Malley’s gun control bill.

“That bill basically criminalized the ownership and sale of certain firearms in this state,” Grammer explained. “It’s a big issue we ran on; I am very much in favor of gun rights and a lot of people here are, too.”

The bill has been titled the Firearm Decriminalization Act of 2015.

Grammer is also the primary sponsor of the Junior Advancement via Association Act, which is a complicated name for a relatively simple problem: the closure of the student-run coffee shop at Patapsco High School last year. Grammer explained that federal laws prohibited the sale of caffeinated beverages but that the coffee house was a valuable way for the students, many of them with special needs, to gain work and social skills. The bill would apply to any similar program at any Maryland school, not just Patapsco.

“It’s like a one sentence bill, but just that required about 10 to 15 manhours,” he revealed. “We had to consult with the Attorney General’s office and just do a lot of legwork. There’s a lot of work that goes on in the background that people don’t see.”

In spite of the demanding nature of the job, Grammer is enjoying it and looking forward to casting votes as that process ramps up.

“This year will be primarily consumed by budget, taxes and jobs,” he explained. “We’ve gotta be realistic about what we’re gonna be able to do down here, so we wanted to keep it relatively simple for the first year.”

District 8

As one of only a few veteran legislators to make it through the election, and the only remaining Democrat from eastern Baltimore County on the House side, Eric Bromwell is finding the biggest adjustments to be working with other members of his own party.

“It hasn’t really changed anything about the way I work,” he explained. “District 8 has always been a split district. But the biggest challenge, unfortunately, is that a lot of the Democrats who lost are from moderate areas, like me. So I went from having a group of people to count on to stick up for a more moderate approach to taxes and fees to losing some of that with the more tax-and-spend people here.”

He is instead working to build coalitions with Republicans in the chamber, mindful of some of the Republicans who served as mentors to him when he was just starting out in Annapolis. “I am very supportive of all my colleagues and try to be helpful to them. It helps get work done, but I also think it’s important that people have someone to go to to help slow it down a bit when things get hectic.”

On the policy side, Bromwell has sponsored 12 bills and co-sponsored many others. A few of these bills attempt to address the growing heroin epidemic in the state, calling for a Opioid Use Disorder Consortium and an overdose response program.

There is also HB0898, which is a follow-up to legislation passed last year to allow first responders to carry naloxene, a medication that can reverse a heroin or other opioid overdose.

“That bill, which I put in with the help of the state police, would give [additional] legal protection to police officers carrying the naloxene. The police didn’t feel the protection was enough,” he said.

Bromwell is also the primary sponsor on a measure to allow slots at BWI airport. He has introduced this measure before, he said, but it fell short of passage.

“I don’t know if the new administration will be opposed,” Bromwell said. “The new governor might recognize that he has a new form of revenue in front of him.”

The slots would be located inside the terminal itself, “so you couldn’t drive to the airport just to play them,” Bromwell noted. “It’s designed to capture money from people flying into and out of Baltimore.” The funds would be used to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund.

Maryland law means that even if the bill passes both chambers, it would still go before the voters as a referendum. Bromwell said he has this session and the next to get it passed in time for the 2016 ballot. “I’m very, very confident that the voters would uphold this,” he declared.

While Bromwell has focused on heroin crisis, fellow District 8 delegate Christian Miele has been studying another issue in the news: redistricting reform. He has submitted a bill to address the flaws in Maryland’s current system, which results in highly gerrymandered districts.

“I call it a good government plan because I don’t think there should be partisanship or gamesmanship involved in popular representation,” he asserted.

Miele’s plan would call for districts to be drawn starting from the lower eastern shore and to be as compact and concise as possible, using natural boundaries like major roads, rivers and municipal lines to help form the district boundaries. It would also call for only two-member districts, because the current system means that citizens in three-member districts are, on paper at least, receiving closer representation because each member represents fewer citizens. The districts would be drawn by a committee featuring Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate as well as registered voters affiliated with each party and those unaffiliated.

“We have a great opportunity in Maryland to be the national leader in showing that any partisan drawing of district lines is antithetical to democracy,” Miele declared.

However, he does not believe that his bill will advance, he admitted. “I think the governor is positioned to issue an executive order to create a commission to study this issue, and I think the legislature will give him the leeway to do that.

“I am hopeful to be appointed to that commission,” he added. “I’ve made it known around here that I would love to serve to at least bring all of my research to the table.”

Miele is also the primary sponsor of the Animal Shelter Standards Act of 2015, which is adapted from the CAPA ( Companion Animal Protection Act) model legislation specifically to meet Maryland’s needs.

“This is probably one I’m most proud of,” he admitted. “A lot of taxpayers assume that county shelters are more rescue-oriented, but that’s not the case.” Instead, county shelters, including Baltimore County’s, have very high euthanasia rates.

“This was an issue I began hearing about on the campaign trail when I was door-knocking,” he explained. “And then I found out it’s not just a Baltimore County issue, that concerns were raised in other jurisdictions as well. People want the shelters to do more to avoid euthanizing.”

The Animal Shelter Standards Act will receive its first hearing on March 4.

Crandell, Bevins prepare for council work session on ‘rain tax’ reduction proposal

(Originally published in the East County Times, Vol. 20, No. 21 [Feb. 26, 2015], pages 2 + 5)
- by Emily Blackner -

The Baltimore County Council devoted part of its Feb. 24 work session to a proposal, submitted by Council Chair Cathy Bevins (D-6) at the recommendation of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, to amend the 2013 stormwater remediation fee schedule. The proposal calls for a reduction of about one-third in all fees imposed, but Councilman Todd Crandell (R-7) does not think this goes far enough.

“The one-third cut proposed is two-thirds short,” he declared.

His push for a full repeal of the fee, commonly referred to as the “rain tax,” included a statement and an amendment proposed at the work session. (Because the work session took place after this issue went to press, the East County Times’s complete coverage will appear in next week’s paper.)

“The fee as it is currently constructed unfairly targets employers in our district,” Crandell told the East County Times on Monday. “It reduces their ability to hire more people and to grow. We have the largest industrial redevelopment project in the nation going on in our district, and we don’t need anything to hinder that.”

The County Council passed the “rain tax” in 2013 after the Maryland General Assembly directed the ten largest jurisdictions in the state to impose a fee to pay for stormwater remediation projects designed to reduce pollution entering area waterways; specifically, the goal is to meet total maximum daily load (TMDLs) caps for designated pollutants.

As reported in the East County Times on Jan. 22, the proposal before the Council would reduce all of the “rain tax” fees by approximately a third, from $39 to $26 for single-family homes and for businesses, from $69 to $46 per 2,000 square feet of impervious surface. The adjustments came after a review of the stormwater projects the county needs to complete showed that a monetary savings of about $8 million dollars could be achieved by using various measures such as spreading out expensive projects and buying more durable equipment. The administration said it would pass the savings onto the taxpayers through reducing the amount each property owner paid. There is also a provision to assess mobile homes at the same rate as single-family homes, a measure Bevins strongly supports after concerns were raised among her constituents.

“Some of them were paying three times what a single family home[owner] would pay,” she said. Bevins also views the proposal as a way to make sure the county’s citizens save money even if Gov. Larry Hogan’s efforts to repeal the statewide law does not succeed.

“One-third doesn’t make everybody happy, but it is something,” she said. “Little by little we keep making these amendments.”

However, she questioned the feasibility of eliminating the fee entirely, given that the counties are required by federal law to fund these remediation projects.

“What people need to be reminded of is that as unpopular as the fee is with some people, it is a federal mandate,” she stated.

She did point out that counties on the lower Eastern Shore directly touch the Bay and contribute to its pollution load, but were not among the ten jurisdictions affected by the General Assembly law.

“I do wish there would’ve been more direction from the state as to how the counties do it,” she admitted. Crandell argues that the county has a budgetary surplus from its general fund, and that that money could be used to pay for the projects the fee is currently funding.

“The administration has been very fiscally responsible and should be commended for that,” he said. “So now we do have the ability to fund stormwater remediation projects through the general fund instead of as an additional fee.”

Crandell hopes to get some support from other Council members as the amendment process moves forward. Although he preferred to let other Council members speak for themselves, he did note that some of them had previously voted against the fee either in the Council or the General Assembly.

The Council will vote on the proposal and any amendments at its March 2 meeting.

Bevins, Kamenetz announce proposal for ‘rain tax’ reduction

(Originally published in the East County Times, Vol. 20, No.16 [Jan. 22, 2015], pages 2 + 7)
- by Emily Blackner -

On Jan. 16, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and members of the County Council announced the development of a proposal to lower state-mandated stormwater remediation fees, commonly referred to as the “Rain Tax.”

“I’m just glad it’s finally happening,” said Council Chair Cathy Bevins (D-6). “We’ve been working hard to get some sort of reduction.”

She will introduce this legislation at the County Council’s Legislative Session on Feb. 2. After that, it will be debated at a work session on Feb. 24 and voted on at the March 2 legislative session.

The proposal reduces fees across the board by about a third. The fee for single-family homeowners would be $26 annually, down from $39 dollars, while those living in attached homes will see a drop from $21 to $14. Likewise, condominium fees would be lowered to $22 from the current $32. For businesses, the new rate would be $46 per 2,000 square feet of impervious surface as opposed to the current $69. For non-profits, the fee would be dropped from $20 to $14 per 2,000 square feet.

Another significant change is in the way the fee treats mobile home residents. Under the new proposal, they would be taxed at the same flat rate of $26 as residents of individual homes. Bevins said that this change was of particular importance to her.

“When we looked at different rates [initially], mobile home parks just weren’t thought of. The owners were taxed at the commercial rate and passed those costs onto residents, “ she explained. Residents of communities like Biscayne Bay were paying as much as $89 each, she revealed. “It’s so unfair because the land they sit on, they have no control over that.”

The proposal also calls for the elimination of fees pertaining to commercial swimming pools, which was something Councilman David Marks (R-5) spearheaded as a response to constituent complaints from the owners of local pools. Since the water from pools drains into a treated system, Marks said it seemed “strange” to tax pools.

“I voted against the 2013 stormwater fee legislation because I thought the county could absorb the cost without passing another tax,” he added. “I would prefer for there to be no tax at all, but I welcome any opportunity to provide cuts that provide relief for homeowners and businesses.”

The fee reduction proposal is the result of months of analysis by the County and the implementation of several cost-saving measures. The initial fee rate was set in order to bring in $34.4 million - the County-identified price tag for the various projects it needed to implement during Fiscal Year 2014 to comply with pollution reduction mandates. The fee has generated $24.4 million, which was supplemented with $10 million from the Metropolitan District fund to meet the goal.

However, based on this first year of implementation, the County was able to identify $8.1 million in savings through measures such as purchasing more durable, productive equipment; trying smaller fixes before more expensive ones and deferring big-budget projects for later years; and updating standards. These savings reduced the projected price tag and, therefore, the amount of money needed for Fiscal Year 2015, which begins July 1, and the savings are being passed onto the taxpayers.

Still, Kamenetz acknowledged that this proposal is not a perfect solution. In particular, he pointed to a 2025 compliance date as a major obstacle to further cost reductions. As a result of a mandate from the federal Environmental Protection Agency for Maryland to fully enforce the 1972 Clean Water Act, the state government agreed to comply with specific pollution reduction goals by 2025. It then passed the responsibility for funding the projects needed to meet that goal onto the ten largest jurisdictions in the state, of which Baltimore County is one. Kamenetz has spoken with incoming Governor Larry Hogan about this deadline and the way it forces the local jurisdictions to cram many, often expensive projects into a short time frame.

“I urge the incoming governor to negotiate an extension of the 2025 compliance date with the federal government in order to give local government some breathing room to achieve the required reduction in pollution levels. That would be an important step forward,” Kamenetz said in a statement. “Simply eliminating the mandate that we impose a fee does not solve the problem of the local counties who have been saddled with the clean-up responsibility as a result of the state’s entry of the federal consent decree.”

Kamenetz was alluding to the efforts of many in the state to repeal the “rain tax” bill altogether, arguing that a repeal of the state’s mandate does nothing about the federal one.

Del. Pat McDonough (R-7) has been spearheading a “Stop the Rain Tax” campaign from the beginning, and he believes his efforts have contributed to this reduction proposal. But he wants to see even more done.

“We eliminated the fee entirely in Harford County, which I also represent,” he noted. “So we are still going to work this summer to reduce the entire amount and have the [county] executive roll it into the budget. He’s already demonstrated with this latest reduction that we have the legal right to do that.”

McDonough also said that he introduced repeal bills at the state level last session, which did not pass, and will do so again this session. He also pointed out that Gov. Hogan plans to repeal the law.

Councilman Todd Crandell (R-7) also believes the proposal does not go far enough, claiming that the proposed reduction is too small to significantly benefit the families and businesses in his district. He also noted that the across-the-board reduction means that businesses are still burdened more heavily as the overall economy makes operations difficult enough.

“At a time when the largest industrial economic recovery and redevelopment project in the nation is taking place in our district [at the Sparrow’s Point property], we should ensure that it remains unhindered by onerous taxes,” he said in a statement. It also said that he, like McDonough, is exploring other, “more aggressive” ways to approach the fee.

Still, Bevins and Kamenetz are optimistic that the bill will receive much support and co-sponsorship when it is formally introduced next month.

“I’m really happy about it and I think the residents of Baltimore County are going to be thrilled,” Bevins declared.

Hogan, Republicans thank Dundalk for election victory

(Originally published in the East County Times, Volume 20, No. 7 [Nov. 20, 2014], pages 2 + 9)
- By Emily Blackner -

Governor-elect Larry Hogan drew a crowd so large it spilled out of the doors and parking lots of the Boulevard Diner in Dundalk when he made a stop at the eatery as part of his state-wide victory tour. Hogan's victory was just one part of the Republican wave that swept legislative districts 6 and 7, giving the GOP dominance on the east side of Baltimore County.

"I knew we were gonna win the election on July 4th at the Dundalk parade," Hogan told a supporter at the event. "I knew we were gonna need that kind of enthusiasm, and we got it. I felt the energy."

Well-wishers came from as far away as the eastern shore to shake hands with the governor-elect, get his autograph or snap a photo. Hogan spent the entirety of his hour-long visit last Thursday, Nov. 13, circulating through the rooms, meeting with and thanking voters.

"Governor[-elect] Hogan's visit shortly after his victory shows his commitment to southeastern Baltimore County," stated John Fiastro Jr., outgoing chair of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee. "His goals of lower taxes, lower spending and lower regulation resonates with folks down here. For the first time in eight years, Dundalk and Essex have a partner in the governor's office."

The other Republican victors were also in attendance, notably the three delegates-elect Bob Long, Ric Metzgar and Robin Grammer and state senator-elect John Salling, who formed a ticket with Hogan during the final months of the campaign.

"We won because people believed in us and believed in our word. But having the governor at the top of the ticket helped as well," Salling said. "Mr. Hogan impressed a lot of people at the debates and we worked well with him and his team."

Robin Grammer declared, "Governor-elect Hogan is on the same page as we are in making eastern Baltimore County the economic engine of the state again. I think this district has nothing but opportunity ahead."

But all the candidates stressed that Hogan's name on the ballot was far from the only factor in the sweep.

"This has been building for years. People had just had enough and they wanted change," noted Del. Pat McDonough, who easily won his re-election bid in District 7.

"This election has shown that the voters were dissatisfied with the status quo and that they wanted real action, communication and transparency," declared Todd Crandell, who will become the first Republican to hold the County Council seat in District 7 since the Council was chartered in 1956. "I think we ran a very solid campaign and had the necessary bipartisan support to win the seat."

Hogan himself also emphasized the importance of bipartisan support in his victory.

Delegate-elect Metzgar attributed his success on his third run for the seat to "persistence, perseverance and pushing through" to bring his message across.

The Merritt Boulevard stop was Hogan's only one in eastern Baltimore County to date. He had planned to visit Perry Hall Square Shopping Center earlier that afternoon, but decided to cancel that appearance due to the search for a missing 12-year-old girl (who has since been found safe).

"I think it was appropriate to cancel the Perry Hall event," said Councilman David Marks at the time. "It's not a celebratory time in Perry Hall and we're all focused on finding the missing girl."

After the celebrations are over, each of these leaders will have to turn to the task of governing, which each man seemed ready to tackle.

"I am humbled and honored to serve the constituents and this community," said Metzgar. "I promise we'll hit the ground running; we've been working nonstop since we heard."

Salling said, "I am honored and overwhelmed with joy that I have the opportunity to represent the people. I see it not as a challenge, which of course it is, but as a great opportunity to make a difference.

McDonough was also optimistic about his new colleagues' performance. "I think that the people of Dundalk and Essex are getting energetic representatives who are going to be at almost every event in the community and will tell them the truth," he declared.

"It's still very, very surreal," Robin Grammer admitted. "Nobody expected this [complete sweep]. But we put in effort and it paid off."