20070820 News Clips

News Clips

August 20, 2007

STATE NEWS
Counties fret over deficit
They seek to stop state solutions that cut into their budgets
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.cuts20aug20,0,6181328.story
Taking little comfort in Gov. Martin O'Malley's promises not to balance the state budget by shifting costs to cities and counties, local leaders are bracing for a fight to stop "doomsday" proposals that could saddle them with as much as $646 million in cuts. The executives, commissioners and other officials at the Maryland Association of Counties convention here say the prospect that the state will slough off hundreds of millions in costs for teacher pensions on local governments at the same time that it cuts grants for public safety and other ser vices is the No. 1 topic of conversation. O'Malley, a former Baltimore mayor, has been steadfast in his opposition, but the leaders of both chambers in the legislature say otherwise.
Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, a Howard County Republican and the minority whip, who attended the speech, said O'Malley's rhetoric is unrealistic, given that local aid -- primarily education funds -- makes up about 40 percent of the state budget.
"I would have liked to hear him acknowledge that," Kittleman said. "He missed a real opportunity to show some leadership."
Harford County Executive David R. Craig was a legislator in the early 1990s, and he said he understands the current lawmakers' motivations. He was a former mayor then and opposed the cuts, but he said there wasn't much that could be done then, and there won't be much to stop legislators now.
"It doesn't keep me up at night because they're going to do what t hey're going to do," said Craig, a Republican. "I tell people the Harford County government will open the next day, just like it did the day before."

United front on BRAC favored
But counties resist sacrificing top priorities for good of all
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.brac18aug18,0,2979241.story
Local leaders say they favor a coordinated approach to planning for the thousands of military jobs expected to come to Maryland in the next few years -- as long as it doesn't mean giving up too many of their own priorities. Interviews with county executives, who are in Ocean City this weekend for the Maryland Association of Counties meeting, suggest they're willing to play along -- up to a point.
Harford County Executive David R. Craig said his county has taken a regional approach from the start. "We were the locomotive driving the train on that when it came to regional issues," said Craig, a Republican whose county is slated to get thousands of new jobs in and around Aberdeen Proving Ground. But he added, "The reality is when it comes to certain things, though, the jobs are going to be in Harford County. People are going to need to get through Harford County to get to Aberdeen Proving Ground."

Ocean City says slots are threat to town
Beach resort fears gambling would draw money away
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.slots18aug18,0,3769233.story
Maryland's beach resort is sending a clear message: "No slots in Md. Period."
hen pro-slots Gov. Martin O'Malley and the rest of the state's political elites came to town for the Maryland Association of Counties meeting here this week, they found variations on that theme plastered across hotel marquees up and down the island.
Thursday morning, the city's Chamber of Commerce met with O'Malley and anti-slots Comptroller Peter Franchot, and then voted on the spot to oppose expanded gambling - not just in their town but anywhere in the state.

GOP spat goes public on blog
Central County Briefs
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.central19aug19,0,1982476.story
Less than a year after being elected chairman of the Anne Arundel County Republican Central Committee, Michael Collins is facing a mutiny. The behind-the-scenes campaign is playing out publicly, however, through a steady chorus of statements and leaked memos posted in the blogosphere. Among those leading the charge is Brian Griffiths, a 27-year-old who lost a bid for a Central Committee seat last fall and has been blogging for more than two years at brian griffiths.com. He obtained and posted a letter sent by the Central Committee's vice chairman asking Collins to step down, and later displayed Collins' rebuttal. And he challenged key players to explain themselves on his site, offering to post their responses unedited.
"Something just didn't smell right to me," Griffiths said. "... I wanted to know, 'Why is this happening?' And it's kinda snowballed from there.""It's very important to party members not only who is representing leadership but how they ... are acting in carrying out those duties," Griffiths said.

Seniors granted tax relief
ht tp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.seniors19aug19,0,7593277.story
More than 200 older Howard County residents have been granted relief under the county's revised senior property tax credit law, and hundreds more are awaiting word on their applications, according to a county official who said the tax break is likely to cost the county much less than the $1.5 million first thought.
At the same time, two members of a citizens task force that successfully recommended changes to a more generous law passed just before last year's election complained at a meeting last week that the current measure is too complicated for older people -- a contention that county officials disputed.

Franchot presses for scrutiny of park purchases
http://www.examiner.com/a-887853~Franchot_presses_for_scrutiny_of_park_purch ases.html
Comptroller Peter Franchot continued his campaign for closer scrutiny of parkland purchases, telling county parks and recreation officials, "We don't have a bottomless pit of money."
But parks officials from both Baltimore and Howard counties argued with Franchot, saying it was important to buy open space when it became available. The state cannot take land for parks against the owner's wishes. Franchot said he understood "the need to be opportunistic" when land comes on the market, but th"each of these projects is going to have to justify themselves. Are these the best possible deals?"

County focuses on revitalization
http://www.examiner.com/a-889752~County_focuses_on_revitalization.html
Revitalization efforts are gain ing momentum in Anne Arundel County.
The Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp.'s (AAEDC) Business Corridor Investment Program, initiated earlier in the year, aims to assist local businesses with renovation and improvement projects.
"This project is intended to spur economic activity, investment and improvement," said Alexis Henderson, spokeswoman for the AAEDC. Revitalization remains crucial to Anne Arundel County, County Executive John R. Leopold said. "This is one of the key pillars in my planning and development of the county," Leopold said. "I continue to support low-interest loans in the revitalization areas."

O'Malley promises transportation funding
http://www.examiner.com/a-888109~O_Malley_promises_transportation_funding.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley promised county officials "we will pass a major transportation funding bill this session," but again gave no specifics on exactly how he would raise revenues for roads and transit projects. A hike in the gasoline tax has been mentioned most often. In the speech that traditionally closes the annual Maryland Association of Counties (MACO) meeting in this beach resort, O'Malley continued to offer few specifics on how he would handle the expected 2009 deficit of $1.5 billion.
"He gave false hope to the counties that they wouldn't be hurt," said Senate Republican Whip Allan Kittleman, a former Howard County Council member at the conference. "All of us know that's not true." Based on a presentation he had heard Saturday morning, Kittleman noted that historically in deficit situations, counties experience some cuts in their state aid.

Pr. George's Hopes Mass Vaccinations Will Pay Off
As Classes Begin, Schools Aim To Avoid Repeat of Fiasco
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/19/AR2007081901591.html
With classes starting today, Prince George's County is conducting a massive effort to ensure that older students have the proper vaccinations, hoping to avoid a repeat of last winter's immunization debacle that left hundreds of students unable to attend school. "It certainly is a big concern because at the end of last year there were about 1,000 kids out of compliance," said John White, spokesman for the Prince George's school system. Although that is less than 1 percent of the county's schoolchildren, "it still is a big number, and kids cannot attend class if their immunization records are not up to date," he said.

Republican club resumes public meetings
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.club19aug19,0,5072910.story
For several months, the Carroll County Republican Club met inconspicuously at a Woodbine residence, while two of its officers faced campaign finance charges. But the club embarked on a significant change of course last week. With the charges thrown out earlier this summer, the club gathered publicly for the first time, undertaking an effort to expand membership and generate support for conservative Republican causes in Carroll and across Maryland. The Carroll County Republican Central Committee has forged ties with the club as it regains its footing. C. David Jones, the committee vice chairman, is an active member. Joseph M. Getty, who was a policy director for former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., also attended Thursday's meeting.

Governor Says Workforce, Sustainability, Security ar e Key Themes for Maryland
http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/6279.shtml
"As a state, together, we have tremendous opportunities in the challenging times ahead of us," said Governor O'Malley. "And we can make those opportunities ours by advancing simultaneously along three fronts - workforce creation, sustainability, and security integration - greatness lies in our ability to advance along these fronts as One Maryland."
During his remarks, Governor O'Malley stressed the need for the state to protect the most valuable asset of the state - the talent, ingenuity and innovation of the workforce of Maryland. "The Workforce" is the new political mantra uttered across the state by polticians ranging from county officials to Rep. Steny Hoyer to U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski. The need for skilled workers in Maryland has increased greatly as high techno logy, military-related jobs continue to be created in Maryland largely due to BRAC relocations and increased military spending. Anciliary jobs, such as teachers, are also in great demand.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

GOP budget plan, even with slots, deserves discussion
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/08_19-39/OPN
Politicians tend to ignore ideas coming from the other party. In the heat of partisan warfare, they often focus not on the merits of proposals, but on who would get the credit for something ingenious or useful. We hope that's not what happens to the Republican proposal for eliminating Maryland's projected $1.5 billion deficit. Even though there are parts of it we disagree with, it deserves a serious discussion by the legislature. The GOP caucus of the House of D elegates says the deficit can be erased by limiting spending growth to 3.5 percent and approving 15,000 slot machines at six undetermined locations. The proposal is significant because it acknowledges that the deficit cannot be eliminated through cuts alone, and it allows for some spending growth.

Sentiment vs. Horse Sense
A specious argument for slot-machine gambling in Maryland
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/19/AR2007081901315.html
THOMAS E. PEREZ, Maryland's secretary of labor, licensing and regulation, has issued a report that buttresses the stated goal of Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration to grant slot-machine gambling licenses to selected racetracks as a means of saving the state's racing industry and preserving the jobs and farmland that depend on it. The report, wh ich is tendentious in the extreme, adds little new information to the argument over slots that has gripped Maryland for most of this decade. It represents a missed opportunity to inject some evenhanded analysis into a policy debate that is expected to divide state lawmakers bitterly when they convene in January. No one is happy with watching the erosion of a storied aspect of Maryland life and history. Jobs and a way of life that have thrived for decades are at stake. But that has been equally true of many other industries that over time have shrunk, disappeared or evolved. If there is a case to be made for using state tax dollars to subsidize the horse industry, Mr. Perez's report has failed to make it.

Living Large:
Large animal veterinarians make sure our four-legged farm friends stay healthy
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/rea d/2007/08_19-13/LIF
The reasons more people don't choose to be large animal veterinarians are complex, but factors include the physical challenges involved in that kind of practice, fewer people growing up on farms, and mounting debt from school. The perception has been that large animal veterinarians earn less than small animal veterinarians, although that's not necessarily the case, the AVMA said. Local large animal veterinarians said they're happy in their field, even though it's hard work and not without risk. Dr. James Pelura's patient list reads like the manifest for Noah's Ark. He's treated just about every animal imaginable, from dogs and cats to elephants and giraffes. Some of his more exotic patients were "house calls," but he gets a pretty good variety at his Davidsonville Veterinary Clinic."If you love veterinary medicine, it shouldn't matter whether you're dealing with a pig, a horse or an elephant," he said with a smile. "It's a very rewarding career. It's a wonderful lifestyle. My wife always says it's not a profession, it's a lifestyle."



NATIONAL NEWS

Views vary on proposed Farm Bill
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=63975
Heated debates on the 2007 Farm Bill saturate the airwaves and the Internet is replete with positions that are as diverse as the proposed five-year, $284 billion bill itself.
Closer to home, positions differ also.
"The Farm Bill is a good bill, but it has one fatal flaw inserted at the last moment by the Democratic leadership," Bartlett said. Bartlett said a provision that would raise taxes on international companies that "insource" jobs to the U.S. would result in a tax hike o n more than 101,100 Maryland workers. But he's hopeful that the Senate version of the bill would strip away the provision.

Port could get increase in security funds
$1.8 million grant is set aside, but it must be applied for
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.ports18aug18,0,171324.story
The port of Baltimore expects to get a significant, unexpected infusion of federal dollars from a pot of homeland security money carved out of the supplemental war spending bill that President Bush signed this year. "Ports are high-threat targets for terrorism," Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said in a statement. "We need to make sure the port of Baltimore and all ports across America are safe, secure and growing." As part of the new homeland security fundi ng, Maryland also will receive slightly less than $1 million to enhance emergency preparedness.
And the National Capital Region, which includes Montgomery and Prince George's counties, will receive $11.1 million to bolster bus and rail security.

Chicken houses a terrorist target?
Md. senators question Homeland Security regulation
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/NEWS01/708200304/1002
Chicken houses across the country are one step away from being named the newest terrorist targets demanding stricter access and regulation, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As part of the DHS Chemical Security Anti-Terrorism Standards, facilities with more than 7,500 pounds of propane gas -- 1,785 gallons -- could be considered high-risk. To determine if a facility is a security risk, operators must process complete "Top Screen" safety measures including vulnerability assessments, develop site security plans and implement protective measures approved by DHS.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Tom Carper, D-Del., have co-authored a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff demanding answers for what they describe as a waste of government time and money.