For much of its recent history, Baltimore County has enjoyed an enviable quality of life. Today, however, there is a growing sense of frustration with the county’s direction. Communities are dealing with overcrowded schools, aging infrastructure, and steady deterioration in many of our business areas and neighborhoods.
Many residents, particularly senior citizens, are struggling to pay their property taxes. They feel abandoned by the Democrats who run Baltimore County—leaders who seem to care more about their lucrative pensions and political advancement than dealing with the concerns of working-class families. While County Executive Jim Smith talks about a “renaissance,” the people of Baltimore County know otherwise.
A developer-run county? Over the past decade, Democrat politicians harvested hundreds of thousands of dollars from developers and other special interests. Developers enjoy access and power that parents and community leaders cannot match. Thanks to poor development decisions, many roads are choked with traffic and many schools are overcrowded.
Overcrowded, aging schools. Schools from Towson to Perry Hall are overcrowded. When parents and community leaders demanded relief, County Executive Jim Smith blocked construction of a new high school, preferring instead to add bulky new additions to existing schools.
That’s not the only way Smith and the Democrats have failed to improve Baltimore County’s schools. According to a 2008 report, 41 percent of the county’s public schools were built before 1959, while 79 percent were built before 1969. While other counties build newer schools, Baltimore County’s leaders seem content with schools that were built 40 years ago. Only half the public schools in Baltimore County are equipped with air conditioning.
Less open space. Baltimore County’s land preservation program for recreation areas has ground to a halt. In 2007, Governor Martin O’Malley cancelled plans by the Ehrlich administration to transform the Hickey School into a new regional park. O’Malley’s ally, County Executive Jim Smith, barely offered a word of protest.
The Democrat machine. Jim Smith is the political boss of the Democrat party in Baltimore County. During the 2006 election, he formed a campaign slate that transferred $435,000 to elect a Democrat as Baltimore County State’s Attorney. The Director of Common Cause has called slates like this “basically a slush fund.” Smith’s allies are now assembling a countywide ticket to control the Baltimore County Council after the 2010 election.
Pensions and salary hikes. It took a public outcry for Baltimore County Democrats to admit that their lucrative pension system needed to be reformed. Democrat County Councilman Vincent Gardina will get $54,000 every year when he retires—far more than many county firefighters and police officers who risk their lives on our behalf. To add insult to injury, within days of the pension scandal breaking, a Democrat-appointed commission recommended salary hikes—after discussing the raises in violation of the Open Meetings Act.
For 16 years, Democrats have controlled Baltimore County. Today, this is only a single Republican officeholder in the County Courthouse. It’s time for a new spirit of reform and accountability, one that elevates communities and puts Baltimore County’s families first.