Archive for the 'County Council' Category
Believe it or not, four of the seven Baltimore County Council members said that they would not approve giving themselves raises suggested by an advisory panel. It should also be noted that two of the council members (Chairman Joseph Bartenfelder D-Dist. 6 and Kevin Kamentez D-Dist. 2) are also considering a run for County Executive next week.
More from The Baltimore Sun.
WBAL (1090AM) is also reporting that the advisory board that recommended the raises violated the open meetings act.
Greetings from our new home base in Baltimore. Maryland Politics Today last week moved from Laurel, Prince George’s County, where it has been in operation since our inception in 2006. Not only am I preparing for this blog’s fourth year of operation, but the next election coming in a few months. More on Free Vote 2010 as time ticks away. Now to the news, which begins in our new backyard…
Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth Oliver (D-4th) has pleaded guilty to improper use of campaign funds when he ran for his first term in 2002.
WBAL-TV (Channel 11) says that Oliver will be paying a $2,500 fine and must serve 50 hours of looking over the shoulders of accountants who know what they are doing when it comes to managing campaign funds. Oliver, who is the first Black councilman in Baltimore County, will get to keep his seat because his actions had nothing to do with his duties in office.
Oliver was originally indicted in January.
Montgomery County Councilman Donald Praisner (D-Dist. 4), who passed away yesterday following cancer surgery, had composed some final thoughts before his procedure. Among the thoughts was his request that the county appointed someone to fill his seat, rather than paying the $1.3 million to hold a special election should he not survive.
“One of my wife’s lasting legacies is her track record of fiscal responsibility. She had an unwavering commitment to assuring that taxpayer dollars were spent wisely, and I am also committed to that goal. With those thoughts in mind, I am asking my colleagues on the County Council to forego a special election and instead appoint a qualified and respected resident of District 4 to serve the remainder of my term if I do not make it through the surgery.
Praisner noted that the turnout is special elections is not so good and believes in the fairnessto the voters who would face another special election in less than a year, it would be better to appoint someone to fill the District 4 seat.
Continue reading ‘Praisner’s Final Thoughts’
Donald Praisner, who filled the District 4 seat of the Montgomery County Council following the death of his wife, long-time councilwoman Marilyn Praisner, has died following colon cancer surgery. He was 76. Donald Praisner died nearly one year to the day that he was preceeded in death by his wife.
Mr. Praisner lived in Montgomery County for over 60 years. He was a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School and the University of Maryland. He served three years in the Army and worked for the CIA for 30 years. Before joining the council, he was Vice President of the Calverton Citizens Association, President and board member of CHI, Inc, an organization that serves those with severe disabilities and member of the Colesville Strawberry Festival.
Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett (D) in a statement said that Mr. Praisner lived a life marked by integrity, commitment to excellence, and duty.
“We are a richer Montgomery County because Don Praisner lived and this is a great loss to the County he loved. We will miss his leadership and his activism,” Leggett said. He added that Mr. Praisner represented the constituents of District 4 on the County Council for eight months, demonstrating his intellect, humor, refreshing candor and “taking up the work begun by his dear Marilyn.”
County Council President Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3) said that at a time when Mr. Praisner could have stayed retired following his wife’s death, he decided that it was not only important to carry on her legacy, but to make sure his constituents were well represented.
Council Vice President Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) said that Mr. Praisner’s service to our Council and our community was all too brief. “He was inspired by his wife’s legacy, sought valiantly to extend it, and did so with a gentle, unassuming spirit.”
Donald Praisner is survived by three adult children and four grandchildren.
Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth Oliver (D-4th) was indicted by a grand jury on charged that he misused campaign funds. Felony theft is the case they are giving him and he could face up to 15 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.
WBAL-TV (Channel 11) says that according to the indictment, Oliver calimed responsibility in a letter he wrote to the state Board of Elections in February for writing the two checks for his personal use. The indictment, according to the MD Daily Record, also says that Oliver “also wrote smaller checks to himself from his campaign fund — ostensibly as reimbursement for expenses including a fish fry and a trip to the Maryland Association of Counties — without supplying receipts or other documentation to show that the expenses were campaign-related.”
Oliver was first elected to the Baltimore County Council in 2002, the first African-American elected to the body representing the 4th district, which covers Randallstown, Reisterstown, Woodlawn and Lochern. He has spent most of his professional career in the financing industry.
The Montgomery County Council is unanimously backing a proposal that is attempting to limit which grants the County Executive is able to apply for.
The Washington Examiner says this stems from County Executive Ike Leggett (D) ignoring the advice of the council from over the summer, and applying for a $2 million public saftey grant from the fed that would require the county to pony up nearly $8 million in matching funds. The legislative proposal would require Leggett to get council approval before seeking grants worth more than $500,000, that require the council to spend more than $250,000 or add two or more positions to county government.
Leggett thumbed his nose to the proposal and has legal backing. Deputy County Attorney Marc Hansen told the council in a memo that the law is invalid because the county charter gives the county executive the power to request spending. Leggett can challenge the law in court, but he would have to use his own lawyer.
Meet Greg Fox, the Howard County Council’s lone Republican. He represents District 5 (Western Howard County) and is the reason why County Executive Jen Ulman’s first budget was passed minus $1.3 million less for the fire contingency fund, thus preventing a two cent rise on rural property taxes. Western Howard County is very rural.
The Baltimore Sun says that the council celebrated his 40th birthday recently was celebrated in a very non-traditional way…in mourning.
