“I am accepting House Speaker Michael Busch’s request, and I am donating five days salary back to the State,” said Del. Rick Impallaria (R, District 7, Baltimore and Harford Counties). “However, this entire crisis could have been avoided if the Legislature had done two things during the 2008 session.

“First, I proposed a bill to flatline the State Budget [i.e., no increases in spending] for the next four fiscal years, so that we could get a grip on our economic situation. This bill was killed in committee.

“Second, the Legislature had the opportunity to reject the Governor’s budget, which represents huge expenditure of money the State did not and does not have. The Legislature passed the budget. However, I was able to put together a group of 36 legislators who had the courage to vote against it as a protest of the increased spending and resultant higher taxes.

“Had these two actions been taken, we would not be in the crisis we are now. There would not be any need for furloughs or firings now or in the future.

“While many elected officials are now pandering to their constituents by accepting this “furlough”, the truth is, had they done the right thing by voting against the budget and passing my legislation, all this would have been unnecessary. In short, their motivation should be judged not by their current action, but by their past deeds. They were directly responsible for putting Maryland’s citizens, the State itself, and its employees in this current financial crisis,” concluded Del. Impallaria, “And by the way, many states and municipalities across the country are now flatlining their budgets because they are being forced to.”

Delegate Rick Impallaria Issues Furlough Challenge

Delegate Rick Impallaria (R, District 7, Baltimore and Harford Counties) has accepted Speaker Michael Busch’s request to donate five days salary, amounting to $604.20, back to the State as a cost-cutting measure and in solidarity with beleagured state employees.

He commented, “I am issuing a further challenge to Governor O’Malley to cut the salaries of his political appointees in state government back to the level of their predecessors. I also challenge all County Executives, the Mayor of Baltimore City, and Patricia Jessamy, who has recently gotten a raise, to do the same. It’s time.”

Rick Impallaria
rick.impallaria@house.state.md.us

Delegate Norman to Donate 5-Days’ Pay In Wake of Furlough Decision

Today, Delegate Wayne Norman (Harford County/Dist. 35A) announced that he will donate the equivalent of five days of his Delegate’s salary to Aegis Empty Stocking Fund.

Del. Norman’s announcement follows Governor Martin O’Malley’s decision to furlough most of Maryland’s 80,000 employees. Those affected will lose two to five days of pay, depending on their annual income.

“I realize my decision to donate five-days’ pay is only symbolic and will have no material impact on those being furloughed,” said Del. Norman. “But I believe such a symbol of solidarity is important during these difficult times. The real challenge will be for the representatives in Annapolis to work through these furloughs so that state employees and the citizens of our state have a balanced budget and laws that will foster a prosperous 2009.”

You can contact Delegate Norman with your concerns or ideas on furloughs and the state budget by e-mailing

Wayne.Norman@house.state.md.us

The city council approved the MOE Ordinance with a six-to-zero vote on Dec. 1, yet on Monday, Dec. 15, Dougherty issued a memo announcing he was vetoing the ordinance and offering his explanation why.

In his memo, Dougherty wrote:

First, I feel that any development, be it commercial or residential be held accountable to provide a much needed recreation area. It is my opinion that Ordinance 901 require a Multi-Use playing field. This field shall provide for recreation programs for Youth Football, Soccer, and Baseball; additionally, it is my opinion that a Parking Area be provided as well as a storage building for Maintaince Equipment. Further, this will be included in the square footage ofrecreational uses.

It is important to remember that in the proposed MOE development there is already passive recreation provided with a trail system that is incorporated into the design.

Dougherty, however, seems adamant about including a sports field at this location - even though the county is in the process of developing fields on Chapel Road and despite proposals considered a few years ago to build a sports complex on the city-owned property near the old community center off Lagaret Lane.

Dougherty’s veto has left many scratching their heads. From the looks of some of the specific uses he wants removed from the MOE ordinance (bakery, barbershop, card shop, coffee shop, florist, office supply, etc.) it gives the appearance there may be some special interests he is trying to protect.

This veto comes from the same person who apparently dismissed a report from a committee that was appointed by former Mayor David Craig and who gave back an $80,000 grant to hire a zoning consultant, because he thought he could do it in house.

Also, all of the proposed changes to the original MOE were staffed through the planning director who was hired by Dougherty, but who no longer works for the city. City council members themselves also appear to be in the dark regarding Dougherty’s veto and other machinations.

Other changes Dougherty proposed in his veto memo deal with design standards and height restrictions. Among other things, he wants to include air conditioners on the roof in the overall building height.

Nonetheless, Dougherty wrote that his intent wasn’t to completely derail the MOE, but merely amend it:

Further, the delivery of this Veto message is in no way infringing on the Ordinance to become law by the 45th day and I feel that this gives Council ample time, prior to our January 5th meeting to take action on the amendments I am suggesting.

That’s good news because, from what many are saying, including residents of Bulle Rock and surrounding neighborhoods, they all seemed happy with the prospect of being able to eat and shop close to their homes without having to travel to Bel Air or beyond.

It was a Saturday and the procession was of the funeral nature…only seven or eight cars following a spanking new black and gray hearse. One last rain soaked ride for the dearly departed.

As I edged ahead in this driving rain, I noticed the Pennsylvania vanity tag…”BURG F H”…Hmmm…my roommate at Gettysburg College in the fall of 1957 was Earl Burg, whose dad owned a funeral home in Red Lion. It had to be the same, I reckoned.

He was only my roommate for one semester. He used pancake makeup for zits and often did ‘one-arm pushups’…very wiry and very strong…lean and mean. I had never been away from home, nor ever met a chap like Earl…He loved the lyrics of a tune at that time…” my friends call me Speedo, but my real name is Mr. Earl….”

Could this be one in the same…maybe his kids were in the business now…the hearse driver was a young man…very clean hearse, albeit soaked…so I edged along up the line of the sad procession.

When what to my wondering eyes did appear, at the wheel of the point vehicle…a new silver Cadillac Escalade SUV…a familiar face, glued to the highway, intent on getting this caravan to the repository of the departed…yep, sure enough it was Earl Burg hisself. My grandfather, Stockton Whiteside Holden, a Delta mortician, flashed in my head.

Closing in, wipers flailing, hardly visible ahead, and not wanting to distract the noble Earl from his assigned duties…let alone put the window down and yell to get his attention…there was nothing could be done to get his attention, save swerving at him and that was out of the question in this torrent on a dangerous road approaching Baltimore.

What a sight for these sore eyes…47 years ago and he looked the same, basically, must be the Max Factor. Had he seen me trying to get his attention he may have panicked…this white-bearded crazy nuzzling close in another SUV.

Imagine the odds of running into some past acquaintance like this? It was the same odds as Smarty Pants winning the Triple Crown at Belmont. Earl had a wet track that day too…carting a casket along wet, slippery slopes in some cemetery…it was a lot to do for any 64 year old and although I wanted to make contact, the reality of it all was, alas that I couldn’t.

With all this there was no one to tell it to…anybody who would remember those days at Gettysburg were gone on my end. I had no one to yell and scream to, or call on my cell to tell of this grand coincidence. So here I was, seeing someone after all these years and stuck in the car, in the rain, advancing in the ‘next to slowest lane’…

The halogen headlights of his Caddy now getting smaller with distance and rain in the rear view mirror.

On this soggy road I recalled meeting his dad once…and like my dad, he wanted his son to get an education. And we did. And the two of us are still on the right side of the dirt….and that’s fair…and good. His passenger was in good hands on this final ride. A surreal procession, bringing good feelings of the past into focus.

Earl didn’t see me. But it was him and I didn’t need to know anymore…keeping it to myself till now.

The suspects are identified as Charles E. Brown, 20, of Hatfield Court in Abingdon, Maryland and Damion T. Cook, 22, of the unit block of East Lake Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland.

At about 1:00 a.m. this morning, a state trooper from the Bel Air barrack, on routine patrol, observed a man standing alone outside the front door of a 7-11 convenience store on Philadelphia Road in Abingdon, Maryland. Recognizing the suspicious behavior, the trooper quickly relocated his marked patrol vehicle to a concealed location in order to conduct surveillance on the establishment. He also began calling for more assistance to respond in case the store was being robbed.

While waiting for police assistance, two suspects ran out of the store carrying an undisclosed amount of currency and property. The trooper on the scene quickly managed to single-handedly apprehend one of the suspects.

The second suspect attempted to flee, but was apprehended within a perimeter which had been quickly established by a team of law enforcement personnel from the Maryland State Police Bel Air Barrack, Maryland State Police Aviation, Maryland State Police K-9, and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. One of the suspects was in possession of a pellet rifle which was located in his waistband at the time of apprehension.

Both suspects are at the Bel Air Barrack awaiting transport to the Harford County Detention Center. A third suspect is believed to have been assisting the robbers in a “look-out” capacity at a business parking-lot across the street from the convenient store.

This investigation continues.

At a reception at the Maryland Golf and Country Club in Bel Air, Maryland Delegate Wayne Norman (District 35A) accepted the award on behalf of his law firm. The Law Offices of H. Wayne Norman, Jr., was honored for “recognizing opportunities provided to individuals with disabilities.”

Also honored at the event was Ms. Lauren Kennedy, a legal assistant at Delegate Norman’s law firm. Ms. Kennedy of Bel Air was recognized for, and presented with an , “Award of Merit for Employment.”

The Law Offices of H. Wayne Norman, Jr., has hired students from the Arc Northern Chesapeake Region, and also acts as mentor for local High School and area law school students.

“I’m very honored to receive this award and to be associated with the Arc,” Delegate Norman said. “Harford County is so blessed to have such a wonderful resource like the Arc, which has improved the lives of so many people and has made our community a much better place to live and work.”

“By expanding the County’s business incubation program, we position the County to build a larger, diversified, defense-oriented AND commercial technology businesses base,” said David R. Craig, Harford County Executive.

Business incubation is the process of nurturing the development of entrepreneurial companies, helping them survive and grow during the start-up period when they are most vulnerable. Business incubation programs provide their client companies with business support services and mentoring tailored to the needs of young companies, as well as access to shared resources such as office space, office equipment, receptionist services and conference facilities.

The business incubation program will target several industries for growth and attraction, including engineering services, computer systems design and related services, management and technical consulting services, scientific research and development and high technology manufacturing.

The most common goals of business incubation are diversifying local economies, building or accelerating growth in a local industry, enhancing a community’s entrepreneurial climate, creating jobs in the community, attracting and retaining businesses in a community, and transferring technology from universities and corporations.

The technology development plan for the County calls for the incubator to be developed in phases. The first phase will expand current capabilities. The Harford incubator currently operates in offices at the HEAT Center. The incubator program will expand and relocate in 2009.

For more information on the Harford County Business Incubator, contact Lisa S. Smith, Incubator Project Manager at 301-524-5654 or lisa.smith@angletec.com

“It was a distinct honor and pleasure to visit with the leadership of our volunteer fire service these past few weeks,” County Executive Craig stated. “I am impressed at the overall excellent condition of our fire stations, as well as the apparatus and equipment which serves and protects the citizens of Harford County,” Craig remarked.

County Executive Craig began his annual pilgrimage to the local fire companies throughout Harford County in the fall of 2005 and has done so each year.

During his informal meeting with the chief officer and other fire company officials, the county executive asks for input and recommendations from them with respect to assistance the county might provide to local volunteers. Recommendations received by the county executive include improving the Computer Aided Dispatch at the Emergency Operations Center, capital projects related to each fire company, improving fire and EMS data collection and analysis and volunteer recruitment and retention among others.

Beginning with the FY 07 budget, County Executive Craig and the Harford County Council, included $750,000 in funds to support capital projects for the volunteer fire service.

Capital funding provided by Harford County Government has supported the fire service with replacement of breathing apparatus, turnout gear, heating and air conditioning projects and replacement of driveways and ramps to mention a few.

Early next year, Harford County Government in cooperation with the Harford County volunteer fire and EMS service, is commissioning a comprehensive study of the fire service to determine the long-term needs of the fire service. The study will examine all aspect of the Harford County fire service and will provide the county executive, county council and fire service leaders recommendations for the future of the system.

“Harford County is blessed to have such a dedicated, well trained and committed fire and EMS service,” County Executive Craig stated. “Our fire service is recognized as one of the best in the state and we want to do all we can to support those who serve our community with selfless devotion,” Craig stated.

Each year, the Harford County Department of Community Services works with community and faith-based agencies to help those in need. When tough times happen to families, the department works with partners to make sure funding can be accessed at various locations throughout the County. Through partnerships, essential services are provided such as food banks, soup kitchens, eviction prevention and rental support, clothing closets and furniture/household materials, school and infant supplies, utility assistance and job training.

Individuals or families in search of resources to assist with challenges/struggles in the areas of eviction prevention, rental assistance, energy/fuel assistance or emergency food, please contact the following human service agencies for program details, income and screening guidelines and referrals:

Edgewood/Abingdon area: Harford Community Action Agency; St Francis de Sales Church

Havre de Grace/Aberdeen area: Salvation Army; Inner County Outreach

Northern Harford County area: Mason-Dixon Community Services

County-wide assistance is also available from the Department of Social Services and the Harford County Housing Agency.

Details about each agency, as well as other agencies offering assistance, can be found within the Harford County’s Resource Guide, at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/services/guide.cfm.

To learn more about available resources, call the Harford County Department of Community Services at 410-638-3389.

For years government has called on citizens to use mass transportation for a multitude of reasons. Whether it is for the environment, ease of road congestion, or the cost of owning and maintaining an automobile, the people of Harford County have flocked to mass transit. But now, at a time when the number of Harford County citizens using buses and trains is at an all time high, MTA plans on cutting services. This is an outrage. As ridership increases, services should increase. Even during this down economic time, the simple laws of supply and demand should hold true. More people are using these services; this is not the time to take them away. Maintaining the bus and train lines are vital to their survival, because many low income families rely on this transportation to get to their jobs. There are other options that should be considered before terminating these services. At a public hearing nearly all of the 150 citizens in attendance supported raising fares as opposed to loss of service. Also there are several unpopular highway projects that could be placed on hold in order to maintain our current level of mass transportation. In particular, citizens have expressed concern regarding the I-95 Section 200 project. With the impending implementation of BRAC, thousands of new citizens will descend on Harford County. These are people who are accustomed to mass transit and will expect a certain level of service. The Joppa/Joppatowne Community Council requests MTA rethink its proposed cuts to Harford County’s mass transit and look for other ways to deal with the budget shortfall.

Respectfully,

Christopher Rohe
Chairperson

on behalf of the
Joppa/Joppatowne Community Council

Betty Byrne
Doris G. Carey, Secretary
Susan B. Heselton
James B. Lyons, III
Gloria Moon, Vice-Chair
Paula R. Mullis
Ron Sollod

Forget visions of sugar plums, whenever ‘annexations’ and ‘Aberdeen’ are mentioned in the same breath memories of community outrage, fire code violations, election fraud, handgun charges, and other political shenanigans come immediately to mind.

The mayor and city council’s agenda for Monday, Dec. 8 includes a public hearing for Resolution No. 08-10, Glengarry Annexation Plan. You may remember the Glengarry as the kinder, gentler Wetlands annexation proposal of nearly 500 acres. It will be interesting to see how closely the would-be developers followed the results of the Glengarry Community Survey they disseminated in the area last April.

The Wetlands developers won’t be the only team set to make a triumphant return to City Hall on Monday night. The Aberdeen Communities Together ‘red shirts’ (now technically blue shirts) are also planning to once again storm the council chambers.

Although the ACT group has not officially taken a position on the Glengarry annexation request, the group - which led the charge to defeat the original Wetlands annexation by a 2 to 1 vote in the referendum election of December 5, 2006 - isn’t taking any chances this time around either.

The ACT group’s position, according to a group email, is as follows:

“We therefore suggest that all of those interested, who believe that this annexation is not in the best interest of the City, that City growth should be confined to the County defined Development Envelope, and would prefer to see additional commercial growth before massive residential development, attend this meeting wearing an ACT blue shirt or the former anti-annexation red ’stop sign’ shirt.”

Informed sources believe this annexation request will be shot down by the mayor and city council - both because of its resounding defeat two years ago when it was before city voters and because the development team was/is quite friendly with the former city administration. That administration was run out of town largely because of its support of the Wetlands annexation.

As a bonus, for those interested in staying past the main event, the legislative session of Monday’s meeting is also expected to include another controversial item - “Approval of Ripken Stadium Memorandum of Understanding.”