Ballot questions
Baltimore County, Anne Arundel and Howard:
Baltimore County
One of the greatest threats facing local government is the corrupting influence of deep-pocketed special interests. That’s true whether those individuals and companies are buying a stack of “Healthy Holly” children’s books as happened in Baltimore City or simply seeking to win approval for a lucrative residential development in the county. And, unfortunately, the high cost of running a political campaign has long provided an easy path to influence.
That’s why Baltimore County’s Question A might be among the most important decisions county voters face this November. The charter amendment would authorize the county to establish a Citizens’ Election Fund System for anyone who runs for a seat on the Baltimore County Council or to be county executive beginning in 2026. County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. sponsored the measure, which won bipartisan support in the council. It follows similar programs offering public financing of political campaigns already underway in Montgomery, Howard and Prince George’s counties as well as in Baltimore City. County residents ought to vote “for” it.
Some of the basic parameters of the program are clear. It will be voluntary. Candidates will have to qualify to participate by gaining support from some minimum number of small donors. And once candidates agree to participate, the money will be dispensed as a match. Every donation (and they’ll likely be limited to $250 or less) from a resident of the county will be matched by the public fund (with the smaller the donation, the higher the percentage match up to 100%). The county executive will be obligated to come up with funding for the program in the budget and it can be delayed if some financial emergency should arise. An independent commission will be created to iron out details and make recommendations to the County Council.
Even politicians who claim not to be swayed by major donors must admit that the appearance of impropriety remains an issue. Mr. Olszewski raised and spent $2.4 million in the last campaign cycle. That presents a lot of opportunities for special interests whether they be developers, unions, contractors or political parties. How much better to be beholden to the voters instead? Opponents tend to gripe about the cost to taxpayers, but it’s money well spent on good government and can even help challengers unseat incumbents. In Montgomery County, the Maryland subdivision that adopted public financing first, the impact in 2018 was clear: Those who participated in the program received an average donation of $86 while those who did not received an average donation of $1,145. See the difference?
Meanwhile, county voters will face a slew of additional choices, Questions B-J, all of which authorize borrowing for construction. These are routine bond bills that allow the county to move forward with such important capital projects as building or renovating schools (including $62.8 million for construction of a new Lansdowne High School), park renovations, improvements to Eastern Landfill, stormwater upgrades and road resurfacing. In all, this amounts to about $395 million in borrowing which will be repaid chiefly through property and income taxes. We urge county voters to endorse all eight bond bills, as they represent a prudent level of borrowing still well within the county’s means even with the pandemic (and nearly $100 million less than what was approved by voters in 2018).