Friday, November 20, 2009
Opinion
Comment
Get Email Alerts!

Guest Column: Leopold playing a shell game in order to balance the county budget

Published 07/09/09

The last several years have been tough ones for Anne Arundel County. Under County Executive John Leopold, we have been living beyond our means. In fiscal years 2009 and 2010 combined, the county is projected to spend $150.6 million more than its revenues.

Advertisement

Since the county is required to balance its budget, you are probably asking how this is possible. The answer is that Mr. Leopold has been cleaning out the reserve and capital funding accounts in lieu of making the tough decisions to significantly cut spending or increase revenues.

During these two years, Mr. Leopold has spent $134.9 million in reserves carefully built up over...

This story has expired!
You can purchase the full text in our news archives.
YOUR COMMENTS

If you encounter other problems, please email ewiffin@capitalgazette.com and include your name, username, and any errors or messages that are displayed. The more information you can provide, the better able we will be to assist you.

In order to post or vote on a comment, you must be signed in with a hometownannapolis account.

Take a look at a summary of Commenting Guidelines.


Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. 0

Timing - 2009-07-10 09:10:56

As I drove into work this morning I listened to a story reporting the governor reprogramming money dedicated for Bay conservation efforts to the General Fund. A quick check of the Make Maryland Great website shows that "Saving the Chesapeake" is one of the group's top 4 goals. Perhaps Ms.Conti should be preparing another editorial for Governor O'Malley.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

John M. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral


Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. +12

So - 2009-07-09 20:07:35

Let's just assume what the author says is true. Isn't Leopold just taking a page from the current Admistrations playbook. Don't tell me TARP + Stimulus + Healthcare reform + cap and trade + stimulus 2 even compares to playing the "shell game" or spending what you don't have. The writer is simply trying to confuse the average reader who doesn't understand county budgets. I will stake everything I own this is how every administration operates. You move money from one spot into another to make it appear to be balanced or in order to spend it in an area that is needed. This holds true to every administration, from the Maryland State Police budget, the National Security Agency budget to the Office of Public Works for AA County.


I would assume Ms. Connti is not a CPA and if she is good at the real estate thing, she should stick with it, because it's obvious she has no idea how Federal/State/County/Cities budgets are handled.


Aren't the reserves for fiscal crisis? Why have reserves if you never use them?

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

Johnathan Locke - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Excellent


Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. 0

The writer - 2009-07-09 19:45:24

takes issue with borrowing to fund capital projects? What? If anything this fairy tale is a shell game. Compared to the billions Owe'Malley and Busch are spending past revenues, I feel safe about the county.

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

Peter D. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral


Report Abuse or Vote In order to allow the user community the ability to collectively rank the value of comments posted on the Capital Gazette websites we have implemented a thumbs-up/down system. All logged-in users may participate by voting up/down each comment. If others vote on your comment, your individual score will go up/down depending on the votes. Initially, everyone starts with a score of zero, and must earn credits to have significant voting weight. Individuals with higher scores will have more voting weight. 0

Left-wing hypocrisy again - 2009-07-09 19:28:43

One has to wonder why the 'columnist' here takes no issue with the way O'Malley and the Democrats who run the House of Delegates are handling the state's budget (which is similar but much more detrimental in the long run). It simply couldn't be that she praises Democrat O'Malley for his 'big ideas' on her website (while ignoring the shell game he is playing with the State's finances) while attacking Leopold, who just happens to be a Republican. Such 'my party good, your party bad' thinking is just unheard of from the left. The party affiliation and the different treatment must be a coincidence, right?

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

LOGIN TO POST A COMMENT

If you encounter other problems, please email ewiffin@capitalgazette.com and include your name, username, and any errors or messages that are displayed. The more information you can provide, the better able we will be to assist you.

Username: Password:
Forgot your username? Forgot your password? Create an account
Nov 20 - Nov 21 - KIFA Wreath fundraiser
LOGIN
Facebook click
Twitter click
HometownGlenBurnie click
HometownBowie click
video
video
Navy Sports Chat, Football: Nov 16
video
video
Home of the Week: Dianne and Steven Flury
video
video
Navy Sports Chat, Football: Nov 13
video
video
Home of the Week: Judi Fike
video
video
Cordle Campaign Party
video
video
Cohen Victory Speech

• BUY PHOTOS & VIDEO>>

SPECIAL: Two-for-one 8x10 photo reprints

slideshow
slideshow
Navy Men's basketball
slideshow
slideshow
Cougars take fourth cheer title
slideshow
slideshow
Best Navy specialists
slideshow
slideshow
Adrenalin Championship Wrestling
slideshow
slideshow
Severna Park wins state field hockey crown
slideshow
slideshow
Navy 35 - Delaware 18
#1 - Police Beat for November 20
#2 - Slain man went to South River High
#3 - Body found on beach in Mayo
#4 - Police Beat for November 19
#5 - Odenton coach, author planning baseball tour
#6 - State slashes budget by $362M
#7 - Prospect of slots casino jobs, contracts draws thousands to Cordish expo
#8 - Lobbyist with 7 DUIs sentenced to probation
#9 - Slain man went to South River High
#10 - Alleged drunken driver crashes into 5 cars
#1 - Alleged drunken driver crashes into 5 cars (22 comments)
#2 - Security tightened for NAACP banquet (22 comments)
#3 - Arundel Mills officials dive into slots fray (10 comments)
#4 - Property tax hike may be lone option, panel says (10 comments)
#5 - Lobbyist with 7 DUIs sentenced to probation (6 comments)
HomesInAnnapolis.com

Lothian

Curtis Bay
Advertise
Archive
Blogs
Calendar
Comments
Contact us
Cookbook
Slideshows
Video
AP Video
SUBMIT INFO:
Anniversary
Band info
Birth
Calendar event
Engagement
Letter
Obituary
Wedding