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

By JOANNA L. CONTI: For The Capital

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.

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...

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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.

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John M. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

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?

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Johnathan Locke - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Excellent

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.

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Peter D. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

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?

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Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral