We are essentially half-way through the first term of County Executive John Olszewski, Jr. So, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on his progress to this point. Mr. Olszewski ran as a progressive Democrat during the primaries and he tacked back a little bit toward the middle during the general election. He promoted himself as a reformer, and during his first two years in office he has accomplished a range of reform measures. For example, he urged for campaign finance reform, and this November the voters will get the chance to vote on Question A, a County Charter Amendment that would create a Citizens’ Election Fund System. He also supported police reform, even before the tumultuous events of the last nine months brought headlines, and in conjunction with the County Council, the County has adopted Bill 96-20, the so-called “SMART Policing Act.” The County Executive also supported the implementation of development impact fees to mitigate the impact of new development on such things as infrastructure and schools. The County Council and the County Executive offered differing bills on how to implement impact fees. For example, the Executive’s bill would have applied to residential and non-residential development, with non-residential rates based on a per square foot basis and residential rates based on a per unit basis. He would have also exempt certain construction from paying the fees, including construction by governmental entities, such as BCPS, affordable housing so long as those units would submit to a binding agreement to limit rents for 15 years, construction in enterprise zones and construction for religious purposes. The final legislation as passed by the County Council enlarged the list of exemptions that Olszewski wanted to include private schools, colleges and non-profit hospitals, state designated transit-oriented developments, country club redevelopment ( with a concept plan before 2021) and commercial revitalization districts. Although the County Executive got some of what he wanted in the impact fee legislation, it remains to be seen whether this legislation will generate enough funding to mitigate the impact of development.
Another area where the County Executive has made an impression is in many of his personnel decisions. For many community activists the departure of County Administrative Officer Fred Homan was long overdue. Mr. Homan had butted heads with many community leaders throughout his career, and his departure signaled an important reform by Olszewski. The County Executive also created a Chief Sustainability Officer, appointing former delegate Stephen Lafferty as the first to hold the position, as a way of managing natural resources and working on ways to reduce environmental pollution. He also appointed the County’s first female Police Chief, Melissa Hyatt, to demonstrate that this administration is committed to equality.
One area where the County Executive has not implemented any reform attempts is in the development process. Baltimore County government has never received high marks in terms of citizen involvement, and the development process often brings out citizen frustration. For example, citizens frequently become frustrated by the lack of answers offered by developers at community input meetings held to explain proposed projects to the public. They also wonder why their comments at community input meetings typically hold no affect on the plans being proposed for their neighborhoods. Development plans can be changed up to and including during the development hearing, which leaves citizens feeling as if they are aiming at a moving target that they cannot prepare for fully because specifics are subject to change. School impact analysis from proposed residential developments is seen as a joke when the County accepts that less than ten percent of the housing units being proposed will generate a student in public schools. Additionally, citizens fail to understand why so many variances and special exceptions are handed out in a county that supposedly supports “high quality” development. Will the County Executive seek to reform the development process in the future? That prospect remains to be seen, but so far Mr. Olszewski has not touched the development process.
Eric Rockel
Vice President, GTCC