Thursday, December 20, 2012
Catonsville Developer Steve Whalen says he will plead guilty to five campaign finance charged filed today and expects to pay $58,000 in fines. "I alone am responsible."
UPDATED (1:35 p.m.)—Catonsville Developer Steve Whalen said he will plead guilty to five counts of violating campaign finance laws related to donations made to Councilman Tom Quirk. "The bottom line is it's my responsibility," Whalen said in a candid phone interview. "I did it, I alone am responsible. It was one of the stranger moments in my 32 year career and I regret it." State Prosecutor Emmet Davitt announced the five charges in a statement Thursday. Whalen said he has signed a plea agreement in which he will admit guilt in court. He said he expects no jail time and will pay fines totaling $53,000 for the five violations plus another $5,000 in fines related to other civil citations he said he was issued related to the case. The …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Baltimore County officials say the loan for a Cockeysville recycling facility from its underfunded pension system is a "win-win." But some County Council members have questions.
UPDATED (3:16 p.m.)—Some Baltimore County Council members and union officials say a $25 million loan made to the county from its own pension system raises questions. The loan will be used to pay for a new recycling facility in Cockeysville. It's the same facility for which the Baltimore County Council approved $25 million in bond sales last November. Councilmen David Marks and Tom Quirk say they now have questions about the change in how the project is financed and the lack of independent oversight. "I don't know any of the details of the arrangement at all," Quirk said. "We definitely have questions." Marks, a Perry Hall Republican, said he was withholding judgement on the changes but was asking the administration to provide a legal …
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Thursday, May 24, 2012
Council raises concerns about future spending and revenues.
The Baltimore County Council gave unanimous approval to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's second budget, which totals more than $2.9 billion. Council members called the budget bare bones, but at the same time raised questions about the future trajectory of increased spending over the next three years as revenues decline. Final approval was a foregone conclusion after the council cut $208,000 last week from Kamenetz's proposed $1.6 billion general fund budget. Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond said the cuts were relatively small because "this was a bare bones budget." During the two weeks of budget hearings, the council noted projected future spending would outpace revenues by nearly $200 million over the next three years. That projection …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Republican Todd Huff went to the 2011 game in Dallas with a shopping center and apartment complex owner.
Todd Huff says he's not a big football fan, but in 2011 he attended at least four games, including taking a trip to Dallas to see the Super Bowl with a local shopping center and apartment complex owner. The games highlight a hole that the State Ethics Commission says exists in legislation passed by the County Council earlier this year. The legislation was meant to bring county law substantially into sync with the state ethics law. Huff, a Timonium Republican, attended at least four games in 2011, including the Super Bowl. He wrote about the games, which include three Baltimore Ravens games, on his official council Facebook page. Tickets to one of the games were provided by Merritt Properties, as first reported by the Baltimore Sun. None of…
Monday, April 16, 2012
Four Baltimore County Council members accused County Executive Kevin Kamenetz of cutting off their access to department heads and of intentionally delaying projects in their districts.
Four members of the Baltimore County Council say County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is retaliating against them by delaying projects in their districts after they voted to table the administration's pension bill last month. Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond, Councilman Ken Oliver and Councilman Tom Quirk—all Democrats—and Councilman David Marks, a Republican, said their access to county department heads to address constituent concerns has been greatly diminished since the day after they voted March 19 to table the bill. All said they believe the executive is further penalizing them by withholding money for projects in each of their districts while providing funds to council districts whose members voted to pass the pension bill. Oliver said …
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Bill establishing term limits for council members tabled.
UPDATED (9:07 a.m.)—A split Baltimore County Council approved a controversial transgender anti-discrimination bill Tuesday night by a 5-2 vote. The bill, sponsored by Councilman Tom Quirk, a Catonsville Democrat, prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals seeking housing, financing or employment. "It's a night for equality," said Quirk. "We sent a loud message that discrimination is wrong. This bill is about equality. This bill is about human rights." The vote went along party lines with Councilmen Todd Huff and David Marks, Republicans from Timonium and Perry Hall respectively, voting against the bill. Huff was not immediately available for comment after the meeting and did not return a call from a reporter seeking comment. …
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Amendment to remove controversial public accommodations language has enough votes to pass. Readers can weigh in on the subject in our poll.
The Baltimore County Council appears set to approve a transgender anti-discrimination bill but it will likely pass with an amendment governing the use of public accommodations, including restrooms. A bi-partisan coalition has joined Democratic Councilman John Olszewski Sr. and Republican Councilman Todd Huff on an amendment that clarifies provisions governing the use of private and personal facilities, including bathrooms, in a bill sponsored by Councilman Tom Quirk. Quirk's bill seeks to prevent discrimination against transgender persons in employment, housing and finance. It's similar to one passed last year in Howard County. The bill as proposed did not require businesses to make such facilities available to transgender people but the …
Monday, January 9, 2012
The proposal, spurred by the Chrissy Polis assault, will look similar to a bill passed by the Howard County Council in December.
Councilman Tom Quirk said Monday he will introduce a gender identity anti-discrimination bill in the Baltimore County Council later this month. The bill will be similar to a law passed last month by the Howard County Council, Quirk said. Proponents of the law say it was spurred by a highly- publicized attack on Chrissy Polis, a transgendered Rosedale woman, last year. Quirk, a freshman Democrat from Catonsville, said the primary aim of the bill is to protect transgendered workers from discrimination and firing because of their sexual identity. "It's my strong belief that the only thing that should matter is someone's qualifications for a job," Quirk said. The bill will also contain language dealing with the use of public accommodations, …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Bill limits signs to one area of the Towson Commercial District. The council also approves the donation of Catonsville Short Line rail property and the appointment of Dr. Gregory Branch as director of Social Services.
A law meant to allow changeable copy signs in downtown Towson has been changed before the first sign could even be erected. The bill, as approved last night, amends a law sponsored by Councilman David Marks two months ago. The amendments passed last night, which go into effect on Dec. 19, limit the height of the signs to areas in the northern arc of the Towson commercial district around the Towson City Center project. The bill also limits the height of the signs to 55 feet. In October, the council approved a bill allowing electronic signs, including changeable copy signs, in certain areas in the downtown Towson commercial district. The bill was supposed to apply primarily to the Towson City Center project, but community activists worried …
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