Budget Forum Impressions

Last night's budget forum at the Kensington Town Hall was well attended by local activists as well as a number of local elected officials. One could also not fail to impressed by the number of citizens who took time to learn more about the budget crisis and to take their hand at trying to solve it. Many thanks to Dee Schofield of the District 18 Democratic Caucus who worked hard to put the forum together and to Sen. Rich Madaleno and Secretary Eloise Foster who walked us through the budget maze. Here are some quick and dirty impressions from the forum:

Elected Officials: In addition to Sen. Rich Madaleno on the podium, all three delegates from District 18, Jane Lawton, Ana Sol Gutierrez, and Jeff Waldstreicher, were there. Councilwomen Duchy Trachtenberg and Nancy Floreen listened closely and booed amusingly when the issue of cutting aid to the counties, especially for teacher retirement, was mentioned. The senior assistant to Executive Ike Leggett didn't look too thrilled by that idea either. Sen. Mike Lennet and Councilman Marc Elrich also came to the forum. Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman and Town Councilman Al Carr were there to graciously welcome everyone to their Town.

The Budget and MoCo's Legislators: The budget is going to place our legislative delegation in a tough bind. Do they stand firm and oppose slots like their constituents even though this is the revenue raiser least likely to impact Montgomery? Do they oppose tax increases which will fall disproportionately on county residents? If the governor threatens to slash support for teach retirement or some other program dear to the heart of Montgomery, does the delegation see his bluff and dare him to cut funding for teachers in the state's largest county which provided a motherload of votes for him? Let's hope that our county and legislative leaders are strategizing hard to have a plan when the budget finally comes up.

Eloise Foster is someone I had not met before getting involved with the budget forum. However, one quickly sees why three governors have trusted her on budget issues and two of them have appointed her as budget secretary. She is smart, knowledgeable, and discreet yet also does a good job of outlining and defending the basic approach and priorities of the administration.

Blair Lee is a Democrat who drives many progressives up the wall because his columns seem way too supportive of conservatives. After the forum, I heard him commenting eloquently and sharply on the current budget crisis. A fierce defender of Montgomery's interests, he knows the issues well and would be a worthy adversary in any debate on the topic. We can expect him to advocate vocally against more taxes unless Montgomery's legislative leaders bring home something bring for the County--and it better not be something we already have or were promised in his eyes.

Immigration. The anti-immigration posse were handing out flyers to everyone entering the Kensington Armory and were under the delusion that denying services to illegal immigrants would save Maryland $300 million. Not only would it would be illegal to deny many services, including schools and emergency health care, it would also be extremely shortsighted even from a selfish perspective. Keeping kids out of school seems like a great idea if you want to increase crime and create a class of people who have no skills, no attachment to this country, and only a poor command of the language. The irony is that most illegal immigrants go to great lengths to avoid government because they don't want to be sent home so they are actually less likely to use government services.

District 16: Tonight, the Montgomery County Central Committee will choose a successor to Del. Marilyn Goldwater. Reggie Oldak and Don Mooers, both considered strong candidates, were at the forum, as was at least one member of the central committee--District 18's Vic Weissberg. Dana Beyer, a former candidate for delegate in District 18 and now an aid to Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, was arguing hard for Reggie Oldak. Oldak came in a strong fourth in last year's Democratic primary. Others tell me that Mooers may have the edge. We'll just have to wait and see what the central committee decides.