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Monday, January 07, 2013

‘Enough Is Enough,’ County Officials Telling The State

CAMBRIDGE, MD. — After several years of pummeling by state government, through cuts in aid, offloading of state expenses and unfunded mandates, county officials gathered here for their annual conference believe that “enough is enough,” said Rick Pollitt, new president of the Maryland Association of Counties.

Facing the new session of the legislature next week, county officials want a reprieve from any more damage flowing downhill from Annapolis.

Like many of the hundreds of elected and appointed officials here, Pollitt, the first county executive of Wicomico County on the lower Eastern Shore, can reel off the series of actions taken by the governor and the legislature to balance the state budget on the backs of county governments, which are just as hard-pressed by flat revenues.

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uh this is the same guy who refuses to consider the tax differential - even though he readily agreed with it during his 22 years as Fruitland Town Manager. Hypocrite! It's ok for him to double tax people that live in municipalities, but expect the county to pay their way and he's outraged. Rick, you're in your last term buddy.

Anonymous said...

Counties are feeling the failures of federal and state money management.

I think everyone, both democrats and republicans should make it a mission in the next month to change their party to independent, and send a message to Annapolis and Washington. We've had enough, and enough is enough!

Anonymous said...

So he is mad because the state keeps cutting his funding? Well welcome to the working class people's world. They keep raising our taxes cutting our funding so people like Pollit can spend it on things they do NOT need.

Anonymous said...

This is the same state government (O'Malley, et al) that Ricky worked so hard to get elected.
What is happening here is the result of DEMOCRAT policies.
Tell me I'm wrong.
Who has been running this state for the last umpteen years?
You WANTED it, and now you have it. Quit whining.

Anonymous said...

Rick is part of the problem. His party is over spending. Heck, he's over spending. Spend, spend, spend, then blame others.

Anonymous said...

1:41 - Who is going to run? We saw what happened last time. None of the good ones are willing - we get stuck with the leftovers....

Anonymous said...

Anyone is better than Tricky Ricky. PLEASE! I don't care who it is --- run and beat Fat Boy, before he spends Wicomico into oblivian!!!

Anonymous said...

why did we have to go to cambridge for this salisbury would not work to save money. like to see that bar tab and room rate for some one that is only 31 miles from salisbury

Anonymous said...

6:51, this was a state MACO function. It has nothing to do with Salisbury. Please educate yourself. Why would you expect them to pick Salisbury for their meeting? How many miles is Salisbury from Garrett County or all the others on the western shore? The world does not revolve around Salisbury.

Anonymous said...

At least now we will get Ricky out of our county. He will now be a lame duck and focused on state issues. Who is running the county now. Hope it's the council since it has more intelligent people serving on it. Ricky wants a state job and this is the first step to getting it.

Anonymous said...

Some of you never stop showing your ignorance. Don't you realize what the state cuts have done to this County....or other counties and municipalities? The state has shuffled the cost of services to the county. Those that are crying about waste.....tell me where it is. I don't call trying to fund Police, Roads and Schools waste.

Anonymous said...

So where are they getting all that money for the new Bennett Middle school if they are in bad shape?

Anonymous said...

Pot calls kettle black.

Ricky is a hog at the tax trough -- huge waste for stuff like the parking lot at the Civic Center and the 2 new Bennett Schools.

Anonymous said...

How about the most expensive parking lot in the world? There's some waste.

Anonymous said...

well if the state takes our money, then he can't and he is pissed...

Anonymous said...

If I were the state and I found out how much Rick spent on an unneeded parking lot, his pleas for help would fall on deaf ears.

Need help with roads? Why did you spend millions on a parking lot?

Park & rec help? Why did you spend millions on a parking lot?

Anonymous said...

Not that tax dollars werent used in the form of a grant, but no local revenue....is that all youcan think of? Same old broken record...blah blah

Anonymous said...

Oh so our "local" taxes were not a part of it? Prove it. It's all one pot of money and that pot includes my taxes that were misspent on a parking lot by Rick.

Anonymous said...

Rick insisted on a new Bennett middle school, money doesn't grow on trees, he had to know there whould have been cuts somewhere else.

Anonymous said...

Ok i got some education but you tell me why they have to stay at. The Hyatt wit bar bill and etc. Its only 32 miles .i don't care about the other counties.

Anonymous said...

Also, this size of his staff keeps increasing; I believe that costs money.