Weighing Choices to Lead Council
The citizens of Harford County will have to make a choice in the November election. We have a distinct choice in which candidate we elect for County Council president.
Theresa Pierno is one of our choices. I like to compare Mrs. Pierno to the federal government. In her first term in office, she wanted to make her position a full-time job with a big pay increase. The federal government is run by full-time politicians, and the deficit just keeps growing by billions.
Another problem with full-time politicians is that they are always concerned with getting re-elected so they make political grandstands. A good example of that is the balanced-budget amendment before Congress. Mrs. Pierno's political grandstand was the tree bill. The state legislators were already working on a statewide tree preservation bill. But instead of waiting for the state bill, Mrs. Pierno pushed a similar bill through the County Council . . . a political grandstand.
Last, but not least, Mrs. Pierno does not understand the importance of working with the business community in developing a strong fiscal policy. . . .
Joanne Parrott is my choice for County Council president because she listens to the people in the community. She realizes the County Council is a part-time job. . . . Mrs. Parrott also realizes the importance of a strong business community and a good working relationship with the County Council. This will ensure a strong and healthy economic environment in Harford County for years to come.
Samuel B. Fielder III
Jarrettsville
Harford's Future
I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for the work of the Futures Commission of Harford County. I have reviewed the survey data and found it most informative.
The information collected in the survey reinforces the perception that growth is an overriding issue for the majority of Harford County citizens. Over 90 percent of the nearly 111,000 surveys indicated farmland should be preserved.
Moreover, a majority indicated facilities, roads and services are inadequate to support growth. While other areas of concern are evident, none speak louder about citizen interest than the issues relating to growth.
I am hopeful that the recommendations of the Futures Commission will reflect citizen sentiment on the issue of growth. Regardless, the work of the commission is noble. I applaud the efforts of the commission's members and look forward to their final report.
Bud DeLucien
Bel Air
Baseball Escalator
Baseball owners wildly bid the salaries of stars up into the multi-millions, which in turn escalated the salaries of marginal players way above $1 million.
Now three or more owners are bidding against each other for Tony LaRussa as manager. Guess the baseball group that is listening very carefully to LaRussa's final price?
What the owners need more than a $50 million salary cap is a fifth-grade thinking cap.
Quentin D. Davis
Aberdeen
Media's Agenda
If Ellen Sauerbrey loses the gubernatorial race, one party she could thank would be the Baltimore Sun for its anti-Sauerbrey propaganda. Thank goodness I have the Baltimore Sun, which apparently has picked its candidate, to guide me through the quagmire of Maryland politics by illuminating Mr. Glendening's candidacy. The Sun has done well in pushing its agenda, measured easily by the number of articles and cartoons against Mrs. Sauerbrey.
How strange it is that KAL's cartoon of Sept. 30 chastening Mrs. Sauerbrey's leniency on gun control and various articles written by Sun staff attacking her plan to cut taxes perfectly mimic Mr. Glendening's ads on television. . . .
. . .
To the media in Baltimore: Do us a favor, act responsibly and report the news and this race in a fair and impartial manner instead of pushing the agenda of the politicians. If the media dies as the public watchdog, someday there may never be any more elections.
Richard F. Perry III
Belcamp
Hospital Plan
It has come to my attention that Upper Chesapeake Health System has requested an exemption from a certificate of need to expedite a replacement of Fallston General Hospital with a new hospital and to transfer most functions of Harford Memorial Hospital to Fallston's replacement.
I have a number of concerns regarding UCHS's application for exemption from the certificate of need process.
My first is the loss of hospital services at Harford Memorial. Harford County has been served by two hospitals for several decades during a rapid expansion in population. Our county's master plan continues to project substantial growth in population. In addition, the average age of our citizens is increasing. Yet, UCHS asserts that by substantially reducing its employment, which is obviously a de facto reduction in services, the total citizenry of Harford County will benefit. I strongly question this conclusion.
Another concern I have is the change in ambulatory transport. Due to demographics, citizens in the north and northwest sections of Harford County will be forced to use hospitals out of state. Families in the southwest section will also be taken out of our county. This thought strikes me as preposterous, considering that the objectives of UCHS should be to strive to improve the health care available to all citizens of Harford County.
A third concern is the financing of the proposed hospital. As I understand it, $9.1 million of the cost to build the new facility is going to come from "unbanking" revenue that could have been realized previously and used to improve the existing facilities over the years. This fact is particularly ironic given UCHS's claims that existing facilities are "inadequate." By arguing that only the new facility will be "state of the art," they tacitly admit that existing facilities are not.
Please deny UCHS the exemption it has requested. Use the certificate of need process to protect the citizens of Harford County. Make UCHS reveal its marketing studies and consumer surveys or request new surveys by an independent agency. Hold public hearings in various locations and force UCHS to put all the facts before the people.
If the result of the certificate of need process is in agreement with the current UCHS proposal, then so be it.
But one thing is very clear: You cannot deny that full and open hearings will, at a minimum, dispel the nagging questions that will linger for years if UCHS should be exempted from the process.
Ronald M. Szczybor
Abingdon
The writer is the Republican candidate for Harford County executive. This is a copy of a letter to the executive director of the Maryland Health Resources Planning Commission.