The rhetoric of the campaign is over, the applause at the inauguration ceremony has faded and now it's time for Anne Arundel County Executive John G. Gary to get down to business.
One of the first issues Mr. Gary must address is public safety. Although crime statistics are down in the county, residents still say it is their chief concern. Mr. Gary has promised to hire 80 new police officers during the next four years. He will have to find the money to fulfill that pledge.
Anne Arundel County's main public safety issue -- the location of a new jail -- cannot be satisfied by money alone, however.
Mr. Gary will need considerable political skill to proceed with plans to build a new detention center in Glen Burnie. He must overcome lingering public opposition and persuade state legislators to give him money to help build the project.
Environmental issues pose a major test for the Gary administration.
Environmentalists have criticized Mr. Gary for his weak record in the legislature. He has to summon up all his expertise, gleaned from 12 years in the House of Delegates, to address the complex issues he faces. The county's storm water drains must be rebuilt to comply with new federal clean water standards. Sewage treatment plants must be upgraded to meet Chesapeake Bay initiatives by 1998. And Mr. Gary must decide what the county is going to do with its garbage once the Millersville landfill is full.
If a new landfill is to be dug, a search must soon begin for the site, and Mr. Gary must figure out how to pay for it. We hope, however, that the new county executives in the region are more committed than their predecessors to developing a regional approach to solid waste disposal.
Schools present another challenge. Classrooms are crowded and public faith in the school board has eroded. We are looking for Mr. Gary to fulfill his promise to spend $137 million during the next four years to build new schools, and to persuade the legislature to give him the authority to appoint school board members.
The new Anne Arundel county executive will have to find ways to manage the county's growth, improve relations with county employees and work for greater cooperation with city officials in Baltimore and Annapolis. Above all of Mr. Gary's initiatives will loom the voter-imposed property tax cap. John Gary has his work cut out for him. We wish him luck.