CA president's high pay cannot be justified
It has been my opinion for some time that the president of the Columbia Association has been overpaid. Now the association has agreed to pay Deborah O. McCarty $5,000 more than the $120,000 it paid Padraic M. Kennedy. How can one possibly justify a salary of $125,000 for this position?
For comparison, here are the salaries of people with far broader responsibilities: Howard County executive, $88,500; mayor of Baltimore, $95,000; governor, $120,000; Howard county superintendent of schools, $134,246; new president of Howard Community College, $110,000.
To start Mrs. McCarty at $125,000 seems irresponsible. She was quoted in the press as saying she did not have managerial experience. It seems that a lower starting salary would have been much more appropriate.
CA operates, for the most part, recreation facilities. It has no responsibility for public safety, public works or education. Its responsibilities cover a very limited area.
What other expenses did we pay in connection with this hire? If we paid moving costs, how much was that? What else? In other words, what did the whole package cost?
Past incidents have shown that payers of the Columbia assessments have not given enough attention to how our money is being spent. An explanation by the Columbia Association regarding these matters might give us some confidence that our funds are being spent properly and prudently.
Vivian C. Bailey
Columbia I am dismayed by the proposed "heroin maintenance" trial recently suggested by the Baltimore health commissioner and drug abuse experts at Johns Hopkins University. The trial would dispense heroin to hard-core addicts in a controlled research environment. The objective of the plan is to curb drug-related crime, as well as the spread of AIDS by intravenous drug users.
Supporters of the trial hope that if hard-core addicts, who have refused or failed conventional drug-rehabilitation programs, are given their heroin, they won't commit crimes to get money to buy drugs.
While crime is down in Baltimore County, drug cases are on the rise. For the first quarter of 1998, heroin possession is up 75.5 percent over the same period in 1997. Heroin use has spread to counties where it was once almost non-existent. In Carroll County, there were three heroin overdose deaths this year among young people, compared with none in 1996. The number of heroin users in treatment is up more than 40 percent in Howard County.
Drug abuse accounts for about 80 percent of the street crime. Drug users are involved in at least 15 percent of highway fatalities. They are three times more likely to have workplace accidents. They give birth to 350,000 drug-addicted infants each year. Economic loss in employee absence and productivity directly attributable to drug abuse is approximately $40 billion a year.
Frankly, I am afraid if heroin maintenance becomes a treatment option, heroin use and addiction will soar, as it has done wherever and whenever heroin has become legally available. Society cannot afford and does not dare tolerate the cost of a ballooning heroin-addicted population.
#Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer
Arbutus
The writer represents parts of Howard and Baltimore counties in the 12th Legislative District.
Vote out politicians who ignore road noise
Funds provided by the governor and our delegates again ignore the high noise level in the areas bordering Interstate 95. This problem is about 30 years old. It's time to change all the people responsible, from the governor to the senator and delegates.
The problem results from two factors: The road was supposed to be 15 feet below the surrounding land and the state used a type of concrete that is very noisy.
Then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer had agreed to resurface the road through Elkridge to correct part of the noise problem. Nobody's done anything.
In the meantime, millions are being spent all over Maryland and the United States for noise barrier walls. Congress had a $200 billion road bill this year for all kinds of campaign projects.
Millions for noise control and zero for the Elkridge area? There is no vision regarding environmental problems.
ames M. Holway
Ellicott City
Hospital merger has many bright spots
The merger of Johns Hopkins Medicine and Howard County General Hospital is now settled, to the immense satisfaction of both institutions and their boards.
But what about the communities each has served? Do they, too, have cause to be satisfied?
Your editorial of July 10 ("What's in a name?") wisely concluded that Howard County General's "new association with Hopkins should put it in a better position to serve all the medical needs of Howard County's rapidly growing population."
But what's in it for those long served by and working for Hopkins? A great deal.
Johns Hopkins Medicine, thanks to this merger and other new affiliations, has developed rational ways to stay financially strong, invest in its East Baltimore campus, build its markets, and realize economies of scale by managing care, not just costs, in HMO contracting opportunities.
Importantly, a special financing opportunity associated with this merger made it possible for Hopkins to commit funds to Howard County without detracting from its commitment to the East Baltimore community.
While Hopkins will guarantee a portion of the Howard County General Hospital debt service, Hopkins expects revenue from Howard's operations, strengthened by the merger, to cover this financing.
As a result, Hopkins can commit to staying in, building up and serving the East Baltimore community and patients from around the world with unsurpassed excellence in patient care, research and medical education.
Furthermore, patients served by both Howard County General Hospital and Hopkins will have expanded access to a continuum of care, from primary to complex specialty care, offered by physicians who work collaboratively, not competitively.
The mandate of our merger is to do our work in the best interests of patients everywhere.
Dr. Edward D. Miller
Ronald R. Peterson
Baltimore
The writers are, respectively, dean of the medical faculty and chief executive officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and president of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System.
Playing politics at The Mall
It is unfortunate that a double standard still exists at The Mall in Columbia regarding political activities.
For many years, Howard County Republican candidates have tried to secure a venue at the mall to promote their candidacies. The mall is the center of activity in Howard County and the ideal location to meet and greet voters.
Unfortunately, the mall administration has always refused to allow Republican candidates an opportunity to meet potential voters, citing a policy that it allows no political activities within the mall except an occasional voter registration table. For many years, the policy has been selectively enforced against Republican candidates while Democrat candidates were allowed far more latitude.
This double standard has never been more apparent than during the political show put on by Gov. Parris N. Glendening and county executive candidate James Robey at the mall on July 16. The mall allowed the governor, Mr. Robey and numerous political staffers to stage a planned campaign stop in the food court during lunchtime.
The Sun printed an article about the campaign stop July 17 ("Governor, county executive candidate hit Columbia mall for campaign lunch").
After numerous calls to Columbia Mall administrators, which were not returned, a sheepish mall representative said it seemed the Glendening-Robey campaign stop was a spontaneous spur-of-the-moment decision.
This response is a total fabrication. The campaign stop was planned in advance for maximum exposure. Mr. Glendening's people called a Sun reporter in advance to allow enough time to schedule a photographer to record the planned stop. There was no attempt by mall security or administration to curtail this event.
This double standard by the mall is blatant political favoritism. The mall is an ideal place to meet and greet citizens of Howard County. However, this opportunity should be afforded to Republican candidates as well as Democratic candidates.
Louis M. Pope
Laurel
The writer chairs the Howard County Republican Party.
Pub Date: 8/09/98