WHEN IT comes to personnel issues, county executives are very protective of their "flexibility." The Anne Arundel County Council's effort to require the listing of all county government personnel and their salaries in the budget seemed innocuous, but it provoked County Executive Janet S. Owens to veto the measure -- the first time an Anne Arundel executive has exercised that power in five years.

Before 1996, the county budget included personnel summaries for all departments, including the number of people authorized for various positions and their pay grades. A fight that year between the council and the county executive ended that practice. Diane R. Evans, then council chairwoman, wanted to cut three patronage jobs from the budget, but the executive, John G. Gary, was not about to agree. His response was to eliminate all detailed personnel information from the budget.

A bill sponsored by Republican John J. Klocko III sought to restore the detailed personnel list to the budget. Ms. Owens argued that requiring such a level of detail would be an administrative burden on her and the council. Her greater, unspoken fear was probably that the council could have determined which positions in the budget were patronage jobs and targeted them for cuts.

County executives, regardless of party, are loathe to relinquish the power to fill patronage positions, which fall outside the civil-service system. However, full disclosure of staffing levels and pay is vital to the public. Under the current system, the public and the council cannot make clear comparisons of government manpower year to year.

It's in the public interest for the council to round up another vote to override Ms. Owens' ill-advised veto. Her action may protect her "flexibility," but it impedes taxpayers' ability to hold her accountable for spending their money.

Pub Date: 3/31/99