ISSUE: -- Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold sliced nearly $3.2 million in funding to local nonprofit agencies - including the Light House Shelter in Annapolis, Hospice of the Chesapeake, Partners in Care and Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, in the fiscal 2008 budget he released May 1.
In his budget address, he said the county's grant program has ballooned 123 percent in the past four years to $5 million.
"In many instances, these grants had become political handouts," he said.
Leopold, whose budget theme was fiscal responsibility, later said that he's seeking more oversight of the money by putting some of it under the umbrella of county departments. He also said that local legislators' failure to support his proposal to tax rental cars cost the county $5 million and forced him to make some of the cuts.
Supporters of the agencies and charities have criticized Leopold, however, saying these cuts might force them to drastically scale back services or even shut their doors.
Worthy nonprofits face finite funds
It is my view that not one of the county's nonprofits is without merit, and the term "political handout" does not refer to the diligent volunteer recipients of taxpayer dollars, but to the political process used to determine the beneficiaries of the grants.
Unfortunately, while the grant program needs are infinite, resources are finite, and not all worthy causes can or should be supported by taxpayers.
Analogously, The Sun and other news journals have criticized the legislative scholarship program, which enables politicians to hand out scholarship awards. The editorials that have called this program a political slush fund are not meant to demean the scholarship recipients themselves, but the political process that enables politicians to benefit from the gratitude of families receiving scholarship assistance.
The budgetary process is a collaborative one between the county executive and the Council, and I look forward to working with members of the Council to reach consensus on grant funding and other budgetary matters.
John R. Leopold Pasadena
The writer is Anne Arundel's county executive.
Cutbacks will hurt programs that work
As legal guardian of my disabled sister, Mary, and a former employee of Hospice of the Chesapeake, I am absolutely livid with his grant cuts and his plan to put "some of them under the umbrella of county departments."
Great! We'll "fix" something that works by having them managed by a bureaucracy that doesn't!
Mary, 47, has been blessedly employed by Opportunity Builders since graduating from Marley Glen School. Its care and services have enabled me to be a gainfully employed, taxpaying citizen of Anne Arundel County. I'm a Republican who adamantly believes he should be ashamed!
Doris M. Schneider Ferndale
Life of the county will only suffer
An open letter to County Executive John R. Leopold:
We are writing out of concern for your proposed cuts in the county budget - many of which are going to impact social services and the future of arts funding in the county in a very negative way.
We are supporters of the arts community as well as the social programs which are part of the outreach of St. Anne's Episcopal Church, of which we are members.
It is coincidental that our son, J. Ernest Green, is the music director of the Annapolis Chorale, a group of some 200-plus dedicated participants serving a performance schedule reaching thousands of attendees, and offering musical programming which touches the lives of many more. In addition, he is also the music director of St. Anne's, where again the support for numerous social programs emanates.
We fail to see how destroying the cultural opportunities and the social services will improve our lifestyle. It is impossible to read the newspapers, or watch the television to think these things are not necessary.
Our schools are challenged beyond understanding in their effort to reach the kinder, and gentler side of the students. How does taking away the arts and social services improve their understanding of what is expected of them? How does the fragile community of our city deal with the reduction in their opportunities for assistance? How does destroying the Light House Shelter support improve anything?
We were supportive of your election, and now find that we are not in agreement with the direction your term of office appears to be taking. Whereas, we believe in fiscal responsibility, we also recognize that to have improved quality of life, there is a cost to that responsibility.
Please reconsider your recommendations and work to improve that which is here and which makes Anne Arundel County a nice place to live.
Ernest and Rachel E. Green Annapolis
Agencies must learn to live within means
Cuts are needed on all government levels for several reasons, including so taxpayers don't have to pay more taxes and so money can go elsewhere, such as school, roads, fire/police, etc.
There are other ways for these outfits to raise money, and I hope they do so and set examples for other organizations.
The state and federal governments can learn from these cuts because we, the citizens, are paying too much taxes - income tax, real estate tax, gas tax, sales tax, any more tax dollars and our savings accounts are done.
So I applaud the cuts done by the Anne Arundel county executive.
Stephen-Clark Reigle Severn
Taxpayers benefit from fiscal restraint
John Leopold's budget was absolutely perfect - what a gift for taxpayers who have been under a relentless assault by the Democrats running our state and national legislatures.
Now, schools superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell will need to explore and consider some of the tried and true, less expensive options to giving children an excellent education. Enactment of a county school uniform program is a no-brainer, and costs nothing. Expelling children who have no interest in education, who are repeatedly disruptive in the classroom, or who have shown a violent tendency towards their peers could have an enormous impact.
The government should not be, and should have never been, in the business of funding the myriad of charitable programs that exist in our county. That is not the role of government.
And the idea that we should be funding various arts programs via taxes is ridiculous. These programs should be funded via users' fees, and if they still can't make it, then they probably shouldn't be in existence.
It should be the government's mandate to tax the citizenry as little as possible, which will allow each of us to take care of our own families.
I applaud the county executive for understanding that it is our money, not the government's money. This is why I voted for John Leopold, and I am happy. In fact, I wish he were the governor.
Michael P. DeCicco Severn
Executive backs health initiatives
County Executive John R. Leopold's budget reflects a strong commitment to health and human services for some of the county's most at-risk residents. Low-income, uninsured women and men age 50 and over will benefit from the $200,000 that Mr. Leopold has budgeted to provide free colonoscopies. Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and Anne Arundel County. The executive's proposal, which restores a previous program eliminated due to state cuts, will help save the lives of those who could not otherwise get screenings.
Through the county Department of Health, Mr. Leopold's budget funds the Healthy Babies Campaign, which aims to reduce the high rate of infant death in the African-American community. In Anne Arundel County, the death rate for African-American babies is three times that of white babies.
The county executive's long-standing belief that environmental health is not just for the privileged was evident as he successfully lobbied for a program to subsidize treatment for wells contaminated with radium. Studies have confirmed that naturally occurring radium, linked to bone cancer, is present in the groundwater in northern Anne Arundel County. Mr. Leopold is adamant that low-income well water users should have financial assistance for radium treatment. His initiative to establish a permanent well water assistance program has been aided by county and state funds.
By strongly supporting the statewide ban of smoking in bars, restaurants and other indoor workplaces, Mr. Leopold showed his concern for the service workforce who were subjected to immediate and long-term health effects of secondhand smoke while trying to make a living for themselves and their families.
Frances Phillips Annapolis
The writer is the Anne Arundel County health officer.
Partners in Care fills vital need
I came to the nonprofit Partners in Care as an AmeriCorps volunteer and I have continued to be amazed by the transportation and many other services it provides to the frail elderly.
Instead of $125,000, Partners in Care received $5,000 from the county this year.
It is clear that Mr. Leopold does not realize that there are older individuals literally trapped in their houses, because they are too frail for public transportation or vans for the aging, and they cannot afford taxis.
Partners in Care is a vital resource for over-taxed families and for seniors without families. They thrive as our volunteers provide them with arm-in-arm, door-to-door transportation, for example to medical appointments, with stops along the way for prescriptions and groceries.
We dispatch 60 or more rides per week to destinations in the county and as far away as Baltimore and Washington. We provide a vital niche service to the frail elderly that other agencies - public or private - cannot provide. Even an all-volunteer program takes money.
We suggest that Mr. Leopold ride along with some of our volunteers, one day soon. If he did I think he might change his mind.
Joyce Cavey Glen Burnie
Nonprofits and arts should be supported
As a volunteer in the arts community and a resident of Anne Arundel County for over 40 years, I am absolutely stunned by the slashes recommended for the arts and nonprofit institutions in County Executive Leopold's proposed budget.
I can attest from my many years of being a docent at the Walters Art Museum that Anne Arundel residents take advantage of the proximity of such a well-known collection. It always gave me pleasure whenever I had the opportunity to guide a group of students from my home county.
Last November I was pleased to learn that because of a three-year commitment from Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, that the entry fees at both the Walters and the Baltimore Museum of Art would be eliminated. It's my understanding that attendance at the museums has increased considerably as a result of this combined cooperation.
Now I am embarrassed that John Leopold, for whom I voted last November, would renege on such an agreement. When a three-year commitment, barely into its first months, is disavowed, I shudder to think what other commitments might be eliminated next.
In reading the list of nonprofits being affected by last weeks proposal, I fear that many other dedicated institutions will be unable to continue providing their services, including Court-Appointed Special Advocates, the Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts, Partners in Care and Hospice of the Chesapeake. Volunteers can do much, but they are unable to do their work without financial support.
I urge the County Executive and the County Council to reinstate most of the stricken funds and consider raising the Homestead Tax Credit. The tax cap in Anne Arundel County, with the exception of Talbot County, is the lowest in the state. In services and benefits to its citizens is this where Anne Arundel County wants to be? At the bottom?
Carol A. Durr Pasadena
Public safety has felt earlier crunch
A few years ago, County Executive Janet Owens fired 16 young police officers and canceled several police and fire academy classes due to "a projected shortfall in the budget."
There was very little public outcry despite cuts to one of the most basic and vital services to our citizens: public safety. Our police department is still trying to recover from those cuts.
Former executives John Gary and Bobby Neal also made cuts to public safety with seemingly very little public concern.
No one likes to see cuts to charitable organizations and nonprofit agencies, but I will always be haunted by the historical alternative: the safety of our communities. To provide for that safety is one of the most fundamental purposes of government and there is still work to be done.
I believe that County Executive Leopold and the County Council have recognized that cuts laid on the backs of county employees have too great a cost to the citizens in the long run. It is refreshing to see our elected officials looking for alternatives.
When cuts are made to our nonprofits and charitable organizations, we can come together and support them through volunteerism and private donations. Cuts to public safety often times go unnoticed until it is too late.
O'Brien Atkinson IV The writer is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 70 in Crownsville.
Budget may destroy arts
I was appalled and shocked to discover that the arts funding for our county has been summarily cut by County Executive Leopold. Annapolis, just named as one of the top 20 arts cities in the country, is now to have its grants and funding budget to arts cut because it is a "political handout."
In a world where violence and distrust of our neighbor is rampant, where ugliness and stench is all which the papers can find to report, the beauty that is art, music, dance - that which can save us from ourselves - is dismissed as a "political handout"?
I am a member of an arts organization whose membership is well over 200 people. Every year, we touch the lives of thousands of people in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and beyond. Among our membership are children and young adults who are growing to find something beautiful and compelling about music. It gives them an alternative way to express themselves in a society fixated on the stimulus of violence.
Such a drastic cut in funding will kill the system without offering a solution or prospect for its future. The arts benefit us all and exist as nonprofits for a reason: They give back far more than they ever gain.
If this course continues without change, Mr. Leopold could be remembered as the county executive who destroyed the arts in Anne Arundel County. It is not a resolution that will benefit any one of us.
Phyllis J. Everette Annapolis
Slicing arts funds diminishes us all
I read with much dismay the cuts planned by Mr. Leopold in the budgets for the arts, public school funding, and service nonprofits.
Our elected officials certainly have a heavy responsibility as they seek to spend the taxpayers' money wisely within a tight budget. However, Mr. Leopold seems to have targeted those programs that benefit a large cross-section of people living in Anne Arundel County and beyond.
Although each of the affected programs has its own merits, I will focus on the planned cuts in the arts budget.
Study after study has shown the arts are not an extravagant "nice-to-have," but an essential part of a meaningful life. Students who participate show marked improvement in mathematics, language, and other academic subjects. People of all ages who see or create paintings, hear or make music, and see or participate in dance are inspired. They have their spirits uplifted, and have a human need filled that cannot be satisfied in any other way.
Here in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, we are fortunate to have the Annapolis Opera, Ballet, Chorale and Symphony Orchestra. These resident companies of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts are supported by thousands of residents of the city and county who attend their performances each year.
It is financially impossible, however, for these groups to exist solely on ticket sales. The balance of their funds must come from private and government support.
When either of these sources diminishes, the difference cannot be made up by raising ticket sales. To do so would make the arts economically unaffordable to many people, and the long-term viability of such arts groups questionable at best.
We who participate in and enjoy the arts take issue with Mr. Leopold's characterization of government support of the arts as a political handout. It is money well spent and an investment in the quality of life for all who live in the county.
I urge Mr. Leopold and the county government to restore the funding for the arts.
Ned H. Criscimagna Annapolis