Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, a likely Democratic candidate for governor in 2018, has some explaining to do. As does the Baltimore County Council and Dallas Dance, the Baltimore County Public Schools superintendent.
While students are in antiquated buildings without air conditioning in this era of publicized global warming, they cried poverty to the Board of Public Works and how cruel the board was to hold back $10 million in funding until air conditioning was installed its schools.
Cruelty is annually telling students and parents to wait and wait.
And now, lo and behold, Mr. Kamenetz tells duped Baltimore County citizens he has a $20 million surplus and Mr. Dance tells us he has a $19 million surplus. County residents should not hold the County Council blameless either since they navel-gazed at the monthly finance reports telling them of the surplus building month after month ("Kamenetz says Baltimore County will accelerate air conditioning for schools," May 18).
Unmentioned is whether county government would have returned any of the $40 million surplus in some fashion to county residents. Not mentioned after county leaders insulted the intelligence of Gov. Larry Hogan and Comptroller Peter Franchot as well as county citizens is what more important use would they presumably have used it for — other than stockpiling the cash for pet projects.
No wonder Mr. Kamenetz could afford not to collect the bill from Baltimore for the county's expenses related to last year's riots. The county's coffers must be overflowing.
Charles Herr, Baltimore