Editorial from March 4th Cecil Guardian
Editorial – March 4th – 2010
It’s was an interesting political week in Cecil County. It started with the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast at Bentley’s Restaurant on Monday morning March 1st. There the Chamber of Commerce’s, Government Relations Committee asked questions of the Delegation members who bothered to show up. (Members in attendance were: Delegate Mary-Dulaney James, Delegate David Rudolph, Delegate Richard Sossi and Senator E.J. Pipkin) I say that, in those terms, because the Delegation is asked every year during session to come and talk to the Chamber about the Bills they are working on for Cecil County, they know the breakfast dates. I just don’t see why it is so hard to fit it into their schedules. Two of our State Delegation (Senator Pipkin and Delegate Smigiel came to Singerly Fire Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening to explain why they have proposed two Senate Bills and two House Bills each one limiting the power of the Cecil County Board of Commissioners. Senator Nancy Jacobs had lent her name to each of two public events she was a no show at both.
It is my opinion local issues should be decided locally by the County Board of Commissioners who are solely accountable to the citizens of Cecil County. Our State Delegation represents several counties and is only partially accountable on local issues within Cecil County.
It seems that these same elected officials feel our elected local officials are not responsible enough to run the county government. They feel we made some bad choices in our last election and the only way to protect us from these people is to restrict from Annapolis the powers we have to run our local government. I really thought that’s what we have elections for in this country-so the people can pick who they choose to govern them and make decisions on local issues.
It seems to me that all of the political groups which have been forming, Tea Party, Patriots, Blue Dog Democrats, etc, etc, etc have the same thoughts of smaller government, more local control and the idea that our citizens should be able to spend a bigger portion of their incomes providing for themselves not having government do it for them. With this in mind I truly believe that once elected by the people our officials should be allowed to run our local government as they see fit, since we elected them-naturally, not if they have taken any illegal courses along the way. We always have the next election to replace who we feel has either mislead or taken actions with which we disagree with.
For those of us who came to hear our State Representatives (Senator Pipkin and Delegate Smigiel, missing was State Senator Nancy Jacobs who co-sponsored the Tax Cap Bill and called the Town Meeting) speak on Tuesday evening we got an earful and I’m not exactly sure the majority walked away feeling any better about what is going on between a few of our state delegation and the county commissioners.
Get on the phone, email, tin cans with a string and let these representatives know your views quickly before these Bills (SB730/HB914 Constant Yield Tax Cap) and (SB726/HB916 FOP Sheriff’s Arbitration Bills) get through… or these four very important pieces of legislation will change forever the way your county will be operated.
Local Issues! Local Vote! Local Control!
Think Charter Government / Election 2010 – Vote YES – Charter Government / Get Informed!
