Ballot Questions (No on B&D for Montgomery)

My mail in ballot arrived last week, which means my post on local election stuff is overdue.

First off, if you want more information check out the League of Women Voter’s guide at vote411.org for arguments for and against each questions and as well as candidate survey responses. And now that I’ve pointed you a source for complete information, here are my recommendations:

Montgomery County:

There are four ballot questions, two on property taxes, two on council size. In both cases, Montgomery County’s long time tax-revolter Robin Ficker is again seeking to hamstring the ability of our county legislative branch, the County Council, to govern effectively. Thankfully, we’re still a county where leaders from both parties, the Democratic former County Executive Ike Leggett and Republican former Congresswoman Connie Morella, can still come together to defeat bad ideas.

For a detailed case against those amendments, I turn to Bruce Adams, who knows the history of our how local council and tax rules developed and makes an eminently practical case against Ballot Questions B and D.

Here’s my short take on each amendment.

Ballot Question A would shift the property tax cap from being set in dollar terms to being in percentage terms. If the County is growing and prospering, we need the ability to budget to keep up with rising infrastructure demands. [There are some provisions for new development, under the current law but I think rates are still a much more sensible way to govern things.] I favor question A.

I’ll turn to Bruce to explain why I oppose question B:

Ficker’s Question B would create an inflexible tax cap that would not allow county leaders to respond to real crises like COVID-19 and dramatically changing circumstances. The existing charter allows the county council to exceed the property tax cap only with a unanimous vote. Ficker’s amendment would not let even a unanimous council act to preserve our quality schools and services.

Ballot Question C would increase the number of district council seats by 2, leaving the Council with seven district and four at large members. I think this will have some challenging interactions with unanimity rules, but ultimately it is a reasonable ask from those upcounty who feel underrepresented. No endorsement, but I’ll personally be voting for it.

Ballot Question D would get rid of the county’s at large representatives, switching entirely to districts. I’d oppose question D because I think it undercuts our ability to face problems together as a county and it reduces the number of Councilmembers accountable to you. If you’ve ever called in to a politicians office at most any level, one of the key pieces of advice you’ll get is to tell them where you live, because unless you’re from their district, it’s not their job to care. There are a lot of ways that the at-large seats could be improved, for example by adding ranked choice or proportional voting. However, this is a step in the wrong direction.

Maryland:

Question 1 is about the state budget process and would give the General Assembly additional authority. As a general rule, the General Assembly can now make reductions in the Governor’s budget, but cannot move money around or make increases except in special circumstances. Under question 1, the General Assembly would be able to move funds, so long as the overall budget is balanced and does not exceed the total for the Governor’s budget. I support Question 1 as Maryland has the weakest legislature in the country when it comes budget matters. The Governor would still have a line item veto, so the Maryland Governorship would still remain a powerful office thereafter.

Question 2 expands commercial gaming to allow sports betting with hopes of raising $20 million a year for education.  Eh, I’m dubious, I’ll probably vote against.