In Harford, everything is right on schedule

Harford County Executive David Craig, 59, is serving his first full term, after finishing Jim Harkins’ term in 2005 and being elected to the position in 2006. A lifelong Harford County resident, Craig has been a Havre de Grace city councilman, a five-term mayor, a state delegate, a state senator and a school principal. He sat down with The Examiner to discuss schools, Base Realignment and Closure and the county’s continuing expansion.

How did you feel about Gov. Martin O’Malley’s appointment of two people to the school board, despite different recommendations from county officials?

I really don’t get involved in appointments, but it’s probably going to make [County Councilman and liaison to the school board] Dick Slutzky push even harder for an elected school board, since neither of the two people were selected by his interview and recommendation process. I was impressed by Alysson [Krchnavy]. She’s been very involved. But I don’t think Dick’s going to be happy with [Leonard Wheeler, who ran against Slutzky in 2006] for the other spot.

The governor’s office supposedly sought letters of recommendation from local leaders. You weren’t asked for your picks?

I don’t get asked directly on very many appointments. The previous governor did, but this governor hasn’t. We usually get called and are told what happened.

How do you respond to citizens’ concerns that a project to revise the county’s zoning code has been done behind closed doors?

The fact is, this has been a two-year process, and it’s probably been the most open and transparent process for passing a piece of legislation that we’ve ever had. We’ve had 24 public work sessions, with a work group that’s evenly balanced. We’ve had three public work sessions with the council and three public hearings with the citizens. People say it was developer-driven, but I would say of the maybe 200 issues they’ve discussed, there were only six or seven that came down to some division between the development and non-development communities. I think there’s some lack of understanding among citizens about what the purpose of this code rewrite was.

What was the purpose of the revision process?

The biggest misunderstanding is that 75 to 80 percent of this was textual: moving things around, cleaning up the 25-year-old code and eliminating conflicts in the code that were created as legislation was passed. Some issues [like transferring development rights and the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance] I’m probably going to leave to the County Council. The council’s spoken over the last few years about how it feels on APF. If they want to change their minds, that’s another thing.

How do you respond to criticism from smart-growth advocates that the work group was stacked in the developers’ favor?

People who have made comments about it will say the development community has its agenda. Everybody promotes their own interests. But unfortunately, the people on the other side won’t admit they have an agenda. They work hard at it they’re committed to it, and they’re passionate about it, but they don’t see their lack of objectivity in it.

Where is Harford in its preparation for anticipated BRAC growth?

Everything that’s key will be completed by the fall of 2010 and the winter of 2011, so we’re right on track. We’ll start groundbreaking for the water plant expansion in the fall of this year, and that’ll be completed in two years. The school construction, particularly two new elementary schools and the high school expansions, are on course to open in the fall of 2010, so that opens back up the areas that have been closed to development by Adequate Public Facilities laws. For the most part, Harford County has done an excellent job getting ready for it. Are we ready today? No, but we don’t have to be ready today. We’ll be ready when it’s time.

What about collaborative efforts with the state and federal governments?

When you look at the amount of money the federal government gives out for planning, Harford County has been the most successful jurisdiction in the country. We’ve gotten 13 percent of the money the Office of Economic Adjustment has given to local jurisdictions. If you figure there are 20 communities that are gaining because of BRAC, your average should be 5 percent, and we’re

2 1/2 times that average. At the state level, I still don’t see the dollars that should be there for infrastructure. I still don’t see the state picking up its share of school construction. I still don’t see the state picking up its share when it comes to roads. I don’t see them making that commitment.

Surveys from Fort Monmouth, N.J., say most workers aren’t interested in moving. How does that affect your plans?

I believe those numbers are changing dramatically, constantly. Obviously, there will be some people who aren’t going to move no matter what. But they’re not going to find another $100,000-a-year job. As one contractor said to me, “When I start waving these paychecks, people are going to swallow their pride and come.”

Will Harford require more residential development to accommodate those people?

No. The economy shows there are houses out there that could be on the market, especially for the first two waves of people who are moving in this year and next year. I think those people are going to find a glut of housing in more established communities that they can afford to buy. And I think they will.

How is the declining economy affecting Harford County’s bottom line?

Tax revenue, mainly for capital projects, is declining, especially the transfer tax on home sales and the recordation tax. Income tax is still pretty steady, [and] property tax is relatively strong, although I think we’ll see some erosion in that. I don’t think you’ll see the jump in property tax assessments that you’ve seen in the last couple of years.

Is Harford going to follow other counties in boosting the budget by raising parking fees or cutting fuel costs by turning off vehicles instead of idling them?

We continue to watch our expenditures — we’ve always done that. Those little things are things people say to grab attention. Every time there’s an energy crisis, they say the same things. They’re all glitzy things, like when Lyndon Johnson was going around taking light bulbs out of the closets, and it’s like, “OK, how much energy did you actually save by doing that?” It makes everybody look good and feel good, but that’s all. Hopefully, we operate frugally enough anyway. We had hybrid vehicles before any other county. We just don’t have to grab the headlines.