Today, five of seven members of the Baltimore County Council have issued a statement supporting the referendum petition against the Dream Act, which grants tax funded tuition for illegal immigrants in Maryland.
This follows similar public statements made by commissioners in Frederick and Carroll counties.
The council members, which include Chairman John Olszewski, Councilmen Todd Huff, David Marks, Cathy Bevins, and Vicki Almond, expressed concern about the financial burden the legislation could place on county residents and their support for the petition which, if successful, would allow citizens to vote on the measure on the 2012 ballot. See the statement of support here.
The two councilmen who refrained from supporting the referendum petition are Councilmen Ken Oliver and Tom Quirk, who represent the fourth and first districts on the west side of the county, respectively.
Councilman Oliver had this to say, “[The councilmen] have a right to say what they want to say, just like I have the right to disagree with them.... I think people have not read the entire bill. Once you read the entire bill, the student has to provide three years of tax returns to show they have been taxpayers. Not only that, but this is a state issue. We shouldn’t even be involved in it... [State issues] do effect the county, but as a citizen of Baltimore County and as an elected official, I will abide by Maryland state laws.”
Councilman Quirk had not responded to my request for comment as of the time of publishing.
The statement of support comes as a result of a request made by the county coordinators for the petition drive on Monday.
As Baltimore County petition signers account for about 23% of the total signatures submitted in the state for the May 31 deadline, it sends a strong message to all elected representatives on all levels of government.
Al Nalley, a co-coordinator for the petition drive in Baltimore County, said, “The council members’ statement of support is important because CASA de Maryland is expected to file a law suit to try to stop the referendum. The more political support we have to go with the petition signatures may discourage their effort.”
Dave Aughenbaugh, co-coordinator for the petition said, “Baltimore County citizens lead the way. I think the council had to react, and those councilmen who took this opportunity to actively take a position was in my opinion due to the overwhelming response of their constituency. The citizens rarely have this kind of opportunity to really show opposition on a specific issue, and Baltimore County residents have spoken LOUDLY.”
DISCLOSURE: The writer is a co-coordinator for the petition drive in Baltimore County. To sign the petition, go to www.mdpetitions.com.
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