The Baltimore County Chapter of Americans For Prosperity, a non-partisan government watchdog group, is organizing a Town Hall on pension reform for our county council, county executive and general assembly. The event will be held Monday night, March 15, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Towson Library, 320 York Road.

A 40-minute panel discussion on the recent reform efforts is scheduled with the following speakers, representing a cross-section of experts:

Marta Mossburg, Senior Fellow, Maryland Public Policy Institute (policy wonk)
Former Baltimore County Councilman Wayne Skinner (insiders view)
Dan Shanahan, Vice President, Hamden Moving and Storage (private sector)
Steve Bourg, Vice President & Actuary, PSA Financial (number cruncher)

It will be moderated by AFP co-chairs Steve Bailey and Joe Seehusen. After the panelists present, there will be an open mic Q&A session. Candidates are welcome.

From the event flyer:

“They are hoping that the controversy over their outrageous pension plans will just go away!”

“There's an old saying that "he who laughs last laughs best". Right now, those we elected to serve are laughing all the way to the bank.”
 
“Let's make this a campaign issue for every candidate, Democrat and Republican, incumbent and challenger. Together we can raise the bar and require more from those who seek our votes for the privilege of representing us at all levels of government!”

“Join us as we help to educate each other on what pension benefits our elected officials enjoy and why reforming their pension plan is a critical first step in correcting the fiscal problems facing the state and county.”

Organizers expect an overflow crowd and are asking attendees to RSVP with their name, phone, email, and address to Karen Frew at kbfrew@comcast.net.

Mr. Bailey said at last Monday’s Baltimore County Republican Party meeting, “We want to have Patuxent Publishing and TV stations there. There will be a film crew from a documentary on the financial crisis and the Tea Party Movement. We’re attracting some attention. I think this is the defining issue of the elections in Baltimore County.”

It seems Mr. Bailey is not the only one to think so. He said he received a phone call last week from Councilman Kevin Kamenetz (D), who is running for County Executive. Mr. Bailey said, “For ten minutes, Kevin Kamenetz basically tried to tell me all the reasons we should stop talking about pension reform. The man clearly was pleading with me to stop talking about pensions. I said to him, ‘Kevin if you win that election and serve two terms as County Executive, you get $108,000 a year pension for life.’ He didn’t bat an eye; he believes he deserves every penny. He went on to tell me how much money he was sacrificing by being in public service; how much more he could make as an attorney in private practice. Had I thought about it, I’d have said, ‘Well, we’re going to give you that opportunity.’ That’s how potent this issue is.”

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