Anne Arundel County,
The last few months have been very trying for me. In the few short weeks I have been appointed to this seat, many of you have reached out to me and expressed your displeasure of the current state the leadership in our county has created.
If you have not been told, I want to officially apologize for our behavior. We are not perfect and we will stumble and like any steadfast servant, we will rise and continue to travel in the direction to move Anne Arundel County forward. Much like every other environment, it is filled with individuals who are only human and whose decisions can be clouded with lenses that are forged with a lifetime of diverse struggles. Recent events have lead us to make some tough choices —choices that will inherently bring with it a variety of different opinions and beliefs.
I and the other six members on the Council have an array of unique experiences and values. We also have strong opinions and convictions. These can sometimes create rifts in our ability to find common ground. However, I can strongly attest to you that each of them only want what is best. Councilmen Fink, Benoit, Ladd, Grasso, Trumbauer and Walker really are working hard on behalf of the communities and I’ve come to see that during my integration on this team.
As we navigate through this uncharted territory over the next few months, I ask that we continue to be civil and respectful. Marianne Williamson once stated that “In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.”
I am hopeful that this council and other county officials will strive to hold themselves to a higher standard and reflect the values that all can emulate. Anne Arundel County deserves it not because it is politically tenable to do so, but because every citizen deserves an elected official whose moral compass is fixated on true north. While we may veer off course, the direction will always lead us to do the right thing. The right thing for our budget, the right thing for our schools and even the right thing for our police department.
Our goal is not to stifle ones dreams, but to find mutual grounds to have those dreams co-exist. This county is your home and you deserve caretakers who help guard it with the utmost respect. You deserve leaders whose only interest is yours. There is much work to be done, but I believe the tide will turn and we will make you proud again.
Pete Smith
Anne Arundel County Councilman, 1st District
With the path of the state government, we're going to have more and more fiscal burdens placed on us with fewer resources to pay for them. We can't emulate the state and federal governments and run massive deficits to pay for them - the county is where the chickens finally come home to roost for the fed's and state's deficit spending. We're going to have to cut spending and that means cutting programs that hurt us all. Taxes will probably have to go up, too. There are just no other responsible choices. Everyone is going to have to understand both courses are necessary and figure out how to do it with the least pain for everyone, then move on and do it. We can't all scream for protecting our own self-interests while ignoring the interests of the entire county, our neighbors, and the other residents of our county. It's going to be a difficult road ahead for the County Council and I wish you all good luck!
I am not sure what kind of values you hold or what direction your moral compass is heading when you prematurely pass judgment on a public official who has neither been charged with any legal wrongdoing nor been given a trial, but simply is not liked by some of his subordinates. You had the opportunity to exercise some political courage this week by acknowledging that all the facts are not out there and that the divisive and inflammatory resolution wasn't necessary at this time, but instead you helped simply threw fuel on the flames. The County Council is not a team. It is a body to manage conflict. The fact that members disagree should be viewed as a healthy thing in a robust democracy as it forces compromise, new ways of thinking, and development and consideration of alternative options. However, your actions thus far don't seem to be striving for a consensus with your colleagues that benefits the greater good.
The best of luck to you in this first budget experience.
What would be responsible is to utilize the taxes that are already collected for the purpose which they were collected and not overspend what you do not have. As far as programs, there needs to be some major reconsideration of where the government has stepped in where it does not belong. Cut those programs, rather than continue to threaten the community with cuts in police, fire, schools, and the like - the constant appeal to tax payers is where they know that people will react. Total manipulation! Please do not buy into this big lie. While it’s refreshing to see a politician apologize and desire to do better, my hope is that the effort from all truly is for the good of the people and not for the furtherance of their careers or egos.
Until then, put together your own suggested line-by-line budget, send it to your Councilman, and post a copy of it here. See what kind of feedback you get. You'll get a small taste of how difficult it is for a Councilman to please anybody, let alone everybody. It's one thing to talk the talk, quite another to walk the walk. I haven't drunk anyone's Kool-Aid. I'm a Republican in District 1. I voted for Jones' opponent. I would not have voted for Councilman Smith as a candidate. I'm just glad to see him taking a positive stand on civil discourse, listening to different sides of the issues and trying to come to reasoned consensus. Maybe you ought to try that instead of jumping on anyone who disagrees with your fixed opinion. People who can't see past the partisan slogans will never get us out of this mess they've gotten us into. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.
Not only do I find those comments of substance, they are comments I'd like to hear a lot of other county officials be able to say and really mean. Actions will speak louder than words, but at least I have no reason to believe he wasn't being sincere at this point.
I knew nothing about Mr. Smith before reading his letter. And the only thing I know about him after reading it is if he has any convictions (as in strong beliefs), he doesn't yet have the courage to voice them.
I do this as much as anyone, so I'm not casting stones, just posting something I believe is relevant to the discussion. I believe we just have to agree to disagree. Dave
You have lost me here. The guy has stated at least 3 items that he is promoting as a course of action. What, do you want him to go out there and antagonize and name call just to please you. The problem with our politicians today, is people like you look for words to divide people. You look for the finger pointing or name calling like this is a 3 grade play ground. The divisive nature in which you seek is the same speak that has frozen our members on Capitol Hill. This isn’t about courage; it is about being civil in how you communicate with large audiences. Maybe you should take a lesson.
One doesn't have to name call or finger point in order to make a point. The fact is, after reading his letter I don't have a clue as to what went wrong or how he plans to fix what he thinks (but wasn't able to communicate in his letter) went wrong. Also, he's apologizing on behalf of other people. Did he get their consent? Why didn't they co-sign his apology? He's free to apologize for his own behavior, but not others' behavior. As for empty platitudes, here are a few: -"We are not perfect..." -"Councilmen Fink, Benoit, Ladd, Grasso, Trumbauer and Walker really are working hard..." -"While we may veer off course, the direction will always lead us to do the right thing." -"Our goal is not to stifle ones dreams, but to find mutual grounds to have those dreams co-exist." Give me a break...
The Councilman just emerged from a process where over a hundred times, half of his colleagues did not support his appointment to the Council. Ultimately, one of them voted in his favor to break the deadlock but did so "with trepidation" -- less than a ringing endorsement. Rather than try to build a bridge to these colleagues, one of the first things he did was take sides on a divisive matter that quite frankly did not need to be decided upon by the Council then and there, and was simply a political statement by those who promoting it. In his letter and previous statements, Mr. Smith has referred to doing the "right thing," but I am not sure if he's ever explained what that means. Does that mean the "right thing" according to his personal "opinions and beliefs" or a solution that emerges from hearing all sides and results in something that the Council as a whole can live with? The upcoming budget process will be the next test for the new Councilman. In the words of another appointed Mr. Smith, the one in the movies, "Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again."
How was he going to build a bridge on a council vote that was divided right down the middle on the issue? Whichever way he voted, he was going to be siding with the wrong side. There are four Republicans on the Council; Councilman Smith voted with his 2 Democratic colleagues. I would think your concerns ought to be directed to the Republican councilman who voted with the Democrats on this, if you're interested in someone who needs to build a bridge. Just because he talked about civil discourse, respect, and seeking common ground, doesn't mean he's not going to represent the wishes of his constituents strongly, either. It doesn't mean voting with the other side every time just to make everyone happy. It just means being civil while discussing positions and trying to find some common ground - but that takes two people; which means both people have to agree their positions may be "right" but there might be something "more right" they can agree on.
Looking at the big picture, the measure against Teare was a political stunt, with no legal effect, and it only exacerbated the divisions on the Council. I am not a Teare fan, but there is a process for finding out the facts and dealing with the results that has not played out. Walker and the Dems did not act before Jones went to trial, why is it different for Teare? If Smith was true to his rhetoric, he would have started off by focusing on the broad matters that need to be addressed now and find opportunities for some common ground with Ladd, Fink, and Grasso. Instead, he jumped on the bandwagon and became another acrobat in continuing the political circus he just apologized for. It looks like Mr. Smith plans to keep joining in with Messrs. Benoit and Trumabauer in cutting deals with Mr. Walker. If Mr. Smith were truly a "moderate" as he claims, he'd assert his own independence early which would take the wind out of Mr. Walker's sails as the sole swing vote and give himself a lot more leverage to reset the Council's overall tone and direction, as he claims to want to do.
Did you ever get a letter back in the old days? I used to get lots of letters from my Mom and my wife when I was in the Army stationed apart from them, and they just talked about what was going on with nothing earth shattering in them, just information and thoughts. That's kind of what letters are for. The term "empty platitudes" is redundant. A platitude is empty by definition. A platitude is only a platitude if it's presented as something significant or profound. In Councilman Smith's letter, his comments were only presented as sincere and honest, and I didn't see any intent to offer them as something original or profound at all. So perhaps you're looking for too much out of something that was just more simple than that.
I don’t believe him voting in favor of the resolution was a partisan issue. Neither you nor Richard has ever served a day on the police force or in the military. It is evident by your lack of comprehension on this matter. Chief Teare did not have to be guilty of any issues. Anyone with half a brain could tell you that he knew of at least some parts of the problems that were taking place in the department. If he knew of those discretions then he is just as culpable since he is the Chief of the Police Department. Both of you must be friends of the Chief because you are so adamant of his due process. He may be a good person, but in my eyes, if he doesn’t believe that he bears some responsibility for this mess then that is more the reason he should depart. I’m also not sure how being a “moderate” has anything to do with voting on the Chiefs issue? So your solution would be, because YOU want to “take the wind out of Mr. Walker’s sails” he should have voted against the resolution? That makes no sense what so ever and sounds like someone who is angry and upset. Thank god you are not the Chief of Police! Instead of following your code of ethics and values, you would be vengeful and hold grudges against people. Not good qualities for anyone in the Police or military service.
In 1976 we had a student as GB High School get picked on by a couple of wanna be punks. After the incident a student by the name of Elizabeth went up to him and apologized. Now, she wasn’t part of the group that picked on him but she thought he was emotionally distressed and tried to comfort him. Her apology was also a way of letting him know that some people do care and no she didn’t need other people’s consent. It’s great that you are analytical in nature, but it’s too bad you only look at the glass half empty. I’m actually glad we are having this discussion as I believe it is important to focus on the real issues at hand. I don’t see you on here making an effort to come the tone of Councilman Grasso. It’s okay for him to rant and rave, but a guy who wants to promote civility during political discourse or write his thoughts for other to try to understand him is a negative thing. By your own admission, “Give me a break”, “empty platitudes” , you have shown that it doesn’t matter how he votes or what he writes, you’re going to disapprove of anything he does that doesn’t go in line with what you believe.
If you want to bow down to his empty words go right ahead. In the meantime I'll be waiting for something substantial from him. As for Grasso, I haven't read his pandering letter to the Patch...but if you'll point it out for me I'll give it a look. Regarding my "Give me a break" comment, you have it exactly backwards. I don't really care about his "empty platitudes"...I only care about his votes.
As for "empty platitudes"...some might consider it redundant, others not. I don't. And if you think Smith wasn't trying to sell something profound in his letter you must be the most naive person reading Patch. In fact, the only thing he was trying to promote was himself and his own profoundness. It appears that it worked and he's picked up a couple of supporters...by saying absolutely nothing of substance. I'm glad you got letters from your mother. However, Peter Smith is not my mother. I don't need soothing letters from him.
My comments here relate to Peter Smith's letter, and his letter alone.
People can't say something nice without being denigrated. People can't compliment someone for saying something nice without being called names. People can't say anything anymore without someone getting upset and ranting and raving about it. Go back and look over this thread. It's ridiculous, and all over one letter. One of the posters even said the letter was vacuous and full of empty platitudes and couldn't understand why everybody was commenting so nicely about it, yet was very active in arguing about why everyone was wrong in being happy to see anything positive in the letter. Another poster didn't care about the letter at all, but was angry over the first vote the Councilman made, so was just angry about anything the Councilman said because he voted against the Police Chief. It wasn't the fault of the other three council members who also voted against the Police Chief, just the newest council member, because he posted a positive letter in the Patch. Then I got carried away by letting myself get sucked into the argument when I should have known better and just left well enough alone, knowing you can never achieve anything useful in these kinds of exchanges. Signing off - I've had enough!