Baltimore County Council discusses term limits, extending state of emergency

By Ben Terzi
Special to The Baltimore Watchdog

The Baltimore County Council on Tuesday discussed term limits for council members and increasing funding for comprehensive services to reduce the harms of drug use.

The council’s work session also focused on whether officials should continue a state of emergency for COVID-19.

The term limit legislation, sponsored by Councilmen Tom Quirk and Todd Crandell, would allow elected officials to serve up to three non-consecutive terms that would take effect after the 2022 elections. The proposed Bill 11-27 specifically states: “no  persons  elected  or  appointed  as members of the County Council shall be eligible to succeed themselves in or be a candidate for the office if they have served in the office for three full four-year terms.”

Quirk, a Democrat from Oella, cited a 2018 Goucher poll that surveyed 800 Maryland adults and found that three-quarters of them approved of term limits on elected officials. However, council members pointed out that the poll only asked about term limits for members of the Maryland General Assembly, not locally.

Crandell is a Republican who represents the  7^th District which includes Dundalk, Edgemere, Essex, Rosedale, and Sparrows Point.

“We need to give more credit to the voters,” said Councilmember Cathy Bevins, a Middle River Democrat.

Bevins sharply opposed the bill, expressing concern that such legislation can set a precedent that limits voters’ choices for candidates in future elections. She explained how placing term limits can restrain the amount of work members of the County Council can accomplish if their time in office has a set expiration.

Council Chairman Julian E. Jones, Jr. echoed Bevins concerns.

“What if we had put term limits on Barbara Mikulski or Elijah Cummings?” he asked.

Mikulski was a popular legislator who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland from 1977 to 1987 and in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. Cummings served in the House for Maryland’s 7^th Congressional District from 1996 until his death in 2019.

If the council approves the proposal, county voters would have to approve the change in a referendum during the gubernatorial election next year. If approved, the charter amendment would take effect in 2026, officials said.

Council members also discussed Bill 10-21, increasing the ACCESS Harm Reduction Grant. The grant is a community public health program that dispenses comprehensive services to reduce the harms of drug use. Currently, the total amount for the program is $169,888.

Lawrence Richardson, deputy director of the Department of Health and Human Services, lobbied the council to provide an additional $458,865 for the grant, increasing the total amount to $628,753.

Richardson said the supplemental money will be used for salaries and benefits for 10 part-time department staff members who provide services that include HIV and HCV testing, nurse education, peer support, naloxone training, health care and syringe services.

If approved by five members of the council, Bill 10-21 would take effect on March 14. The Department of Health and Human Services estimated the program would serve approximately 1,500 County residents during this fiscal year.

Baltimore County Attorney James Benjamin presented Resolution 24-21 to continue a state of emergency for COVID-19. Initially enacted last March, the resolution carries along a state of emergency that will continue beyond March 6 and end on April 5.

The resolution, however, gives County Executive Johnny Olszewski the power to end the state of emergency before the proposed end date.

County residents attending the virtual meeting complained about the negative impact the state of emergency is having on youth sports leagues. One resident also voiced concerns about the effect on the physical and mental health of children after a year of limited physical play and social interaction.