SECOND COUNTRY STAFFER UNEXPECTEDLY ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT ...
Thursday July 1st 2010 9:24 AM
... Departures will add to loss of institutional knowledge for incoming new council ...
By Bryan P. Sears
bsears@patuxent.com
Posted 6/30/10
The recently announced unexpected retirement of two key county employees will further exacerbate a loss of experience in the Baltimore County Council following the departure of at least four long-term council members who are either retiring or seeking other offices, officials say.
Thomas Peddicord, the County Council’s legal adviser, announced this week that he is retiring, just two weeks after County Auditor Mary Allen unexpectedly announced that she was also retiring.
Councilman Joseph Bartenfelder said the retirement of Peddicord and Allen will be felt “more and more by the incoming council.”
“Politicians come and go but they were part of a stable, experienced staff,” Bartenfelder said. “You build on that with the elected officials.”
Tom Toporvich, who served as the council’s secretary immediately before Peddicord, said the importance of experienced staff cannot be underestimated.
“So many of the people who ran for office didn’t even know where the restrooms were much less what the legislative process was,” Toporovich said.
‘Kind of abrupt’
Peddicord said in an interview Sunday that recent changes to the county pension plan forced him to reconsider how long he should remain in the job he has held since 1991.
“This is kind of abrupt,” Peddicord said of his decision. “Had I been thinking of retiring, I would have brought someone in and started the training process.”
Allen, a 30-year county employee, unexpectedly retired in June. She was appointed in October 2007 after previously serving 12 years as deputy auditor.
The auditor’s office, as part of the legislative branch of the county, works under the council and is responsible for analysis of all matters voted on by the council. The office reviews bills, contracts and fiscal matters, and produces a set of analysis notes for each work session.
The office also provides an in-depth breakdown of the annual budget for the council, performs reviews of county offices and programs, as well as conducts research for the council.
Allen could not be reached for comment.
Bartenfelder said that Allen informed the council that it was changes to the pension plan, like Peddicord, that drove Allen’s decision to retire.
In May, the council passed changes to the county’s pension plan extending from one to five years, the period before a retiree can be eligible for a cost-of-living increase.
Peddicord said he hadn’t planned on retiring for a few years, but the changes to the pension plan “prompted me to think about (retiring).”
Peddicord called the pension plan changes “a smart move.”
“It helps the overall health of the system but it definitely changed the thought process for me,” he said.
The departures, as well as what is expected to be the largest turnover in council membership in 20 years, raise questions about the effect on the legislative body’s ability to function optimally.
Councilman Kevin Kamenetz has frequently pointed out over the years that an experienced County Council has contributed to a well-managed county.
But this election promises change — a lot of it.
It was thought that Peddicord and Allen would help anchor the freshman council.
Kamenetz, along with fellow Democrat Bartenfelder, are each giving up their seats after four terms to run for county executive.
Democratic Councilmen Sam Moxley and Vince Gardina, who have served four and five terms respectively, are retiring after the new council members are sworn in Dec. 6, 2010.
The remaining three councilmen — Republican Bryan McIntire and Democrats Ken Oliver and John Olszewski Sr. — all face at least a primary election challenge.
Wayne Skinner, a Republican former councilman, said Peddicord’s institutional knowledge and organizational skills “kept the council moving.”
“You had a lot of people on the council who couldn’t write a bill,” Skinner said. “I could go to Tom with an idea and he could put it in legalese.”
Skinner said Peddicord also used his knowledge of previous councils to inform council members about ideas that had been unsuccessful in the past. He added that Peddicord’s retirement amplifies the effect of Allen’s retirement.
“The council really depends on the auditor,” Skinner said.
Peddicord said that even though his last day is Wednesday he will stay on in a part-time capacity to help hire and train his replacement and to prepare for the new incoming council.
He’s expected to be in his usual seat on Tuesday when the council holds it’s next scheduled voting session.
Arbutus Times
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/lrs