County Executive Pittman's Weekly Letter

We’ve had another good summer week in our little microcosm of America, even as news from across the globe has ranged from forecasts of sooner-than-expected climate change shocks to US economic forecasters finally acknowledging the effectiveness of federal government post-pandemic action.

Three extraordinary things happened in Anne Arundel County over the weekend, so I’m writing about all three - River Days, the Annapolis Blues, and protecting Meade Village.

At the end of a formal dress parade on the Naval Academy’s Worden Field, I told an older alumnus in the seat next to me how impressed I was with the discipline and coordination, and how I wished more people could experience something like it in their education. “We not me,” was his reply. Exactly.

That overwhelmed feeling in the face of the news, the questioning of purpose and meaning, it’s something we all feel at times and it has a purpose. It’s what inspires us to solve problems, and it’s been part of the human condition for as long as we’ve been on this planet.

From there, we will carefully manage county growth in compliance with Plan2040, and we will work with our Board of Education to implement their Facilities Master Plan, thereby producing for our kids a future that is smarter, greener, more equitable, and better educated.

We do our gun violence prevention work at the local level because our neighbors are dying, but we’re up against an industry that profits from convincing people that they need more guns, and deadlier guns. Their campaigns are working, and more people are dying.

Creating a more fair system of funding elections, one in which candidates have time to focus on solving the social issues of our day rather than winning the financial support of the most wealthy stakeholders, ultimately benefits everyone, including the corporations. Why? Because businesses today desperately need a well-educated, well-housed, healthy workforce to create the future we all seek

The celebration is like a coming of age for humanity. It’s a celebration that we have finally arrived at a place where it’s simply our humanity that we celebrate. That regardless of how we choose to live and love, what we look like, or where we’re from, we are celebratory, loving human beings, and just like all the fairy tales say, love wins.

To compete with our neighboring jurisdictions for next year’s crop of new teaching applicants, Anne Arundel County must offer a competitive starting salary.

We can retreat or we can engage. If we engage, we can do something incredibly empowering for both sides. We can explore, and ask questions. Whenever I’ve managed to explore those who I’ve considered my opponents, I’ve walked away a little wiser and happier.

New friendships, learning, and joy will emerge from this place, only because it was made…The making of places is an ancient human practice that has always been our key to progress. As our world becomes more complex we must not lose our capacity to make places, places where we can thrive in harmony with nature.

“Doing the hard work of reducing violence, improving mental health, and connecting one another is the task before us. When we fail, the result is trauma, and trauma happens every day, even here in Anne Arundel County, the best place for all. But amidst all the division and chaos I’ve watched and met with people who are moving us forward.”

“Funding Our Future is how we branded the budget, and it’s what we’re doing. I’m damn proud that we’re investing in children, families, our environment, and our essential institutions, and that we’re setting our county up to withstand future economic challenges.”

"It's fair to say that Maryland racing is about to undergo some changes, and some big questions need to be answered. If there's only enough money for one track, where should it be? And here's a big question a lot of people are afraid to ask. Is Maryland racing worth saving?"

People’s Park, across from the county’s Arundel Center in Annapolis, is sacred ground. It is where Black Annapolis lived, traded, entertained, and thrived until fifty years ago. That’s when the bulldozers arrived…Knowing history is a powerful antidote to repeating the worst of it, but what happened to the Old Fourth Ward gets repeated over and over again.

“The Budget Office is trying to put a puzzle together and make it balance. I am trying to create a better future for the people of this county. The budget impacts our people, our politics, and our future budgets.”

<p>"I spent the day Friday at the National Museum of African American History and took the same tour, led by the same two historians - Dr. Sharita Jacobs-Thompson and Dr. Bernie Demczuk - that every sworn Anne Arundel County police officer does this year as part of their in-service training.”</p><div> </div>

“And then I get to the part I’m most proud of - fiscal discipline…refusing to use one-time money for recurring expenses, lowering our borrowing for the first time in history by using our fund balance on capital projects, stowing money away in our reserve fund for a rainy day, funding our pension obligations beyond required levels, and taxing both income and property at levels far below those of our neighbors and far below the state cap.”

“It’s happening because people came together across levels of government, across political parties, and even across county lines to deliver for an industry that our future depends on.”

“It’s not businesses versus government or businesses versus their workers. We are as interdependent as an ecosystem, and if we all keep listening to one another, we will all thrive.”

"Housing, job placement, transportation services, mental health services, and other supports exist in our county, but they aren’t easy to navigate. Joshua Hatch, Chris Klein, and our county service providers have a vision for connecting people to all of that and more as they move from incarceration to community."

“If we succeed, our County will have a more engaged, better connected, and better served population of people with experience working for the betterment of their communities.”

“I sometimes look back at my schedule on any given day and am thankful. The scope of my job is broad, and its impact significant. Friday was one of those days.”

We have no way of knowing what life-threatening events will confront our county in the next four years, but visiting our EOC on Friday, seeing their team leading a tour for our residents, and reading their 2022 Annual Report gave me confidence that we are prepared.