From Voters' Doorsteps to a Coveted Seat
For Long-Politicking Leopold, Fiscal Issues Are Priority
By William Wan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 16, 2006; AA01
For the past three years, John R. Leopold has knocked on voters' doors
to talk about their problems and what he could do if he were Anne
Arundel's county executive. Now, after years of eyeing the job, Leopold
finally will get his chance, and he vows to make the most of it.
The veteran Republican legislator won the office after a nail-biter of
a race that came down to a two-day count of absentee ballots, which
gave him a 3,920-vote margin over Sheriff George F. Johnson IV (D). The
victory, combined with losses by several GOP candidates across the
state, makes Leopold one of Maryland's most prominent Republican
leaders.
The political career that brought him to Anne Arundel's highest office
spans the country.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, he moved to Hawaii and at 25 became
the only Republican on the state school board. Within 10 years, he was
one of the youngest to be elected Hawaii state senator and then ran as
the GOP candidate for governor.
His loss in the governor's race, and in a subsequent state Senate
contest, persuaded him to move to Maryland, where he has served for
more than two decades in the General Assembly and has won praise for
constituent service.
Leopold's top priority as executive will be finding ways to trim and
tighten the county's finances. "We have to restore a foundation of
trust on fiscal matters," he said. "That's essential in order for us to
go to the public or to the council and ask for budget enhancements."
He said he may ask the County Council to help him maximize revenue from
property taxes -- not by raising the rate, but by capitalizing on
increased revenue from rising property assessments.
The added revenue would help buffer looming financial pressures such as
a change of federal regulations concerning health and pension benefits
for retirees that could drain millions from the county budget, he said.
Leopold began his first week as the county executive-elect with a
whirlwind visit to county officials Monday, including a 1 1/2 -hour
sit-down with outgoing County Executive Janet S. Owens (D).
"It was a fruitful and helpful talk," he said. "I also got to find out
the little but important things like where the men's room is."
Leopold has divided his transition team into four areas: public safety;
land use, transportation and environment; economic development and the
expansion at Fort George G. Meade; and education.
He has also appointed co-chairmen to lead the team: Dennis Callahan, a
former Annapolis mayor who lost a bid for county executive in the
Democratic primary, and P. Tyson Bennett, an attorney for the county
Board of Education.
"A lot of the time has been spent interviewing people," Leopold said.
His office scheduled a news conference for this morning to announce
leaders in his administration. "We're looking at a combination of
institutional talent and outsiders, as well as having diversity on our
team," he said.
One key appointment will be planning and zoning officer. In campaign
debates, Leopold criticized past executives for being "in the pockets
of the developers" and promised he would be "accessible to, but not
controlled by, the development industry."
In an interview this week, he said he planned to toughen restrictions
on new development and to create an overall plan for the county that
examines the cumulative effect of subdivisions instead of looking at
them case by case. He also said he hoped to ease the county's shortage
of affordable housing by introducing incentives for developers to build
such units.
"It's a black mark on our county that so many of our employees have to
live in other states or counties," Leopold said.
He also said he plans to find ways for the county to provide services
more efficiently. He said he hopes to institute a 311 program used in
several other jurisdictions, in which residents needing county services
can bypass voice recordings and cut through red tape by dialing the
number and talking directly to a county employee.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company