Pam Howard Statement

Cecil County is a wonderful place.  We have it all: the “mountains” in Conowingo; the rolling hills of Fair Hill; our five beautiful rivers; the “plains” of Cecilton; our historic areas; quaint (but progressive) towns and, most importantly, our friendly people.

Along with the diversity of our County and its people come serious challenges to those elected to serve us.  Our elected officials must learn to look past the emotion of passionate special interest groups and work toward consensus that will benefit the greatest number of our citizens.

We must find balance between the needs (and wants) of our citizens versus very real budget constraints.  We must facilitate the development of good paying jobs while preserving our beautiful open space.  It’s a daunting task.

So how do we do it?  The easy answer is through taxes.  We have had administrations with little regard for people’s wallets.  Have a new project?  They raise taxes to pay for it.  Other administrations seem determined to cut taxes with no thought of the consequences. So we end up in cycles of high taxes followed by diminished services.  Up and down.  Up and down.

There is a better, but much more difficult, way to help protect our quality of life:  excellent management of our local government.  The cost of poor decisions is difficult to quantify but it is huge.  Poor decisions cost you, the taxpayer, money.  Think about it.  If we delay routine maintenance on our homes, they decay to the point that replacement is necessary…. At a much higher cost.   The same principal works for our county infrastructure.  How many of you know someone who has ended up court over a relatively small dispute with a neighbor?  It’s very costly.  The same thing goes for the County.

Time is money.  Countless hours of valuable County staff time are being spent as a result of poor decisions.  The cost of “do-overs” and trivial matters is enormous.  We need to prioritize, come to consensus, make the best decisions we can and move on.

Our new charter opens up an exciting possibility to create efficiency in Cecil County government. The Council will develop our local code, the “rules” for life in Cecil County. The Executive will be a decision-maker on everything from bills passed by Council to where we buy cleaning products.  Her decisions will affect us all.

I am uniquely qualified for this position.   As a lifelong resident, I understand the real people of Cecil County, not just those who have the time to show up at meetings.  My twenty years’ of government service and three terms as Treasurer give me a thorough understanding of our local government and how it interacts with the rest of the world. My background as an accountant makes me focus on the dollars; the true cost of things.  I managed a large staff for many years.  I can and have made tough decisions that will affect people’s lives.  

Please allow me to guide Cecil County through the tough road of our first years under Charter.  Let’s get it right the first time.

Posted for Pam Howard (Cecil County Executive Candidate)