From Harford Campaign for Liberty:
Fellow Harford County Resident,
On October 1, the Harford County Council held a public hearing regarding Resolution 20-13, an Economic Development Loan for the American Can Company in Belcamp, MD.
The resolution would give the company a “conditional loan” of $125,000 from Harford County and a conditional MEDAF loan from Maryland state of $535,000 in order to expand their headquarters.
These so-called loans are both similar in that they DO NOT require monthly payments during their ten year terms, they DO NOT accrue interest on the principle balance, and if the company meets the agreed upon conditions they DO NOT NEED TO BE RE-PAID!!
Doesn’t really sound like a loan, does it?
American Can Company currently employees 221 full-time workers at its headquarters in Belcamp. They boast $80,000,000 million a year in revenues across their five locations.
And in order to meet the conditions, to make sure this is gift money from the government (because once the government takes it from you it’s no longer your money, right?), all the company has to do is keep their employee total in Belcamp over 200, and hire an additional 25 workers over the next five years.
$660,000 for 25 new jobs – and in the County Council hearing the Council members were reminded of course that this is also a matter of JOB RETENTION. Meaning, after 30 years of happily working in Harford County, this company would consider picking up their entire headquarters and three buildings of manufacturing over which state would bribe them the most?!
Some will say, “You’re being naive. That’s the way the system works.”
Maybe so. But maybe if Maryland concentrated on lower taxes, less regulatory red tape, and a true business-friendly environment, it might find that system works as well.
At the very least, the taxpayers of Harford County should be able to count upon their local officials to be good stewards of their money. Why insist upon making this a conditional loan?
As Councilman McMahan complained during the the last MEDAF loan vote, “we’re going to give ’em $100,000 instead of a loan, we’re giving money away like a drunken sailor.”
On this upcoming vote, join in calling for our Council members to choose fiscal responsibility. Please, call and email your representative and let them know that you’re opposed to this “conditional loan”.
District A: Dion Guthrie call 410-638-3521
email: dfguthrie@harfordcountymd.gov
District B: Joe Woods call 410-638-3520
email: jmwoods@harfordcountymd.gov
District C: James McMahan call 410-638-3523
email: jvmcmahan@harfordcountymd.gov
District D: Chad Shrodes call 410-638-3522
email: cshrodes@harfordcountymd.gov
District E: Richard Slutzky call 410-638-3522
email: rcslutzky@harfordcountymd.gov
District F: Mary Ann Lisanti call 410-638-3526
email: malisanti@harfordcountymd.gov
Council President Billy Boniface call 410-638-3525
email: wkboniface@harfrodcountymd.gov
This vote could come up as early as TODAY!
Won’t you make a two minute call and voice your opposition today?
For Liberty,
Christina Trotta
Steering Committee Member
Harford County Campaign for Liberty
P.S. Resolution 20-13 must be endorsed by County Executive David Craig, “thereby indicating his approval thereof.” Is he as fond of this type of “freebie financing” as Governor O’Malley seems to be? Since he’s running for Governor in 2014, perhaps we should find out! O’Malley’s administration gave away $15 million in conditional loans alone in 2012!
Call County Executive Craig at 410-638-3350 and email him at CountyExecutive@harfordcountymd.gov and ask him if he supports these freebie “conditional loans”.
Of course Craig supports the program. The Bill is from his administration. Learn your civics! He is the king on chronie capitalism.
This is a reverse bribe by our politicians. Oh please, please, please for a $100K payoff please try and keep some of your employees in our state and county. This is what passes off today as “Economic Development”?! Disgusting.
It would be interesting to see how much American Can gave in campaign contributions (bribes) to Craig and the Council cronies.
Note that the name of the company should be “Independent Can Company,” but is misstated in the Campaign for Liberty release.
From the resolution:
“A RESOLUTION endorsing a conditional loan in an amount of $535,000 from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development to Independent Can Company (the “Loan”) pursuant to the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Fund, Sections 5-301 through 5-349 of the Economic Development Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, to assist Independent Can Company with the following “Project”: the expansion and the renovation of the facility located at 1300 Brass Mill Road, Maryland (“Facility A”), including the installation of new equipment purchases and upgrades and authorizing an Economic Development Opportunity Fund (EDOF) conditional loan in the amount of $125,000 from Harford County.”
Thanks for the clarification Brian.
That being said, much of the “information” disseminated by the Harford Campaign for Liberty is actually misinformation (intended, or otherwise).
GO TEABAGGERS! 🙂
I would rather see the money go to job creation than to a Aberdeen slum lord.
The “none” must refer to your brains……
There they go complaining about something someone else is doing again.
If Campaign for liberty would have been on iceberg watch on the Titanic their station would have been the fantail with the garbage detail. Seriously stop being the heel biting nuisances foofooo heel biting dog and actually go out and do something. You are an embarrassment.
This time it’s not just what someone else is doing but about what someone else is doing with money that other people worked for. In that case the other people that worked for it certainly do have a right and a say in how it gets spent. You are an embarrassment.
Thank You Campaign For Liberty for shedding light on these “loans”.
I would my tax money stay in MY POCKET and not some rich white honkeys bank account. Dam Fools
Sorry, Tasha, assuming you live in Maryland that isn’t an option for you.
So this company gets cash now for expanding thier business over time..if they have multiple locations all they need do is shift jobs around to meet this minimum never having actually satisfied the intent. Is it even written into the “loan” that the jobs be permanent or can they just hire temps; achieve the threshold and laugh all the way to the bank. I assume the owner/managers then take our money and treat it like a bonus for the 3 or 4 at the top – new boats for everyone!!! Agree or disagree with the Campaign for Liberty – I bet nobody would ever know about this without them. Where’s the Aegis? Do you ever read about this sort of thing in the Aegis?
Money Tree you probably should have read the terms of the loan before making that stupid post.
Oh and welcome back to work, were you sick yesterday or is Monday a furlough day for you?
Spaces added for emphasis.
Sort of like two people both being caught at the strip club only one of them points the finger at the other and says they’re gonna tell their family. What are you doing here? Why do you care so much what I do with my time?
Just find it interesting you only find the time to hang out here when you are being paid by someone else and complaining about how people are spending your money.
Kinda ironic wouldn’t you say?
What I find ironic is somebody writing on a blog using writing on a blog to accuse someone of sitting around writing on a blog when that other person thinks they should be working. There’s some irony there.
Little help here….
Could someone translate that into English?
Only a dolt couldn’t get that.
Don’t worry its only CDEV using an alias. its not worth interpreting for mental peons.
Where is The Aegis? LOL. LOL. LOL. The Aegis? It’s a shame Harford County doesn’t have a real newspaper.
It used to be a good paper years ago before it was infiltrated by the Balt Sun.
“$80,000,000 million” wow. So is that $80,000,000,000,000? Emphasis fail.
Folks, this is the People’s Republic of Maryland. You have to bribe people to come and then you have to bribe them to stay.
That’s what you get with O’Malley and the Lib/Dems. The alternative is the company has the option to go somewhere else that will treat them better. And take the jobs with them. Kind of like that ‘regional win’ O’Malley talks about when a company chooses Virginia and thumbs it’s nose at Maryland.
Par for the course for this freaking state. Use MY TAX $ to BRIBE others. What a load of sh.. er I mean POOP! 2014! GET OUT and VOTE. Please!
The final vote on the Independent Can Company Economic Development “Loan”, Resolution 20-13, was passed 4-3 last night:
Guthrie (D) – Aye
Woods (R ) – No
McMahan (R) – No
Shrodes (R) – No
Slutzky (R) – Aye
Lisanti (D) – Aye
Boniface (R) – Aye
Thank you to those who reached out to your elected officials on Resolution 20-13. This resolution will be added to the “Liberty Votes” scorecard on the Harfordliberty.org website.
Never underestimate the value of a failure.
Christina next time try not to be so dramatic in your presentation, perhaps more would take you seriously.
Thanks Christina, but I was more astonished that Craig wants to spend over 4 million dollars for an EPA clean-up site in Havre de Grace to pay off his political supporters. That’s one for the scorecard…
That story needs more coverage. I know the location and the story behind it – as long as it wasn’t being dug up the heavy metal contamination was suffiently contained but of course building a bunch of townhouses on the water would mean disturbing the soil. How convenient that somehow we have taxpayers spending millions for cleanup – and then voila instant low value property becomes instant millionaires row but the profit goes to the developer. Pretty good gig.
Your “Liberty Votes” scorecard on the Harfordliberty.org website is less than accurate. You seem to be confusing votes on amendments and the actual bills in some cases. You also failed to include the votes to fund the loans and many of the amendments.
Bill 12-35 James Run TIF had at least 3 other votes. The final most important vote that would have unfunded the project passed with Boniface, Woods and McMahan voting NO; Shrodes changed his vote to YES at the last minute allowing it to pass.
Bill 12-19 Economic Development Opportunity Loan Fund you missed 6 amendments that dramatically improved the bill and a NO vote would have allowed the county Economic Director to give out free money with no approval from the County Council.
Bill 13-28 Healthy Community Planning Board Woods and Slutzky voted NO and were very opposed to the issue.
Your group shows no creditability by not knowing the facts and by tailoring the story to fit your agenda. You proved this point of no creditability by not even being able to get the name of the company in your story right.
The reply is appreciated; perhaps you should come to the monthly meetings and offer your services as a Council watcher. It is indeed difficult to include every amendment vote, although on Bill 12-19 several were mentioned as most important, and limiting the duties of the Economic Director was mentioned in the summary.
Regarding Bill 13-28, I reviewed the minutes and you are correct – Woods and Slutzky both voted against the Healthy Community Planning Board, and that score will be corrected. Thank you for taking the time to point it out.
@JackRabbit – I will try to be a little duller in my presentation next time, just for you. 😉 No promises, though.