Harford Campaign for Liberty: Last Chance to Voice Opposition to County Council Pay Raise

From Harford Campaign for Liberty:

Friends,

A final vote on taxpayer-funded 18% pay increases for the Harford County Council has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 1st. This is your last chance to voice your opposition to the politicians that believe that they are entitled to more of your family’s hard earned dollars. Right now, members of the County Council are counting the number of phone calls and emails opposing these outrageous pay increases…

…and quietly assessing if their political careers can survive should they vote to approve this legislation.

A last minute influx of emails from angry taxpayers like you could very well be the determining factor in how council members vote.

Please take 30 seconds to click here to send a pre-written email to the entire County Council opposing wasteful taxpayer-funded raises for Harford politicians.

All of our County Councilors ran on a platform of conservatism and fiscal responsibility. Many of them seem to have forgotten this since being seated on the dais.

For instance, Curtis Beulah’s campaign website proudly states:

“Taxes and fees have steadily increased, putting pressure on Harford County citizens’ budgets. Families are being forced to make choices about where to spend and where to cut. We cannot put more pressure on family budgets by increased government spending.”

However, since being elected, Beulah has voted for a new hotel tax, voted to increase water and sewer rates, and is now poised…

…to increase government spending by voting for increased compensation for Harford politicians like himself.

It’s time to hold politicians like Beulah and the other council members accountable and demand that they begin to honor their promises by voting “NO!” on this pay raise legislation.

For more information, please see our previous email on this subject which is attached below.

For Liberty,

Bob Willick
State Coordinator
Maryland Campaign for Liberty

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Friends,

This past Tuesday, Harford Campaign for Liberty proudly stood by several outraged citizens and delivered 500 petitions from residents opposing extravagant council raises. Thank you to everyone who voiced their disapproval through petition, testimony and spreading the word to others! This council is clearly feeling the pressure from these efforts. But they have not tabled the Bill for $6700 a year raises for their next four-year cycle.

We have limited time to make these “Civil Servants” see the light and vote Bill 16-23 down – so we need your help!

During Tuesday night’s public hearing, Capt’n Jim MacMahan led a one hour dog and pony show trying to justify the tax-payer funded raises of up to 18% per member…

…stating he had hand-picked a “committee” to study the subject and report back with findings. And front and center in the committee recommendation to hike council pay?

Ousted former Councilman Dion Guthrie, well known for his tax-n-spend policies. Guthrie, who’s obviously eyeing another run, droned on about the many hours he’d spent at meetings, events and Boy Scout ceremonies. He compared the Harford Council salary of $36,750 to that of Baltimore and Montgomery County, whose members get more than twice the pay of Harford members (and also represent more than twice the number of people).

But even more disturbing than this ad-hoc committee’s twisted analysis was the softball questioning or outright silence of the other council members.

President Slutzky and Councilman Shrodes are seemingly still more interested in a pay raise than in respecting the voices of local taxpayers.

And so we need just a minute of your time to send this council a message.

Let’s double down and make it crystal clear that the citizens of Harford County REJECT this taxpayer-funded pay raise for local politicians!

Just by clicking to send a pre-written message directly to their mailboxes, you’ll be showing these politicians the NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ARE PAYING ATTENTION AND ARE HOPPING MAD.

You see, Capt’n Jim and his cohorts hoped that this vote would fly under the radar after the public uproar they received with their 2014 attempt at a raise.

They think you won’t remember and hold them accountable for their votes.

After receiving a few hundred emails from angry constituents, our neighboring Cecil County Council was forced to give up its plan for a $2,000 increase in members’ pay.

After receiving 500 signed petitions and several angry voters show up at the public hearing, the Harford County Council should have gotten the message too.

But with your help, we can make certain that they do.

You can support our efforts to mobilize other county residents into action by sharing this email with friends and family.

Again, thank you for your efforts and your attention.

For Liberty,

Bob Willick
State Coordinator
Maryland Campaign for Liberty