1.)    Non-Partisan:  we need to move toward getting political affiliation off the ballot when it doesn’t matter.  You can make a good argument that political affiliation does matter but ultimately morality in public education has lost.  Conservatives cannot even mention the word God in public schools without the ACLU crying foul (read David Limbaugh’s Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity).  Textbooks and buses are not really a partisan issue so I say leave it off the ballot

2.)    In-district elections based on Councilmatic districts:  this will not be difficult even with some schools crossing the Council district lines.  Even if schools are split 50-50 by Council lines, the School Board candidates still need the votes and thus need to listen to the constituents

3.)   Three appointments:  all by the County Executive; no appointment by Governor

4.)    Salaries:  pay them $5,000-$10,000 per year and reimburse their expenses if any (up to a limit)

5.)    Terms: 4 year terms, 2 term max.  Three elected members up every two years.

I am sure there are more, but that is what you and this site are for.  Again, I applaud Barry for taking this one by the horns.  Let’s get it right.

ORDINANCE 2006-10
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION RELIEF ACT ORDINANCE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HAZLETON AS
FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. – TITLE
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “City of Hazleton Illegal
Immigration Relief Act Ordinance.”

SECTION 2. – FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSE
The People of the City of Hazleton find and declare:
A. That illegal immigration leads to higher crime rates, contributes to
overcrowded classrooms and failing schools, subjects our hospitals to
fiscal hardship and legal residents to substandard quality of care,
contributes to other burdens on public services, increasing their cost and
diminishing their availability to lawful residents, and destroys our
neighborhoods and diminishes our overall quality of life.
B. That the City of Hazleton is authorized to abate public nuisances and
empowered and mandated by the People of Hazleton to abate the nuisance
of illegal immigration by diligently prohibiting the acts and policies that
facilitate illegal immigration and punishing the people and businesses
that aid and abet illegal aliens.
C. This ordinance seeks to secure to those lawfully present in the United
States and this City, whether or not they are Citizens of the United States,
the right to live in peace free of the threat of illegal alien crime, to enjoy
the public services provided by this city without being burdened by the
cost of providing goods, support and services to any whose presence in the
United States is contrary to its laws and to be free of the debilitating
effects on their economic and social well being imposed by the influx of
illegal aliens to the fullest extent that these goals can be achieved
consistent with the Constitution and Laws of the United States and the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS
Whenever used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“City” means the City of Hazleton.
“Contract employer” means any person who obtains the services of one or more
individuals through a day labor agency.
“Illegal Alien” means any person whose initial entry into the United States was illegal
and whose current status is also illegal as well as any person who, after entering legally,
has failed to leave the United States upon the expiration of his or her visa.
“Legal Work Status” means that a person’s employment is not in violation of any law of
the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or this Ordinance.
“Vehicle” means a vehicle as defined in Pennsylvania Vehicle Code as the same now
reads or may hereafter be amended.

SECTION 4. BUSINESS PERMITS, CONTRACTS OR GRANTS
Any entity or any parent, affiliate, subsidiary or agent of any entity (other than a charity
recognized as exempt from federal income taxation under Sec. 501 of the Internal
Revenue Code of the United States and which has obtained and continues to have in force
an exemption from federal income taxation), that employs, retains, aids or abets illegal
aliens or illegal immigration into the United States, whether directly or by or through
any agent, ruse, guise, device or means, no matter how indirect, and even if the agent or
entity might otherwise be exempted from this section, or violates any provision of this
Ordinance, shall from the date of the violation or its discovery, whichever shall be later,
be denied and barred from approval of a business permit, renewal of a business permit,
any city contract or grant as follows:
(1) For the first violation for a period of five years,
(2) For any subsequent violation, for a period of ten years.
A. “Aids or abets” includes, but is not limited to:
(i) hiring or attempted hiring of illegal aliens,
(ii) providing, renting or leasing real or personal property to illegal
aliens,
(iii) funding or providing goods and services to illegal aliens, except as
provided in Sec. 4 C.,
(iv) funding, providing goods and services to or aiding in the
establishment or continuation of any day labor center or other entity
providing similar services, unless the entity acts with due diligence to
verify the legal work status of all persons whom it employs, provides
job assistance for or in any way assists or facilitates in obtaining any
employment.
B. Except as provided in C., any action or failure to act done within the
boundaries of this City that aids and abets illegal aliens or facilitates their
avoiding detection and apprehension anywhere in the United States, its
territories or possessions violates this Ordinance.
C. This Ordinance shall not be construed to prohibit rendering emergency
medical care, emergency assistance or legal assistance.

SECTION 5. RENTING TO ILLEGAL ALIENS
A. Illegal aliens are prohibited from leasing or renting property. Any
property owner or renter/tenant/lessee in control of property, who knowingly
allows an illegal alien to use, rent or lease their property shall be in violation of
this section.
B. Any person or entity that violates this Ordinance shall be subject to a fine of
not less than $1,000.00.
C. A separate violation of this Ordinance shall be deemed to have been
committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.

SECTION 6. ENGLISH ONLY
A. The City of Hazleton declares that English is the official language of the City.
B. Unless explicitly mandated by the federal government, the state of Pennsylvania
or the City of Hazleton, all official city business, forms, documents, signage
will be written in English only.

SECTION 7. SEVERABILITY
If any part of provision of this Chapter is in conflict or inconsistent with applicable
provisions of federal or state statutes, or is otherwise held to be invalid or unenforceable
by any court of competent jurisdiction, such part of provision shall be suspended and
superseded by such applicable laws or regulations, and the remainder of this Chapter
shall not be affected thereby.

ORDAINED by Council this 13th day of July, 2006.
First Reading Second Reading Third Reading
(June 15, 2006) (July 13, 2006) (July 13, 2006)
Presented Graham Presented Graham Presented Graham
Seconded Nilles Seconded Yannuzzi Seconded Yannuzzi
Gabos N Gabos Y Gabos Y
Graham Y Graham Y Graham Y
Mundie Y Mundie Y Mundie Y
Nilles Y Nilles N Nilles N
Yannuzzi Y Yannuzzi Y Yannuzzi Y

ORDINANCE PASSES JULY 13, 2006

Your thoughts welcome! More so, I’m interested in knowing which County Council Candidates would support or better yet Sponsor an Ordinance such as this??????

Lambo and thousands of other Harford County Citizens want to KNOW!

What we have at the root of both of these issues is the difference between liberals and conservatives. Liberals believe that less choice is better (unless you’re pregnant and can’t be bothered). Mark Wolkow, another democrat, argues that an elected school board is not a good idea because of the possibility of corruption. He is probably a liberal and does not believe that the people should have a voice or choice in matters involving the education of their children. Let the government handle it and you just sit back and let us indoctrinate you children with political correctness, sexual orientation education, and whatever else the lefties in education are promoting these days. The real reason that Wolkow is against an elected school board is in the fact that he is a democrat and would not be elected. Judy Kinshaw-Ellis took him to task and I thank her for her letter (even though she is a democrat). For true conservatives, an elected school board is a good thing because it places power in the hands of the citizens.

In 1994 we were asked whether we should create a police department and with that would come a police chief who would be accountable to the county executive. The charter amendment failed 53% to 47%. So it was close. It seems that with the chaos created by Joe Meadows and now Tom Golding that the “Question A” people are once again rallying their forces. This issue comes down to choice and where do you want that power of choice to rest. Do you want the power to hire and fire the sheriff or do you want to give up your voice and delegate it to the County Executive? I strongly believe that we, as voting citizens of Harford County, deserve to keep the power to decide who runs our sheriff’s office. The liberal’s philosophy would have us give that power away. It is never a good thing for citizens to give political power away.

With the recent BG&E debacle it is clear that we need to remove as many democrats from Annapolis as possible. I cannot believe that they can stand there with a straight face and say it is not a good thing to give consumers options.

After the Wal-Mart fiasco, the Wall Street Journal called the Maryland Legislature the worst legislature in the country. When you sit back and think about that statement several things come to mind. Who selects those legislators? The voters of Maryland. So we can deduce that Maryland has some of the worst voters in the country. We live in a state where the majority of the people are unable to select high-quality legislators. Think about how worthless KKT was. Ehrlich barely beat her.

It seems that whenever democrats get involved with their flawed view of the role of government things get screwed up. In 1999 the democratic legislature thought it was a good idea to deregulate. Many local Republicans agreed (probably on free-market grounds). When it came time to honor the deregulation agreement the democratic legislature reneged on the deal. It seems that they are incapable of making the right decisions and we can blame no one but ourselves because we put them there.

Fortunately for Harford County we only send one democrat to Annapolis. This needs to stop. We need to get behind the District 34 team and show the rest of the state that when we work together we can help end the nonsense known as the Maryland State Legislature. This must happen one seat at a time but it must happen if we are to prevent future problems brought on by the worst state legislature in the entire United States.

This issue also makes me take a good look at the people we are sending down there. Are Parrott, Glassman, and McComas (Kohl wasn’t down there long enough) the people we want defending us in this horrible legislature?

I heard a democrat on the radio saying that it was a good thing for people to not be able to opt out of the deal. Once again this debate over energy prices clearly shows the difference between the way democrats and Republicans think. Democrats think it is best to involve the government in everything. Every time I look at my BG&E bill and I see that mandatory $2 tax on every bill I am going to see a small but clear difference between the two parties. As a conservative I believe in paying my bills and I would have opted out of the plan if given the opportunity. 72% would have hurt but I would rather adjust my lifestyle a little than let the government force even $2 out of me. That is the difference. Democrats say its only $2. That is where it starts. Then they say we need people to pay more for the roads, water, and to clean up the Bay. Let’s collect two dollars on those things too. Wait a minute they already do that.

I would rather pay the market price for electricity now at its current value than to prolong the inevitable. The democrats are just trying to buy time until they can screw it up again after the election. Deregulation was the right thing to do in 1999. Changing their mind when it came time to pay the piper was the wrong thing to do. I was so proud of Ehrlich when I heard him speak on the radio the other day. One thing is for sure, businesses will not come to Maryland and the ones that are here should start asking why. Think about it. Why should a business come or stay here? If they do come here they serve our state at the whim of the worst state legislature in the country. If they grow too big and successful they will have to pay their “fair share” of health coverage (liberal Washington state rejected their “Wal-Mart Bill”). If they make a deal with the legislature to regulate/deregulate their product, the legislature will just change their minds if they feel like it.

I am thankful for the legislators who voted against the recent bill. I know that several local Republicans (Hooper, Parrott, Impalaria, McDonough) did vote for the bill. All I can ask is why. Harris, Jacobs, McComas, and Kohl voted against the bill and to them I say thank you for standing up for conservatism. The government is not here to protect me from myself or evil capitalism.

]]> http://harfordrepublican.com/thank-you-for-voting-no/feed/ 4 http://harfordrepublican.com/tax-relief/ http://harfordrepublican.com/tax-relief/#comments Thu, 25 May 2006 01:34:49 +0000 GOPerative http://harfordrepublican.com/?p=73

I would like to commend both the Council and the County Executive on the way they worked a compromise on the recently approved budget. I do believe though, that it is becoming increasingly apparent that we should take a serious look at paring down some of the bloated tax rates that face Harford County residents.

As tax revenues continue to swell, largely due to sharp increases in property value assessments, my concern is that we may face discretionary and questionable government expenditures in future budgets.

My fear is that budgetary expenditures are often times “created” in order to keep up with the flood of tax revenues (sort of like trying to drink from a fire hose). It is my belief that government should not grow necessarily in lockstep with the taxes that it receives. It should only expand contingent upon a compelling case being made that increased spending is necessary. If government finds itself grasping for ways to spend, then perhaps it’s time to lower tax rates! As it stands, Harford County pays one of the highest real property tax rates in Maryland. For those who are on fixed incomes, significant property tax increases take a larger bite out of their pockets. Combine this with soaring energy costs and medical costs, and no relief in sight when it comes to our federal taxes, and it all gets back to a compelling case being made to bring property and income tax rates down to more closely match those of our neighboring counties!

I am interested in starting a discussion on growth. From the poll it appears that several of the readers of this blog are concerned about it. I did not vote for growth in my own poll so I guess I am interested in peeking into the minds of those who feel it is an issue and possibly brainstorm some ideas on dealing with it.

Harford County is growing for better or for worse. We have new developments popping up from Joppatowne to Whiteford. There have been some fairly recent studies that prove/argue that growth pays for itself. The main question stays the same however. Do we want the growth? I think we can all agree that it is neither possible nor appropriate to stop all growth in our county. We then must move to the next question. How much growth should we permit? I am not really sure how to answer this question. I recently heard that the lack of available housing in Harford County is driving the price up to a point past what most new home buyers are willing or able to pay. This, by itself, will slow growth. I think that most people are concerned about the areas that are permitted to grow. David Craig mentioned concern about the Rt. 22 corridor when he vetoed the comprehensive rezoning. I did not hear him voice concern about the new neighborhoods currently being built in Joppa and Edgewood. For quite some time county officials have embraced the “development envelope.” I’m not sure I could tell you where the line actually resides but there is a pocket in Harford County that has been deemed development worthy or acceptable. Anything outside that line is frowned upon and difficult to develop (unless you have the ability to create huge lots).

To start the discussion I have some questions that I feel should be addressed:

1. Is the “development envelope” working?
2. What are the main concerns over growth? (schools, traffic, housing prices, etc…)
3. What are some practical ways that we can control growth without shooting ourselves in the foot? (try to avoid the law of unintended consequences)
4. Can/should our politicians be controlling growth or is this a free-market issue?

If we can answer these questions we may be able to come up with a working plan to deal with the growth “problem.”

These developers and home builders are the people behind the building boom (obviously not by themselves). These guys go to the families and throw obscene amounts of money at them to grow houses instead of corn. They then begin the zoning process which starts with an application for zoning change. Friends of Harford County then go to the barn and drag those poor animals out to Main Street to protest. A few politicians get scared and change their votes. Such is life in the land of Harford County re-zoning.

Mrs. Helton must have a hard time understanding in her old age. “At this point, it really looks to me like Mr. Craig is not a man of his word and is not to be trusted on what he says.” Did she forget for a moment that she is married to Art Helton? I seem to remember a few whoppers from his days in the limelight. The resolution barred the Councilmen from accepting contributions from November 1 to February 28. Craig vetoed the comprehensive re-zoning and that was it. There will be no more public hearings on re-zoning. No one will be able to add their property to the list unless they have been rejected and are approved on appeal. On the other hand, if they begin the process all over again they might need to resurrect their own moratorium on accepting campaign funds. So how is he not a man of his word? He said he would not accept funds during the re-zoning and as far as I know he did not. Her real goal is to pressure her opponent into not accepting campaign contributions.

Ann has no issues to run on. How typical of a democratic candidate to run with no real issues. That is characteristic of her party on the national level as well. In my opinion, Washington under the Republicans is an absolute mess but the dems still cannot find issues to convince Middle America to vote for them. Morals? Don’t think so. Fiscal responsibility? Try again. Tough on crime? Go fish. Tough on terrorism? Bill Clinton. I digress. What was I talking about? Oh yeah. Accepting campaign funds during re-zoning.

We elect these people because we trust that they are going to represent our district with integrity. If they accept money from someone that is attempting to change the zoning on their land, they open the door to criticism. When Slutzky said that he does not really check and see who donated to him, I believe him. I think he will watch very closely now.

In my book this is much ado about nothing. They should be able to accept money even during rezoning because why silence the 95% of us who are not trying to change the zoning on our land. Campaign contributions are a form of speech. And believe me, your wallet talks.

One thing scares me about Craig. I seriously hope that he did this as a political move and not as a philosophical move. Just as I said, he will throw the “I did this for Harford County” line at us but you have to wonder. Does he really believe it is his job to limit people’s property rights? And selling is a property right. Maximizing profit from your family’s property is a right. I like what Glenn Spatz said in his announcement. We need to respect their decision to sell. These land owners have been around for a long time and they feel that now is the time to cash in. The real estate market is cooling a little and they want to sell now. I am not so sure the County Executive should be able to tell these families that they must wait. In some cases we could be talking a difference of millions and not thousands of dollars.

Craig will offer his own comprehensive rezoning legislation which will make “everyone” happy. I will not forget this veto but most will and it will not be a major issue in November. Let’s just call this strike one and leave it at that.