Matt Bush: Three members of the Baltimore County Council who are running for county executive find themselves ensnared in a political trap of their own making. It involves allegations that they would feather their own nests by dramatically increasing their pensions
WYPR’s John Lee is here to tell us what it’s all about, and how a fourth county executive candidate is attempting to capitalize on it. John, how did the pension issue become a story?
John Lee: Through former county administrative officer Fred Homan. Alarm bells went off for the former official when the council in 2024 passed legislation that would tie how much their pensions are to what council members make in future years. Then they tucked into a charter amendment about expanding the size of the council a provision that council members, who are considered part time, would be compensated as though they are full time. Homan says this has the effect of driving up future salaries which in turn will dramatically increase the current council members’ pensions.
Homan: “The council members were trying to avoid being stuck in the same predicament that normal service retirees are.”
Lee: That being tied to annual cost of living adjustments that county retirees don’t always get.
Bush: What kind of pension increases are we talking?
Lee: For example Councilman Izzy Patoka, who was council chair when the legislation passed, would see his annual pension nearly double to $60,000. That’s if the council approves a recommendation by the Personnel and Salary Advisory Board to double council salaries after the November election, to $140,000 annually. The council chair would make $150,000. So if the current council approves those increases, their pensions, now tied to the pay of future council members, would go up dramatically.
Bush: Why is this blowing up now?
Lee: Nick Stewart, a former member of the school board, is running for the Democratic nomination for county executive, as are council members Patoka, Julian Jones, and Pat Young. Stewart’s campaign seized on Fred Homan’s findings about the council pensions which allowed him to attack his three opponents in one fell swoop.
Stewart: “What is critically important for us to understand as a county is that this was intentional, in that all three members of the county council who are running now for county executive were part ot if. They voted for it.”
Lee: Stewart describes it as a self-dealing scheme.
Bush: How are Councilmembers Patoka, Jones and Young reacting to what’s going on?
Lee: There is certainly damage control. Patoka wasted little time, saying he wants the legislation that ties council pensions to future council salaries repealed. Patoka says that’s appropriate because of the increase in council pay being proposed. And Patoka adds Stewart was MIA when the legislation was being debated.
Patoka: “He only started paying attention to county government when he decided to run for county executive.”
Jones says the problem is the charter amendment which compensates the part-time council as full time employees. Councilman Pat Young, who voted against it, agrees that the way it went down with the full time pay being overshadowed by the proposal to increase council size lacked transparency. Young adds this council has a track record of having to fix legislation.
Young: “Because of moving too fast, not including the stakeholders, not including the public in it.”
Council members are saying they did not know the stars would align to make this big of a pension hike a possibility. But Fred Homan, the former county administrative officer who kicked all of this off isn’t buying that. He says council members have auditors and lawyers on staff who could have helped them understand the effects of their legislation.
Homan: “These guys weren’t smart enough to put that all together?” I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that.”
Lee: Matt, this feels like the starting gun for what is likely to be a very competitive race leading up to the June primary.
