State and local officials headed to Ocean City for their annual convention this week are in a quandary: how to justify swank receptions and beach parties when times are tough and budgets are tight.
Gov. Martin O'Malley decided over the weekend to cancel his planned reception for about 500 guests Friday at the nightclub Seacrets, saving the state $12,301.88 that would have gone for an open bar and renting the space. He and his aides concluded it wouldn't be appropriate to put on the soiree while the state is facing budget shortfalls of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Others, like Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and Baltimore County Chief Executive James T. Smith Jr., have concluded that the party must go on - as long as taxpayers aren't paying. Dixon is throwing a "Baltimore on the Shore Beach Party" at Castaway's on Thursday, and Smith is hosting a reception that night at the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel. Those events are paid for by sponsors and campaign funds.
"Quite frankly, this is about having some fun!" the invitation to Smith's event reads.
The summer convention organized by the Maryland Association of Counties is billed as an opportunity for state and local governments to share information and attend policy discussions on such topics as public safety and swine flu. Traditionally, it's also been an opportunity to do some nighttime networking and to rub elbows with politicians from across the state.
But the recession is having a trickle-down impact. As the state and localities struggle to balance budgets, they are sending fewer representatives to the four-day conference. O'Malley, at least, also is saving on the fun.
"While relatively speaking we're certainly not talking millions of dollars, this is nonetheless an expense during a time of budget considerations that probably would not have been appropriate," spokesman Shaun Adamec said.
The state Department of Business and Economic Development would have picked up the tab for the governor's party. O'Malley, a Democrat, did host a reception paid for with state funds at the Maryland Municipal League conference at a cost of $4,361.72, but even that party attended by about 300 had been scaled back with less open-bar time, Adamec said.
Also, the municipal league conference was held in late June - before the governor announced he would have to cut the current fiscal year's budget by more than $700 million to cover a shortfall.
