Montgomery County

Anne Arundel County's financially troubled pension plan for elected and appointed officials, which has come under fire recently for its generous benefits, is one of only three such funds among Maryland's larger subdivisions.The other two, in Montgomery County and Baltimore, have separate plans for elected officials, but neither includes political appointees as Arundel does.Moreover, Montgomery County's elected officials plan is so unattractive that it has only one member. And while the plan in Baltimore is more generous than the one in Anne Arundel County, it is in great financial shape, according to Tom Taneyhill, deputy administrator for the Baltimore Retirement Systems.

Howard County Republicans unanimously chose Gail H. Bates for appointment to a vacant seat in the Maryland House of Delegates last night, but the insurgent campaign of 28-year-old conservative Anthony C. Wisniewski has thrown the process into disarray. Although Montgomery County contains just a sliver of District 14B - and none will remain after redistricting - Wisniewski won a majority of the Montgomery County Republicans to his side at a Tuesday night meeting, creating a split between Republicans in the two counties.

A Montgomery County measure intended to protect transgender people appears headed to a voter referendum, setting up a potentially divisive debate over how far anti-discrimination laws should extend. The recently passed law protects transgender people from discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and taxi and cable service, and was supposed to go into effect yesterday. But it is on hold after opponents gathered 32,000 signatures in a bid to put it on the ballot this fall.

BETHESDA - James Chan brought a 10-year-old boy from Oregon into his home last month, planning to adopt him. But he soon found out that he couldn't send Jesse to public school in his new hometown without paying $8,552 in tuition Chan says he can't afford. Chan, 32, has been wrangling with Montgomery County school officials, trying to get Jesse into class. He never imagined that the county where he lives and pays taxes would charge for the boy to attend public school while waiting for the adoption to become final.

AS THIS editorial is being written, an impasse threatens to delay passage of the state's $14 billion budget. At issue is the unwillingness of Montgomery County's lawmakers to look beyond their own parochial needs. Angry legislative leaders are in a get-even mood, spurring more ill-will and further isolating the Montgomery contingent.That only harms the state. The continuing divide between Montgomery County and the rest of Maryland detracts from efforts to move forward on programs of statewide importance.

The Rev. Charles W. Gilchrist, a former Montgomery County executive who joined an inner-city ministry, was named yesterday to oversee an agreement to enable more than 2,000 black Baltimore public-housing families to move to mostly white, middle-class areas.U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis appointed Gilchrist as special master in the partial settlement of a desegregation lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland against Baltimore and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

ROCKVILLE -- Montgomery County is one vote away from enacting the toughest anti-smoking law in the state.The bill being considered by the County Council would prohibit smoking in all bars and restaurants and at private functions in those places.The Montgomery measure is under heavy attack from restaurant owners, who say a ban would drive away customers and force them to lay off workers."Are our employees to be considered part of the cost of doing business in Montgomery County?" asks Brendan Flanagan, a spokesman for the 300-member local chapter of the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

A Montgomery County Circuit judge has removed a tax cap referendum from the local November ballot. The ruling could doom a similar 2-year-old law in neighboring Prince George's County.The petition ballot question, championed by anti-tax crusader Robin Ficker and signed by more than 10,000 voters, would have required the Montgomery County Council to get voter approval for every tax increase.Judge James C. Chapin ruled yesterday in Rockville that the so-called Ficker Amendment was unconstitutional because it would have prevented the County Council from using tax-raising powers granted under state law.Further, Chapin said that because the amendment was illegal, it could not remain on the ballot even as a "straw vote" on the issue of tax increases.

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan abandoned his exploration of a race for governor yesterday, saying he will instead seek re-election in 2002 as manager of Maryland's most populous county. Duncan's decision removes a sizable hurdle from the path of Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the Democrat who leads in early polls for governor. "One by one, the potential challengers to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend have chosen other options," said Matthew Crenson, a Johns Hopkins University political science professor.

ROCKVILLE -- Announcing his candidacy for attorney general yesterday, Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler pledged vigilant prosecution of Internet crimes and environmental polluters and said he would be a vocal advocate for consumer rights. "You will see me in your town, in your neighborhood, at your church, community meeting and local courthouse," Gansler said during a lunchtime speech before supporters in a park near the office he has occupied for eight years. "I will be your lawyer, working every day on your behalf."