ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY FIREFIGHTERSCANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE Is any member of your immediate family employed with Anne Arundel County government or the Fire Department? ANSWER: No Have you received any other endorsements? If yes, from whom? ANSWER: Not yet What are the top three priorities when you’re elected? ANSWER: 1. Controlling development/Improving traffic flows 2. Improving parental involvement in schools 3. Preparing for the future Tell us briefly what you know about the fire department and the services we provide. ANSWER: From 1976-99, I was the director of an emergency medical services organization, which worked closely with fire departments and rescue squads who supplied the paramedics and EMT’s. Accordingly, I think I am familiar with the fire fighting services the department provides, as well as first responder and emergency medical services. 1. We are very concerned about the changes in the hiring and promotional processes administered by the Office of Personnel. Scores for written examinations have been lowered and we believe that the physical fitness test does not adequately assess the persons ability to perform the duties of a fire fighter. Standards for background information have been changed and the fire department no longer participates in the assessment for the hiring process. A committee reviewed our promotional process and made significant recommendations for change that was disregarded. Will your administration employ a fully credentialed Human Resource Officer who will review the current practices, listen to concerns of labor and work toward positive change in this and other personnel practices? ANSWER: As a county councilman, I would not be in a position to employ a Human Resources Officer; that is a function of the county executive. As a councilman, however, I would work to ensure that all physical fitness criteria are geared towards identifying persons who can perform the requirements of the job. If a candidate meets those criteria, the candidate can proceed forward. If not, the candidate should be excused. As to listening to labor, I strongly believe that labor has a vital input into how services are provided, and I would strongly encourage the administration to give great weight to labor’s views. 2. Previous administrations had created a Labor Relations Officer position that was charged with negotiations, administering the labor agreement and communicating with the labor organizations on administrative concerns, policies and procedures unrelated to departmental operations. This was very positive and promoted a good labor/management relationship. What are your views on this and is it a position you would consider for your administration? ANSWER: I have worked with Labor Relations Officers in other jurisdictions and entities, such as in the District of Columbia and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. I have found, generally speaking, that management’s having a Labor Relations Officer can lead to harmonious labor relations; at a minimum, it results in someone in management being familiar with labor issues. On the other hand, if the Labor Relations Officer takes an adversarial position with the unions, the relationship can become acrimonious and unproductive. Thus, the direction given to a Labor Relations Officer, as well as his or her personality, determines whether having such an officer is productive. Subject to budgetary constraints, I would support having a labor relations officer; alternatively, it might be possible for an attorney in the Office of Law to so function. More importantly, I would instruct that officer or person to establish a constructive line of communication with the unions so that labor/management issues can be resolved amicably. 3. The Fire Chief is an essential component of County government. He/she must be a professional who can effectively communicate with the administration, the employees and your constituency. He/she should have a vision for the immediate needs as well a long-range plan for the future of the service. We believe that an effective Chief needs to have good management skills and be able to develop a strong labor/management relationship with their employees through the labor union that represents them. What are your thoughts on the important criteria for your Fire Chief and how will the selection process work? Will Local 1563 have input on your transition process? ANSWER: As this question indicates, the Fire Chief must have a vision for the immediate provision of fire and emergency medical services, as well as a long-range plan. He or she must also have good management skills, and work with the union that represents those who serve under his or her direction. As to the selection process, I believe the union must be involved. A potential Chief needs to hear from those on the line as to the problems they are encountering, and their views as to how those problems can be solved. 4. Safety has become the most important aspect of our job. It allows us to operate effectively in a dangerous profession. In order to accomplish that goal we need to have an adequate number of personnel to perform critical tasks when they are needed. The Naitonal Fire Protection Association has instituted NFPA 1710, which is the consensus standard for safe fire department staffing. We are well below the required number of personnel to adequately staff our department. The administration recently applied for a federal SAFER grant to upgrade our staffing to the recommended levels. Will you and your Fire Chief promote the safe staffing of our department with a commitment to the ongoing grant process and additional budget resources? ANSWER: Yes. Staffing appears to be a critical issue for the Department, and it must be addressed. If grants can be used, that would be appropriate. If the grant is limited in duration, however, a problem can arise when the grant runs out and there are no additional funds to support those whose hiring depended on the financial support. At some point, this county is going to have to look to its own resources to provide staffing. Accordingly, I am inclined to support programs that raise monies for fire protection and emergency medical services from the businesses and persons who use those services; specifically, I would be inclined to support a fee-for-service program that generates revenue. I also add that if the county ever comes to the point wherein it is said a critical program cannot be supported because there are no funds, and indeed, there are no funds, I will forego taking any salary until there are adequate funds to support essential services. 5. The department and Local 1563 have been working together on another important safety initiative. It is a Wellness and Fitness Program that was developed to insure that the most important resource, your employees, are equipped to properly perform their responsibilities by being physically fit. It is a blend of two nationally recognized programs, the IAFF Wellness and Fitness Initiative and NFPA Standard 1500. It has two components, a comprehensive annual physical examination and an ongoing fitness program designed to keep the employees in top physical condition. The department recently applied for a federal Fire Act Grant of nearly $1M to initiate the program. This will then require ongoing budgetary resources to keep the program up and running. How do you feel about a Wellness and Fitness program for your employees? Will you work to provide ongoing support for the program? ANSWER: I think it is the employees’ responsibility to stay fit and get appropriate medical check-ups. To the extent a minimal amount of money needs to be spent to encourage the employees to stay physically fit, I would have no objection to such an expenditure. The program costs must be carefully monitored, however, as, in general, I am skeptical of using taxpayer money to fund activities for which the employees are already and should be responsible. 6. A key component to recruiting and retaining a highly skilled and professional work force is having a competitive compensation package. We need to compete with all major jurisdictions in the Baltimore/Washington area. We believe that our recruiting practices are lacking and some of our compensation is falling behind. Will you support a competitive wage and benefit package for your Fire Fighters? What jurisdictions do you believe we should be compared to? ANSWER: I will support a competitive wage and benefit package for the county’s fire fighters. The jurisdictions to which we should be compared are those similar to Anne Arundel County and with whom we compete for personnel, such as Howard and Prince George’s counties. 7. Our members and retirees recognize that one of the most important components to our compensation is the health care, dental and vision benefits we currently enjoy. We all realize that the cost of this benefit is increasing and we believed that having a thorough understanding of the issue and an ongoing, transparent, review process is important to accomplish our goal of maintaining a cost effective and reasonable plan. The new GASB 45 accounting requirement will require some difficult decisions on funding health care for present and future retirees. We would like to see a Health Care committee that is comprised of labor and management established to review trends and costs of health care on a quarterly basis and make ongoing recommendations for improvements and cost containment. What do you know about GASB 45 and do you have any thought on the impact on the County and how to deal with it? Would you support a defined labor/management committee to work on health care issues? ANSWER: I recently was involved in a labor negotiation in which the union wanted to participate in the administration of the health care plan to which it contributed funds. Everyone agreed having the union’s participation would be beneficial. Having come through that experience, and seen its benefits, I would support having the union participate in decisions regarding health care. As to GASB 45, it is my understanding that this accounting standard requires a governmental entity to estimate the future expense of health care benefits and then calculate an actuarially derived number to be shown on its budget. In other words, this is an accounting issue, as opposed to having money in the bank to pay benefits. It impresses me that it is more important that retiree benefits be fully funded than how they are accounted for. Moreover, to the extent retiree benefits are fully funded, I do not expect adverse financial consequences such as a downgrading of the county’s bond rating, as financial markets weigh actual experience more than actuarial projections. 8. In 1965 the authors of the Charter for Anne Arundel County established a very reasonable and thoughtful pension plan for its employees. It provides for a defined benefit based upon years of services to the County and cost of living adjustment (COLA) to help keep the benefit from being eroded by inflation. In 1997 the COLA benefit was reduced because certain administration officials believed that the CPI was overstated and the COLA benefit was reduced from the original plan benefit. Additional tiered benefits were also put in place in 1997 that reduced the pension benefits for new employees. The tiered benefits have seen been eliminated but the reduced COLA still remains. Do you support the defined benefit pension plan concept? Would you introduce and support legislation to restore the COLA to the original level? ANSWER: Those persons who entered the fire service with a defined benefit in place need to have that promise kept. Accordingly, I support a defined benefit plan for existing employees. Moreover, I support having a COLA which accurately reflects increases in the cost of living. Pensions, however, are expensive items, important to recruiting but imposing a significant cost once the member retires. It is my understanding that other jurisdictions are moving to give employees flexibility in managing his or her retirement funds. Knowing the complexity of this issue, and the need for expert advice, I can say now that I would support funding a limited study that would inform the county and its employees of the advantages and disadvantages of keeping or moving away from a defined benefit plan. 9. In 1997 an independent Board of Trustees comprised of elected labor trustees, civilian trustees and ex-officio administration trustees was established to manage the four pension plans. A trust was established and the Board assumed the responsibility for investing the assets of the plan, which are currently valued at $1.3B. There has been limited progress in establishing the proper administrative policies and procedures. Sufficient staff has not been provided as well. We currently provide no educational programs for prospective retirees. One well-respected civilian trustee declined re-appointment to their positions due to conflicts with the County. Our pension system has matured and reliable services must be provided to our dedicated retirees. Several retiree Trustees should also appointed to serve that growing population. Would you support a separate and independent office with a Pension Plan Administrator and staff who report directly to the Board of Trustees? Would you also support the addition of two retired members as Trustees to the System? ANSWER: Retirees need representation on the Board of Trustees; after all, it is their money which is at stake. As to establishing an independent office, with staff, as noted above, I am skeptical of adding to a bureaucracy, and thus would like to see the proposed costs of such an office before determining whether such an office would be appropriate. To the extent these costs would be funded from general revenues, those costs might result in proportionate reductions in benefits in other areas. Moreover, to the extent staffing would be funded from the pension plan itself, significant staffing costs could have an adverse effect on benefit payments. 10. The County is expecting an influx of new citizens and new jobs with the proposed BRAC realignment. This will place an additional burden on the County to provide services and resources to meet those needs. The fire service already has a severe staffing shortage in West County and this will only exacerbate the current problem. What are your plans for providing the additional services that will be needed with the BRAC realignment? ANSWER: There seems to be little doubt but that the BRAC realignment will result in additional demand for county fire and emergency medical services. To the extent the federal government’s decisions cause this additional demand, the federal government should contribute to the costs of providing those services. Moreover, the federal government needs to contribute now, rather than waiting for the people to come, leaving the county playing catch-up. Additionally, as I have noted elsewhere in these response, all sources of revenue must be explored in order to meet expanding needs. I note, however, that “all sources of revenue” does NOT include modifying the tax cap; rather, and among other things, we must look to federal, state, and multi-jurisdictional contributions, and ways to capture service-based revenue. May we make your answers to this questionnaire public? ANSWER: Yes | 
