Citizens float budget savings ideas to O'Malley

Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

Another person suggests the state sell the governor's mansion and have Gov. Martin O'Malley give up his paycheck and perform his gubernatorial duties on evenings and weekends.

"You will do much less harm that way," read the suggestion from Anne Arundel County.

These are two of the thousands of suggestions sent to O'Malley (D) that were released late last week by the governor's office. Names, addresses and other personal information, as well as certain other statements, were redacted from the published suggestions.

"We were impressed and pleased at the consideration that a lot of people took, the sincerity with which people took," said Shaun Adamec, an O'Malley spokesman.

O'Malley solicited the suggestions, which can be viewed by following the links at www.governor.maryland.gov, after cutting more than $280 million last month. The site includes discussions on some of the suggestions as well as a 351-page document of the complete list.

The suggestions have been forwarded to state agencies and the people suggesting the cuts should receive replies by about Sept. 15, Abbruzzese said.

Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin said recently that he and his senior managers will personally review the e-mails related to his agency.

Adamec said some of the suggestions came from people who offered ideas the state has already put in place, such as a switch from paper checks to direct deposit and limiting take-home vehicles for state workers.

And some suggestions came from state employees who offered ideas on how to eliminate wasteful spending and how to implement furloughs, Adamec said.

For instance, a writer from Calvert County suggested fixed furlough days to help reduce energy costs and enable state employees to plan for smaller paychecks. Workers who had to take up to five furlough days during fiscal 2009 could do so at their own discretion.

Another Calvert resident floated the unthinkable in an election year: "…raising taxes is still an option that should be on the table to protect services and jobs for our residents and businesses here in Maryland."

Among the other suggestions that came from Calvert residents: sell artifacts in the State Archives, eliminate the front license plate on passenger vehicles, require paperless meetings, using electronic software for timesheets and other personnel forms and let state employees work a compressed four-day work week.

While many of the suggestions were repeats, others were unique, such as the one recommending that highway median strips be planted with liriope, a ground cover that doesn't need mowing.

The same person suggested dumping the Board of Contract Appeals, and have its cases heard by the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Although names were redacted, the identity of some writers could be determined within their suggestions.

One Calvert County resident who said he was a member of the Board of Public Works recommended the state cut aid to local government through reductions in Program Open Space grants and payments to tobacco farmers from the Cigarette Restitution Fund.

"Yes, it's going to hurt, but it will hurt worse if we put off making hard choices," said the suggestion authored by former comptroller Robert L. Swann, who lives in Solomons. "I don't want to suggest that you haven't been doing some heavy lifting, but there is more to be done."

Other recommendations were a little more out of the ordinary.

Someone from Calvert County said to halt the practice of arresting people older than 18 for simple marijuana possession. Instead, the state should impose a civil fine, which would generate revenue, instead of wasting law enforcement resources.

Yet another Calvert resident advised O'Malley, perhaps facetiously, to perform a few benefit concerts with proceeds benefitting the state treasury.

dtallman@gazette.net

abrody@somdnews.com