2014 Local Elections: What do the candidates want to do?

            Happy October! I can almost smell election season. Yard-signs, grass-roots, and freshly steamed blazers. Up until this past year, I was under-informed about what each local office-holder does with his or her time.  I knew that people wanted to be on City Council but I had no idea what that meant. So I put together this quick-and-dirty cheat sheet so that you can lay political knowledge on everybody at your next cocktail party or class-reunion (even if it is just the Spark-Note version).

            First up we have City Council.

What do they do? You ask?

According to eHow, city council members: vote on laws relating to community issues, allocate funds for public services, community development projects, and land-use issues.

Shorter version: they vote on community laws, decide who gets money, plan fun involvement and clean-up days, referee arguments over land (within the city limits.)

            Next, what about those pesky County Commissioner signs we have been mowing the lawn around for the last 7 months? What do they want to do?

The Allegany County Board of Education is so kind to provide a list citing 20 duties of the County Commissioners. I picked out the ones that I thought sounded important based on what I've heard them argue about in debates. You should check out the whole list after you’ve read these just to make sure you're properly informed, but these are the ones that the candidates seem to talk about all the time.

            County Commissioners have the responsibility to: “appoint county officers, supervisors, and agents,” collect and levy taxes, protect county property, make use of financial assistance for county projects, “enact laws for historic/landmark zoning and preservation/land development,” all of this can be theirs within county limits.

Short version: they pick people to do stuff, tax and un-tax, fix bridges pay people to fix bridges, and stop people from destroying historic places.  

They also list a few vague but interesting things that they have the power to do, including: regulate conditions for livestock (dogs, cows, etc.) running at large, be trustees of the poor, guarantee loans to volunteer fire departments, and keep prisoners. I can’t be sure, but I’m hoping that they mean that the group of county commissioners can keep prisoners in a prison with reasons not just keep them in the basement. However, I am immensely amused by the image of a man running around in a suit waving a paper trying to read the cow "at large" its rights.

Back to business.

            But what about the delegates? What do they do for fun?

            Well, I have no idea what they do for fun but their job description can be divulged. 

             The House of Delegates does all of the following in conjunction with the Maryland Senate. The two make up the Maryland General Assembly. 

             As per Maryland General Assembly website The House of Delegates in the state of Maryland is delegated (see what I did there?) the responsibility to: enact laws, propose amendments to the state constitution, and levy taxes.

Short version: make laws, create departments to handle stuff, tax, and make amendments to the state constitution.

This is not, by any means, an exhaustive list of duties for any of the offices. However, I hope to have provided some insight on what you’re voting for.

Is there an office that I missed for which you’d like some information? I’m happy to slip it in to the next post! Comment below on what you’d like to know!