The following is an op-ed piece from Glen Geelhaar; Candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 8.
The future trajectory of Baltimore County is rapidly taking shape. On February 2nd, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski unveiled what he hailed as a momentous Attainable Housing Agreement. This agreement encompasses the development of 918 subsidized rental units, including the 258-unit Springs Townhomes in Parkville, the 459-unit BLVD at White Springs Apartments in Nottingham, and another property in Sparrows Point. Securing $6 million in funding for this initiative was made possible through the passage of Bill 4-23, the Housing Opportunities Fund, which narrowly cleared the County Council in a 4-3 party-line vote.
Proponents tout the benefits these subsidized rental units will bring to our community. However, it’s essential to reflect on the principles our Founding Fathers envisioned—a nation where rights are bestowed by a higher power, enshrined in the Constitution, and where government intervention is restrained, allowing citizens to own private property. For generations, individuals have pursued the American Dream, investing in suburban homes like those in Parkville, thereby building and passing down wealth to their descendants, all in the pursuit of a better life.
Yet, over the past two decades, socialist-leaning politicians in control of Baltimore County, Maryland, have steadily eroded this dream. Initiatives like the Move to Opportunity program in the mid-1990s and the more recent HB 0231 Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act have incrementally expanded subsidized housing options. While purportedly aimed at reducing poverty, these measures risk repeating past failures, reminiscent of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, which often resulted in crime-ridden, blighted neighborhoods trapped in cycles of despair.
The reality is, if both the County and State Government truly aimed to uplift individuals from poverty, their focus should be on empowering self-sufficiency. Rather than merely offering handouts, it would be more beneficial to equip people with the necessary tools for acquiring job skills and financial knowledge. People don’t seek charity; they desire opportunities for self-improvement. Instead of granting significant property tax breaks to affluent developers, why not provide a partial property tax exemption to first-time homebuyers looking to establish their primary residence? Such incentives could be extended to those willing to invest in economically disadvantaged areas.
Why didn’t Baltimore County mandate that these townhouses and apartments be available for individual purchase rather than solely as rentals? One might expect them to, at the very least, require landlords to establish interest-bearing savings plans with the option for tenants to transition from renting to ownership.
The question begs: What is the true objective here? Does Johnny “Owe” genuinely strive to assist people, or is there an underlying agenda to perpetuate reliance on government in the hopes of securing future Democratic votes? It’s a recurring cycle of missed opportunities and misplaced priorities. Welcome to Groundhog Day!
Authority: Friends of Glen Geelhaar, Amanda Geelhaar Treasurer
