Harford County Executive, and MACo President, Barry Glassman abstained from the final vote of the Kirwan Commission’s Formula Funding Work Group, on which he served. His submitted letter explains the context of and reasoning behind that vote.

From County Executive Glassman’s letter:

While I appreciate the opportunity to serve, and to represent the county community to the best of my ability, I feel I am unable to adequately represent a simple “county perspective” for a final vote. Given the extremely short time that members and stakeholders have been able to see the practical effects of the many policy changes being contemplated, and the looming uncertainty regarding many embedded assumptions of the cost drivers, I am left without a clear course of action.

He concludes, noting that counties will remain deeply committed to the continuing deliberations:

Counties expect to remain a central part of the continued discussions on this endeavor, as the full partner they are in funding Maryland’s education commitment. In the months ahead for the full Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, and then before the General Assembly, I expect counties will gain a deeper appreciation for both the projected fiscal impacts and the certainty of their underlying assumptions. This may guide a still-evolving county consensus. As a county leader, I expect to remain a part of that constructive conversation, even after my tenure as a Workgroup member lapses.

Read County Executive Glassman’s complete letter to the Work Group Chair.