So Much for That Promise

John Leopold has thrown his first major campaign promise out the window:

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold, who has moved to cut spending in his first two weeks in office, plans to continue using a police security detail that costs at least $125,000 a year and that drew criticism during the fall campaign...

..."I have an obligation to the citizens of the county to follow the advice of the experts," Leopold said. "It's no longer about what John Leopold wants. It's what the police say County Executive Leopold should do."

I am having a hard time trying to figure out how we can we can be getting ready for a much needed 5-10% across the board budget cut while justifying this continued expense, especially considering how much more useful it would be to have these officers on the street. If it were I making the decision, I could not justify it, especially since $125,000 a year is enough money to fund about three new teachers. It just seems to me that Leopold decided to change his tune shortly after losing his House of Delegates plates. If he couldn't be identified as being different in his car, why should he bother to drive?

It reminds me of a story from the time I was working at Kurtz's Beach. It was the first time I ever met John Leopold. I was working during some sort of political function. Leopold rolls in driving his Pontiac with his House of Delegates plates and parks in a handicapped parking spot. I politely informed he that he could not park there. He said that he could, he had always parked there. I informed him that it was handicapped parking. He sternly informed me that he was Delegate John Leopold and yes, he could park there. I told him that I didn't really care if he was the Pope, he could not park in the handicapped parking. Ultimately, Leopold didn't really care and his car stayed.

I guess some people always think they are more special than other people.

Now, if Leopold or any other government official were the target of legitimate threats I would have absolutely no problem with providing them with an appropriate security detail. Given his history according to press reports, Don Dwyer has a more legitimate need for a security detail than Leopold. But to automatically provide the County Executive with a security detail when many higher profile public officials have no detail at all seems a bit ludicrous. If Leopold has been the subject of threats, and I hope that he has not been subjected to such a thing, he needs to say so. If he hasn't, then this is just the first Leopold campaign promise broken. He has survived for 25 years in public life without security; what changed?

I can't wait to see if Leopold has the audacity to sign wave alongside his police detail...