In 1732, an eternal artifact of American culture appeared: Poor Richard’s Almanack by Richard Saunders, otherwise known as Benjamin Franklin. Franklin published the almanac in annual editions for the following 25 years.
Among other things the almanac contains wit and wisdom that today’s readers, circumscribed by wireless gadgets and threatening robots, still find relevant. Some examples include:
- Better slip with foot than tongue.
- Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass.
- Good sense is a thing all need, few have, and none think they want.
These three excerpts particularly apply to Jim Michaels’s recent testimony before the county council. During that testimony, Michaels, chair of the county’s Charter Review Commission, gave his thoughts regarding the Stop The Spend initiative.
One objection Mr. Michaels articulated is the possibility of back-door deals. When Stop The Spend passes, and a companion measure allocating an at-large seat to (presumably) a Republican, then that single Republican can hold the entire budget process hostage, extracting concessions and “back-door deals.”
Recall that Stop The Spend limits budget increases to the rate of inflation, so a single vote cannot halt the entire budgeting process. Anything in excess can indeed be the backdrop for back-door deals. Nevertheless, if Mr. Michaels is concerned about back-door deals, here are a few zingers that have stained MoCo’s “values” for quite some time.
Monifa McKnight’s severance pay McKnight was the MCPS superintendent during 2021–2024. Under her watch principal Joel Beidleman was engaging in sexual harassment. When the story broke in 2024, McKnight was excoriated by members of the County Council and resigned shortly thereafter. And she received $1.3 million in severance pay. We have no indication that anyone was disciplined for the coverup.
Pay increases for the Board of Education Our very own Montgomery County Delegation in Annapolis introduced HB 764 that more than doubles the Board of Education salaries over the next four years. No other BoE in the DC region offers these cushy salaries. The school system is in decline, and every single one of the BoE members is a vote diluter representing about 20% of MoCo’s registered voters.
Blocking the 370 Outer Beltway I was on the Beltway between the I270 and the American Legion Bridge a few days ago. Even though the time was 10:30 AM and well after the morning rush, the traffic was blocked solid. Much of that traffic can be relieved by realizing the sketches we have from the 1960s showing an alignment for an Outer Beltway. For 30 years at least our county leaders have refused to build it or lease the rights to a private construction company. Someone is gaining from that intransigence, and it isn’t the commuters, truckers, or travelers.
We could elaborate on other back-door deals: lack of large employers, continual harassment of the county’s only charter school (Mecca Business Learning Institute), refusal to build more Metro stops, insistence on a below-the-Beltway Purple Line, plurality wins during primaries, and much more.
Quite some time ago MoCo’s Democratic leadership betrayed the county’s underserved in favor of socialism for the rich. If a lone Republican makes a “back-door deal” to ensure the underserved get access to resources, that’s a reform we can all support—including Jim Michaels.
