Vincenti: The accomplishments of the Glassman Administration include restoring the fund balance to nearly $20 Million, reducing the debt and directing all new revenue and savings toward to salary increases for teachers, deputies, correctional officers and county workers after being flat funded for 6-7 years. This current administration continues to be a strong advocate for public safety and our school system. This can be seen by the new Havre de Grace Middle/High School project and fencing off new revenue for special needs buses and technology for Harford County Public Schools. More recently, an additional $1.3 Million funding for additional School Resource Officers (SROs) has been announced for the FY19 Budget. While the Glassman Administration continues to be fiscally responsible, in my opinion we have missed opportunities to reinvest and revitalize the Route 40 Corridor.

Vincenti: I’m proud to be a member of the current County Council which has approved the past three budgets of the Glassman Administration. These budgets have taken steps to correct the pay scales for our teachers and law enforcement. After being flat funded for 6-7 years, 85% of all new revenue and savings has gone for salary increases for our teachers, deputies and county workers. Harford County has always met the Maintenance of Effort for our students but for the past 3 years, we have gone over and above. Along with this effort the county has been able to provide for funding for special needs buses and technology upgrades for our public schools, and more recently announced the funding for School Resource Officers in all middle schools across the county.

Vincenti: The purpose of Harford NEXT (Master Plan) was to address those concerns and needs while planning for smart growth and address areas such as mobility, rural communities, environmental stewardship, walking trails, and commercial development. The Master Plan directs growth along our corridors where the infrastructure exists or can be enhanced while also allowing for open space and agricultural preservation. Harford County is within the top 10 nationally for agricultural land preservation with over 50,000 acres across the county preserved.

Vincenti: In Harford County we have many community partners and professionals working with the Glassman administration to combat the issue of opioid and heroin use from all angles and I remain dedicated to assist them in any way that I can. Among other tools, Harford County Health Department and the Office of Drug Control Policy are working to provide our citizens with education and prevention measures. Along with public outreach efforts, these departments have received approximately $500,000 in various funding to establish a crisis center equipped with overnight beds to assist residents of Harford County in fighting this epidemic.

Vincenti: I believe by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office holding Public Outreach forums such as the Town Hall for School Public Safety and working with various groups and organizations is beneficial to our community and shows a positive relationship with the public. It works well when our County Executive, Sheriff, Municipal Law Enforcement agencies and School Superintendent and Community Leaders come together to answer questions and address concerns the public may have.

Vincenti: We appreciate the service our volunteers provide us each and every day. Any given night, they can be awakened at 2:00AM or 3:00AM to respond to the needs of our citizens. A great number of our volunteers have served Harford County for many years and they are aging. In order to attract younger volunteers, we need to do more to assist our fire companies in their recruitment and retention efforts. My understanding of the new County Medic units is that they exist to assist our volunteer companies in responding to the high call volumes they are receiving, especially during the work hours. In no way will this replace our volunteer service. Without our volunteers, the citizens of Harford County would need nearly $80 Million per year to fund a paid Fire and EMS service.