The 46th District is living up to its nickname, the Fighting 46th — at least in the State Senate race. Incumbent George W. Della, 67, is facing a serious fight for office from Bill Ferguson, 27, a law school graduate, former Teach for America volunteer, and former aide to Baltimore public schools superintendent Andres Alonzo.
The last time Della faced any opposition in a primary, in 1994, Ferguson was 11 years old.
Both candidates have been stuffing voters’ mailboxes with allegations about property taxes, campaign contributions, special interests and gift cards. So which allegations are true? Which candidate is telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Hey, this is politics. Just a few of the allegations are true, and neither candidate is telling the whole truth.
From Bill Ferguson: “George Della: Selling Out Our Community for Campaign Contributions.”
Not so fast, Mr. Ferguson. George Della did indeed author 22 liquor bills in the past eight years, but most of those were liquor control bills — requiring personnel certified in the state alcohol awareness program to be present in licensed premises during hours of alcohol sales (failed, 2009); outlawing drinking games like beer pong on licensed premises (failed). Another bill, which also failed in 2009 without a hearing, would have increased the seating capacity for restaurants selling alcohol; still another would have prohibited bars from hiring transportation to bring customers to the bar.
Della also accepted campaign contributions from the slot machine industry — but he did not ignore ‘illegal gambling that takes money away from public schools and raises our taxes.’ There are already laws against numbers rackets, ad hoc dice games, bookmaking and other street forms of gambling. It’s an enforcement issue, not a legislative issue, now.
Della shot back with a mailer that asked, “Why is Baltimore’s Shadiest Special Interest Behind Bill Ferguson?” with a picture of developer Patrick Turner photoshopped next to a photo of Ferguson, so that it looks like they are standing together.
Hang on there a minute, Senator Della.
The mailer quotes the Baltimore Daily Record calls Turner “the second developer involved in an alleged gift-card scandal…”
That is indeed a quote from the Daily Record. Turner is indeed the second developer embroiled in the gift-card scandal that finally drove Mayor Sheila Dixon from office. But the Daily Record story goes on to note that Turner supplied gift cards for the needy at then-City Council President Dixon’s request. She was supposed to hand them out on a Holly Trolley tour in poor neighborhoods, but spent them on herself and her son instead.
The federal indictment names Turner as a victim, not a suspect.
Ferguson hits the mark, though, in his latest mailing that accuses Della of claiming the Homestead Tax Credit on two homes that he owns.
“A married couple can only claim one Homestead Tax Credit on one home, period,” Ferguson’s mailing states.
That is true.
“Della declared two homes on September 21, 2007. And got two tax breaks!”
That too is true.
Several real estate attorneys consulted by The Baltimore Guide say that declaring for two Homestead Tax Credits is indeed illegal.
What is the Homestead Tax Credit, and why is it important?
Maryland’s Homestead Tax Credit puts a cap on the amount your property tax bill can rise. Every municipality is required to limit taxable assessment increases to 10 percent or less per year. During real estate booms, that is very important.
Take your average longtime homeowner in Canton. During the Oughts, real estate values in the neighborhood tripled. However, the HTC is four percent in Baltimore City, so the taxes on those properties rose a little less than 40 percent from 2000 to 2010.
Properties not covered by the HTC rise with the triannual assessments and there is no tax.
Homeowners can declare their principal residence for the HTC. Vacation homes and rental properties are not eligible. Della declared two, his city home in South Baltimore, which is deeded in his name, and a five-acre farm in Hampstead, Baltimore County, which lists him and his wife, Lorna, on the deed.
Della says that his wife lives on the farm and he lives in the city and they normally don’t live together — but that circumstance is not covered by the law.
The Baltimore Guide sent a request to the Maryland Attorney General’s office for a ruling on the law but has not yet received a reply.
Della says the credit on the farm in Hampstead is inadvertent. He says that after living single for more than 20 years, he “met someone who didn’t choose to live in the city.” So he sold the farm he inherited from his parents and bought another and put his new wife on the deed.
He said he checked Box 11, the box that kicks in the HTC, because it was indeed going to be his wife’s principal residence. But, he says, he did not realize that checking the box would activate the HTC.
“[The farm] is my wife’s primary residence,” he says. “That’s where she lives. That’s where she pays her taxes. She doesn’t spend one night down here [in Baltimore.]
“I checked the box,” he says. “I am the grantor. She is the grantee. The question is, is the grantee going to use the property as her principal residence? Yes.”
He also said that if there is additional tax to be paid, “she will pay it or I will pay it. There is no hanky-panky going on.”as well as important information.
Be an informed voter:
Attend the candidate forum
The 2010 State Legislative Candidate Forum for the 46th District is offered by the League of Women Voters. Meet the candidates at the Virginia S. Baker Rec Center in Patterson park on Thursday, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Submit your questions as well. Free to attend and open to the public. Info: 410-377-7738 or email lwvbaltimore@comcast.net.
By Jacqueline Watts – editor@baltimoreguide.com
“I sponsored the Homeowners Property Tax Credit to keep our neighborhoods affordable for older residents.” – George Della, 46th District’s Voter’s Guide 2010
I guess “read” and “sponsored” are not necessarily interdependent.