Phil, you're a local guy. What was your first working experience here in
our county?
"My first job as a
teenager was with my father and uncle, who had a home improvement
business. I worked for them at $1.10 per hour cleaning up job sites. It
was hard work, but we also had fun, often at my expense. I remember
they'd send me on wild goose chases for no-such tools. I tore the truck
apart once looking for a hand-held 'metal stretcher.' They laughed for a
good long time at that one. I confess, sometimes I pull the same stunt
on my boys.
"During the summer, I worked fulltime for the business. I occasionally
worked after school, as well. As a result, I saved up enough money by my
16th birthday - $600 - to buy my first car, a '65 Chevrolet Biscayne. I
remember it well: white, four doors, six-cylinder, one-barrel
carburetor. It was huge! It could go from 0 to 60 by the end of the day.
But it made me popular in school because I could drive everyone there.
(Phil's had 4 doors, but you get the idea.)
"The car was a direct benefit of the job, but I gained much more than
that. The main lesson that my father was trying to teach me with that
experience was the value of an honest day's pay for an honest day's
work. He knew that the values and responsibility I gained would help
sustain me in life.
"As a teenager, I just enjoyed the opportunity to work outside and to
build things. But those early experiences help you learn to figure
things out and solve problems. In construction, you start with a solid
foundation and work your way up to the roof. In politics, it's the same
thing - start with a solid foundation of policy on which to build good
government. You can pass legislation and make regulations all day long,
but if they can't be applied to the real world and benefit the citizens,
what good are they?"
You've also
worked for larger companies with ties to this area and run a
small business. Can you tell us about those experiences and what
you gained?
"With that early
construction experience under my belt, I next went to work for
Ryland Homes on local projects. When there was a foot of snow on
the ground, it was no longer much fun to work outside every day,
so as a young man, I packed up and moved to Florida where I
worked as a carpenter.
"But after a couple of years, I got homesick. Anne Arundel
County is my 'home town,' and I missed it. I came back in 1978
and started working for Giant Food, which I did until 1992.
Working in Giant's warehouse was the best people experience I've
ever had in my life. I learned to work effectively with all
kinds of people. I was getting more involved in local politics
at the time, working on several local and national campaigns.
All through my work as a member of the Republican Central
Committee, as a delegate representing District 30 in the State
House, and in my campaigning for county executive, those people
skills I honed at Giant Food served me well.
"I've also walked in the shoes of a small business owner.
Running my own business taught me a lot of things: you get out
of your work what you put into it, the rewards of providing a
good service to customers, responsibility, management,
budgeting, and all those things that are critical to making a
small business run. Having 'been there' gives me a tremendous
advantage as county executive when it comes to business issues.
[Laughs.] "Talking about this brings to mind what my father said
when I told him I was going to run for office: 'Why do you want
to get into politics? You've got a real job!" (back
to top)
As a member of
the General Assembly from 1991 - 1999, you were considered a
"pro business" legislator. How did you earn that reputation?
"I can say that
my voting record gave me that distinction. I was fully
supportive of small business impact legislation, which was
passed in the early 90s. As a part of the fiscal note, any bill
that comes before the state legislature has to include
information about the bill's impact on small businesses in the
state. It's a very valuable tool for legislators.
"In my eight years in the Maryland General Assembly, I became
the point person on tort reform as it relates to business. I
supported several pieces of legislation that helped protect
small business from unfair and unreasonable litigation. As a
result, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce named me their
Legislator of the Year in 1997. I was chairman of Maryland
Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse for four years. Before that time,
the organization had no united voice in Annapolis. We created a
legislative advocacy arm and made it a major statewide
organization as a result.
"I also received the Legal Watchdog Award from the American Tort
Reform Association for supporting alternatives to lawsuits for
dispute resolution. On the local level, the Anne Arundel County
Marine Trades Association gave me their Legislator Advocacy
Award for sponsoring legislation to repeal the boat slip tax.
"In general, the business community gave me a good report card."
(back to top)
According to
local news, "growth and development" was the biggest news theme
of 2005. No doubt it will continue to make news. As county
executive, how do you plan to strike the right balance when it
comes to growth?
"I think it stems from careful planning, both short and
long-term. I stand by my vote in the General Assembly in support
of Smart Growth legislation. We have to think about how growth
is going to affect us today and tomorrow. Our county law
(planning and zoning) in this area has been too fragmented and
convoluted. While attempts have been made to improve the
process, I'm not convinced we're better off today than when we
started. Generally new regulations and new burdens are piled on
top of the existing problems without fixing the basic structure.
It's like putting a new coat of paint on my old '65 Biscayne --
it looks good, but it doesn't run better.
"As county executive, I want to do a thorough review of the
processes in place. Until we know how they work from A to Z, we
won't know how to solve the problems. Take the permitting
process, for example. We're going to make efficiency
improvements so it works. We may need to do some
classifications: If you're a homeowner in need of a basic fence
permit, you go in one direction -- or on-line. If you're a
businessman wanting to build a major subdivision, you go in a
whole different direction. We need to make the system work well
- consistently -- for everybody.
"I go back to what I said at the beginning of this interview: We
need to get the foundations of government right.
"But back to Smart Growth and maintaining a balanced community.
I believe we need to do a better job at directing growth and
development where we can support it - where roads exist, where
schools can accommodate it. As county executive, I want to look
for more 'reuse' opportunities. In west county, the commercial
strip through Ft. Meade is a wonderful opportunity to make some
improvements to prepare for the growth that's slated for that
area. We need to constantly market Anne Arundel County to the
business world to attract businesses that are compatible with
our community and offer quality, sustainable jobs.
"I don't want to make decisions about growth in a vacuum. We
don't like government operating behind closed doors. We want to
make sure stakeholders are involved in the process."
(back to top)
What do you
consider the single most-important factor in keeping our local
economy strong?
"I think the
diversity of what we have to offer here in Anne Arundel County
gives us stability and strength. We have a great mix of
businesses, small and large; tourism and hospitality; BWI as a
tremendous asset; the Chesapeake Bay as a draw; a skilled
workforce and a good quality of life for our citizens.
"Sustaining our economic success are our active chambers of
commerce, the Anne Arundel Tech Council, Anne Arundel Workforce
Development Corporation, Anne Arundel Community College, to name
a few. We've got a good network supporting business here.
"We're fortunate to have the chance to build on our strengths. I
like to operate from the question: 'What do we want this county
to look like for our children - mine, and yours?' " back to top)
Check back in
the future for Phil's comments on the issues facing our county
and his goals as county executive.
More Talking with Phil:
