Lobbyist, Labor Leader Happy with New Rules

Forgiveness is divine: Emotions ran high in August after the County Council passed an ethics bill sponsored by five-term Democratic Councilman Vince Gardina that essentially banned Annapolis power-lobbyist Bruce Bereano and Mike Day, president of the Baltimore County Professional Fire Fighters Association, from conducting business with the county.

In the days that followed both Bereano and Day had choice words for members of the council members they believed orchestrated the bill or reneged on promises to exclude them from the law.

But the end of an election yea and a   appear to have healed old wounds and Bereano and Day told Patch they are ready to move on.

"Repentance is always a good thing," Bereano told me Wednesday afternoon.

It was the only comment the lobbyist would make about Oliver's bill that would roll back the bans.

Oliver, a Democrat who was recently elected to a third term, counts himself a friend of Bereano and over the last few years can be seen in Bereano's tent at the J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Crisfield.

"I'm not at a loss for words but that's all I have to say," said the usually verbose Bereano.

Day was similarly forgiving.

"I was raised to be a forgiving person," Day said, adding that the August bill "was done mistakenly and they're correcting it and now it's done." 

Getting to four: Oliver's ethics bill will definitely get a vote on Monday night and is one vote away from being a stone cold lock to pass now that two councilmen have signed on as co-sponsors. 

Councilmen Joseph Bartenfelder, a Democrat, and Bryan McIntire, currently the council's lone Republican, both added their names Tuesday.

Both men voted in favor of the amended version of the bill in August, just weeks before the primary election. Bartenfelder lost his primary bid to become the next county executive. McIntire lost his primary bid to become just the second councilman to be elected to five terms on the council.

Picking up the mantle: The impending departure of five-term Councilman Vince Gardina on the council leaves a void in terms of environmental advocacy.

Over the years, Gardina has built a reputation as the council's leading environmental voice. He's sponsored bills calling for recycling of electronics and even talked about his desire to have mandatory recycling of paper, plastic, bottles and cans which would be enforced by a sort of recycling police that could check residents' trash.

Gardina told me in May that he had hopes that four-term Republican Councilman McIntire, who represents the rural areas of the county, would assume the role.

McIntire lost his bid for a fifth term to County Councilman-elect Todd Huff in the Republican primary in September.

Gardina now says it's unclear who will assume the role of environmental activist when the new council is sworn in on Dec. 6. The new council will be comprised of Democratic incumbents Ken Oliver and John Olszewski Sr. and five freshman members.

"I don't know everybody's feelings," Gardina said of the incoming council. "Clearly (the environment) is not something that we can ignore."