Local Leaders on Trump Presidency
Q/A with County Leaders
Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner
Q: Will the election of Donald Trump to the presidency affect any programs or projects currently underway? Why or why not?
A: In the near term, I do not expect the election to have an immediate effect on any programs or projects currently underway. The county does receive federal pass through dollars in a number of areas including but not limited to education, aging services, transit, housing programs, and healthcare. We will be watching to see what happens if there are major changes to public education through Title I or funding support for special education. With a growing senior population and demand for services, reductions to programs that serve seniors could create challenges. If the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is significantly changed and results in many people losing health insurance coverage, it could impact the demand on services from our health department. This would likely have bigger impact on the hospital particularly with ED visits. It is too soon to know the direction the President elect will take on many issues.
Q: How do you think the election of Donald Trump impact your FY 18 budgets?
A: My response to this is similar to the answer provided above. I don’t expect an immediate budget impact but will join many others in waiting to see just what initiatives are introduced.
Q: Will the election of Donald Trump affect your own re-election bid (assuming you run for re-election)? If so, how?
A: t is general political wisdom that in the mid-term election the party not holding the Presidency is advantaged. This impact is likely more significant at the state and federal level than at the local level which is often viewed as less partisan.
Burgess John Miller, Middletown
Q: Will the election of Donald Trump to the presidency affect any programs or projects currently underway? Why or why not?
A: No. Either the projects are fully funded and underway or we do not use federal programs. Federal programs have too many strings attached and often are more costly that if a municipality di them on their own or with another less cumbersome funding source. We have taken this route of paying for it with town taxpayer dollars rather than using the more costly federal funding program when we constructed a trail system through our town.
Q: How do you think the election of Donald Trump impact your FY2018 budgets?
A: Who knows? Mr. Trump appears to be a difficult read as to what he may or may not do as President. Certainly if he follows through with his pledged tax cuts it could impact dollars that the state receives from the feceral government and thus how much money municipalities may receive.
Q: Will the election of Donald Trump affect your own reelection bid [assuming you run for reelection]? If so, how?
A: No. We run nonpartisan elections in Middletown. Most municipalities are this way and thus allegiance to or a disavowing of Mr. Trump should have little impact. Mr. Trump’s election was due in part to the wave of dissatisfaction with the status quo and with Washington working as usual. However, on the local side of the ballot, i.e. Senate and House races, there were very few incumbents turned away. So I am not sure how deeply that message resonated. Although if change was really to be effected than a change at the Congressional level should have been more significant.
Alderman Michael O’Connor, City of Frederick
[Mayor McClement declined to participate.]
Q: Will the election of Donald Trump to the presidency affect any programs or projects currently underway? Why or why not?
A: I'm not sure anyone knows the answer to this. Mr. Trump's election is unprecedented. He has no history of government service, so there is no legislative or executive public sector track record we can reasonably access. The rhetoric of a presidential campaign has never been a particularly good indicator of action, because Congress has some role in the process too. And those 535 women and men have constituents and agendas also.
Q: How do you think the election of Donald Trump impact your FY2018 budgets?
A: It's probably too early to know. The answer here lies with many of his cabinet selections. The federal funding the city does and is likely to receive is tied to HUD support for the Community Action Agency, Homeland Security and our Police, Transportation and related infrastructure projects, and the EPA and our Water and Wastewater Facilities. Dramatic shifts in the focus of any of those agencies could impact FY 2018, but more likely budgets for subsequent years. The early talk by the President-Elect regarding infrastructure sounds promising. Elsewhere, the City is appropriately working to address environmental impacts from our wastewater treatment plant. Regulatory changes that might reverse or modify those upgrades might offer some potential financial benefits, but at what cost to long term water quality and the health of the watershed. Shifts in funding that support the social safety net for our most vulnerable residents is of greatest concern because the needs won't disappear just because the funding does. So if there are reductions, we will need to be creative and work with our public and private sector partners to make sure necessary services continue.
Q: Will the election of Donald Trump affect your own reelection bid [assuming you run for reelection?] If so, how?
I've long said that while who the President is matters, the decisions that affect our residents on a daily basis the most are made locally. So, no, it has no effect. My commitment is to continue supporting a local emphasis on necessary public services while positioning the City of Frederick to remain a community with a high quality of life and economic opportunity for all our residents.
