Ferrar Gears Up for District 6 Council Race

Voters will head to the polls on Sept. 14 to decide who will represent the Democratic Party in the race for the District 6 seat on the Anne Arundel County Council.

While there is an incumbent on the ballot, it will be the first time he faces District 6 voters. Charles "Chuck" Ferrar was appointed to the seat in December when it was left vacant by Josh Cohen, who left the county council to become Mayor of Annapolis.

Ferrar believes that his route to appointment is a perfect example of his ability to work across party lines. Once he applied for the vacant seat, Ferrar had to gain the endorsement of four of the sitting council members to win appointment.

Not knowing any of the council members personally, Ferrar called state senators and delegates who represent Anne Arundel County, hoping their political clout would sway the council members.

As the owner of Bay Ridge Wine and Spirits, Ferrar spent many years lobbying the very same politicians on alcoholic beverage regulatory issues. This experience paid off.

"Since I didn't know a single county person, I called the senators and delegates who I had dealt with over the years, both Republican and Democrat, and more than half of the entire Anne Arundel County delegation, Republican and Democratic, came out in support of my appointment," Ferrar explained.

As a self-described "small businessman and deficit hawk," Ferrar believes the election should focus on the budget and the economy.

One of the county council's main jobs is to pass an annual budget that totals roughly $1 billion. Ferrar concedes that the county budget has a number of holes that still need filling. Since tax hikes are an increasingly unpopular revenue generator, Ferrar has been studying the budget to try and find ways to close the gap without a tax increase.

One of the most pressing budget issues centers around the retirement health care fund for county employees. The county owes $2.5 billion to the program, a debt the size of the county's budget for two fiscal years. A great deal of this cost comes from an inherently flawed system, according to the councilman.

After serving as a county employee for five years, workers receive retirement health care benefits for life where they pay 20 percent and the county picks up the other 80 percent, Ferrar said. He would like to see this change.

"I believe in rewarding people for longevity, but [only] five years is just wrong," said Ferrar.

Instead, he would like to see a program similar to the one already in place for teachers enacted for all future county employees. He explains that teachers must work in the county for 15 years to receive retirement health care benefits. Ferrar claims that this change would save the county $42 million dollars, which he characterized as "real money."

With state coffers continuing to retract and, as a result, less state funding flowing to the county, Ferrar will have to come up with a number of other innovative ideas to keep layoffs and tax hikes off the table.

One of these ideas comes in the form of consolidation. The councilman explained that the county has three different maintenance, human resources, payroll, and information technology departments for the Board of Education, Anne Arundel Community College, and the county in general. Ferrar would like to see these departments merged, which could save the county money at a vital time.

"I think we could actually merge those [departments], nothing to do with their core services, but if you save 10 to 15 percent in the Board of Education, that money could go to classrooms," said Ferrar.

The unglamorous, neighbor-helping-neighbor role of the county council is what made Ferrar want the seat in the first place.

"The county council is like the blue collar of government — we take care of potholes, schools and things like that," said Ferrar.

Ferrar will face Democratic primary challenger Chris Trumbauer, a civic and environmental activist. Currently, Ferrar has the upper hand when it comes to bringing in campaign contributions. He has raised a total of $70,356, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections campaign finance database. Thirty-seven percent of Ferrar's contributions came from the business community, while 42 percent came from individuals.

Trumbauer, who has been fundraising without taking any money from the development community, has raised only $32,390 (of which 75 percent has come from individuals).

The road may get easier for the winner of the primary, as District 6 historically favors Democratic candidates. The winner will face Republican Doug Burkhardt in the general election on Nov. 2.

Check Patch during the upcoming week for profiles on the other two District 6 candidates, Chris Trumbauer and Doug Burkhardt.