Safe community, strong bottom line

Rhinebarger looks to bolster public safety, protect county finances as councilman

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Gary Rhinebarger has based his campaign for the First District seat on the Howard County Council upon the ideas of cooperation and compromise. As a self-styled conservative Democrat, he believes he is well-suited for the task.

More than that, however, he desires to find ways to keep the community and the local schools safe. Public safety is a top priority for Rhinebarger, and he believes the county council is well positioned to make a positive impact in that arena.

“I believe in a strong sheriff’s department,” said Rhinebarger. “There is a grant that funds five deputies now. The county received that grant in 2020, so it won’t be long before that grant is depleted. My stance is we would like to find more grants, but we must maintain a strong sheriff’s department. So, we will have to find a way to fund those officers in the budget.

“One way or another, we need those officers. We will have additional officers retiring over the next four years, and we need to replace them. So, we cannot afford to lose five, well-trained deputies. We fund their positions now and find ways to further supplement the department.”

Providing for safe schools is a more complicated matter. County government holds no authority over the schools, nor does it fund them. Still, Rhinebarger is confident there are ways the county council can influence positive outcomes when it comes to school safety.

“I’d like to improve the county’s relationship with the schools,” said Rhinebarger. “We keep seeing school shootings on TV. Maybe we can find ways to fund additional liaison officers. I know the county council doesn’t have any direct influence, but if we can provide the sheriff’s department with the tools and training, we can maybe expand the liaison presence and ensure our schools are secure and safe.”

Another aspect of public safety that has been a concern for decades is the overcrowded conditions at the Howard County Jail. The current facility is 30 years old and was never designed to hold as many prisoners as it does today. Rhinebarger is not ready to commit millions of tax dollars to constructing a new jail, however.

“I don’t know if we actually need a new jail,” said Rhinebarger. “I think it is a bigger issue than a facility. It has been overcrowded for years, but if we build a new jail, it won’t be long before that one is overcrowded as well. The jail we have now wasn’t supposed to be overcrowded, but if you build it, you will fill it.

“We need to look to the courts for assistance in keeping the jail population down. We don’t have enough corrections officers to staff the jail we have now. We need to look at expanding alternatives, like work release. We need to bring our local leaders together and collectively find a resolution to the issue.

“I know there are council members who favor building a new jail, but I also have heard the sheriff say he isn’t sure we need one. We need fewer people in jail. We need to get down to the nuts and bolts of it all, and if we can’t find ways to reduce that population, then we can consider building a new jail if it ends up being more feasible.”

If elected, Rhinebarger will have to learn the job. While most people have experience with household budgets and understand the reality of living within their means, a county government budget has a lot more moving parts. He knows he will have to work together with the other council members and elected officials to keep the county’s budget healthy.

“I want to get in there and learn the workings of the council and then find ways to work together to maintain a fiscally conservative budget,” said Rhinebarger. “I consider myself a conservative Democrat. We might have a surplus of funds now, but it won’t be there forever. We have to do all we can to preserve the county’s reserve while meeting the needs of the community. That’s not a simple thing.”

Rhinebarger believes his experience in leadership as a member of United Auto Workers Local 685 has given him the tools find ways to find consensus with the varying positions of other leaders.

“Being in the union, I know you have to listen to all sides,” said Rhinebarger. “Everybody has a point of view. The problem is, they get caught up in their own issues and forget to listen. If you listen, you’ll find that everyone has some common ground. Many times, they have the same goals, but different ways of getting there.

“Where I am is, I want to go in with an open mind. I want to find that common ground. I’m not a ‘draw a line in the sand’ kind of guy. We may have times when we don’t agree, but I can agree to disagree and move forward to a solution. It is best to keep communication open and try to do better. The idea of government is to be fair and equal for everybody. We can find ways to compromise.”

Paid for by Gary Rhinebarger for County Council.