David Fischer, the Republican candidate for Anne Arundel County state?s attorney, blasted the county?s ethics commission for banning public safety officers from buying discounted tickets to his upcoming political fundraiser.
“It?s ludicrous,” Fischer said. “This ethics board has a political tilt to it.”
The July 21 fundraiser, dubbed a “special event for our men and women in uniform,” will feature an autograph-signing by World Series of Poker player and Brooklyn Park native Steve Dannenmann. Fischer wanted to charge $10 for public safety officers. Regular admission price is $75.
On Friday, Betsy Dawson, the executive director of the Anne Arundel County Ethics Commission, told Deputy Fire Chief J. Robert Ray in an e-mail that county public safety employees cannot buy the discounted tickets because it violates county code.
“There are very few opinions or decisions that the ethics commission gives that aren?t charged with being politically motivated. It?s just the law. … The county has a very tough gift policy,” Dawson said.
Public safety officers are prohibited from buying discounted tickets because they would be using “prestige of office” to accept a gift or discount, a violation of county code. Gifts targeted at a specific group of employees are not permitted, Dawson said.
But Fischer says that if elected officials are allowed to attend political fundraisers for free, other county employees should, too.
“What outrages me more than anything is that elected officials can attend events like this for free, and men and women who put their lives on the line every day can?t get a discount,” Fischer said.
But Dawson said elected officials can accept free tickets to fundraisers because it is “in the context of their duties as elected officials.”
“Elected officials are elected representatives, and they are representing the county at these events,” she said.
Public safety officers are permitted to accept nominal discounts or discounts that are offered to county employees at large, Dawson said.
Lt. David Waltemeyer, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County police, said that the police department follows the ethics commission?s rulings on gifts. There are exceptions for some nominal items, though, he said.
“You can?t force someone to charge you for a cup of coffee,” he said, “but you can leave the amount of it as a tip or not frequent the establishment.”
