''Minuscule" Misconduct = 'We Don't Make Enough $$ to Be Honest' : John Olszewski Sr, David Marks Fail to Disclose Outside Income

"Minuscule" John & "Minuscule" David

What are these boys up to now?

Willful and false financial disclosure filings can carry a criminal penalty. Failure to file or report information could lead to a civil fine for an elected official, up to $1,000 in addition to late fees. 

For venal Baltimore County councilmen, no worries. That's because a venal elected official can do pretty much as he likes, so long as he can dredge up a county attorney who is prepared to state that their criminal misconduct is "minuscule."

John Oszewski Sr. has been on the County Council for close to 15 years; he has been elected four times. This has not been time enough for him to figure out his mandatory disclosure requirements. 

Bur Mr. Oszewski has figured out that he does not need to bother the voters about his outside income so long as someone else with a county government title is prepared to call his misbehavior "minuscule." That would be county attorney Mike Field (read on, please.)

Since 2010, according to the Baltimore Sun and the Lutherville-Timonium Patch, Baltimore County Councilman John Olszewski Sr has engaged in criminal conduct.

Minuscule Johnny O

He has failed to disclose his employment with a company that has garnered a least one contract with the county to work on a new high school, being built in his district. The media sources also reported that Mr. Oszewski has worked for a second company.

The two companies are:

Mason & Son LLC

and

D&M Painting & Drywall Inc.

Hold on a minute; Oszewski, Sr, has also worked for a third employer:

APS East Coast Inc.

All this info has now been made public but only after Patch.com asked Minuscule John about his off-the-record employment.

Do these businesses need to rely on the push-pull of the free market?  Do they need patronage by the public? 

Maybe not, since they have a double-dipper, government-paid insider, positioned to provide them confidential info about construction projects, the bidding process, the competition - an eager 36-hour a week employee, who can informally help channel tax dollars their way.

When the Patch asked Mr. Oszewski why he had not reported his outside income on the mandatory disclosure forms, he channelled his colleague, David Marks (read on, por favor) by calling his own deception "an oversight." 

Mr. Oszewski told the Patch that he must have thought the disclosure forms were actually non-disclosure forms: "I thought that meant something else," he said.

In a surprising slip into candor Minuscule John told the Sun his job(s) entailed the need to "drum up business" for his employer(s).

Don't Disclose - Ask Mr. Mike Instead

Olszewski told the Sun, that instead of reporting his outside income for years, he had asked County Attorney Michael Field about recusal. Mr. Mike, stepped right up to defend non-disclosure of private employment by public officials. 

The Sun reported Mr. Field, as follows:

Field said he does not see the councilman voting on the budget as a conflict of interest because the council doesn't vote on individual school contracts, and the D&M contract is "a minuscule part of the budget."

The Sun spoke with Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, who called Olszewski's omissions "very troubling" and added:

"These reports are critical for public trust and for ensuring that decision makers are listening first to the interests of constituents and not the voices of special interests," she said, adding that Olszewski could have been making budget decisions that affect his employer. 'The ethics board needs to ask itself what's going on here.' "

Will the Ethics Commission do anything? Well yes . . . they already have, since Mike Field has weighed in and since he is the guy who provides legal advice to the Ethics Commission. Mini Johnny O case closed even before it is opened. 

Sweet.

Mr. Mike to the Rescue of David Marks, too

Following an earlier Patch.com report, the Baltimore Sun reported (May 13) that another member of the County Council, David Marks "was late" to disclose his employment by Loyola University.

Mr. Marks was hired not to teach political ethics of course, but "political science." 

According to the Patch, Mr. Marks, on April 25, 2013, referred to his failure to disclose private employment "an . . ." 

What is it again? Oh yes,  ". . . an oversight." 

Minuscule Dave Marks

The Sun added:

"Marks said he notified Field before accepting the teaching position to ensure that there was no conflict of interest."

and:

"Several weeks ago, he said, he wrote to the county ethics commission to clarify that he had held the teaching position last year."

So nice that Minuscule David "clarified" it all privately - but not on time and not publicly. Of course not.

Jennifer Bevan-Dangel of Common Cause Maryland is asking if there is an "endemic problem" of lax county oversight on ethics requirements. 

Don't bother to ask Baltimore County attorney 'Minuscule' Mike Field, who steps up, as requested to become part of the problem, himself. 

Sources:

Patch stuff:

Minuscule John's Financial disclosure forms filed March 27

April 25 interview, in which Minuscule David Marks said his failure to file a required amended report within 30 days of his hire was "an oversight."

Olszewski: Missing Job Disclosure 'An Oversight' - Lutherville Timonium Patch May 7 2013

County councilman hasn't disclosed outside jobs for years - Baltimore Sun May 19 2013