Liquor Board Chairman Refuses to Resign

Tom Minkin said he will not step down as chairman of Baltimore County's Board of Liquor License Commissioners despite a request to do so from County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

Minkin, an attorney in Peter Angelos' law firm, said in an interview Thursday with Patch that County Administrative Officer Fred Homan asked him to resign from his $30,000 per year position on Tuesday, "26 hours after (Kamenetz) was sworn in," Minkin said.

Minkin said he believes the request is political retribution because he supported Joseph Bartenfelder, Kamenetz's Democratic primary election opponent.

"I was a street guy long before I became a suit guy," Minkin said. "Is there some crisis that requires (Kamenetz's) immediate attention? Are we deficient? An embarrassment to Baltimore County? God forbid, corrupt?

"Why is this happening when the ink is still wet on (Kamenetz's) commission?" he added. "Is there nothing more pressing in Baltimore County?"

Minkin is in his fourth full term and his third as chairman. The Pikesville resident was re-appointed to the position by then-County Executive Jim Smith in July 2009. Minkin's current term expires in July 2011.

Homan called Minkin on Tuesday and asked for his resignation, saying it would "honor the wishes of the county executive," Minkin said. He added that Homan did not provide any any other reason for his request.

"The only thing missing was a Luger I could use to do the honorable thing," Minkin said. "As we speak, I've yet to be given a reason. I don't expect to get one."

Minkin said his gut tells him the request is political.

Minkin supported Bartenfelder in the Democratic primary and was featured prominently in acampaign video on Bartenfelder's YouTube channel. (Minkin appears about 1 minute 55 seconds into the video.)

Angelos has deep ties to labor unions—most of which also supported Bartenfelder. Minkin said he told Kamenetz at an event in March that support for his opponent "wasn't personal."

"I told him: 'If you win, we'll be for you. You're the Democrat,'" Minkin said.

Don Mohler, Kamenetz's spokesman and chief of staff, said politics was not a factor in the request for Minkin to resign as chairman.

"He did a really good job on the liquor board," Mohler said. "But from time immemorial, when a new county executive comes on board, everybody recognizes that the new guy will want to have a team of people that are his own.

"(Kamenetz) has identified key positions which he would like folks in that he's comfortable with," Mohler added. "It's really no more or no less than that."

Mohler said Minkin was welcome to finish his term on the board but that Kamenetz would like to appoint a new chairman.

For his part, Minkin said he has no intention of resigning as chairman.