Hoot of the day: Bereano as safety advocate
Is there any limit to chutzpah in Annapolis? Not so long as Bruce C. Bereano is around.
Bereano, the leadfoot lobbyist who has amassed a collection of dozens of speeding tickets, did his impression of a highway safety advocate yesterday as he testified on a bill that would allow local school boards and law enforcement agencies to install cameras in school buses to enforce the law prohibiting drivers from passing such vehicles when they are parked with their flashing red lights on and stop sign extended.
Originally signed up in opposition, after listening to compelling testimony on the extent of the problem, Bereano abruptly switched sides when called to the witness stand and argued for an even stronger bill.
Passing a parked school bus, Bereano proclaimed, is "egregiously wrong" and deserves a higher fine than called for in the bill -- along with points for violators.
Of course, just a few seconds earlier Bereano told the committee with a straight face that speeding was "not to be tolerated." Funny, Bereano has never had much trouble finding judges who would tolerate his speeding. Just this month, he found a tender-hearted jurist in Snow Hill who gave him probation before judgment even though he had two speeding convictions and another PBJ within the past two years.
It would be cynical to question Bereano's passionate support for cameras on school buses -- even if it flies in the face of his previous opposition to automated enforcement. But Bereano seems to have forgotten that the reason insurance points are not assessed for camera-generated tickets is that they identify the vehicle, not the driver. That's presumably why the school bus bill doesn't call for points either.
An old Annapolis hand can't help but recall that one tactic employed by lobbyists when they can't kill a bill outright is to love it to death -- by adding amendments that strengthen it to the point where it loses support. Surely Bereano would never resort to that.
Comments
You seem to have a bit of a vendetta for Mr. Bereano.......
COMMENT: Mr. Bereano is a very visible public figure in Annapolis with a level of influence far greater than the average Maryland citizen. He has chosen to become an advocate for causes that could be seens as antithetical to safety on the state's highways. He is, at the same time, a driver with a demonstrably bad driving record who has persisted in his chronic speeding despite sanctions through the court system. It is not unfair to subject him to a heightened level of scrutiny. If Getting There won't do it, who will?
Posted by: R686ST | February 23, 2011 9:37 AM
This guy is a danger to everyone on the road around him and corrupts the court system with his influence to continue his dangerous and illegal behavior.
Call it what you like, but if anyone deserves a vendetta, it is this disgrace.
I appreciate that Michael calls him out on this. It just seems like no one who can do anything wants to notice.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 24, 2011 2:41 PM
Bereano vs. Dresser exposes the narrow thinking of Dresser. All Bereano is quilty of speeding. In all of Dresser ranting, not once had Bereano caused a traffic incident to someone else. If Dresser spent his time and position on RECKLESSNESS and reminding his audience of the people who never speed, but drift into your lane or who think they are in a phone booth while traveling at the speed limit. His point could be valid. It is a known fact that recklessness causes more accidents than speeding.
Posted by: Wally | March 1, 2011 10:16 AM