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There are two schools of thought on the inaugural celebrations in Prince George's. There's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III's (D) theory that the grand celebration he paid for at a luxurious local site highlights the county's accommodations, and there's the thinking that any dime spent on anything outside of necessary county business is one dime too many.

Both are right.

Baker should feel comfortable spending as much of his personal money as he would like to tout the county's benefits and celebrate his new job. His three-day inauguration celebration exceeded $500,000, about half of which went to a party at the Gaylord hotel at National Harbor. To Baker's credit, the fÍte was paid in full through contributions and ticket sales, and given this was Baker's third try at the county's top seat, an all-out party is understandable.

Likewise, residents should be outraged at the money the county spent on the public swearing-in ceremony (separate from Baker's events) held for the County Council and executive outside the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro at a cost of $43,596.

By comparison, Montgomery County spent $5,000; Baltimore County, who also ushered in a new leader, spent $20,000. Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), citing budget concerns, canceled the traditional parade and black-tie celebration for his inauguration.

The good news is there was no difficulty in finding out how the money, both public and personal, was spent. Baker even listed contributors to his three-day celebration on his inaugural website. Sure, there will be detractors who even criticize how Baker spent his personal money, but such openness goes a long way toward showing a true intent to being honest with constituents — and Baker did give about $10,000 raised through ticket sales to nonprofits.

The bad news is that the information regarding public spending doesn't instill a lot of hope in how money is being handled. Making matters worse, soon after the inauguration, the County Council held its legislative retreat outside Prince George's, at an estimated cost of $10,000 to $15,000.

The past two years, the retreats were held at county-owned facilities, easing residents' ability to attend and saving costs.

In the county government's defense, $45,000 is a minor given the overall $2.9 billion budget, and many residents expressed interest in attending the public ceremony, but such expenditures can add up — and with the school system expecting an $85 million shortfall, every dime counts.

Transparency appears to be on the way; let's hope better financial decisions come, as well.