christmas behind bars - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

COUNTY
NEWS
Shaw Removed From
Commissioner Presidency
By Sarah Miller
Staff Writer
Commissioner Jerry Clark has replaced Susan Shaw as President of the Board of
County Commissioners.
Clark was nominated by Commissioner Pat Nutter, who said the board of county
commissioners is a learning experience. He said Shaw and Clark both have eight years
experience and it is important to benefit from both of them.
“You cannot just have one point of view,” Nutter said.
Shaw said Nutter’s motive behind nominating Clark was flawed.
“I do not believe county government should be a learning experience,” Shaw said.
Changing the president would “be like starting over” and the transparency of the
board could suffer under a new president, she said.
Clark said the idea that the board could be less transparent without her as the
president is “ludicrous.”
He also disputed Shaw’s claim that the president is the top vote getter from the
county commissioner election every four years. He said that has not been his experience,
and for that to be the policy would mean the southern portion of the county,
which has fewer voters, is never represented by the board president.
Shaw also said the job description of the commission president is not complete.
“The idea that the only job of the president is to set the agenda is dead wrong,”
she said.
Nutter said the commissioners can change the president at any time, and if having
a new president is such a bad idea, they can always choose another one.
In the end, Shaw was the only commissioner who didn’t vote Clark for president,
with Evan Slaughenhoupt changing his vote from Shaw to Clark in what he called a
show of solidarity with the board.
“I guess we will see how this experiment works,” Shaw said. “I don’t think it’s a
good experiment.”
sarahmiller@countytimes.net
The Calvert Gazette
By Alex Panos
Contributing Writer
Thursday, December 22, 2011 4
O’ Malley Enacts PlanMaryland
Local Officials Say it Usurps Local Authority
On Monday, Governor Martin O’Malley enacted
PlanMaryland, beginning the vision of what
state officials say will be long-term sustainable
growth and development.
The plan uses three types of maps, an environmental
“GreenPrint”, agricultural “AgPrint”
and developmental “GrowthPrint” in order to determine
and implement the best growth pattern for
Maryland, while preserving as many environmental
and agricultural resources as possible.
“[PlanMaryland] will serve as a tool for targeting
resources,” O’Malley stated in a press release.
“In the long run, that means a healthier environment,
stronger communities and a more sustainable
future and better quality of life for our kids.”
According to the plan, the state government,
more specifically a “Smart Growth Subcabinet”,
will have majority say as to where state funding
will be going and how it will be spent by county
and local governmental entities.
St. Mary’s County Commissioner Todd Morgan
is one of many local officials who oppose Plan-
Maryland, saying the idea of the state government
having such a large say in local decision-making is
“ridiculous.”
While it is still to be determined what areas
the Smart Growth Subcabinet will allocate money
to, there is concern among Morgan and many other
local officials in Southern Maryland that it will not
be coming their way.
Morgan believes that most of the funding that
was being sent to Southern Maryland will now be
going into metropolitan areas such as
Annapolis, Baltimore, and the DC metro
area.
“With money going up the road, we
are limited to what we can do because of
PlanMaryland,” Morgan said.
Calvert County Commissioner
Evan Slaughenhoupt said O’Malley’s
administration ignored 17 counties
when they made the decision.
“We wanted time to make improvements
to the plan,” Slaughenhoupt said.
“It was a single-minded decision … We
never heard back on our suggestions. It
was not even known if it was taken into
the plan.”
Leonardtown Town Administrator
Laschelle McKay says there is a “concern
over process of where to grow” because it is
unknown how the growth maps will look.
However, state documentation claims the plan
does not ignore local governments, but help them.
According to plan.maryland.gov, “Rather than
threatening the ability of local governments to control
their own destiny, PlanMaryland will enhance
their capacity to do so.”
Slaughenhoupt called this “laughable.”
“The first chapter [of the document] says how
they will not control local zoning,” he said, “And
the rest of the document described how they will
control local zoning.”
St. Mary’s County officials echo a similar
stance.
“I strongly question the word ‘enhance,’” Morgan
agreed.
But O’Malley’s spokespersons defend the
claim, emphasizing that the long decision making
process has only just begun.
“They will be part of the process.” Spokesperson
Raquel Guillory said. “We’re planning on
sitting down and meeting with county and town
officials.”
The Maryland Association of Counties, or
MACo, has been voicing its concerns and will play
a big role by representing Southern Maryland’s
views during the planning process. As Associate
Director Leslie Knapp points out, there are still
many holes to fill in the final draft of PlanMaryland.
For the plan to be acceptable to MACo, Knapp
said the state must advocate the planning guidelines,
dilute the power of the Smart Growth Subcabinet
and address fully if the local government is
authorized to fund its own local projects.
While Guillory said that the state would not
stop a local government from beginning projects
on its own dime, Knapp believes that the document
implies otherwise.
Aside from growth and development, officials
claim PlanMaryland aids the preservation of Maryland’s
vital natural resources.
“We are going to make sure state resources are
used wisely; agriculturally and environmentally,”
Guillory said.
Still, local officials aren’t buying it.
“We have preserved 30,000 acres of land
(in Calvert County) and are on track to preserve
40,000,” Slaughenhoupt said. “We know what
we’re doing and don’t need someone controlling
it.”
“The Grinch that stole Christmas equals Governor
O’Malley and PlanMaryland,” Morgan said.
Old Calvert Middle School
to be Demolished
By Sarah Miller
Staff Writer
The old Calvert Middle School, currently sitting empty on the side of Route 4, is soon to be
gone.
At the Dec. 20 Board of County Commissioners meeting, a contract for $252,221 was awarded
to Sun Demolition LLC out of Beltsville, with an additional $30,000 for unforeseen circumstances.
County Commissioner President Jerry Clark said they go with the lowest qualified bidder for
a job, a practice Commissioner Susan Shaw approved of, saying by saving money on the job, the
commissioners can save money for the taxpayers.
Shaw and Commissioner Evan Slaughenhoupt were pleased to see something being done in
the New Town District in Prince Frederick, where the old Calvert Middle School is located.
Slaughenhoupt said he has heard from voters in support of further development in the New
Town district, one of eight districts in Prince Frederick, and has heard from citizens concerned
about keeping growth in the town centers.
sarahmiller@countytimes.net