The president of a Pasadena civic association and much of its board have resigned after a revolt by residents over the use of community tax money.
Residents said they were set to impeach Patrick Kiley, president of the Riviera Community Improvement Association, amid allegations that it awarded a no-bid contract for shoreline improvement work and signed off on the sale of a property to that same contractor without community approval.
In a March 31 letter to the 1,400-member community, Kiley, a retired BGE employee and 47-year resident, said he was resigning because the controversy had become "all-consuming."
"After great reflection, I have concluded that it is time to reorder my priorities and recommit myself to my family, my health and my other obligations and interests," he wrote.
He added that he had always worked on the community's behalf, and he decried the "hostile and attacking manner" of those who had caused the uproar.
Robynn Squires, the resident who led the effort to scrutinize how the association is spending homeowners' special tax district money, said Kiley had not acted in the community's interest.
"He betrayed all of us; I lost my trust," she said. She added that Tuesday's community meeting was "really positive." More than 200 residents selected three new board members, including new President Lee Archibald, and re-approved this year's $112,560 budget for shoreline improvements.
For years, few residents kept up with the association's activities, even though it decides how to spend the extra taxes most of them pay to Anne Arundel County -- 4 cents for every $100 of assessed property value -- to maintain the 82 acres of shoreline along the Patapsco River, Stony Creek and Rock Creek.
While the county must approve any expenditure, the board has traditionally had a free hand in using the money for improvement and maintenance projects.
But Squires and other residents grew unhappy with overruns in an erosion project, as costs ballooned from $200,000 to $365,000. And they became furious when they learned that RiverBea Corp., the owner of most of the community's shoreline property, had sold a parcel known as "the Triangle" for $145,000 to C.A. Norris, the company doing the improvements.
Due to the complaints, the shoreline project has been halted, and Squires said residents are exploring legal remedies to have the land sale reversed.
