Reining in their efforts to check the powers of the county executive, Anne Arundel County Council members have withdrawn two charter amendments and delayed voting on four others, including one that would force County Executive John R. Leopold to seek their approval when transferring $50,000 or more within a department.
Monday night, after a protracted debate and testimony from officials in Leopold's administration, the council dropped a proposal that would have given them four of seven appointments to the Planning Advisory Board, a committee that helps determine which building projects are funded and whose members are appointed by Leopold, a Republican.
They also scratched an amendment that would have allowed the council to appoint its own attorney instead of being advised by one handpicked by the county executive.
Councilman G. James Benoit, a Crownsville Democrat who introduced the latter measure, said he withdrew it amid concerns that it would be perceived as a vote of no-confidence in Jonathan Hodgson, the current county attorney, or Amy Tate, who serves as legislative counsel.
Still, Benoit said, the current system makes for one of the "strangest attorney-client relationships I have ever seen."
Councilman Joshua J. Cohen, an Annapolis Democrat who initially submitted the Planning Advisory Board amendment, said he was swayed by former board members who emphasized the board's value as an "independent sounding board."
Leopold, whose administration has said the changes were an attempt by the council to micromanage government, said yesterday that he was pleased by the about-face and that the remaining amendments "offer grounds for compromise."
The council also postponed voting on amendments that would give it three appointments to the seven-member ethics commission; allot it an extra 15 days to review Leopold's annual budget proposal; and give it the authority to make any bill it passes become law if the county executive fails to sign it within 10 days.
Changes in the charter, the county's founding document, require a veto-proof "supermajority," five of seven council votes. If passed, the amendments would go to a voter referendum on the November ballot.
Alan R. Friedman, director of government relations for Leopold, said the council should wait for the charter review scheduled for 2010, after Leopold's four-year term expires.
