Allen Dyer's relationship with the school board is about to undergo a metamorphosis.
In recent years, the Ellicott City attorney has been an adversary, bringing several lawsuits on claims ranging from an illegal firing to violations of open-meeting requirements.
But now, with one legal action pending and after winning one of the three contested seats this month, Dyer, 61, is about to assume a position on the board with which he has done battle.
He said he is expecting a smooth transition.
"I don't expect any type of awkwardness," Dyer said of working with board members. "They are elected officials; they know what they are supposed to be doing. There is no personal animosity there."
When county officials finished counting provisional and absentee ballots in the days after the election, Dyer's vote count left him in third place among six candidates, behind current members Janet Siddiqui and Ellen Flynn Giles.
Dyer has plenty of history with the board.
In November 2000, he sued the board in Circuit Court claiming multiple violations of the state's Open Meetings Act. As a result, legislation was passed to strengthen enforcement of the law.
Dyer also represented four residents questioning potential water contamination and other environmental concerns related to a 400-seat addition at Glenelg High School. An administrative judge ruled against Dyer's clients in that case.
More recently, Dyer has represented Bruce M. Venter, the school system's former chief business officer, who was dismissed by then-Superintendent John R. O'Rourke in September 2003. O'Rourke said Venter failed to inform him, top-ranking administrators and the board that construction of Marriotts Ridge High School was off schedule. Venter sued in 2003, and the case is before the Court of Special Appeals.
With the election outcome, Dyer has filed a motion to remove himself as Venter's attorney. Dyer said he will also recuse himself as a voting member should the board take any action on Venter's case.
In an unrelated matter, Dyer filed a complaint with the Open Meetings Act and Compliance Board, part of the attorney general's office. The complaint alleged that the public was not notified in a timely manner about a meeting between the board and the County Council. The board ruled against Dyer, a decision that was upheld on appeal.
Still, Dyer said he is confident that the past will not adversely affect working with his new colleagues.
