Commissioners

David Stern, NBA Still The Man, though the NBA has hit some potholes. Stern imposed the lockout to overhaul an economic system he says led 23 of 30 teams to lose money. Barring a quick agreement, the opening of training camps in early October will be jeopardized as will an on-time Nov. 1 season start. Robert Boland, professor of sports business at New York University's Tisch Center, said Stern is "the one who is held in the greatest awe" among commissioners for resuscitating the NBA and building global appeal through the Olympics.

It's no secret that Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld IIIis a frequent diner at Miss Shirley's, a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot with locations in Roland Park and at the Inner Harbor. He's partial to the omelet margharita. So it should be no surprise that the soon-to-be retiring chief headed for the Pratt Street bistro Wednesday morning to catch a quick breakfast. There, according to a police source, he stumbled on two city officers drinking alcohol. They had just come off the midnight shift and were off duty, but were either dressed in partial uniform or had their guns and badges displayed, said the police source and another person affiliated with law enforcement who is familiar with the incident.

Frederick County commissioners have rejected a proposal to consider seceding from Maryland. The panel voted 4-1 Tuesday against Republican Commissioner Lennie Thompson's resolution. Board President Jan Gardner called it outlandish and Commissioner Kai Hagen labeled it a public relations gimmick. But all the commissioners sympathized with Thompson's frustration at the increasing cost of state government. Thompson said a proposal recently floated by state lawmakers to shift some teacher pension costs to the counties illustrates the General Assembly's financial irresponsibility.

A Carroll County commissioner has emailed an invitation to about 850 government employees to attend a monthly prayer session, which she will lead, raising concern among some residents and watchdog groups. Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier drafted the invitation and had a member of her staff send it May 3, to coincide with National Day of Prayer, a day on which the president traditionally calls on the nation to pray for peace and the country's welfare. Frazier's first "time for prayer" is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. June 7 in the basement of the County Office Building in Westminster.

At 10 a.m. on a recent weekday, roughly a half-dozen District Court commissioners were individually processing 120 arrestees at Baltimore's Central Booking and Intake Center, and making big decisions about whether to set bail or release the accused with instructions to come to court when called. They work out of tiny concrete cells in the detention center, similar to those packed with waiting prisoners. For protection, they have a window partition between them and the defendant, who is locked in during the proceeding.

Debate over the meaning of gold-colored sheets of paper passed among members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners has pitted the elected officials against residents who allege they are thumbing their noses at state open meetings rules. Two residents complained to the commissioners and state officials Tuesday that the so-called "goldenrod" form — or as it's officially known, the "Board of County Commissioners Action Authorization Form" — violates the state's Open Meetings Act, which requires elected officials to meet publicly when conducting official government business.

My gripe with the current Carroll County commissioners is their rejection of "smart growth" policies ("Carroll commissioners break with past on growth, housing, transit," June 23). There has been important support for smart growth in the county. The commissioners should recognize their lack of wisdom and relent. Smart growth targets land use, which includes where housing and employment are located, their densities and types, transportation and overall development patterns. In Maryland in particular, smart growth can play a significant role in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Is there a special Carroll County edition of the Old Testament that has all 36 of the admonitions to treat immigrants kindly expurgated? It seems clear that the Carroll County commissioners aren't very familiar with the Scriptures, as they seem to be proud of their status as the chief immigrant baiters in this state which is apparently full of them. I'm far from reconciled from the ill treatment of immigrants' children in the recent referendum attempts to overturn the Maryland Dream Act. But at least no one so grossly flaunts the Good Book as an authority for their mean spirits.

HAMPSTEAD - The Tri-District Republican Club will conduct a salute to Commissioner President John L. Armacost for his years of conservative leadership in the Republican Party at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Hampstead Volunteer Fire Co.This event also will recognize and honor former Republican County Commissioners Scott S. Bair Jr., 1966-1970; Justus Denner, 1962; J. Norman Graham, 1970-1982; William V. Lauterbach Jr., 1982-1986; Robert McKinney, 1962-1970; John...

As Carroll County commissioners Richard Rothschild and Robin Frazier spoke recently during a slide presentation on their goals/visions in the 2010 Master Plan, I found myself thinking, "I've heard this tune before. " But I hadn't heard it on WTTR - no, it was at the public meetings where the commissioners tried to explain in January why the a land-use plan submitted by the Planning Commission in January was dead on arrival. Seven months passed before the commissioners got around to making recommendations they considered necessary to gain the board's approval.

Debate over the meaning of gold-colored sheets of paper passed among members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners has pitted the elected officials against residents who allege they are thumbing their noses at state open meetings rules. Two residents complained to the commissioners and state officials Tuesday that the so-called "goldenrod" form — or as it's officially known, the "Board of County Commissioners Action Authorization Form" — violates the state's Open Meetings Act, which requires elected officials to meet publicly when conducting official government business.

Just as we're trying to figure out the sudden departure Police CommissionerFrederick H. Bealefeld IIIcomes the stark reminder that we're still not quite done with a city chief fired more than seven years ago. Kevin P. Clark, fired back when Martin O'Malley was mayor, in 2004, still has a claim pending before the state's highest court. He wants money, and according to his attorney, wouldn't mind getting his old job back. This is the guy who the mayor sent armed SWAT members to remove from the police headquarters building on East Fayette Street.

However Baltimore's plain-spoken police commissioner is remembered, when he departs on the first day of August, he will leave his successor a challenging target. The number 200. That is the standard by which Frederick H. Bealefeld III's successor will be measured. Under his watch, Baltimore recorded 196 homicides in 2011, breaking a symbolic barrier that eluded nine previous chiefs, all the way back to 1977. Fairly or unfairly, the mayor and commissioner — along with the city as a whole — have been judged and have judged themselves on the annual body count.

With Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III planning to leave the city in August , after having served 31 years on the force, and five as chief, we put together a time line of his tenure: May 1981 - Bealefeld joins the city police force as a cadet after suffering a sports injury that dashed his hopes of earning an athletic scholarship. He follows his great-grandfather and great-uncle into policing. His grandfather once walked a beat on Greenmount Avenue and a great-uncle was killed in the line of duty.

The announced departure of Baltimore Police CommissionerFrederick H. Bealefeld III prompted a round of media interviews on Friday. Here are parts of my sit-down with the commissioner. A story looking ahead to what's next is planned for Sunday. On Friday, Bealefeld said that he was indeed leaving for family , brushing off copious rumors that he and other members of the city's law enforcement team, such as political aide Sheryl Goldstein, had other motives. Here's a story about departures from City Hall . Bealefeld quotes; Why leaving “The real story is I'm going to be 50 in August.

As leaders of the Baltimore Police Foundation, a fund of the Baltimore Community Foundation, we salute CommissionerFrederick H. Bealefeld III's enlightened and highly effective leadership. All who are interested in the progress of Baltimore owe him a debt of gratitude. Many will point to his signal achievement as the drastic reduction in homicides - 2011 saw fewer than 200 killings for the first time in two decades - but this, while desirable, is not a fair indicator of police performance.

A state panel said Wednesday that members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners violated the state's Open Meetings Act by holding a fee-based forum on a controversial smart-growth policy attended by a majority of the board. "The County Board violated the Act by charging admission to a meeting held for the consideration of public business," the Open Meetings Compliance Board said in a written opinion. "We commend the County's prompt posting of materials from the event on its website.

Appearing relaxed while trying to quell talk of a hidden motive behind his decision to resign in three months, the city's blunt-spoken police commissioner did at least concede Friday that he was pushed out of the job. "Look, I was absolutely influenced in this decision," Frederick H. Bealefeld III said. But it wasn't by city officials or a as-yet-undisclosed issue. It was his wife, Linda, and 16-year-old daughter, Erica. Said Bealefeld, his eyes tearing, "They're ready for me to come home.