County Council

Editor: Please print the following in response to last week's editorial: Let's remember what the Harford County Council's "job" is before complaining about their support staff ( The Aegis editorial, Aug 24). Their job is to pass laws and to protect their district's constituents. Harford's population has grown to such a point that each district has specific interests and concerns, and the consequence of mistakes can be large. Council members are the only officials who look out for their district's interests while reviewing and voting on county-wide laws, plans and budgets.

A day after testifying at a public hearing before the county school board, Mays Chapel residents who oppose the construction of an elementary school at a nearby park took their concerns to a County Council work session on Tuesday. The council is considering a resolution that would authorize the county to swap 10 acres near Padonia and Roundwood roads for an adjacent parcel, the same size, that the school board owns. The 700-student Lutherville area school would be built on the now county-owned site to alleviate overcrowding in schools along the York Road corridor.

Cecil County voters Tuesday picked their first nominees for the office of county executive and for the first two seats on their new county council. They also voted to retain two of their sitting circuit court judges, rejecting the challenge to the judges posed by one of the county's state delegates. Voting was light, with more Republicans showing up to the polls than Democrats. The Democratic and Republican county executive nominees chosen Tuesday, who will square off in the November general election, are both women, which means the first person to hold the office of Cecil County Executive will be a female.

This year's election will be the third and last based on Howard County Council district lines drawn strictly along party lines a decade ago by a 3-2 vote and won by council Democrats after the last census. Republicans say they want to "take back the county" this year so they can redraw the lines themselves. That issue became clear at a fundraiser Sept. 16 for Republican Robert L. Flanagan. The candidate — former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s transportation secretary — is hoping to replace Democrat Courtney Watson as the council member for District 1, covering Ellicott City and Elkridge.

Howard County's population was 62,000 when the five-member County Council was formed more than four decades ago. Now Courtney Watson's Ellicott City/Elkridge district alone holds that many people, and she'd like the citizens commission reviewing the county charter to look at whether it's time that the council grew too. "I think it should be examined," Watson said. "With 62,000 constituents, it is a big challenge to be able to respond to people in a timely manner. " With 700 emails a week coming in, Watson, who also has a full-time private job, and Terry Chaconas, her lone special assistant, have to work hard to keep up. "There's nothing more frustrating," Watson said, "than to have one [email]

Republican Del. Wade Kach has formally announced he will challenge Baltimore County Council Todd Huff next year. “When I look at the Third District, I see a need for an experienced, tested legislator to deal with the challenges we face,” Kach, who was first elected in 1974, said this week in a statement. “I believe that by moving from the House of Delegates to the County Council, I can bring the kind of responsive public service that the citizens want and need.” Huff, a Lutherville Republican, was elected to the council in 2010.

Congratulations to Baltimore County Executive Kamenetz for admonishing the County Council for taking in essence a formal position regarding the in-state tuition for illegal immigrants issue. However this not unexpected form a largely inexperienced County Council. Aside from the pros or cons of the issue, it is about practical politics. The County Council has taken a formal position in opposition to something the state legislature has approved. Each year the county request funding form the state legislature for a variety of things, including education.

At least in theory, the Harford County Council is supposed to be the county's part time citizen legislature, responsible for responding to the needs of the voters when the executive branch fails to do so. Supposedly, the council also should be acting as a check on potential largesse in the county executive's budget. And it is also supposed to, from time to time, draft and enact new legislation to deal with local problems. In recent years, the council has generally failed when it comes to drafting and enacting new legislation.

Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold was sworn in Monday morning for a second term before a crowd of about 60 people at the Pasadena Senior Center, while later in the day the County Council was sworn in during a separate ceremony that attracted hundreds of onlookers. "It's going to be a productive four years," said Leopold, a Republican. "I look forward to a good working relationship with the council. That's how I was so successful in my first term — by treating each councilperson with courtesy and respect.