County Ethics Commission

The chairman of the Anne Arundel County Council interceded three times with county officials on behalf of one of his accounting clients, a major construction firm doing millions of dollars in business with the county.On one occasion, the county ethics commission warned the chairman, Daniel E. Klosterman Jr., that his actions could constitute a "serious appearance of impropriety," and admonished him to excuse himself from any future public discussions relating to the company and its contracts.

CONSPIRACIES ARE often convenient vehicles for explaining events that seem to defy conventional explanation.During the 1973 Arab oil embargo, for example, many Americans believed that large oil companies had colluded to create the worst economic crisis since World War II. Many believed oil tankers were anchored off the coasts merely waiting for gasoline prices to rise before unloading their shipments. Even though news reports debunked that notion, many clung to the belief nonetheless.In Anne Arundel County, we've reached a similar point regarding development.

County commissioners were warned nearly six months ago that planning commission member Grant S. Dannelly supported rerouting a road through his property, but the board did nothing to investigate the possible conflict of interest until this month, a county official says.In a letter sent in March, Board of Zoning Appeals member Hoby Wolf informed the three commissioners that Dannelly owned the small parcel that lies in the path of the proposed relocation of Ridge Road in South Carroll.Dannelly supported the proposal during workshops on the Freedom Area Comprehensive Plan, a blueprint for development in the county's most populous area.

An Anne Arundel County councilman, who is honorary chairman of a fans organization pushing for construction of an auto racetrack in Pasadena, introduced zoning legislation last night that would allow the track in his district.The bill, introduced by Councilman Thomas W. Redmond, is written to apply only to the state-owned former copper refinery on which the Middle River Racing Association hopes to build a $100 million speedway.It would allow "motor sports racing complexes" on land zoned for heavy industry.

An Anne Arundel County councilman, who is honorary chairman of a fans organization pushing for construction of an auto racetrack in Pasadena, introduced zoning legislation last night that would allow the track in his district.The bill, introduced by Councilman Thomas W. Redmond, is written to apply only to the state-owned former copper refinery on which the Middle River Racing Association hopes to build a $100 million speedway.It would allow "motor sports racing complexes" on land zoned for heavy industry.

The Anne Arundel County Council approved a plan last night for the county to acquire a Department of Defense research center -- declared surplus in 1995 -- that will help keep more than 500 prized high-technology jobs in the county.The plan for the 40-acre David Taylor Research Center in Annapolis differs from initial proposals to demolish the buildings and sell the parcel at the mouth of the Severn River to developers. The developers wanted to build a complex of corporate, residential and commercial space.

Under pressure from the state, Anne Arundel County is moving to strengthen its ethics laws so that elected officials undergo reviews intended to prevent conflicts of interest.The County Council will hold a hearing Dec. 15 on an ordinance that would end the "self-enforcing" of county ethics laws by council members and the county executive.Under the proposed law, elected officials who wanted to take a vote or an action in which they had a personal financial interest would first have to submit a written explanation to the county Ethics Commission for a ruling.

Howard County voters yesterday approved nine changes to their county charter -- or constitution -- including two measures that critics contend will weaken ethics standards for county officials.Voters also rejected four proposed changes. But county officials said those proposals essentially were bureaucratic housecleaning. One failed change, for example, would have changed the term "Appeal Boards" to "Board of Appeals."Several of the measures that passed are significant, particularly to those who fought for their defeat.

An Anne Arundel Circuit judge delayed a final ruling yesterday on whether to restore a Westminster attorney to the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission.However, Judge Eugene M. Lerner agreed to reconsider the attorney's case against the county ethics commission.Lerner had planned to make a final ruling in the case of Robert H. Lennon, who was removed from the planning commission July 15 by the Carroll County Commissioners.The commissioners, on a 2-1 vote, based their decision on a Carroll County Ethics Commission finding.

NORMAN G. MYERS Sr. is a good man, the kind of man who gets asked to volunteer for panels and charitable organizations because everyone knows he'll do it, and do it conscientiously. Not long ago Anne Arundel County Executive John G. Gary asked him to serve on the county ethics commission, an unpaid, unglamorous job. Mr. Myers said yes. Today, one can hardly blame him if he regrets being so agreeable.Mr. Gary has been roundly criticized recently by The Sun and the Annapolis newspaper for four ethics-panel appointments, including Mr. Myers', on grounds that the four had ties to him. The Sun called them ''cronies.

Baltimore city Question A: Creation of Department of General Services "To establish a Department of General Services, providing for the powers and duties of the Department of General Services, transferring certain powers and duties from the Department of Public Works to the Department of General Services, and requiring that obstructions in the public street to the work of the Department of Transportation or the Department of General Services must be...

County Executive John R. Leopold has asked the Anne Arundel County Ethics Commission to issue a special exemption allowing off-duty police officers to work second jobs at bingo halls and other establishments that serve alcohol, a stance the commission has long opposed. The request came Friday, the same day that the Maryland Ethics Commission said that a county bill allowing police officers to moonlight at such establishments was invalid because it does not conform to the state's ethics law. The state ruled that permission could be granted only through a special exemption granted by the county ethics commission, which has argued in the past that police officers who work secondary jobs in alcohol-serving establishments may be tempted to overlook minor illegal activity there.

Anne Arundel County Council members' attempts to wrest some control from the county executive are facing another setback after members failed to pass three charter amendments, sending two of them back to the drawing board. The council on Monday night rejected a measure that would have required the county executive to submit the budget 15 days earlier than the current May 1 deadline, giving the council more time to make adjustments. The 4-3 vote was short of the necessary five-vote supermajority.

A two-page mailing from Howard County Council Chairman Christopher J. Merdon inviting seniors to testify on his bill offering them property tax cuts has prompted a complaint to the county Ethics Commission. The mailing was also criticized at Monday night's County Council hearing by Councilman Calvin Ball, an east Columbia Democrat, who complained that the two pages were misleading and that Merdon, the Republican candidate for county executive, behaved in an "unnecessarily partisan way" by excluding Democrats from a concept that "is actually a pretty good idea."

A legal opinion released yesterday says House Speaker Michael E. Busch is not subject to all of Anne Arundel County's ethics laws, even though he is a county employee - a ruling that almost certainly will prevent an Ethics Commission review of his dual roles. The letter from County Attorney Linda Schuett to Anne Arundel's Ethics Commission affirms an earlier opinion by the state attorney general. Busch previously had said that if certain rules were applied to him, he would need to give up his speaker's post or his job as assistant to the county's recreation and parks director.

Carroll Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge, who was cleared of criminal charges but admonished for "the appearance ... of impropriety" after a lengthy investigation into alleged ethical violations, still has not faced appropriate justice for her behavior, says a contractor whose complaint was the first in a series of accusations that have troubled Gouge over the past year and a half. Union Bridge contractor Charles Stambaugh, who filed a complaint that led to investigations at the county and state levels, said the report by State Prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli raised questions about Gouge's behavior that merit review by the county's newly formed ethics commission.

Though a lengthy ethics investigation of Carroll Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge revealed actions that had "the appearance, if not the fact, of impropriety," the commissioner did not commit any criminal acts, according to a report released yesterday by the state prosecutor. The 22-page report by Prosecutor Stephen D. Montanarelli criticizes Gouge for talking to a county employee about having the price of contract work at her daughter's business reduced. The report also makes public for the first time an allegation that Gouge talked in late 2001 to Donald I. Dell, then a commissioner, about squelching a complaint to the county ethics commission.

Although a lengthy ethics investigation of Carroll Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge revealed actions that had "the appearance, if not the fact, of impropriety," the commissioner did not commit any criminal acts, according to a report released yesterday by the state prosecutor. The 22-page report by prosecutor Stephen Montanarelli criticizes Gouge for talking to a county employee about having the price of contract work at her daughter's business reduced. The report also makes public for the first time an allegation that Gouge spoke in late 2001 to then-Commissioner Donald I. Dell about squelching a complaint to the county ethics commission.

Though a lengthy ethics investigation of Carroll Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge revealed actions that had "the appearance, if not the fact, of impropriety," the commissioner did not commit any criminal acts, according to a report released yesterday by the state prosecutor. The 22-page report by Prosecutor Stephen D. Montanarelli criticizes Gouge for talking to a county employee about having the price of contract work at her daughter's business reduced. The report also makes public for the first time an allegation that Gouge talked in late 2001 to then-Commissioner Donald I. Dell about squelching a complaint to the county ethics commission.

The next decision about House Speaker Michael E. Busch's future as an Anne Arundel County employee rests not with the independent local Ethics Commission, but with an appointee of County Executive Janet S. Owens - Busch's boss and political ally. The county Ethics Commission was expected to review Busch's dual role as state House speaker and assistant to the director of recreation and parks. But after the state attorney general's office issued an opinion that the county cannot restrict Busch's activities as a state lawmaker, the commission turned to the county office of law. Now County Attorney Linda M. Schuett must decide whether the Ethics Commission can investigate Busch.