County Executive

Spurred by the conviction of a former councilman and the indictment of County Executive John R. Leopold, Anne Arundel County lawmakers unanimously pushed forward new rules Monday to oust elected officials convicted of crimes. Voters will decide in November whether to approve rules that require a vote of five council members to remove another politician from office and strip that politician of pension benefits. While one provision sets up a process to remove councilmen, the other tweaks an existing process to remove a county executive.

When he was a young city councilman in Annapolis in 1982, John R. Hammond surprised family and friends by putting his hat in the ring for the job of Anne Arundel county executive. He lost decisively to O. James Lighthizer, a Democrat who went on to serve two terms. "I finished second, and the other guy finished just one place ahead of me," Hammond, a lifelong Annapolis resident, said with a laugh. This week Hammond, 63, didn't have to knock on doors to assume the office he once sought.

Republican John R. Leopold, a five-term state delegate from Pasadena, is taking the first steps toward a bid for county executive in 2006. Leopold, 60, said yesterday that he would not comment on his candidacy until today. But he has launched a Web site, www.johnleopold.com, that lists a 55-person steering committee. The banner of the site: "Delegate John Leopold for County Executive." The former Hawaii state senator and representative has served as a Maryland delegate for all but one four-year term since 1983.

Standing before his family and a crowd of Republican officials, candidates and supporters in Savage Mill's Great Room, Steven H. Adler formally declared his candidacy for Howard County executive yesterday. With former County Executive Charles I. Ecker, U.S. Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Howard County Council members Allan H. Kittleman and Christopher J. Merdon in the audience, Adler made it official. Adler said he expects to lead a "unified Republican effort to regain control of Howard County government."

Harford County Executive James M. Harkins has made several appointments to his administration.Joseph Kocy has been named director of planning and zoning; Edward C. Adams Jr. has been appointed director of public works; and Lucy Light Slaich has been named director of procurement.Richard D. Lynch will remain as director of inspections, licenses and permits, a position he has held since 1993.The appointments will be forwarded to the County Council for consideration in the next few weeks.Pub Date: 12/30/98

Mary Louise Hayden, the mother of Baltimore County Executive Roger B. Hayden, died of cancer Sunday at Stella Maris Hospice. The Dundalk homemaker was 72.Services for Mrs. Hayden will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Duda-Ruck funeral establishment, 7922 Wise Ave. in Dundalk.A native of Virginia, Mrs. Hayden was 19 when she and her husband, Conway Hayden Sr., moved to Edgemere. They moved to Dundalk in 1965.Mrs. Hayden was a cafeteria worker from 1977 to 1987 at Fort Howard, Charlesmont and Shady Springs elementary schools, a period during which Roger Hayden was a member, then president, of the county school board.

Harford County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann confirmed yesterday that she will seek re-election to the county post she has held since 1990."There is more to do," Mrs. Rehrmann told an enthusiastic, noisy crowd of about 500 at the Harford Equestrian Center in Bel Air.Chanting "four more years," supporters clapped and cheered as teal, yellow and white balloons floated toward the ceiling. A disc jockey played "Taking Care of Business," as Mrs. Rehrmann stepped up to the podium."We have set a solid foundation for the future," said the 49-year-old Democrat.

The residents of Howard County, even those who vehemently oppose her, owe Susan B. Gray an acknowledgment. The Democratic candidate for Howard County executive has brought attention to the important issue of growth. She has made an election that otherwise might have been a sleepwalk for popular incumbent Charles I. Ecker something that challenges voters' intellect.After having raised the growth issue, though, what sort of future does Susan Gray offer Howard County? The answer to that drives us to the conclusion that Ms. Gray is unsuited to assume the mantle of chief executive of one of Maryland's most popular and rapidly growing suburban jurisdictions.

In less than eight weeks, primary voters will narrow the field in the Anne Arundel County executive's race to succeed County Executive Janet S. Owens. The five Republican candidates are: Tom Angelis, Phillip D. Bissett, David G. Boschert, John R. Leopold and Gregory V. Nourse. The two Democrats are Dennis Callahan and George F. Johnson IV. Recent polling indicates that growth concerns are on the minds of many residents in Anne Arundel County, especially with a large military expansion at Fort Meade on the horizon.