Current Board

When the new Board of County Commissioners takes office next month, it will be faced with a tall order of problems, including growth control, economic development and taxes.It will not only be important what decisions commissioners make, but how they make them, one local political analyst says."I think they are going to probably try to work out their differences quietly because if they become explosive it will hurt all of them. The pressure is there to do something about planning," said Donald R. Jansiewicz, professor of political science at Carroll Community College.

If Alex Hekemian knocks on your door during this election you'll find him pleasant to talk with. You'll likely say that he sounds reasonable. He is a good man and is passionate in his beliefs. However his beliefs do not represent mine. When I was on the Village Board and he was our CA Representative, my experience was that he often offered an obstructive perspective. Alex was part of an early Columbia that was vibrant and innovative. But Alex and his supporters seem uncomfortable with the idea of today's Columbia being vibrant and innovative again.

Regarding Howard County Executive Ken Ulman's recent criticism of the Board of Education as "dysfunctional," I respectfully disagree. As one often outspoken member of the board, I will be the first to acknowledge that current board members possess varied and often profoundly different opinions on how to best carry out the mandate of our citizens. That said, I view the diversity of opinion on the board as a strength, not a "dysfunction. " The current board has consistently worked within tight budget constraints to address a wide variety of critical issues impacting Howard County's children, the treasures for whom we board members are stewards, and ever mindful of protecting our frequently overlooked but most essential asset: Howard County's public school classroom teachers and support staff.

In his letter "Time to devise a better plan for county school board" (April 10) Mel Mintz makes two arguments that absolutely demand response. First, in words that almost parrot language Kevin Kamenetz used in dismissing the idea of an elected school board as an opportunity for the public to ask for golden doorknobs to classrooms, Mr. Mintz begins by fearing the introduction of "many unnecessary frills to the school budget. " He continues with a series of warnings of what "would" and "could" happen if district-elected representatives were on the board.

The following editorial appeared in another zoned edition of the Baltimore Sun last week:* Carroll CountyJust because the current board of commissioners in Carroll County is considered "lame duck" doesn't mean its decisions should be "lame brained." Last week's decision to postpone the purchase of a 114 1/2 -acre parcel on Cranberry Road outside Westminster for a future high school was nonsensical, irresponsible and not in the public's greater interest.While the election may have changed the composition of the board, it did not mean that county government operations grind to a halt.

Should the current board of commissioners in Carroll County hear the appeal of the Belt Farm zoning case, or should the new board, which takes office next Monday, hear it? The current board has a hearing set for today but residents of surrounding properties would like the hearing postponed until after the new board is sworn in.At issue is whether the developer will be able to build 240 homes on 205 acres. Under the current zoning, only about 100 homes are permitted. But Jack Cooper, speaking for the development company, says that to recoup the $2 million cost of extending county water and sewer lines to a planned elementary school, denser development must be allowed.

The governor named three new trustees yesterday to the board of Baltimore City Community College, where the board and campus administrators have been under fire in recent months. The new trustees are Mary Elizabeth Owens, graduate dean at Coppin State University; Kirsten E. Sandberg, a financial planner at M&T Bank Investment Group; and Garland O. Williamson, head of the Presidents' Roundtable, a group of black business leaders. They will begin serving their six-year terms immediately.

Democracy is a fragile thing. It can slip away while we sleep. It is easy to criticize faraway nations for their lack of democracy; or the national government for the way it practices democracy. But democracy is a mindset. It is displayed in the way we treat one another, and in our local communities. I write to shine a light on what can happen in a neighborhood when the power structure is so deeply entrenched it forgets to represent its community. Several members of the Rodgers Forge Board of Governors have been serving on the board for 40 years or more; their dedication is laudable.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke yesterday nominated a new Board of School Commissioners, including six brand-new members.Mr. Schmoke nominated Philip H. Farfel, 40, a current board member and an administrator at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, as president of the new board. The nominations will be formally introduced at Monday's City Council meeting."I think the selection of folks is wonderful," said Council President Mary Pat Clarke, who last week introduced a bill NTC calling for a mostly elected school board.

Just because the current board of commissioners in Carroll County is considered "lame duck" doesn't mean its decisions should be "lame brained." Last week's decision to postpone the purchase of a 114 1/2 -acre parcel on Cranberry Road outside Westminster for a future high school was nonsensical, irresponsible and not in the public's greater interest.While the election may have changed the composition of the board, it did not mean that county government operations grind to a halt. County agencies continue to process subdivision approvals, building permits are being granted and the county's school-age population continues to grow.

What is the true goal in attempting to change the election process for the Board of Education? After reading articles and having an email exchange with the county executive's office, I feel it is not well defined. Ken Ulman's office states, "He advocates a board where a majority of members are, in fact, elected. He views the current proposal as a step forward to insure racial and ethnic diversity and to bring skills and professionalism to the board, as warranted. " So which is it: to achieve racial/ethnic diversity, geographic diversity or to address professionalism in the current board?

Democracy is a fragile thing. It can slip away while we sleep. It is easy to criticize faraway nations for their lack of democracy; or the national government for the way it practices democracy. But democracy is a mindset. It is displayed in the way we treat one another, and in our local communities. I write to shine a light on what can happen in a neighborhood when the power structure is so deeply entrenched it forgets to represent its community. Several members of the Rodgers Forge Board of Governors have been serving on the board for 40 years or more; their dedication is laudable.

Regarding Howard County Executive Ken Ulman's recent criticism of the Board of Education as "dysfunctional," I respectfully disagree. As one often outspoken member of the board, I will be the first to acknowledge that current board members possess varied and often profoundly different opinions on how to best carry out the mandate of our citizens. That said, I view the diversity of opinion on the board as a strength, not a "dysfunction. " The current board has consistently worked within tight budget constraints to address a wide variety of critical issues impacting Howard County's children, the treasures for whom we board members are stewards, and ever mindful of protecting our frequently overlooked but most essential asset: Howard County's public school classroom teachers and support staff.

Gov. Martin O'Malley and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Thursday that current Baltimore City school board president Neil Duke will serve a second term and will be joined by two new appointees who have experience in the Baltimore City school system. Duke has served as president on the Board of School Commissioners since February 2007. He is an attorney with the law firm of Ober Kaler P.C. of Baltimore and an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Shanaysha Furlow Sauls, co-founder of the Patterson Park Public Charter School in Baltimore, who also has seven years of teaching experience, will serve as a parent representative.

Harford County would make the transition from an appointed school board to an elected panel within three years, according to a bill that has won the approval of the county's delegation to the General Assembly. The delegation approved the measure by a 5-to-3 vote. The proposal now moves to the legislature, which typically passes county-based legislation that has won the approval of local elected officials. However, the chairman of the Harford delegation, Republican Del. Barry Glassman, said he is "guardedly optimistic" that the measure will prevail.

Carroll County Republicans will be voting for three of 10 candidates for Board of Commissioners in a contested primary election Sept. 12. The three GOP victors will run against three Democratic candidates in the general election. Although a 2004 voter referendum called for electing five commissioners by district, a decision by the state's highest court rendered that measure moot. Instead, commissioners will again be elected at-large in November. South Carroll residents were especially disappointed to not gain more representation in their district.

Harford County would make the transition from an appointed school board to an elected panel within three years, according to a bill that has won the approval of the county's delegation to the General Assembly. The delegation approved the measure by a 5-to-3 vote. The proposal now moves to the legislature, which typically passes county-based legislation that has won the approval of local elected officials. However, the chairman of the Harford delegation, Republican Del. Barry Glassman, said he is "guardedly optimistic" that the measure will prevail.

With three last-minute entries -- including two candidates who ran unsuccessfully in 2000 -- the slate of candidates running the Howard County Board of Education is set. The latest additions, who signed up Monday, the filing deadline, brings the total number of candidates to 14. Allen Dyer, 59, a lawyer and computer consultant, said this election is important because of the board's expansion from five to seven members. "The transition is critical," Dyer said, adding that a majority of the board's seats are up for election.