Form Of Government

Carroll County chose tradition yesterday, voting nearly 2-to-1 in a special election to continue its current form of government, which has been in place since before the Civil War, instead of creating a system like that of other metropolitan counties in the region.Charter, which would have created a county executive and five-member County Council, failed, 11,107 to 7,227.It was the fourth time in three decades that Carroll residents have voted against such a proposal, and charter opponents say that the issue is likely dead for at least a decade.

BARELY A WEEK remains for Carroll citizens to register to vote in the May 2 special election.That referendum will determine whether the county changes to a charter form of government, increases to five the number of county commissioners, or sticks with its longtime system of three commissioners.It is the most important electoral choice facing Carroll countians in many years.The opportunity to have a say in changing a form of government around for 160 years should be a compelling reason for unregistered residents to fill out a voter form at the county Board of Elections office, 125 N. Court St., Westminster, or at local post offices, high schools, social services offices or library branches.

The proposed charter to change the county's form of government has received endorsements from the Carroll County Education Association and the League of Women Voters.Carroll residents will decide May 2 whether to change the commissioner government to a charter that provides for a county executive and five-member council. Another option on the ballot is to change from a three- to a five-member commission.The education association, the county teachers' union, is recommending the charter in a letter to its membership this week, said Ralph C. Blevins, president.

CARROLL COUNTY, by many measurements, is doing quite nicely, thank you.Maryland's eighth largest county, with 150,000 residents, is the fifth-fastest growing jurisdiction in the state. Its students' scores on statewide tests usually rank in the top two or three. The price of a home is second highest in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Crime is low. The historically agrarian county still has plenty of stunning vistas. Two-thirds of the county is quilted by conservation land and rolling cornfields that don't look much changed from when Union and Confederate armies passed through en route to Gettysburg.

Carroll County chose tradition yesterday, voting overwhelmingly in a special election to continue its current form of government, which has been in place since before the Civil War, instead of creating a system like that of other metropolitan counties in the region.Charter, which would have created a county executive and five-member county council, failed, 11,107 to 7,227.It was the fourth time in three decades that Carroll residents voted against such a proposal, and charter opponents say that the issue is likely dead for at least a decade.

About 40 Carroll County residents have formed Citizens Against Big Charter Government to campaign against the proposed charter change in local government.Voters will decide May 2 if the three-commissioner form of government will remain in Carroll. Two initiatives on the ballot will ask voters whether to expand the commissioner board to five or change to an executive and county council.The anti-charter group has been meeting for about a month, said Carmen Amedori, who served nearly nine months as chairwoman of the charter-writing board.

When W. Benjamin Brown announced last month that he would seek election to the General Assembly this fall rather than seek another term as a Carroll County Commissioner, it was not merely a craving for a new political landscape. It was also a sign of frustration.Being a County Commissioner, he said, "is like driving a bus with three steering wheels, three accelerators and three brakes. It is difficult, if not impossible, to stay between the lines."Carroll residents have been riding on that bus for 160 years.

May 2 charter-proposal election offers tricky choiceBe sure to vote against both questions on the May 2 special election ballot. You can do that even though many voters are not aware of this choice because the ballot will not show it.Don't be tricked into voting for either one or the other if you don't understand what you may be voting for.The proposed charter is too complicated for the public to foresee what it would do for our county, and it will soon...

The future of county government was debated last night before a crowd of about 75 at Gamber Fire Hall.Residents will vote May 2 on a referendum item that could change county government from the three-commissioner system to an executive and five-member council or a five-commissioner system.In last night's debate, Hampstead Mayor Christopher M. Nevin, who helped write the 41-page document, had a definite advantage over charter opponent Burke Lego, who was ill-prepared, saying he had spent only several hours studying the proposal.

A change to a county executive-county council form of government would give too many people too much power and lead to higher taxes, opponents of charter government told the South Carroll Republican Club last night.They were preaching to the choir.The crowd of more than 60 people listened to a debate between those who want to change Carroll's style of government for the first time in 142 years and those who want to continue to have three commissioners and the General Assembly delegation run the county.

After months of debate over whether Annapolis should change its form of government by hiring a city manager to take over some of the mayor's duties, the Annapolis city council voted down Monday two versions of a "city manager" amendment that many Annapolitans argued would allow the city to be more professionally run. One version of the amendment - sponsored by Aldermen Ross H. Arnett III, Richard E. Israel, Samuel Shropshire and Julie Stankivic -...

With 10 Republicans and three Democrats, the Carroll County Commission race for three at-large seats is crowded in part because many voters believed early on that the panel would be expanded to five district seats. Political and legal wrangling put changes in the county's form of government on hold. After feuding openly this past session with their General Assembly delegation, the three incumbent commissioners managed to secure a spot on the November ballot that will allow voters to decide if Carroll County should switch to a Home Rule form of government.

Wrong to blame gays for abuse in church I wholly concur with Ellen Goodman that the bishops of the Catholic Church are missing the point in blaming homosexuals for the abuse scandal ("Church steps backward into bigotry," Opinion s Association. Rule by lobbyists isn't real democracy The Sun's front-page article "A wide net cast in lobby inquiry" (Dec. 4) mentions details learned in a probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and of the tens of millions of dollars paid to buy influence on Capitol Hill.

Democracy is often portrayed as an almost-magic potion that will heal the wounds of the world, bringing peace to the Middle East, progress to Central Asia and prosperity to Africa. President Bush, calling freedom the God-given right of every person, has made spreading this form of government the centerpiece of his foreign policy for his second term. Bush is tapping into an essential theme of the American story, one that goes back to the beginning of a country whose citizens often saw their nation as a unique place with a special mission.

Delegate supports expanded board On Nov. 2, Carroll countians will vote on whether the county commissioners should be expanded to a five-commissioner board from the current three. It is my fervent hope that the voters will vote "yes" for the expanded board. During the years I have been your legislator in Annapolis, I think it can be fairly stated that I have been a consistent conservative voice on the Carroll County House delegation. I would not be appealing for your support of the five commissioner board if I did not consider that the change has the benefit of providing more efficient, effective and fair governance for the future of Carroll County.

Five commissioners best for growing area On Election Day, Nov. 2, Carroll countians will vote to decide whether Carroll County will be governed by five commissioners instead of three. Carroll County has had the three-commissioner form of government since 1860 ... before the Civil War. I feel strongly that Carroll countians would be better served in the future with a board of five commissioners. After the 1990 census, Carroll County had a population of 123,372 people, an increase of 25 percent over the previous decade, and ranked ninth in population among Maryland's 24 subdivisions.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

In an immense air-conditioned tent in Kabul, a new Afghan government is being born. More than 1,500 delegates from throughout the country assembled yesterday for ceremonies marking the opening of the grand council, or loya jirga, charged with choosing leaders and establishing a form of government. International peacekeepers stood watch inside and outside the tent amid tight security. The council, expected to last until the weekend, hopes to bring an end to decades of violence in the country of 22 million people.

In a move some see as pointing Annapolis toward a city manager form of government, the city council is expected to consider legislation today that would allow the mayor to work another job. The proposed amendment to the city charter and accompanying ordinance would change the requirements of the job from "full time" to "sufficient time to effectively execute the duties required of the office." The legislation, to be introduced by Ward 1 Alderman Louise Hammond, would also specify that the mayor could hold employment outside of the elected position as long as the employment is disclosed, does not interfere with execution of mayoral duties and does not create a conflict of interest.

AFTER MONTHS of embarrassing turmoil, Columbians may now engage in a period of creative statecraft. The task could be easy or onerous -- the heavy lifting of incorporation or a few minor adjustments, bylaw changes and the like. Ideally, the city would have a leader in place to guide this process and then to assume control of it. But the Columbia Association's former president, Deborah O. McCarty, departed recently in a cloud of controversy. The newly elected Columbia Council must therefore assume leadership in this endeavor.