Gardina

Baltimore County elected its first African-American member of the County Council yesterday, but the tightest race last night involved Councilman Vincent J. Gardina, who narrowly defeated Del. James F. Ports Jr. for the seat representing the 5th District. In the only close council race this year, Gardina beat Ports by less than 1,000 votes, according to unofficial results with all 37 precincts reporting. The redrawn district includes part of Towson, Perry Hall and Chase. "I'm very pleased, I'm very humbled, and most importantly I look forward to serving the people of the new 5th District," Gardina said.

An Essex printer running for Baltimore County Council against incumbent Vincent J. Gardina signed a criminal complaint yesterday accusing his opponent of stealing campaign signs -- a charge Mr. Gardina denies.Thomas Rzepnicki, a Republican, said he swore out the criminal summons against Mr. Gardina after a campaign volunteer reported encountering Mr. Gardina at a busy White Marsh intersection shortly after midnight yesterday, taking down signs.The charge is misdemeanor theft, because the signs were worth only about $20."

BALTIMORE County Councilman Vincent J. Gardina and his attorney are $100,000 richer today. No doubt there's a shiny new car in somebody's future. It's a less fortuitous event for Maryland taxpayers. They're the ones getting stuck for the bill. And whom do we have to thank? Nobody's rushed forward to take credit, but this much is clear: The Ehrlich administration has some explaining to do. Mr. Gardina was fired in 2003 from a $56,000 post within the Maryland Environmental Service. Trouble is, his bosses say he was doing a great job. Politics had nothing to do with his hiring: He got the job after Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. took office.

Baltimore County Councilman Vincent J. Gardina said he will quit the substitute teaching job he began last month if the county attorney finds that it violates a county charter provision barring council members from employment by the state or county. The councilman sought legal advice before taking the job and is awaiting a ruling from the county attorney. Gardina said he has been teaching engineering and technology at Patapsco High School as a long-term substitute since Jan. 29. The five-term Democrat has said he plans to retire from politics when his council term ends in December.

A proposal to create a task force to look at affordable housing in Baltimore County prompted an unusually heated exchange between two council members yesterday during a work session that ended with one legislator storming out of the meeting. Saying county teachers, police, firefighters and young professionals are having a hard time finding houses to buy in the county, Councilman Vincent J. Gardina introduced a resolution to create a group that would look at ways to address the "scarcity of moderately priced housing" in the county.

Six Baltimore County councilmen introduced a resolution last night calling for a commission to study council redistricting, a process in which they faced strong criticism last spring from community groups who believed there wasn't enough public input. Council Chairman Stephen G. Samuel Moxley, a Catonsville Democrat, said the commission will be appointed next month and will likely include community activists and former elected officials. The resolution sets a target of May 1 for the commission to make its report, potentially allowing amendments to the county's charter to be on the November ballot.

A Baltimore County councilman is demanding that the Ruppersberger administration reduce the number of houses planned for the former Riverdale site in Essex, a move that could delay the most ambitious redevelopment initiative to date on the county's east side. Decrying a "misguided approach" that he said would lead to higher population density and "inferior, cheaper" houses and shopping area in Riverdale, Councilman Vincent J. Gardina says officials have agreed to modify the project - just as the developer is to be chosen for the waterside village seen as the cornerstone of the county's eastern revitalization.

Baltimore County voters have rejected a referendum question that would have permitted County Council members to be employed by state agencies. Opponents said the change could have led to conflicts of interest. Had it passed, the measure would have triggered a change in the county's charter, which forbids such crossover jobs. With all but three of the county's 219 precincts reporting, 157,514 voters, almost 54 percent, were against the charter amendment, while 135,077 (46 percent) were in favor.

The Baltimore County Council, ignoring a rallying cry to "Keep Essex Essex," last night took most of Essex out of the 5th Councilmanic District and placed it in the 7th District, which includes Dundalk.The council voted 5-2 to add about 14,000 residents in Essex proper -- the areas southwest of Rossville Boulevard, Stemmers Run Road and much of Back River Neck Road -- to the 7th, which had lost population since the 1980 census.Councilman Vincent Gardina, D-5th, who strongly opposed the move, bitterly lashed out at fellow council members and described the move as a Republican grab for power.

In an attempt to encourage homeownership in eastern Baltimore County, officials will continue to offer a program of $130,000 worth of loans to prospective homebuyers.The incentive program promotes ownership in the communities of Middlesex, Hawthorne, Fox Ridge Manor and Ballard Gardens -- neighborhoods in Middle River and Essex, a region where 43 percent of the occupants are renters."We hope homebuyers will take a second look at these solid, blue-collar communities," said Councilman Vincent J. Gardina, a Perry Hall Democrat whose district includes the area.