Municipal League

The invitation makes it sound like an old-fashioned holiday party, with cocktails, dinner, dessert and conversation.But "party" is probably the wrong word to use these days whenever a group of elected officials get together.Friday evening's annual holiday get-together -- read "legislativelobbying" -- at the Union Bridge Volunteer Fire Company is the one time the county commissioners and members of Carroll's legislative delegation are wined and dined by the members of the county's chapter ofthe Maryland Municipal League.

The Maryland Municipal League will offer its annual essay contest to all public and private school students currently in the fourth-grade. This year's "If I Were Mayor, I Would... " essay theme is "Meeting the Challenge. " Entry forms and study guides were made available to schools and can be downloaded at Entries should be mailed to Mayors' Contest, Maryland Municipal League, 1212 West St., Annapolis, MD 21401. Eleven winners will be chosen and each will receive $100 and be invited to participate in the contest awards ceremony.

Two hundred council members and mayors from Maryland cities and towns are scheduled to gather in Westminster Thursday for the Maryland Municipal League's annual fall legislative conference.The 2 1/2 -day conference is also expected to attract candidates running for state offices from governor to comptroller.Democrat Parris N. Glendening and Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey are scheduled to speak at a luncheon Friday.The format doesn't include a debate, but the two candidates will be given a chance to rebut each other's points.

A seagull chattered away in the parking lot of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City (Md.) as, indoors, hundreds of elected officials gathered for the Maryland Municipal League annual meeting, June 26-29. Just inside, in the front lobby, Taneytown Mayor Jim McCarron and city administrator Henry Heine; Union Bridge Mayor Perry Jones; Hampstead Mayor Chris Nevin; and Westminster Mayor Kevin Utz and Councilmember Dennis Frazier gathered to compare notes after attending a roundtable forum with state cabinet secretaries.

The Maryland Municipal League has appointed New Windsor Mayor Jack A. Gullo Jr. chairman of its telecommunications committee.During the U.S. Conference of Mayors Nov. 14-15 in Chicago, Gullo will participate in lectures and seminars that will detail effects of telecommunications on local governments."

The 2-year-old effort to incorporate Columbia is dead.Incorporation activist Neil Noble said yesterday that the fledging Columbia Municipal League is disbanding. With its demise goes the most outspoken voice for turning the country's largest unincorporated planned community into a city."Indifference killed us," said Noble, treasurer of the incorporation group. "Because Columbia is such a desirable place to live, nobody gives a damn."Noble and others in the Columbia Municipal League -- fed up with what they see as the Rouse Co.'s corporate direction of Columbia -- had been collecting signatures from Howard County residents for more than two years.

A legal glitch discovered last month is preventing Crofton's specialtax district from joining the Maryland Municipal League.Town Manager Jordan Harding said lawyers from Crofton and the league are trying to resolve the issue, which may have to be put before the Annapolis-based organization's board of directors."

New Windsor Mayor Jack A. Gullo Jr. has been appointed chairman of the legislative committee for the Maryland Municipal League, a position he held two years ago.As chairman, Gullo will direct the league's lobbying efforts in the 1998 General Assembly session. The committee begins meeting twice monthly Aug. 20.St. Paul's minister leaves for new assignmentThe Rev. Marie Davies, who has been at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in New Windsor for two years, will leave Sunday for a new assignment as pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church near Marston.

The state legislature said no to two proposals from the Maryland Municipal League last year. Undeterred, the league is repeating its requests in 1996 and hoping persistence pays off.An increase in money for police and a constitutional amendment to end "unfunded mandates" are again the league's priorities.Maryland towns are spending about $85 million to enforce state and local laws, with the state contributing about 10 percent of the cost. Municipalities are paying for increases in protection, as well as benefits and training for officers.

Carroll County strengthened its voice in the Maryland Municipal League last month.At the league's annual convention in Ocean City, New Windsor Mayor Jack A. Gullo Jr. and Mount Airy Mayor Gerald Johnson were elected district vice presidents for the league. They will serve one-year terms on the board of directors, Gullo representing Carroll and Johnson representing Frederick County. Mount Airy is in Frederick and Carroll counties."As vice presidents, we deal with the budget and the daily running of the league," Gullo said.

Out-of-town growth uses up our water While I appreciate The Sun's commending the town of Mount Airy's decision to focus on water sources close to town borders and to create a green buffer at its perimeter ("Reverse field," editorial, June 14), I also encourage The Sun and its readers to recognize that the circumstances surrounding growth in Maryland are not always comparable and that a bigger issue exists in Western Maryland, especially in the Piedmont region. Most of the towns in the Piedmont region have either reached maximum development or are close to maximizing the development that can fit within the current water allocations from the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Ocean may swamp the Shore's growth Many valid reasons to limit Eastern Shore development were delineated in The Sun's editorial "Who's minding the Shore?" (July 5) and in Dan Rodricks' column "More is not necessarily better for the Shore" (July 6). However, one aspect of the problem needs special attention. Certainly, many of these new housing developments will be built in low-lying areas that are prone to the sort of flooding recently experienced by several local towns. And many of the new homeowners will be commuting long distances to work, increasing their personal contribution to greenhouse gases.

Ursula A. Franklin, a former member of the Cumberland City Council and a hospital secretary who was active in Western Maryland civic affairs, died of cancer Sunday at her Cumberland home. She was 66. Born in Baltimore and raised in the Govans section, Ursula A. McNerney was a 1955 graduate of Maryvale Preparatory School for Girls in Brooklandville and earned an associate's degree from Villa Julie College. She was a secretary in the radiology department and later the ear, nose and throat clinic at what is now the University of Maryland Medical Center.

The Maryland Environmental Service has appointed Jack A. Gullo Jr. as deputy director, giving New Windsor's former mayor and current councilman statewide responsibilities for water and wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and dredge containment and recycling facilities. "This is an outstanding organization and to be selected deputy director is an honor for me," said Gullo, 33. "I want to help in whatever way I can." Gullo, an attorney who two years ago was president of the Maryland Municipal League, has the background, experience and contacts that made him an ideal candidate for the job, said James W. Peck, director of the environmental service.

Municipal League offers scholarships for student essays The Carroll County Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League will offer several $500 scholarships to Carroll County high school students who have been accepted into a college or university or those already enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program. Applicants must meet criteria, complete the Student Scholarship Application and write an essay on the importance and function of municipal government in the community. Applications are available at the high school guidance offices and in all town offices.

Proponents and opponents of proposed transmission towers for cellular phone service presented their arguments to the Carroll County chapter of the Maryland Municipal League last night in Union Bridge."

The Maryland Municipal League, which represents the state's municipalities, unveiled in Annapolis on Friday "Maryland's 157: The Incorporated Cities and Towns," a new publication that celebrates the millennium by showcasing all 157 member towns and cities and serves as a resource for students of government. With a 12-foot-tall replica of the book in the background, league President Jack A. Gullo Jr. presented Gov. Parris N. Glendening with the official first copy. "It is a millennium gift from the cities and towns," said Linda M. Burrell, editor and league manager of education and member relations.