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Howard County's two top elected officials plan to visit several provinces in China near the capital Beijing on their two-week trip to the Far East, sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).C. Vernon Gray, an east Columbia Democrat, County Council chairman and NACo president, invited County Executive James N. Robey, also a Democrat, to accompany other local government officials from across the country on the trip, which is intended to explore business, educational and cultural opportunities.

THESE SHOULD be happy times for veteran Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray. All three of his Republican nemeses left the council last year. He has ascended, finally, to the chairmanship of that now Democratic-controlled body. Later this year, he will be sworn in as president of the National Association of Counties.But someone is raining on the Gray parade. Freshman Councilman Allan H. Kittleman hasn't missed a beat in assuming a role often played by his Republican predecessors -- grand inquisitor into Mr. Gray's spending habits.

Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray's year as the president of the National Association of Counties (NaCO) was never expected to funnel tons of cash to the county, but two local high school seniors will get some green.Each NaCO president gets to give out two "Presidential Scholarships" -- one worth $10,000 and the other worth $4,000, both spread out over four years."I'm very pleased that Howard County people will be able to benefit," Gray said.Although he can award the money to any student, Gray said he will choose from among Howard residents.

Howard County's two top elected officials plan to visit several provinces in China near the capital Beijing on their two-week trip to the Far East, sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).C. Vernon Gray, an east Columbia Democrat, County Council chairman and NACo president, invited County Executive James N. Robey, also a Democrat, to accompany other local government officials from across the country on the trip, which is intended to explore business, educational and cultural opportunities.

Carroll County Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge now holds a national office.She was appointed to the board of directors for the National Association of Counties last Tuesday, at the lobbying group's annual conference in St. Louis. Commissioners Robin Bartlett Frazier and Donald I. Dell also attended the five-day event. They returned to Carroll County Wednesday."It was a surprise and an honor," said Gouge, who was the only elected official from Maryland to be appointed to the board by NACo president C. Vernon Gray.

Questioning expenses is fiscal prudenceHarold Jackson's Feb. 7 column, "Gray reaches summit and finds a surprise," seems to imply that with the Democrats now in charge and C. Vernon Gray firmly in control of the Howard County Council, the Republicans are to accept their minority status and not question the council chair about expenses.According to Mr. Jackson, questioning the use of taxpayer funds and holding elected officials accountable for their spending is considered "partisan acrimony."

Howard County taxpayers will pay to fly County Executive James N. Robey to China next month as part of a two-week trip sponsored by the National Association of Counties.Victoria Hastings-Goodman, a county spokeswoman, said taxpayers also will foot the bill for Robey's overnight hotel stays on his journeys to and from China."Once he is in China, all expenses are paid by NACo," she said.Hastings-Goodman said she does not know the cost of the plane tickets or hotel rooms, but that Robey is "looking into paying the difference between first class and coach" out of his own pocket.

More than 5,000 county officials from around the country are convening in Baltimore today to begin five days of meetings, parties and politics as the local governments wrestle with new duties left behind by a retreating federal bureaucracy.The National Association of Counties (NACo), representing nearly 2,000 of the nation's more than 3,000 counties, is primarily a lobbying group, taking positions on everything from land-use to utility deregulation to crime control.But a top issue at this year's annual conference -- running today through Tuesday at the newly expanded Baltimore Convention Center -- will be welfare reform.

Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray won the vice presidency of the National Association of Counties (NACo) yesterday, ending a two-year political odyssey that puts him in line to become leader of the powerful lobbying group in 1999.The east Columbia Democrat had crisscrossed the country campaigning for the office, taking only a short break after narrowly losing a shot at the job at last summer's NACo convention in Houston.Yesterday, Gray triumphed on a vote of 2,691 to 1,862 over Gerry Hyland, a Fairfax, Va., county supervisor who ran a high-powered campaign complete with a rhythm-and-blues band on the convention floor.

Seeking a louder voice on issues ranging from welfare reform to child-proofing pistols, 5,000 county officials gathered yesterday at the Baltimore Convention Center, where the annual conference of the National Association of Counties (NACo) swung into gear."You pull together as a team to lobby," said Baltimore County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger, explaining the organization's strategy before yesterday's official opening of the conference. "Most local government issues are the same.

Regardless of income, Baltimore residents can expect to start saving an average of 22 percent on their prescription drug costs, thanks to the city's newly adopted prescription drug discount card program sponsored by the National Association of Counties. Residents can pick up the card at local pharmacies, health clinics and libraries, and begin using it right away to reduce drug costs without filling out an application. An entire family can use a single card. "The discount card offers significant savings for the uninsured and underinsured residents of our city," said the city's interim health commissioner, Olivia Farrow.

Baltimore County will offer drug discount cards to residents this month, joining a nationwide program designed to help defray the cost of prescription drugs. Residents in neighborhoods with incomes below the county's median average of about $50,000 will receive cards through a mass mailing to about 100,000 households, while all other residents can pick them up in libraries, senior centers and other public buildings, the officials said. Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. is expected to announce the county's participation in the program, sponsored by the National Association of Counties, at a news conference this afternoon in Randallstown.

Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray's year as the president of the National Association of Counties (NaCO) was never expected to funnel tons of cash to the county, but two local high school seniors will get some green.Each NaCO president gets to give out two "Presidential Scholarships" -- one worth $10,000 and the other worth $4,000, both spread out over four years."I'm very pleased that Howard County people will be able to benefit," Gray said.Although he can award the money to any student, Gray said he will choose from among Howard residents.

Howard County's two top elected officials plan to visit several provinces in China near the capital Beijing on their two-week trip to the Far East, sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).C. Vernon Gray, an east Columbia Democrat, County Council chairman and NACo president, invited County Executive James N. Robey, also a Democrat, to accompany other local government officials from across the country on the trip, which is intended to explore business, educational and cultural opportunities.

Howard County's two top elected officials plan to visit several provinces in China near the capital Beijing on their two-week trip to the Far East, sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).C. Vernon Gray, an east Columbia Democrat, County Council chairman and NACo president, invited County Executive James N. Robey, also a Democrat, to accompany other local government officials from across the country on the trip, which is intended to explore business, educational and cultural opportunities.

Howard County taxpayers will pay to fly County Executive James N. Robey to China next month as part of a two-week trip sponsored by the National Association of Counties.Victoria Hastings-Goodman, a county spokeswoman, said taxpayers also will foot the bill for Robey's overnight hotel stays on his journeys to and from China."Once he is in China, all expenses are paid by NACo," she said.Hastings-Goodman said she does not know the cost of the plane tickets or hotel rooms, but that Robey is "looking into paying the difference between first class and coach" out of his own pocket.

Carroll County Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge now holds a national office.She was appointed to the board of directors for the National Association of Counties last Tuesday, at the lobbying group's annual conference in St. Louis. Commissioners Robin Bartlett Frazier and Donald I. Dell also attended the five-day event. They returned to Carroll County Wednesday."It was a surprise and an honor," said Gouge, who was the only elected official from Maryland to be appointed to the board by NACo president C. Vernon Gray.

Questioning expenses is fiscal prudenceHarold Jackson's Feb. 7 column, "Gray reaches summit and finds a surprise," seems to imply that with the Democrats now in charge and C. Vernon Gray firmly in control of the Howard County Council, the Republicans are to accept their minority status and not question the council chair about expenses.According to Mr. Jackson, questioning the use of taxpayer funds and holding elected officials accountable for their spending is considered "partisan acrimony."

THESE SHOULD be happy times for veteran Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray. All three of his Republican nemeses left the council last year. He has ascended, finally, to the chairmanship of that now Democratic-controlled body. Later this year, he will be sworn in as president of the National Association of Counties.But someone is raining on the Gray parade. Freshman Councilman Allan H. Kittleman hasn't missed a beat in assuming a role often played by his Republican predecessors -- grand inquisitor into Mr. Gray's spending habits.

Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray -- who grew up on the Southern Maryland tobacco farm where his grandfather was a sharecropper -- began a two-week official visit to China yesterday that marks a high point in a lifetime of political striving.As vice president of the National Association of Counties, the east Columbia Democrat will be the guest of the Chinese government, traveling from Hong Kong to Shanghai to Beijing, visiting local officials in counties a world away.The trip, coming shortly before the 15th anniversary of Gray's election to the council, illustrates how far he has come -- and how far he might go.Since his election in July as vice president of the counties group, known as NACo, Gray, 58, has visited the White House twice, had dinner at the Chinese Embassy and gone to conferences for county officials in four states.