By DIANE BEDLIN, For The Capital 

Kent Island residents were well represented in an environmental networking meeting over the weekend at the Kent County home of Jan Graham, state legislative chairman for Sierra Club on the Upper Shore. 

Jan organized the meeting to share information among activists in five counties that all face similar concerns about growth and the ability of county government to control it. 

About 40 people from five counties attended, including Sierra Club state conservation Chairman Joan Willie and membership Chairman Mary Marsh. 

Ben Cassell of Stevensville, a Republican candidate for the Board of County Commissioner, and Ann Tamlyn of Centreville, a Democrat who hopes to challenge Rep.Wayne Gilchrest, were present. 

The Kent Island Defense League was also represented with Rick Moser, Mike Koval and Terry Babb. 

Cindy Parr of Stevensville was there representing the new Queen Anne's County Responsible Growth Political Action Committee. 

"We are a nonpartisan PAC with a mission to actively recruit, promote, elect and support thoughtful candidates who will be responsive to the local citizens and the realities of the Eastern Shores fragile environment," she said. 

"We are committed on a nonpartisan basis, to work actively and aid the political campaign of those candidates who will work to provide proper controls and safeguards to guarantee a sustainable level of growth." 

The group is looking for candidates who are ready to stop ballooning tax bills, traffic gridlock, unaccountable government, explosive growth, inadequate emergency services, irreversible damage to our environment and water and sewage problems. 

To this end they sent out a questionnaire with these areas in mind to the folks running for commissioner in the September primary and will be releasing the responses in about three weeks. 

For more information on this new group, call 410-643-2422 or you can email them at wparr@bluecrab.org.* 

At the end of the meeting, Jan reminded those present that the recently passed comprehensive plan for the county can easily be ignored. 

Even after extensive time, research and taxpayers' money has been put into this laborious effort; with one  stroke of the pen the comprehensive growth plan can become null and void. I have to admit I am one of those who thought that the commissioners had to stick to the growth plan. I assumed that there had to be more of a formal process to negate it.

Please don't forget tomorrow night is the bunko benefit for little Kinzey McHale. Kinzey is the Stevensville toddler battling a rare form of leukemia. 

Bunko is a fun and easy dice game, which will be held at the American Legion Hall on Route 8 South from 6:30 until 10 p.m. I understand they have a lot of wonderful prizes. 

The organizers told me they are trying to be flexible with folks' schedules, so if you have to come late or leave early there is still an opportunity to have fun and help raise money for Kinzey. 

A minimum donation of $10 is required to play. So come on out to support a great cause and have a great time. 

For more information, call Mary Allewalt at 410-643-0702 or Laura Poole at 410-643-1477. 

You may also donate directly to an account set up for Kinzey's needs at Queenstown Bank of Maryland, P.O. Box 120, Queenstown, MD 21658.

E-mail me your news at dhbedlin@friend.ly.net, fax me at 410-643-6208, or call me at 410-643-3283. 

Published June 26, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. 
Copyright © 2002 The The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

*NOTE FROM KIDL: The PAC has a new email address in addition to the above address: QACPAC@mycloudburst.net