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Queen Anne's representation
tabled
If members of the Queen Anne's County Board of Commissioners were undecided about expanding their ranks, last night's public hearing probably didn't help. Less than 30 people showed up to the hearing on whether the county should change the board's makeup from three at-large commissioners to four commissioners from districts and one at-large commissioner who would serve as president. The meeting held in the commissioners meeting room in Centreville lasted only a half hour. And among the dozen people who spoke, there was hardly a consensus. "I'm undecided, probably like yourself," said Mike Koval, vice president of the Kent Island Defense League, a citizens activist group. "But I do like the districting thing. However, I'm worried about the cost of such a change while the county is in a fiscal crunch." The proposal, introduced on Dec. 18 by Commissioner Marlene F. Davis, D-Queenstown, aims to give better representation of residents countywide. Some residents feel the northern part of the county is not sufficiently considered by the board, all of whose members live south of Centreville. The board also includes President George O'Donnell, D-Queenstown, and Commissioner John McQueeney, R-Stevensville. If passed, the districts would be as follows: District 1 -- The eastern half of the county, including Church Hill, Sudlersville, Kingstown, Barclay and Crumpton. District 2 -- Centreville and Queenstown. District 3 -- Grasonville and Kent Island north of Route 50. District 4 -- Southern Kent Island. Dan C. Shortall of Centreville said he feared the proposal would pit the rural agricultural community -- which would mostly be represented by one voting district -- against the rest of the county. Others suggested improvements to the proposal. "I can live with this plan, however, I would like it to be more specific," said H. Joseph Gannon of Church Hill. "As I see it, someone could run for a district and run at-large." But Ann D. Tamlyn, a resident of Centreville, said the proposal "gives every district in this county a choice to be heard every time the commissioners meet." Both Mr. Gannon and Ms. Tamlyn ran in the 1998 county commissioners election. Charlie Rhodes, who spoke on behalf of Del. Wheeler R. Baker, D-Chester, said he supported the proposal as "a matter of equity." A measure sponsored by Mr. Baker put the idea of expanding the board to a straw poll in the 2000 general election. In the non-binding results, two-thirds of county voters said they favored a larger board and district-based voting. Mr. O'Donnell said he believes considerable work needs to be done on the proposal before it can be passed. "The approach that is provided here is very difficult to implement," he said. However, it's not impossible. The "4 to 1" model is successfully being used in Charles and St. Mary's counties, Mr. O'Donnell said. If approved, the proposal
becomes law within 45 days, he noted, leaving the commissioners "plenty
of time to make changes before the next election."
Published January 16,
2002,
The
Capital, Annapolis, Md.
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