Under the proposed ordinance, there would be five elected commissioners. The county would have four "residency" districts and one "resident" commissioner would be elected from each district. The fifth "at large" commissioner would be commission president and could live in any one of the four districts. All candidates for commissioner - whether they are seeking one of the four resident commissioner slots or the at large slot - would run for office countywide and voters could vote for one at large candidate and one candidate per resident district.

About 30 people attended the Tuesday night hearing. Reaction to the bill was mixed. Charlie Rhodes, a Church Hill Town Councilman and chairman of the Queen Anne's County Democratic Central Committee, said the proposed ordinance was "well drafted and addresses the concerns of Queen Anne's County citizens." He said it would also mark the first time that county voters would have the opportunity to elect the commission president.

Sharon Carrick, a member of the Queen Anne's County Republican Central Committee, opposed the bill. She favors keeping the current arrangement in which three at large commissioners are elected; there are no residency districts; and the commissioners themselves elect the commission president.

Carrick said her views "changed substantially" during her work on an 11-member study committee which looked into the commissioner district issue. The committee listed four options for setting the structure of the commission board in its November 2001 report.

The committee's preferred option was the "2-1-2" plan in which there would be five elected county commissioner and three residency districts. One district would be Kent Island and have two commissioners. One commissioner would be from a district that would include the Queenstown and Grasonville areas. Two commissioners would be from a district that would include Centreville and northern and eastern areas of the county.

Dan Shortall, a Ruthsburg area farmer, said he likes the 2-1-2 plan, but not the 4 resident/1 at large plan. "I think it's going to separate the ag community from the rest of the county. ... So I think it's going to be counter productive."

Under the proposed ordinance, District 1 would include the rural northern and eastern areas of the county, including Church Hill, Kingstown, Crumpton, Sudlersville, Barclay, Templeville, Queen Anne and Ruthsburg. District 2 would include the Centreville and Queenstown areas. District 3 would include Grasonville and part of Kent Island - all of the island north of U.S. Route 50 and the part south of Route 50 and east of Crab Alley Creek. District 4 would include all of Kent Island south of Route 50 and west of Crab Alley Creek.

H. Joseph Gannon of Church Hill and Sudlersville area resident Alan Schmidt both said they preferred the 2-1-2 plan, but felt the plan specified in the ordinance was acceptable. Schmidt, president of the Queen Anne's County Farm Bureau, said the commission president should be elected by the commissioners.

Centreville area resident Richard A. Smith, a member of the Queen Anne's County Board of Education, said he is "very opposed" to the 4 resident/1 at large plan and having the at large commissioner automatically made commission president. If the commissioners oppose the 2-1-2 plan, Smith suggested a 3/2 plan as an alternative - have two districts with three commissioners from one district and two commissioners from the second district. If a four-district plan is adopted, Smith said the next highest overall vote-getter should be the fifth commissioner after the four resident commissioners are elected.

Stevensville resident Loring Mills said the 4 resident/1 at large plan would be "extremely hard" to administer. He preferred the current set-up with three at large commissioners.

Centreville resident Ann Tamlyn said District 1 - which includes most of the county's farms - is the most important district in the county. She said the 4 resident/1 at large plan could work. 

"It probably is a good idea to go to districts," said Chester resident Mike Koval. He asked if the cost of government would increase if the board expanded from three to five commissioners.

Commissioner George O'Donnell said written comments on the proposed ordinance will be accepted until Feb. 4. Comments can be mailed to the Queen Anne's County Commissioners Office, Liberty Building, 107 N. Liberty St., Centreville, Md. 21617. (NOTE FROM KIDL:  email qacc@qac.org)  The earliest the commissioners can vote on the ordinance is Feb. 5. 

©The Star Democrat 2002