POLL: Best Candidate in 2014 County Executive Race

A few potential candidates have expressed interest in the 2014 race for Anne Arundel county executive, according to reports.

ACLU Sues County Executive, Police Over 'Enemies List'

A Cape St. Claire resident was among Leopold's alleged political enemies.

Maryland's American Civil Liberties Union has sued Anne Arundel County, its police department and indicted County Executive John Leopold for refusing to turn over files allegedly compiled by county police on Leopold's "enemies." "The facts are clear that Anne Arundel County Executive Leopold ordered his executive detail and other county employees to try to dig up dirt on those he perceived as political rivals, as well as women who complained that he harassed or discriminated against them," said Deborah Jeon, legal director for Maryland's ACLU in a statement. "The time has come for Mr. Leopold and the County to come clean about how, why, and against whom these illegal activities were carried out." Joanna Conti, a Cape St. Claire resident …

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Advocacy Network Encourages Parents to Join Committees

The group discussed its future along with school start times, classroom sizes and the allocation of new teachers in the county.

The Parents Advocacy Network (PAN) of Anne Arundel County held its third-ever meeting Tuesday night at the Edgewater Library and discussed grading curriculum, high school start times and class sizes. Chairwoman Joanna Conti and vice chairman Brad Myers lead the discussion with nearly a dozen local parents, many from the Severna Park area. Earlier this year, Conti and others created the PAN, an independent group comprised of local parents working to improve Anne Arundel County public schools. “The bulk of the work we do will be done through the committees we form. If we’re really going to be effective, we need to form groups of people that are really devoted to meet outside these once-a-week meetings,” Conti said. While the crowd was small …

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Terra Ziporyn Snider, Ph.D.

2:25 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012

If anyone wants to know more about PAN's later high school start time subcommittee, or about the state and national efforts on this issue, please send me an email or check out our countywide Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/103019689744482/) or the national coalition that's based right here in Anne Arundel County (http://www.startschoollater.net/).   more ›

Parent Advocate Group Chair a Political Target of Leopold

County Executive John R. Leopold reportedly had information on Joanna Conti and her husband.

Joanna Conti, a Cape St. Claire resident and former county executive candidate, was one of the many political enemies County Executive John R. Leopold kept private files on, The Baltimore Sun reports. The Baltimore Sun reported that Leopold used county staff and a statewide police criminal records database to gather information on his political enemies, according to information released by the Anne Arundel County Police Department in a public records request. The file on Conti included public information on a townhouse development she and her husband had invested in, and information on her husband's business.  Conti told The Baltimore Sun that Leopold should have hired his own campaign workers to track down information on political …

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Parents Form Advocacy Group to Improve County Schools

The first meeting of the new parents group will be March 27 at the Broadneck Library.

Parents dissatisfied with the process of public input at Anne Arundel County Public Schools have formed a new group to gather ideas for improvement to schools and will hold their first meeting in March at the Broadneck Library. The Parents Advocacy Network will be chaired by Joanna Conti, the former president of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education's Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), before it was reorganized in October. Conti had criticized the school system's change in policies regarding the CAC, but her words were not heeded by the school board. In a press release issued Monday, Conti said she polled residents online and found many were dissatisfied with their level of input at local schools. “Many parents feel they don’t have …

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Experts: Leopold Charges Show Moral, If Not Criminal Lapses

Legal experts said the charges against the Anne Arundel County executive show weakness, but that prosecutors will have to work hard to convict.

The allegations outlined in an indictment against Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold are publicly embarrassing, legal experts said, but prosecutors could have trouble convincing a jury that he broke the law. Maryland State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt announced on Friday that an Anne Arundel County grand jury handed down a nine-page indictment alleging that Leopold stole and hid campaign signs from a political opponent and used county police officers to drive him to sexual dalliances in public parking lots in 2010. The indictment includes four counts of misconduct and another of fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail. The indictment alleges that Leopold: Lawyers involved in public corruption cases said most …

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Conti Solicits Cost-Cutting Suggestions

Former county executive candidate creates a website to collect ideas for cost-savings projects.

Despite her defeat in the 2010 county executive race, Joanna Conti is still committed to working to improve the competency and efficiency of local government. The Broadneck resident recently created a website where county employees and citizens can submit cost-cutting ideas to address the county’s current fiscal problems. “One of my first priorities upon being elected county executive would have been to embark on an extensive cost-savings program,” said Conti, the Democratic nominee for Anne Arundel County Executive in 2010. “Mr. Leopold’s proposed cuts to educational funding and his requirement that county employees accept substantial pay cuts for a second year show just how tight our budget is.” Conti is requesting that county citizens …

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School Budget Battle Could Mean Furloughs, Layoffs

The county has asked for a waiver of "maintenance of effort" rules for school funding. The superintendent of schools said that would result in painful budget cuts.

Staff layoffs or furloughs at county schools could be needed if the county succeeds in getting an exemption from school funding requirements by the state, Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent Kevin Maxwell said Wednesday. Speaking before the county board of education, Maxwell said a successful waiver of the so-called “maintenance of effort” rule would force the school system to find $25 million worth of cuts, with the elimination of teacher positions and the suspension of some magnet and STEM programs under consideration.  “It’s those kinds of things we would have to have a discussion about, and say ‘what kinds of things can we really afford to do?’” Maxwell said. County Executive John R. Leopold has filed for an exemption from …

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Broadneck Resident Joanna Conti Prepares to Lead CAC

Despite having lost the county executive race, Conti continues to use her experience and expertise to improve the community.

For Broadneck resident Joanna Conti, losing the county executive race in November was not an opportunity to relax and take it easy. “I wanted to continue to find ways to stay active and make a difference,” she explained.  After hearing about the problems facing the school system’s countywide Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) and its change of leadership this winter, Conti believed that she could help the volunteer organization refocus its vision and strategies for being effective. The CAC advises and reports to the Board of Education on activities and programs affecting the public schools of Anne Arundel County. All county schools are required to participate in the program. The CAC is different from the PTA in that it doesn’t lobby, raise …

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Leopold Wins Re-election

Campaign message resonates with voters.

Republican incumbent John R. Leopold was elected into his second term as Anne Arundel County Executive after opposing candidate Joanna Conti conceded with 98 percent of the precincts reported. Leopold led opposing candidates with 51 percent of the vote, with Democrat Joanna Conti receiving 44 percent and Green Party Candidate Mike Shay earning 5 percent. Running largely off of his accomplishments over the past four years, Leopold's campaign of "Promises Made. Promises Kept" resonated with voters despite a $10 million lawsuit against him for an alleged sexual harassment charge. Results slowly trickled in, ultimately leading to Conti's concession. After being 10,000 votes behind Leopold with only 21 precincts to go, Conti conceded. "I feel …

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