Tuesday, July 17, 2012
More than $1 million in allowances for officers were reinstated this week by the County Council.
Anne Arundel County police officers will once again receive allowances for uniforms, service weapons and physical fitness activities after a County Council vote on Monday. The allowances will be distributed to the 540 members of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 70. Each member will receive: The allowances amount to $1,042,200 and were removed from last year’s budget, but were included in the 2013 fiscal year budget. They were officially reinstated on Monday by the County Council in a unanimous vote. Police officers who testified before the vote on Monday said they were grateful the allowances were being reinstated, but said it was an amount far short of what was needed. “This does little to address the depleted morale and …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
In a letter to the editor, the councilman from Severn said he is hopeful that the council will hold itself to a higher standard.
Anne Arundel County, The last few months have been very trying for me. In the few short weeks I have been appointed to this seat, many of you have reached out to me and expressed your displeasure of the current state the leadership in our county has created. If you have not been told, I want to officially apologize for our behavior. We are not perfect and we will stumble and like any steadfast servant, we will rise and continue to travel in the direction to move Anne Arundel County forward. Much like every other environment, it is filled with individuals who are only human and whose decisions can be clouded with lenses that are forged with a lifetime of diverse struggles. Recent events have lead us to make some tough choices —choices that…
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The councilman said he would serve the council as he served the Marines—with honor.
The Anne Arundel County Council's newest District 1 Councilman, Peter Smith of Severn, took the oath of office on Monday night. Smith said he hoped to serve his district and its citizens with honor. “This has been a whirlwind for me over the last two months,” Smith said. “I hope I can earn the trust and respect of citizens of District 1. I will spend the remainder of this two-and-a-half years working diligently for them, and hopefully in the end of that they will respect me and trust me as much as their own loved ones. “My intent is to serve them the same way I served the Marines and overseas—with honor. Hopefully that will speak for itself over the next few months,” he said. Smith was given a dozen roses after his initiation into the …
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Severn resident will replace the imprisoned Daryl Jones.
UPDATE (2:36 p.m. Tuesday)—A 32-day stalemate on the Anne Arundel County Council was broken Monday night when Councilman Dick Ladd (R-5th District) changed his vote to support Severn resident Peter Smith as the new councilman for District 1. Ladd's was the decisive vote after more than 100 deadlocked rounds of voting across four different council sessions ended in a tie between Smith and Mike Wagner of Glen Burnie. The first round of voting continued as usual, split 3-3 between Smith and Wagner. But during the second round, Ladd announced he was changing his vote to Smith. "It is with some trepidation that I will change my vote to Mr. Smith. I do this with a great deal of concern, deep thought, and I suspect ... trepidation about my future…
The Anne Arundel County Council is scheduled to meet Monday night for the fourth round of voting over District 1's successor.
The Anne Arundel County Council is scheduled to make its fourth attempt Monday at filling the District 1 seat left vacant by Daryl Jones. Jones, who reported to federal prison in January, was convicted in November for his failure to file federal income tax returns. Since February, the six remaining councilmen have been deadlocked in a tie stretching more than 100 votes between two replacement candidates—Michael Wagner and Peter Smith. Patch’s look at the two candidates, and the council’s failure to choose between them: Some of Smith's supporters have accused three Republican councilmen of playing political games with the vacant seat, just weeks away from the beginning of a crucial budget season. It’s now been more than 50 days since …
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44 Calvert St, Annapolis, MD
/articles/anne-arundel-county-council-takes-another-stab-at-replacing-daryl-jones-3-19-2012
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Thursday, March 15, 2012
While some residents hold strong opinions about the two remaining candidates, most said they are simply frustrated that their district has been without representation for more than a month.
Since Daryl Jones began his jail sentence in January following his tax evasion conviction, District 1 Anne Arundel County residents have been without a County Council representative. The remaining six members of the council have repeatedly tried, but failed, to agree on a replacement, creating angst among residents who worry that their concerns will not be heard as the council begins discussions on key issues. “We have no representation. What’s with that?” said Jim Thomas, a retired Army colonel and Hanover resident. “I think this whole political game, it all seems to put the needs of the people on the back seat. What’s a community if it doesn’t have leadership? I just think things are crazy.” The council has gone through more than 100 …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The County Council has failed to choose between Peter Smith and Mike Wagner after more than 100 rounds of voting.
It’s been 57 days since the Anne Arundel County Council declared Daryl Jones' seat vacant, and the remaining six members still cannot agree on his replacement. Can you do any better? Patch is wondering who you would choose and why? Ten people applied to replace the imprisoned Democrat, but the field was quickly narrowed to two: Peter Jones and Mike Wagner. Watch: Smith Video Interview, Wagner Video Interview There were 100 rounds of voting Feb. 16, and two more deadlocked sessions followed, the most recent on March 5. The county charter is partially to blame, as there is no tiebreaking procedure in place. The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday that the council's failure to choose a replacement within its self-imposed 30-day deadline may hurt …
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The earliest a change to the charter could take effect is in December.
Weaknesses in Anne Arundel County’s charter led to the current stalemate in selecting a successor to the District 1 council seat, a local political expert said. The charter could be amended to fix those weaknesses, bringing it closer to the rules in nearby municipalities—including Baltimore County and Annapolis—but the earliest a change could take effect is Dec. 6, 30 days after the next general election. Since former District 1 Councilman Daryl Jones went to federal prison Jan. 23, the council has bickered about who will fill his seat. The six remaining councilmen interviewed 10 candidates in February, narrowed them down to three, then two, then voted for 99 times in succession with a 3-3 split before calling it a night. They met twice …
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Severn resident has waited nearly a month as the county council works to select a candidate to fill the open seat.
Severn resident Peter Smith is seeking to fill the open seat for District 1 on the Anne Arundel County Council. It was left vacant when Daryl Jones reported to federal prison. See the interview with Mike Wagner. The other six members of the council are charged with selecting the person to fill the seat, but they remain deadlocked, with three members supporting Smith and the other three favoring local businessman Mike Wagner after more than 100 rounds of votes. The council is scheduled to vote again on March 19. Patch met with Smith to ask him about his reasons for seeking the District 1 seat, and about the important issues facing the district and the county. Patch also asked Smith his opinion on the council’s selection process. Name: Peter…
The Ferndale resident has waited nearly a month as the County Council works to select a candidate to fill the open seat.
Ferndale resident Mike Wagner is seeking to fill the open seat for District 1 on the Anne Arundel County Council. It was left vacant when Daryl Jones reported to federal prison. See the interview with Peter Smith. The other six members of the council are charged with selecting the person to fill the seat, but they remain deadlocked, with three members supporting Wagner and the other three favoring Marine Corps reservist Peter Smith after more than 100 rounds of votes. The council is scheduled to vote again on March 19. Patch met with Wagner to ask him about his reasons for seeking the District 1 seat, and about the important issues facing the district and the county. Patch also asked Wagner his opinion on the council’s selection process. …
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Michael's Eighth Avenue
7220 Grayburn Dr, Glen Burnie, MD
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Ronald
8:12 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Certain careers are forbidden from taking 2nd jobs because of the appearance of conflict or because it casts that profession in a bad light. Should police officers be allowed to wear their uniforms if they take a job at 7/11? or on a trash removal truck? Where do you draw the line? more ›