Political News: Large Agendas Fill a Short Month

By George Berkheimer

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman (D) traveled to Bangalore, India, in February to explore some of the partnerships established by county enterprises and market the county's suitability for further economic development cooperation and investment.
Ulman was accompanied by his chief of staff, Aaron Greenfield, and by Dick Story, president and CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. Nine Indian-American businessmen also made the trip, including Star Hotels CEO Mukesh Majmudar and Jay Parekh, president of Jaypar Inc., a Columbia-based technology consulting and services company with an office in Bangalore.
Ulman's itinerary included meetings with local government officials and a visit to the National Association of Software and Service Companies.
In one of his initial web log reports from India, Ulman wrote that one of the trip's main purposes was "to highlight the relationship between The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the anticipated July 2008 India lunar mission, the Chandrayaan-1."
The mission is designed to look for ice crystals on the moon.
Earlier in February, Ulman toured a newly renovated Worthington Elementary School in Ellicott City with Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) to emphasize school construction funding for Howard County.
O'Malley proposed a $333 million investment for state school construction in his fiscal year 2009 budget, with $14 million in school construction funds allocated for Howard County.

Housing Commission Audit
An independent audit of the Howard County Housing Commission for the year ending June 30, 2007, found numerous deficiencies in accounting practices, but declared the agency financially sound, with assets totaling more than $22 million.
Released on Feb. 4, the audit determined that the commission was understaffed and undertrained, failed to keep adequate records and was lax in the administration of more than 20 cash accounts tied to county-owned public housing and the county's subsidized housing programs, but found no evidence of fraud. The audit was conducted by Clifton Gunderson LLP, a consulting firm with expertise in audits for public housing authorities.
"We're in good shape financially," said Housing Commission Director Stacy Spann. "We're responding to these concerns with a plan of action, and we're [targeting] completion dates for [the audit's recommendations]."
The county is still working to reorganize the commission and provide adequate training, Ulman said. Seven new staff members have been hired to date and an additional 10 positions have been requested by Spann.
County Council Chair Courtney Watson (D-Dist. 1) said the council has requested a separate meeting with the auditors sometime during the first two weeks of March. "We want to get a better understanding of their [findings]," Watson said. "We would also like to determine if there are other things that need to be done that are not covered in the scope of the audit."
The audit was commissioned last year after opponents of the Centennial Gardens affordable housing project called for a review of the Housing Commission because of alleged illegal land deals, but Spann said the two issues are unrelated. The county is in the process of selling back the land in question.
He also confirmed that the commission has adopted a new land acquisition policy which will lend more transparency to the acquisition process. "The final version of the policy will be advertised within the next few weeks," he said.

Infill Legislation
On Feb. 21, Watson and Ulman announced plans to introduce legislation to better manage problems associated with infill development. The regulations are intended to promote better design, ensure compatibility with existing neighborhoods and strengthen environmental protections.
Watson will introduce ZRA-95, a regulation change that will help preserve existing neighborhoods through creation of a density exchange option in the eastern portion of the county. The regulation gives small property owners an opportunity to preserve their land while still being able to realize the financial value of a buildable lot which would otherwise be developed.
"Protecting the integrity of established neighborhoods is a priority we share not just for my district, but for the entire county," Watson said.
Ulman's proposed changes to the subdivision and land development regulations in the County Code, as well as corresponding amendments to the Zoning Regulations (ZRA-96) and Design Manual, address a variety of issues related to neighborhood infill development. They include limiting the use of pipe stem lots, strengthening open space and landscaping requirements, and expanding the applicability of storm water management requirements.
"We have been working on these proposals for many months, making sure they will address the complex problems associated with infill development," Ulman said.

Primary Election
The field of local candidates running for public office in the November presidential election was narrowed in Maryland's February primary. In the 3rd Congressional District, incumbent John Sarbanes received the Democratic nomination over John Rea, and Thomas Harris secured the Republican nomination against contenders Christopher Panasuk, Paul Spause and John Stafford.
Incumbent Elijah Cummings defeated Charles Smith in the 7th Congressional District's Democratic race, while Republican Michael Hargadon received the nomination over Ray Bly.
Six candidates will vie for three open seats on the Howard County school board in November. They include Diane Butler, Allen Dyer, Betsy Grater and Di Zou, along with incumbents Ellen Flynn Giles and Janet Siddiqui.
Tim McCrone ran unopposed for District 5 Circuit Court Judge.