LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD

A Message
From Your President
 

This year the Baltimore County LWV wants to be better advocates on “county” issues. And to do so we know that we must concentrate on a very few, but significant issues. And my question for you is what do you think are the most important issues facing the county this year. What are your priorities, that the County and County Government deals with?

I’ll describe some of the issues that have been mentioned, but please feel free to come up with your own priorities.

Land Use: especially preserving the use of the “Master Plan 2010 in county planning –available online at www.baltimorecountymd. gov/Agencies planning/ masterplanning. This year the Terrapin Run decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals issued a ruling that might invalidate all master plans in Maryland, jeopardizing our struggles to require our local government to stick to our own comprehensive land use plan or our state’s growth-management policies in making development decisions. Something everyone has worked so hard on for so many years!

Would we like our County Council and the land use administrators to know that this is an important planning tenet that we’d like them to adhere to?

We are concerned about transportation, and the ways various modes transportation linkthroughout the region.

We have the new Metro Red Line stations being considered at two ends of the line that fall in Baltimore County, in Catonsville and in Dundalk. How involved do you want us to be in these public input opportunities and decision making days? There is also the rural transportation plan and our efforts to secure federal dollars in the BRTB process.

We already know that you want us to pay attention to recycling for multifamily units and businesses. Election judges are another crisis in our (and most other) counties. How much effort do you want us to put into working with our board of elections to help them out by using split shifts, closers and other forms of relief for the long suffering election judges?

Open Meetings in Baltimore County may be another issue you are concerned about, especially with the recent newspaper articles about the Board of Education and their new rules for public participation. We have similar issues with many other boards and commissions, as well as the County Council itself.

What is going on in your district? Call us at 410 377 8046 and leave a message about what you see as our priorities, or email us at info@baltimore.lwvmd.org or drop us a line at 6600 York Road, Suite 211, Baltimore, Md 21212.

And in that light we will be advocating for our position against the Council proposed change in the Baltimore County Charter which removes the prohibition on serving as a member of the County Council while holding employment with the State. This will be on your election ballot at the general election on November 4, 2008. More in the next voter!!

So What is Your Priority for Baltimore County Government??

Marjie

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