All 4 commissioners attend economic development session
Friday, Aug. 27, 2010
By MEREDITH SOMERS
Staff writer

The Charles County commissioners met Tuesday with their newly appointed economic development executive board without giving advance notice of the meeting or opening it to the public.

When asked if the four commissioners’ attendance with no public notice violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Commissioner Sam Graves (D) said, “You’re right. The four of us were there, on government property. Like I said, it wasn’t intended to be a meeting [of the commissioners]. It was an opportunity for us to thank them for volunteering.”

Full story at SoMdNews.com

From transparency to business attraction, candidates weigh in
Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010
By MEREDITH SOMERS
Staff writer

With each of the candidates for the Charles County commissioners’ president seat promising positive change, how each plans to do so is highlighting differences in each platform.

Not surprisingly, the issues that have riled up residents in newspaper headlines — economic development, school funding and transparency — have become the forefront issues for the contenders.

Click here to read the full story at Southern Maryland Newspapers Online

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County affordable housing scheme panned
Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010
By MEREDITH SOMERS
Staff writer

Issues of motivation and accountability have taken the forefront in the continuing conflict between Charles County leaders and Cliffton on the Potomac residents upset at the affordable housing development planned for the Newburg area.

“The county wants to meet with the community but they’re trying to get it done real quick. I think we need time for us to meet and figure out where we’re going,” said Mike Seman, a Cliffton resident and organizer of the July 26 meeting between residents and the county administration. “I don’t think everyone is totally against it; we want [new] homes that are built comparable to the homes on the street.”

Click here to read the full story at Southern Maryland Newspapers Online

Open government

The Charles County commissioners regularly meet in closed sessions. The Maryland Open Meetings Act allows them to do this when they are, for example, discussing personnel issues, the acquisition of property and the investment of public funds or consulting with counsel on legal issues and pending or potential litigation.

In May, this newspaper questioned whether the commissioners violated the law in two instances that month. One of the complaints concerned a by-invitation-only meeting May 21 that the commissioners held at the community college. Two other complaints about that same meeting were filed by citizens. The paper maintained that since members of the community were denied access it suggested a deliberate effort to stifle public participation in the government process. In the county’s response to the state, the county attorney admitted that the county commissioners had made “a mistake and it was wrong” to deny access to the meeting. The response also offered some convoluted reason for why a small room ended up being the venue for the meeting. All that could have been avoided if the county had simply held the meeting where it belonged — in the auditorium in the county government building.

Read the fully story at Southern Maryland Newspapers