The decision last November by Frederick County voters to go
to a Charter form of government has kept local political junkies preoccupied
ever since the election results were announced.
The ballot issue last fall was quite contentious in
Frederick County and even the preliminary discussions over exploring such a
change in Carroll County has already had a polarizing affect with people taking
sides quickly.
Ever since the county was formed in 1837 citizens have
tinkered with the county’s form of government.
In 1968 Carroll County voters rejected both Charter
government and Code Home Rule. In 1984, Code Home Rule was defeated.
In 1992 Charter government was defeated at the ballot box.
In 1998 the voters rejected a referendum to increase the Board of Commissioners
to five at-large members and rejected a Charter form of government.
I participated, in vain, in the Carroll County Committee for
Charter Government, in the effort to bring a Charter to Carroll County – that
was defeated at the polls in 1992.
In the late 1960s, 1980s and early 1990s, many of my close
friends and colleagues disagreed with my advocacy for Charter government.
Like most former mayors – who have experienced (municipal)
charter government, I strongly believe that Charter is a move in the correct
direction for a more cost-effective, efficient and citizen-oriented government.
I bristle that currently local Carroll County decisions are
made by people in Annapolis, who do not even know where Carroll County is.
I believe in local control and local decisions. And I am
convinced that, in the end, Charter is a cheaper form of government than the
anachronistic inefficient and ineffective government we currently have in
Carroll County.
According to numerous media accounts including that of Ryan
Marshall in the Frederick Gazette, “With the results of Tuesday’s election,
Frederick joins Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Dorchester,
Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Talbot and Wicomico counties with
charter government…”
And according to a thoughtful opinion written on December 4
by Jackie Jones, of Taneytown, the chair of the Carroll County Democratic
Central Committee, “Carroll is now the largest of the remaining six
commissioner counties of 24 jurisdictions in the state…”
Although there have been many conspiracy theories put forth
over the years as to why other community leaders, who care about the future of
Carroll as much as I do, disagreed.
In the end, they were simply concerned that it would cost
too much money.
I am well aware of the suggestion that the opposition to
Charter was all about those in power “who didn’t want to lose the power that
they had…”
In my experience, many of “those in power,” who are accused
of selfishly taking care of their personal power base at the expense of the
long-range interests of the citizens of Carroll County, are friends of mine.
And I sure hope they were being straight with me when they said they were
worried that Charter is a step in the direction of expansive and expensive big
government.
Moreover, I share their concern… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5583
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO
The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41
The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41
Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=Dayhoff
Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/
E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
+++++++++++++++
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/
E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
+++++++++++++++
