Council Set to Vote on Rules for Replacing County Exec, Council

At the next meeting of the Anne Arundel County Council on August 6, the council is prepared to vote on two resolutions that would set rules for replacing members of the County Council and the County Executive.

County Executive John Leopold will be tried beginning September 4 on charges of misusing his executive security (police) detail for personal gain. Earlier this year, Councilman Darryl Jones was sent to prison for not filing tax returns.

Two proposals, Resolution 32-12 and Resolution 33-12 will amend the county Charter to provide for removal of the County Executive and County Councilmember for conviction or failure to perform duties.

A labor group, however, is raising concerns over the council’s plan to appoint their own and the county executive’s replacements. They have asked voters to take a quick poll to see if they agree. The poll can be found here: www.AnneArundelChoice.com.

“We think voters should have the right to choose who would be the next County Executive or Councilman if a position becomes vacant,” said Robert Yeatman, chair of the Anne Arundel Committee on Political Education. “But our biggest concern is that the County Council is making these extremely important decisions with little public input.”

Yeatman said that a special election—both primary and general—is estimated to cost $150,000 to $200,000 for an individual councilmember, and about $1.2 million for a countywide race. However, if Anne Arundel County followed Montgomery County’s lead and received legislative approval to hold mail-in special elections, it could reduce the cost by nearly half.

Currently neither council bill provides for any election. All replacements would be made by the council. If the laws pass, they will go before voters for an up or down vote in November.