Developer files ethics complaint
Claim filed against member of preservation panel over his refusal to recuse himself
A developer seeking to build a subdivision in the Lawyers Hill area of Elkridge has filed an ethics complaint against a member of Howard County’s Historic Preservation Commission.
Don Reuwer is proposing a subdivision of 17 single-family homes in the historic district located in Elkridge off Interstate 95.
The project needs approval from the Department of Planning and Zoning and advisory comments from the preservation commission. Reuwer would also need approval from the commission to build homes on the 8.76-acre property.
When Reuwer first went before the preservation commission last April, he asked commission member Drew Roth to recuse himself, noting that Roth’s own property, which is in close proximity to the proposed development, presented a conflict of interest. Roth declined to do so.
The complaint that Reuwer filed last week alleges that Roth has an “interest in the disposition of [the] case” and that he “has used the prestige of his office or public position for his own private gain.”
Roth declined to comment on the complaint but said last week in an email that he “seriously considered the matter and consulted the office of law and determined that it was not necessary for me to recuse myself.”
“I have no financial interest in the project and no personal interest other than my normal interest in preserving the history of Howard County,” he added.
—Erin B. Logan MakingChange launches free tax service MakingChange, a county nonprofit that works to empower individuals and families to achieve financial stability, recently launched its 2019 free tax preparation services.
The group is now conducting free tax preparation services at the MultiService Center, 9900 Washington Blvd., North Laurel and the NonProfit Collaborative, 9770 Patuxent Woods Dr., Columbia. Both locations are Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites.
The Howard County sites, like other VITA sites across the country, offer free tax return preparation and filing to most taxpayers who earned up to $55,000 in 2018. This year’s tax deadline is April 15.
Hours at the MultiService Center are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays; 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays, and10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
Hours at the NonProfit Collaborative are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesday.s Appointments can be scheduled by calling 443-518-7649.
Last year MakingChange volunteers assisted 743 taxpayers prepare their returns.
For more information, go to makingchangecenter.org.
—Staff report County school board election bill advances Howard County is one step closer to having voters choose five of seven school board members by County Council districts.
The county’s 12-member delegation to Annapolis voted unanimously at a work session last week to advance a proposal to change the way members of the Board of Education are elected, starting in 2020.
The bill would mean five of the seven board members would be elected by council districts — and only by voters from those districts.
The remaining two board members would serve at-large, representing the entire county, and would be elected by all county voters. School board candidates would decide whether to run for a district seat or an at-large seat.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Democrat, sponsored the bill. She sponsored a similar measure in 2016, though it failed to clear the legislature.
Atterbeary has said the reasoning behind modifying the school board election is “about geographical diversity, to make sure there is fair representation on the school board and to make it easier and less burdensome for someone to run for school board.”
The bill will now advance to various committees and subcommittees, then to the House and Senate floor.
—Jess Nocera
Don Reuwer is proposing a subdivision of 17 single-family homes in the historic district located in Elkridge off Interstate 95.
The project needs approval from the Department of Planning and Zoning and advisory comments from the preservation commission. Reuwer would also need approval from the commission to build homes on the 8.76-acre property.
When Reuwer first went before the preservation commission last April, he asked commission member Drew Roth to recuse himself, noting that Roth’s own property, which is in close proximity to the proposed development, presented a conflict of interest. Roth declined to do so.
The complaint that Reuwer filed last week alleges that Roth has an “interest in the disposition of [the] case” and that he “has used the prestige of his office or public position for his own private gain.”
Roth declined to comment on the complaint but said last week in an email that he “seriously considered the matter and consulted the office of law and determined that it was not necessary for me to recuse myself.”
“I have no financial interest in the project and no personal interest other than my normal interest in preserving the history of Howard County,” he added.
—Erin B. Logan MakingChange launches free tax service MakingChange, a county nonprofit that works to empower individuals and families to achieve financial stability, recently launched its 2019 free tax preparation services.
The group is now conducting free tax preparation services at the MultiService Center, 9900 Washington Blvd., North Laurel and the NonProfit Collaborative, 9770 Patuxent Woods Dr., Columbia. Both locations are Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites.
The Howard County sites, like other VITA sites across the country, offer free tax return preparation and filing to most taxpayers who earned up to $55,000 in 2018. This year’s tax deadline is April 15.
Hours at the MultiService Center are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays; 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fridays, and10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
Hours at the NonProfit Collaborative are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesday.s Appointments can be scheduled by calling 443-518-7649.
Last year MakingChange volunteers assisted 743 taxpayers prepare their returns.
For more information, go to makingchangecenter.org.
—Staff report County school board election bill advances Howard County is one step closer to having voters choose five of seven school board members by County Council districts.
The county’s 12-member delegation to Annapolis voted unanimously at a work session last week to advance a proposal to change the way members of the Board of Education are elected, starting in 2020.
The bill would mean five of the seven board members would be elected by council districts — and only by voters from those districts.
The remaining two board members would serve at-large, representing the entire county, and would be elected by all county voters. School board candidates would decide whether to run for a district seat or an at-large seat.
Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Democrat, sponsored the bill. She sponsored a similar measure in 2016, though it failed to clear the legislature.
Atterbeary has said the reasoning behind modifying the school board election is “about geographical diversity, to make sure there is fair representation on the school board and to make it easier and less burdensome for someone to run for school board.”
The bill will now advance to various committees and subcommittees, then to the House and Senate floor.
—Jess Nocera
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