Local Board Appointments
- Thread starter Oz
- Start date
I thought that it was hilarious when Dement "forgot." So we have gone from far to the left to far to the mental ward. Let's find that happy medium. As for some of the people that thought that Dement would bring more to the table than a rubber stamp, what do you have to say? You're guy cannot even remember to second a motion...Oh, boy, we're gonna have a rough time as long as these boys have power.
I don't know if you guys heard this either but while at the meeting, it was disclosed that the county had enough money to build the pool in Great Mills that all of you pointed to as a prime example of corruption by the last board. Yet there is not enough money for the county to operate it. Commissioner Dement's solution: "let's allow those developers build a bigger building and maybe they'll pay for the operation of the pool too." So much for change...now it just comes from a good ole' boy and not a New England socialist.
I don't know if you guys heard this either but while at the meeting, it was disclosed that the county had enough money to build the pool in Great Mills that all of you pointed to as a prime example of corruption by the last board. Yet there is not enough money for the county to operate it. Commissioner Dement's solution: "let's allow those developers build a bigger building and maybe they'll pay for the operation of the pool too." So much for change...now it just comes from a good ole' boy and not a New England socialist.
Do tell! Gimme the dirt - I don't live down there anymore and am out of the loop, politically.
Here's the story...
Jarboe motioned that Joe Gass be appointed to some local board. When McKay asked for seconds, none of the members did so. McKay has promised that he would not second any motion while he was on the board as president, and of course Mattingly and Raley would not consent for obvious reasons. Yet Mr. Dement failed to second the motion. McKay asked again and again there was an awkard silence. Then McKay convened a short recess in which the GOP buddies got together and told Dement that he was supposed to second the motion. It happened and bam by a 3-2 margin Gass gets on.
Jarboe motioned that Joe Gass be appointed to some local board. When McKay asked for seconds, none of the members did so. McKay has promised that he would not second any motion while he was on the board as president, and of course Mattingly and Raley would not consent for obvious reasons. Yet Mr. Dement failed to second the motion. McKay asked again and again there was an awkard silence. Then McKay convened a short recess in which the GOP buddies got together and told Dement that he was supposed to second the motion. It happened and bam by a 3-2 margin Gass gets on.
Kenny sez, "Huh? Oh yeah..." 
K
Kain99
Guest
Dems.... Is this information coming from a reliable source? I'm hoping this is just a nasty rumor..... Dement can't be this confused...... Can he?
K
Kain99
Guest
That's what I was afraid of..... I'm still working of course, because I messed around too much today, anyway..one of my co-workers (Sam) laughed at your post and said "I wonder If Dement is an idiot or .... an evil genius" Good question, considering the issue on the table at the time of the brain cramp.
Oz
You're all F'in Mad...
C'mon DFM... That's just not fair. He never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the lamp, but I like the fact that a regular guy can be elected to serve in local government.
Remind me - how many years did Commissioner Dement serve on YOUR Democratic Central Committee? How many times did YOUR party allow him to lose a commissioner race? Yet, he's batting 1.000 as a Republican.
That occurred at the first commissioner meeting for this board. And, Kenny basically suggested this twice before he actually said it. And YES, there is change! President McKay quickly said that the building didn't have any relation to the pool, and he didn't suggest a tax increase. Two changes from the last board, and that happened at their first meeting together.
He was nominated as a Trustee for St. Clements Island Museum, or whatever that board is called. Mattingly obviously wasn't going to second a guy who ran a tough campaign against him. Raley had an issue with one of the other appointees in the package. So that left Dement as the only member available to second the motion.
If they are following Roberts Rules of Order, the President would not typically make a motion or second it. I think I am correct about this??
Anyway, DFM, if it's any consolation to you, I'm tickled to death with the Commissioner Board that was elected, both Democrats and Republicans. Your party would be much better off with more Kenny Dements' and fewer Merv Hampton's running the show. The saving grace for your party is Frank Taylor, who hopefully will silence the jerks who have diarrhea of the mouth.
Frank is a great person and he will do much to help the party, Merv needs to shut up, but I disagree with your assessment of Kenny Dement...I don't think that he brings much to the table. Why did he win this time? He ran against one of the most vulnerable incumbent on the board. I had my problems with Joe and if somebody else had run against him, well, I most likely would have voted for that person. It has nothing to do with his political party affiliation. Kenny is a great person, I love him to death. But sometimes the nicest guys don't make the best leaders.
Oz
You're all F'in Mad...
C'mon DFM... Vulnerable? There isn't a Democrat around, myself included at the time, that didn't think Joe Anderson won the general election on the night of the primary. (Same goes for the Republicans in Jarboe's race.) I guarantee you that Stenny Hoyer's polling people didn't think Anderson was vulnerable at all. (I received phone calls on the President's race, not the other race.) I can't even believe you said that!
Kenny Dement sat on the Democratic Central Committee for what? 12 years, or was it 16 years? I'd much rather have him in there, than a guy who thinks he's smarter than -everyone- on earth! That's the beauty of our democratic system. And the voters realize that Kenny comes at face value, and I think that's why he won. The voters knew what we were getting in Kenny, and his opponent had a record that we didn't like!
Last edited:
Ok, Joe carried 52% of the primary field. This was far ahead Evans or Boothe but still it is significant dissent from within your own party. In the past several elections locally, the parties of the candidates do not carry as much weight as they used to. Anderson did not run a very effective campaign while Kenny did a great job on the streets. He was in Leonardtown every day meeting the voters at the DO DAH DELI or NOOKS AND MONKS. Joe's support of 1-in-20 killed his chances. The party bigwigs like Dorsey came out against him. I thought that Joe and Julie were gonna lose hands-down.
Tonio
Asperger's Poster Child
Getting back to appointments...is the current County Attorney the same man who was County Public Works Director back in the '80s? There was a blurb in Wednesday's paper that alluded to this.
If he's the same guy, then my opinion of the previous commissioner board (and the current County Administrator) just sunk further.
How can an engineer serve as a lawyer? True, I've seen engineers serve as de factor lawyers before the Planning Commission, but that's not the same thing as actually holding a law degree.
Also, nothing against him personally, but his former engineering firm was locked in tight with the major developers. Lots of potential for conflicts of interest.
Anyone wonder if the new commissioners will dump the County Administrator before long? He has the same conflict of interest potential as the current County Attorney, since his former law firm used to do the legal work for those same developers. And what qualifications does he have to be an administrator, anyway?
If he's the same guy, then my opinion of the previous commissioner board (and the current County Administrator) just sunk further.
How can an engineer serve as a lawyer? True, I've seen engineers serve as de factor lawyers before the Planning Commission, but that's not the same thing as actually holding a law degree.
Also, nothing against him personally, but his former engineering firm was locked in tight with the major developers. Lots of potential for conflicts of interest.
Anyone wonder if the new commissioners will dump the County Administrator before long? He has the same conflict of interest potential as the current County Attorney, since his former law firm used to do the legal work for those same developers. And what qualifications does he have to be an administrator, anyway?
If they do follow Roberts Rules of Order, then the process would be;
Introduction of Business - business is brought before it either by the motion of a member, or by the presentation of a communication to the assembly. It is not usual to make motions to receive reports of committees or communications to the assembly. There are many other cases in the ordinary routine of business where the formality of a motion is dispensed with, but should any member object, a regular motion becomes necessary, or the chair may put the question without waiting for a motion.
Seconding Motions - As a general rule every motion should be seconded. This is to prevent time being consumed in considering a question that only one person favors, and consequently little attention is paid to it in routine motions. Where the chair is certain the motion meets with general favor, and yet members are slow about seconding it, he may proceed without waiting for a second. Yet, any one may make a point of order that the motion has not been seconded, and then the chair is obliged to proceed formally and call for a second. The better way when a motion is not at once seconded, is for the chair to ask, "Is the motion seconded?" In a very large hall the chair should repeat the motion before calling for a second in order that all may hear. After a motion has been made no other motion is in order until the chair has stated the question on this motion, or has declared, after a reasonable opportunity has been given for a second, that the motion has not been seconded, or has ruled it out of order. Except in very small assemblies the chair cannot assume that members know what the motion is and that it has not been seconded, unless he states the facts.
Tonio,
I don’t think he is the same guy that you are thinking of. At least according to what is contained in the press release when he was appointed.
John B. Norris III - Mr. Norris received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Civil Engineering and Technology, in 1993, from Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia. He continued his studies at Ohio Northern University, in Ada, Ohio, where he received his Juris Doctorate in 1996.
The potential for conflict might be from his previous employment. As the press release states.
He was employed as a Project Engineer at NG& O Engineering, Inc., in Leonardtown, Maryland, as a Research Assistant at Ohio Northern University, in Ada, Ohio, and as a Legal Intern at Ohio Northern University, in Ada, Ohio.
Oz
You're all F'in Mad...
NO! Our County Attorney is the 32 year old son of the former County Engineer. I would find it very unfair to hold the guy's father's business against him when all he did was work a summer job.
That brings about the "Duh!" response from me. Of course engineering firms are employed by developers. A homeowner doesn't need them to plan the location of their garden.
Both Mr. Norris' are their own men. To question their integrity, I believe, would require a personal relationship with one or both. I know both, and it's not an issue, in my opinion.
Again, I will stop short of questioning Mr Lacer's integrity, because I have only met him two times, and don't know him personally or directly.
But, I too wonder about your two questions. How long will he last, particularly because, in my opinion, he does not have the qualifications to run County Government. Frankly, his resume doesn't include big business/budget experience, and his small law firm would have had only a few employees. County Government meanwhile has a large budget, and hundreds of employees, and many managers/department heads so the County Administrator should have corporate or similar government experience, in my opinion. Unfortunately, not only did the previous board run off a competent and experienced administrator in John Kachmar, but they extended Al Lacer's contract for two more years. So unless he resigns, I believe he will serve out his contract because this board probably is not willing to waste our tax money buying out his contract.
Last edited:
Tonio
Asperger's Poster Child
Thanks for the info, Oz and Ken.
It was never my intention to question the integrity of Norris and Lacer themselves, only the integrity of the people who put them there.
My point about Norris The Second was not the obvious one about large development projects requiring the services of professional engineers. Instead, it was about the possible political connections of his clients, and whether those clients could have used such connections with the old commissioners.
It was never my intention to question the integrity of Norris and Lacer themselves, only the integrity of the people who put them there.
My point about Norris The Second was not the obvious one about large development projects requiring the services of professional engineers. Instead, it was about the possible political connections of his clients, and whether those clients could have used such connections with the old commissioners.