ST. MARY'S TODAY
LEONARDTOWN ---
Local activist for
clean governance and
senior citizen Jack
Witten is shocked
and anguished.
"They should be
ashamed of
themselves," Witten
told ST. MARY'S
TODAY. Witten
blasted St. Mary's
new Board of County
Commissioners for
denying taxpayers
public access
television on how
their monies are
going to be spent.
"It's a shaky start
as the county has
hit a new low in the
degeneration of
local government,"
Commissioner Larry
Jarboe (R. Golden
Beach), the maverick
commissioner in
support of public
access television
showing of budget
work sessions, said
on Saturday.
Jarboe slammed the
decision making
behind closed doors
of government. "This
is not what Russell
promised during the
elections."
He deplored what he
called new policy of
private poll of
commissioners, in
stead of the
established
tradition of putting
crucial issues on
the public table.
"Commissioner Jack
Russell has gone
back on his words of
open government," he
said.
However, the local
vice president of
Democrat Party and
head of a
non-profit that gets
generous financial
support of the
county, said she saw
no harm in blocking
of the budget work
sessions on public
access television.
Kathleen O'Brien,
executive director
of Walden Sierra,
said blocking of the
live telecasts was
okay with her as the
meetings are really
long drawn. "The
majority of citizens
do not have Channel
95 any ways," she
told ST. MARY'S
TODAY.
For O'Brien the
matter was a
non-issue, but she
said she was
speaking for herself
as the issue has not
come up for
discussion before
the local Democratic
Party Central
Committee.
A
key community figure
disagreed. "I want
to switch on the
television and watch
what discussion is
taking place,"
school
superintendent Dr
Michael Martirano
said during an
informal lunch.
Jarboe said in his
two previous terms,
issues of importance
to the citizens were
always put on the
public table, with a
proper motion, a
second, debate and
voting, but that
process is now being
shelved.
Jarboe was taken
aback when on
resumption of the
session last
Tuesday, he found
the decision on live
telecast already
been made without
any public debate or
voting. Jarboe had
gone to the restroom
for a few minutes
but by the time he
reached his
seat, County
Commissioner
President Russell
(D. St. George
Island) had
announced to the
meeting that the
majority of the
commissioners were
against the live
telecasts.
Jarboe said Saturday
he thought a vote
has been taken on
the issue when he
was told the
majority of the
commissioners were
against the live
broadcast of budget
work sessions.
"When no debate or
discussion took
place on took place
on the public table,
it means a decision
was made behind
closed government
door," Jarboe said.
Interestingly,
visitors to the
Governmental center
can actually see the
main door to the
commissioners'
office section shut,
which was not the
case in the past.
Jarboe said it was
totally wrong
to assume county
worker Donna Gebicke
had played any role
in the blocking of
public access
television. "She's a
kindred soul and one
of the best workers
in the county,"
Jarboe said.
"I
want to give you a
heads-up the sole
reason Donna Gebicke
was applauded at the
Democratic Party
celebrations
is because former
county commissioner
president Tommy
McKay had given her
a hard time
by blaming her for
the wrong
information that he
had a bachelor's
degree."
McKay initially lied
to a Washington Post
reporter, but when
she confronted him
with the bare facts
he said he had
"panicked" and
"misspoke."
Jarboe disagreed
with Commissioner
Dan Raley's (D.
Great Mills)
statement that the
commissioners had
made the blackout
decision based on
the recommendation
of County
Administrator George
Forrest.
"Most county
officials come very
well prepared," he
said.
Jarboe
recalled Russell's
better half, who is
a journalist, had
always championed
the cause of open
government.
Jarboe said he would
not rest at peace
until the matter
becomes crystal
clear where each of
the commissioners
stand on the issue
of public access
television and said
he would call for a
proper debate and
vote in full view of
the public.
Other local
Democratic Party
leaders had not
responded to ST.
MARY'S TODAY queries
by print time.
Russell's comment
were awaited.
