The 'Cash Cow' Johnny Wood Shares
his Campaign Funds with Republican McKay
Developers, Land Owners with Pending Zoning Decisions Donate to McKay’s Senate Bid

By Kenneth C. Rossignol

ST. MARY’S TODAY

LEXINGTON PARK --- Del. Johnny Wood (D. Mechanicsville), who was dumped by the Speaker of the House as a committee chairman, is now taking his revenge on the Democratic Party by donating campaign funds he has raised for his own re-election to the campaign of St. Mary's Commissioner Tommy McKay for his effort to beat Senator Roy Dyson. But Wood isn't alone, as the who's-who of local builders and developers are also piling heaps of money on McKay's effort to win the area's senate seat.

While the pro-growth building industry tycoons of the region are chomping at the bit to replace the controlled-growth oriented Dyson, some may have a specific agenda and purpose for their contributions as a pending change in the zoning law is contemplated.

Several local developers and builders who are pressuring for a change of heart on the board of commissioners on the issue of expanding the Lexington Park development district have recently given sizable donations to St. Mary’s Commissioner President Tommy McKay (R. Hollywood) for his campaign for the Republican nomination to oppose Senator Roy Dyson.

According to State campaign finance records, Bernard Beavan, owner of a parcel of land on St. Andrew’s Church Road in California, that he is seeking to be included in the development district, donated $100 to McKay on Jan. 4^th.  

Jeffrey Kozero, owner of Empire Homes, which gave several thousand dollars to the Friends of Tommy McKay last year, pumped in another $4,000 to McKay’s fundraising group on Nov. 6^th.

Kozero and his attorney and partner, Marc Cohen, are the developers of the proposed St. George Peninsula, a waterfront development planned for part of the former Harry Lundeberg School farm property near Andover Estates. 

The project contemplates a new sewer system which Metcom director Steve King says is doomed to fail. If that happens, the project would then petition to be attached to the existing sewer main which serves Piney Point.

The developers Cohen and Kozero, as well as Beavan have been advocating the inclusion of Beavan’s property in the development district.

One local opponent of the expansion of the development district to include Beavan’s property is former commissioner and farm bureau president Robert Jarboe who makes the argument that Beavan asked for RL zoning and got it, making any threats of litigation against the county hollow arguments.

Linda Vallandingham, who, along with Robert Jarboe, led a successful citizen campaign to halt expansion of the development district last year, also is concerned about the expansion of the district.

“I hope I can get the engines revved up again to do battle one more time and hopefully put this issue to rest at least for a little while into the future,” Vallandingham told ST. MARY’S TODAY last week.

With the thousands of dollars pouring into McKay’s campaign for the Senate from builders and developers over the past six months, it appears that Vallandingham and Jarboe are not the only ones that are revving up their engines.

More campaign records of donations to Friends of Tommy McKay