I am pleased to report that the selection process for the new Board of Education member was executed in a fair and transparent manner. I have to give credit to the County Executive and the Council President who heard the concerns over the manner in which the last Board of Education Member was appointed without any knowledge of the applicants or public input, and improved the process this time.

The County Council issued a public statement inviting those interested to submit applications. We received 17 applications; each person applying was highly qualified in a unique way and whittling down that list to a manageable interview size was challenging. In the end, the County Council decided to interview 6 candidates, who had each been requested to be interviewed by more than one Council Member.

The interviews took place in front of the entire Council and were recorded for public viewing. There was a public comment period where citizens could comment on each candidate and we received numerous emails and contacts about candidates that were interviewed. We voted to forward three names to the County Executive, each qualified in a special way -- Rae Gallagher, Sue Johnson, and Ron Peppe. The process produced these three qualified candidates in a transparent manner, one of whom will be selected by the County Executive and come back to the County Council for confirmation.

Next, the need for traffic relief in our region is one that I have continually talked and written about. The Governor has proposed a traffic relief plan that is the only realistic solution that will get our highways moving within the next decade but it is teetering on the brink of approval. I was so excited to learn that expansion of Interstate 270 to Frederick would be part of the first phase of change. However, I am dismayed that there are those in the Washington region who discount the need for additional interstate lanes and who are actively opposing this plan. It is my hope that this plan will continue to move forward, even as the Legislature reconvenes this January in Annapolis; this project is as important as any that has ever been undertaken in Frederick County. The need for free flowing highways in Frederick and in the region is paramount.

Finally, the County Council expects that the independent audit of the aforementioned 287(g) program should be back before the Council in January. I was the only voice against conducting this audit of the Sheriff because I viewed the audit as a politically motivated waste of taxpayer resources sought by those who have an agenda against the Sheriff. Stay tuned to the Council for discussion of the audit’s findings -- it is likely to be one of the livelier discussions we have in January.