Prince Frederick, MD – A full-page advertisement that appeared in a Calvert County newspaper last week criticizing the jurisdiction’s current board of commissioners drew criticism from the panel during its Tuesday, Oct. 23 meeting. Calvert Commissioners’ President Evan K. Slaughenhoupt Jr. [R-District 3] stated the ad is “trying to mislead the voters” and is being reviewed by the Maryland Board of Elections. The advertisement does not indicate who the purchaser is but instead has a note at the bottom that states “this is a paid advertisement.” The organization “Keep Calvert Country” features an article that promotes the ad and its contents on its blog. The article is attributed to Miriam Gholl, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners who worked for county government for several years. Another contributor to Keep Calvert Country is Greg Bowen, a former director of the Department of Planning and Zoning and current executive director of the American Chestnut Land.
The advertisement lists the “county commissioners’ top 10 failures,” seven of which the ad affirms were done at the request of the Small Business Interest Group (SBIG), a Prince Frederick-based group whose members include local developers. The failures include: easing requirements for developers building apartments and townhouses in town centers, allowing “chain stores” to have taller signs, weakening sign regulations, trying to eliminate town center architectural review committees, adopting term limits for members of the County Planning Commission and “hijacking” the County Comprehensive Plan process. The two incumbent commissioners seeking reelection in November—Steve Weems [R-At large] and Mike Hart [R-District 1]—were signaled out in the ad for frequently voting with the majority during the past four years.
The ad also criticizes the commissioners for several actions within the Prince Frederick Town Center, including: reducing setback requirements, increasing the number of dwellings allowed per acre, increasing the maximum square footage for big box stores and the maximum building height to six stories. It was also stated that the plan to construct a large government building at Armory Square has been moved forward with no public input and noted that a majority of the current board raised property and income taxes for the first time in over 30 years.
Slaughenhoupt opined that the individuals behind the advertisement are former county employees who “failed” when they worked within the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning. The board president affirmed that the current draft of the revised Comprehensive Plan “has not been finished,” noting that the revision process was started in 2015. “The draft plan will not be approved by this board,” said Slaughenhoupt. He further stated that the Comprehensive Plan “does not dictate density levels” and the original premise of the plan—first drafted over 40 years ago—is being applied in the current, ongoing process.
“This board did not roll over for developers,” Slaughenhoupt affirmed. The board president was critical of previous boards which failed to facilitate the development of town centers. “Our town centers were dying,” said Slaughenhoupt.
Commissioner Pat Nutter [R-District 2] stated the full-page advertisement “has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.” Nutter declared that all the current commissioners support retaining Calvert’s rural character, adding that the slogan, “Keep Calvert Country” has been around for generations.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com