PICTURED: The St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners.

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Commissioners appointed five members to the county redistricting board during the July 20, 2021 meeting, with each commissioner appointing one member.

The members recently appointed were Matthew Burgan (District 1), Lance Johnson (District 3), Richard Johnson (At-Large), Patricia Richardson(District 2) and Paul Thompson (District 4). However, The St. Mary’s County Democratic Central Committee is questioning if the commissioners accounted for representation and diversity with these appointments.

In the Democrats’ eyes, the commissioners allegedly ignored all diversity requests relating to political affiliation, race and gender. The all-Republican Board of County Commissioners appointed five registered Republicans, which included four men and one woman.

In the commissioners’ defense, those concepts were not a part of the criteria for appointment. Unlike other voting systems, the St. Mary’s County redistricting board has each commissioner appoint who they believe is the most qualified candidate for the position regardless of political affiliation, race or gender.

“This is unlike any board or commission that we have because we do not vote on them as commissioners. We each appoint a person, so I can not speak to everyone else’s thought process. But, for me, I wanted to choose the most qualified person I can regardless of the party,” District 1 Commissioner Eric Colvin said.

Although Democrats suggested the board has equal representation with two Democrats, two Republicans and one Independent, they do not account for political affiliation when voting. Prior to Colvin appointing his choice, the commissioners allegedly did not discuss any of the candidates’ political affiliations as they were making their decisions.

“These are the rules that the Democrat-majority board put in place. Ultimately, this was just part of our role as elected officials. I know the Democrat officials wanted to choose a couple of people, but that is not their role,” Colvin said. “The way commissioners are appointed we go into closed discussions on personnel, and there was absolutely no discussion on political affiliation.”

Democrats say they were looking for the redistricting board to represent the community. Republicans make up about 41% of the voting population in St. Mary’s County according to the Chair of the St. Mary’s County Democratic Central Committee, Caroline King. As a result, Democrats assumed it would be fair to have a board that reflects that percentage.

PICTURED: The full letter put out by the St. Mary’s County Democratic Central Committee. 

“The appointment process is shrouded in secrecy, with decisions made quietly behind closed doors,” King said. “We are calling for transparency in our local government and full representation for registered voters in this county.”

On the contrary, the commissioners say they were trying to pick the best candidates regardless of political affiliation while following the rules that a Democrat-led redistricting board put in place. If the public has an issue with these decisions, there will be ample public hearings to discuss it according to Colvin.

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