Charter Board seeks to Educate, Engage and Empower the residents of Frederick County in the process of drafting of its new constitution.
Despite the fact that 2,860 signatures were delivered this Monday to the Frederick County Board of Elections for validation, the appointed Charter Board has fully entered the outreach phase of its efforts produce a new constitution for the community.
The day after the signatures were submitted, the members of the to discuss the details of the presentation developed by member Debra Borden, a local attorney, and refined by alternate member Dana French, a business consultant. The meeting was televised and.
The meeting produced some terrific and lively discussion among the members on such issues as the responsibilities of a county executive, the balance of power between county executive and council, and how the county executive position will provide a better “seat at the table” in Annapolis.
In addition, as well as in response to statements from those who supported the petition drive, the board developed the Frederick County Charter Board Pledge to the community. The commitment pledged “to set aside our personal, professional, business and political interests to the higher criterion of what would be best for the County and its people.”
Alternate member Dana French deserves accolades for his work in drafting the document, which was enthusiastically signed by all members.
As posted earlier on the MacRo Report Blog, there are a number of outreach meetings that have been set to take place over the next several weeks.
On Wednesday, May 11, 2011, Chairman Coffey and yours truly gave a PowerPoint presentation to about 150 members of the Rotary Club of Frederick and several guests. The talk was well received and generated a number of questions. Pictured above (Left to Right) are Ken Coffey, Rocky Mackintosh, and Club President Andy Carpel.
The board continues to receive invitations to speak before a number of local groups around the county, so if you or an organization you are associated with have an interest in a presentation, please contact Ragen Cherney in the County Manager’s Office at Winchester Hall at charterboard@frederickcountymd.gov or by calling (301) 600-1049.
This outreach effort on the part of the Charter Board is unprecedented for the 18 charter boards that have been created by various counties in the state of Maryland over the last 30 years.
Please take the time to learn about the structure of Frederick County”s government. Is it time to change from the County Commissioner form that we have had since the 1740’s? Is it time separate the executive and legislative functions to fall more in line with the 12 municipalities within Frederick County?
The exciting part of this process is that the voters of Frederick County will be given the opportunity to help in crafting our future… so stay in touch!
The author: Rocky Mackintosh, President, MacRo, Ltd., a Land and Commercial Real Estate firm based in Frederick, Maryland. He is an appointed member of the Frederick County Charter Board. He also writes forTheTentacle.com.