On October 24th at the Gary Arthur Community Center in Glenwood, the Charter Review Commission will hold its third and final public hearing on the charter review process at 7:00 PM. The Howard County Republican Party encourages all County residents to attend and participate.

From the Howard County Website: Under the County Charter, the Council is required to establish a Charter Review Commission every eight years. The Commission consists of 15 residents of Howard County. Five of the members must be selected from a list ten names submitted by the County Executive. No more than ten of the members of the Commission may be of the same political party. The Chair of the Commission is appointed in the resolution designating the members of the Commission. On March 4, 2019, the County Council approved Resolution No. 18-2019 appointing the 2019 Charter Review Commission.

The Charter is our County’s constitution, and the review process is your chance to participate in making changes to it. The Central Committee has asked the Commission if it is still possible to introduce new change proposals at the final public meeting. It is. It is also possible to submit testimony on change proposals in writing–the sooner the better, but testimony may be submitted after October 24th. The Commission may be contacted via email at charterreviewcommission@howardcountymd.gov. Questions may be directed to the County Council offices at 410-313-2001.

Howard County Council Resolution 112-2019 urges the County’s school system to implement a plan to ensure that all schools are “integrated by socioeconomic factors and remain integrated in future years.” In other words– the very words used in Council member Christiana Mercer Rigby’s press release–our Council has resolved to “desegregate” Howard County’s Schools… again.

The Council has no authority to control the redistricting process. Its attempt to influence the process might seem an empty gesture; but it’s also a red flag that the supporters of income-based and race-based redistricting are attempting to bypass the democratic process, making decisions based on what they, as self-appointed experts, “know” to be good for all of us.

 Michael J. Martirano, Superintendent of the Howard County Public School System, proposed a plan for redistricting County schools on August 22, 2019. That plan has been, to say the least, controversial, taking as its goal an attempt to equalize school populations on a socio-economic basis. The Republican Party of Howard County encourages all County residents to make their concerns known via testimony. Public meetings begin September 17, 2019. The posted schedule for these meetings is here. Access to these meetings may be limited to families with children in specific schools.

Testimony will also be accepted via email.

Below are some resources which may be helpful in understanding the issues involved, and in preparing testimony.

Make your voice heard!