Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty wants to make sure the administrator of a county environmental office has the expertise and education to grapple with complex environmental issues.
“I look for this as an opportunity for us to establish an office that looks at our environment from a scientific perspective,” said Sigaty, D-District 4.
A bill before the County Council would create an Office of Environmental Sustainability within the county?s administration department.
Howard County Executive Ken Ulman announced in December his plans to create the office, following a recommendation from the now-disbanded Commission on the Environment and Sustainability.
The department initially would be staffed with one person, Joshua Feldmark, who served as the commission?s executive director.
The administrator “shall have considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of air and water quality, energy use, land preservation, and environmental education,” plus at least five years of experience, according to the measure.
But Sigaty said more experience and education should be required of the administrator of an office that is expected to grow.
Feldmark has served as executive director of Center for Environmental Citizenship, an environmental nonprofit, and worked for Maryland Department of Natural Resources tributary team program.
Sigaty said her scrutiny wasn?t political payback to Feldmark, who ran against her in 2006 and was backed by Ulman. Sigaty lost to Ulman for the council seat in the 2002 primary.
Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, also questioned the administration?s intentions for the office administrator.
The position is expected to be a “generalist,” rather than an expert in one environmental area, said Chief Administrative Officer Lonnie Robbins.
Councilman Calvin Ball, D-District 2, said the County Council should not unfairly scrutinize this position compared with the other county administration directors.
“It?s probably appropriate for the county executive to have a great deal of latitude in the people he hires, as does the council in the people we hire,” Ball said.
Jim Caldwell, a former head of Montgomery?s department of environmental protection, said a director doesn?t need scientific expertise, as long as the staff has experience.
“A background in policy or any kind of government [or] understanding of how public affairs works ? that?s more important than saying, ?I am a good scientist,?” he said.
