The Anne Arundel County Council now can choose residents who oversee the county’s ethical conduct, following voters’ approval of a charter amendment.
By a 2-to-1 margin, county voters approved Question B, which allows the council to pick three of the seven members of the ethics commission that issues advisory opinions and pursues violations against council members, the county executive and county employees.
“This does the right thing for how the ethics commission is selected,” said Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-Crownsville, who drafted the amendment proposal.
The current law allows only the county executive to pick all the members, with the council confirming the decisions.
In order for the council to have the new power, a charter amendment is needed, and only voters can approve such amendments.
More than 66 percent of county voters supported the change, which was widely supported by the county government.
However, Benoit’s other proposal failed. Question A would have made any bill become law if unsigned by the county executive within 10 days of council passage.
“I think people misunderstood it as taking away the pocket veto, but that’s not the case,” he said.
“The bill still becomes law, it’s just a question of which day it goes into effect.”
Only 48 percent voted for the change, and the proposal was widely considered a technical language change.
County Executive John R. Leopold said he questioned the need for the proposals, though he supported them.
Other more controversial proposals never reached the ballot, including allowing the council to have more control over the planning advisory board.
“The whole package of charter amendments were solutions looking for problems,” Leopold said.
VOTING RESULTS
Question A on bills becoming law if unsigned by county executive
For charter amendment 100,589
Against the charter amendment 107,014
Question B on the selection of members to the Anne Arundel Ethics Commission
For the charter amendment 136,557
Against the charter amendment 67,689
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections
