Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold Wednesday appointed an 18-year county veteran to one of the county?s critical environmental enforcement offices.
Betty Dixon will take over as director of inspections and permits Jan. 2. She replaces Spurge Eismeier, who held the position for four years. Dixon most recently worked as land use and environment coordinator in the now-defunct county land use office.
Dixon said she hoped to bring a “breath of fresh air” to an office that, along with the county planning and zoning department, has come under fire from environmental groups for inconsistent enforcement of county zoning laws. “It?s hard for me to address criticisms at this point because I haven?t gotten in there,” she said.
“But I know they are sorely understaffed. The county?s continued to grow, the population has continued to increase, and that?s just tenfold on top of the existing staff.”
In addition to her work in the land use office, Dixon also worked with the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission in the most recent updates of the county code and critical area program.
The position of planning and zoning director remains vacant; Lois Villemaire was appointed acting director until a permanent replacement is picked.
Leopold had proposed conducting a national search for candidates to fill both positions in inspections and permits and planning and zoning. Paul Spadaro, president of the Magothy River Association, said he hoped for planning and permitting leaders who would consistently apply county laws.
“Currently there is no enforcement at all in planning and zoning,” he said. “The inconsistency is giving developers the opportunity to do whatever they want ? the inconsistency in the ways the law is applied is making lawyers look for every loophole out there.” The Magothy River Association has challenged the county?s ruling to allow a local homebuilder to keep a palatial home he built on Little Dobbins Island without the necessary permits.
