The head of the Prince George’s County Council said she is concerned about ethics legislation being pushed by County Executive Rushern Baker that would distance the relationship between county officials and developers, the source of corruption allegations in recent years. Council Chairwoman Ingrid Turner said the county’s balance of power could be disrupted with Baker proposing legislation that limits the council’s dealings with developers. And she dislikes state ethics legislation that singles out the county — as both bills do in Baker’s ethics package submitted to the Maryland General Assembly. “We’re not favoring something that’s targeted at Prince George’s County because we are all presumed to be ethical individuals and we have performed ethically,” she said.
But the county has seen its share of ethics problems. Councilwoman Leslie Johnson was arrested by the FBI in November shortly before she took office. The FBI said she conspired to destroy evidence linking her husband, then County Executive Jack Johnson, to pay-for-play deals for development projects.
One bill closes the loophole that allows county officials to vote on projects involving a developer who donated to their campaign through slates. Another bill restricts the participation of council members in the site plan approval process for development projects, a tactic used by members seeking concessions from developers, Baker says.
A public hearing on the legislation is scheduled for Saturday at the Prince George’s Community College.
Baker defended the bills, saying, “Not only must we strengthen the manner in which we approve of development in Prince George’s County, but we also must cure the perception that the system is ripe for corruption.”
Turner, who said she doesn’t want to be portrayed as being against ethics reform, said she’s not ready to publicly oppose the two bills, as she’s reserving judgment until the hearing. She said the council, whose other members did not respond to requests for comment, will review the bills and release an official position together.
Turner also argued that not all of the initiatives should be considered “ethics bills.” She said legislation “that I would consider zoning bills” are being “lumped in together as an ethics bill.”
Kelly Canavan, president of the Accokeek, Mattawoman, Piscataway Creeks Communities Council, said getting ethics legislation passed is “imperative.”
“Based on what I’ve seen so far, I can’t imagine what it is that they’re upset about because it doesn’t really seem like their powers are really limited,” she said. “It just seems like they’re feeling pouty, they’re just kinda sulking.”
