Commentary

Christopher Judy is thrilled. At least as much as his cautious nature allows. The head of the shellfish program for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Judy is delighted to report what he calls an “historic spat set,” referring to the crucial moment in the oyster lifecycle when larvae successfully attach to a hard underwater surface, often a piece of shell, where they can gradually grow into adult oysters. The DNR’s annual survey of spat set conducted last fall recorded something extraordinary: Not only are the overall numbers high, but, most crucially, baby oysters turned up all over the place.

In the MoCo360 “Local Views” council member (Dist.6) Natali Fani-Gonzalez opines how she sees her proposed ZTA23-09 as “a big win for the rural economy and the Agricultural Reserve.” I do not share that view, and neither do the Montgomery Agricultural Producers or the Montgomery County Farm Bureau, nor do the local civic associations in the Ag Reserve (Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Sugarloaf Citizens Association). www.mocoalliance.org/news.

It is often said that things can be done well or they can be done in a hurry, but usually not both. With that adage in mind, our organizations urge Maryland’s elected decision makers to chart a deliberate course during the upcoming session on issues related to siting ground-mounted solar on agricultural lands. The state has legislated aggressive goals for renewable energy generation, and the bulk of that generation seems poised to come in the form of ground-mounted solar arrays on agricultural fields.

Sections 2 and 3 of Article 4 in the Bylaws of the Maryland State Board of Elections make it clear what type of behavior is considered acceptable for the men and women who serve on the five-member panel, which supervises how elections are handled in the Free State. A board member can’t, for example, manage someone’s campaign or serve in a political party post. He or she can attend a political event but can’t publicly indicate they are an elections board member while there. One can sign a petition but not solicit signatures.

No one likes a zoning hearing. That’s a fact. No journalist ever relished one, no lawyer rubbed his hands in glee and no nervous property owner ever, ever wished for endless hours of talk about land-use law. Which leads me to an interesting question. Does Gavin Buckley control the weather? If you wanted to focus the public’s mind on a zoning hearing, it would be the one that starts Thursday. The Annapolis Planning Commission will hold the first of two hearings on the largest public works projects in city history.

I asked Sandy Rosenberg, the longtime state delegate, why he thinks voters should give Sheila Dixon, a former Baltimore mayor who left office in disgrace 14 years ago, a second chance at running city government. Answer: Under Mayor Brandon Scott, city agencies have been either slow or unresponsive to community needs and to Rosenberg’s requests for help for constituents.