By Adam Pagnucco.
Three former planning board members have written to the county executive, the county council and the county’s state legislators deploring Senator Ben Kramer’s power grab bills, which intend to transfer some or all of Park and Planning’s authority to County Executive Marc Elrich. And these are not any three former planning board members. They are:
Gus Bauman, chair of the planning board in 1989-93 and a former Park and Planning staffer dating back to the 1970s.
Nancy Floreen, a former four-term council member (2002-18), former planning board member (1986-94) and former Mayor of Garrett Park (2000-02). Floreen was the chair of the council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee during her last two terms and was a ferocious defender of Park and Planning. She now heads a housing non-profit.
Pat Baptiste, a former planning board member (1991-98) and a former long-time member of the Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers.
These three don’t agree on everything. For example, Baptiste opposed the Intercounty Connector and Floreen was one of its biggest supporters. Baptiste is also no friend of developers, famously telling the Washington Post in 1990, “Developers in many cases have enriched themselves at the expense of the taxpaying public.” But all three agree that giving the county executive control of planning functions is a bad idea.
The joint email from Bauman, Floreen and Baptiste appears below.
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Dear State and County Legislators:
If the people of Montgomery County wish to blow up venerable State law to suddenly make County land use policies (including zoning) a strictly political affair, then, by all means, do what County Executive Elrich and State Senator Kramer are seeking.
And if the people of the County wish to largely strip the County Council of its land use powers and hand them over to the County Executive, then, by all means, do what Mr. Elrich and Mr. Kramer are seeking.
And if the people of Montgomery County further wish to eviscerate the largely apolitical, bipartisan independence of the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission and its Montgomery County Planning Board and professional Planning Department, then, by all means, do what Mr. Elrich and Mr. Kramer are seeking.
Respectfully,
Gus Bauman
Silver Spring
Former Chairman, MNCPPC
Nancy Floreen
Potomac
Former At Large Member, Montgomery County Council
Former Vice Chair, MNCPPC
Patricia Baptiste
Chevy Chase
Former Commissioner, MNCPPC