You may know that the County Council has a critical function and all five members of the Council, sit as a Board of Health. During the pandemic they sure told the public what to do and enforced many restrictions on the citizens in an effort to slow the spread of Covid 19.
Recently, when Lakeside decided to hook up their new houses to the existing (failing) Trappe Treatment Plant, Bill has been very astute and has warned the community about the dangers of increased sewage pollution that is being released into La Trappe Creek from the added houses in the Lakeside development.
Bill Anderson has been a dedicated volunteer on the Public Works Advisory Board for almost 10 years. He has been invaluable as an advisor to our county government and his technical knowledge and expertise is without peer. More importantly, he cares about the citizens of Talbot County and YES, your health and safety.
Next time you take a dip in the river or consume a fish or crab from this beautiful estuary, think of Bill Anderson and ask your County Council how in the hell they could justify this despicable action?
Talbot County
Michael Pullen says
As the former County Attorney from 1993-2017, I witnessed first hand both Bill Anderson’s selfless dedication to the public good and Dirck Bartlett’s clear-eyed integrity and courage to stand up and speak out for it. Public service of this caliber is both laudable and necessary, particularly for important decisions directly affecting every citizen of this County and the future of its rural character.
Holly Wright says
Pete Lesher comments below that while he could not discuss the rationale for the Council decision, he asserts that he did not support it. Why would it not be appropriate for constituents to request other Council members voluntarily assert the positions they have taken particularly given what is such an important and extraordinary situation. This is an inquiry for the reporters for our local newspaper to pursue.
Roger Bollman says
i was shocked to find this out. What a travesty. I was on the PWAB with Bill for many years until my term ended this May. Under Bill’s leadership, the PWAB really got into Public Works issues, spent time looking into facts and making an informed decision. Bill often presented the rational for our positions in public hearings.
This is the thanks you get for being a committed and capable volunteer in our County affairs. I hope, in fact expect, the Council to explain their reasoning for this action.
Leslie Steen says
This is an outrage. This is even worse than not reappointing a Board member. No, the Council has removed an extremely valuable volunteer citizen whose term has not expired. He has worked for over 10 years providing advice on very technical health and safety matters. What is our Council trying to hide from us and accomplish?
Cameron Mactavish says
Well put Dirck!
Gerry Early says
From what I have heard, (1) the County Council didn’t vote to fire Bill Anderson, but it was the unilateral action of the County Council president alone, and (2) the reason for the firing is because Bill Anderson has expressed concern about full-scale 4000+ unit development of Lakeside without going through all of the necessary steps to ensure proper and healthful water quality. If my assessment is not correct, I would be grateful for an authoritative explanation by the entire County Council.
Pete Lesher says
It is not in the power of a single council member to dismiss an appointee to a county board or commission. That requires the action of a majority. While I cannot comment on the rationale since this was conducted as a personnel matter, I will assert that I did not support it.
Dirck Bartlett says
It is convenient to say this is a personnel matter but Bill Anderson is a Volunteer. There is no employment contract here. It appears he was fired because his work on the PWAB was contrary to the opinions of three of the five members of the County Council.
This is an advisory board and the county council can ignore the boards advice, if it so chooses. Firing a member without cause is way out of bounds and damages the reputation of a dedicated volunteer. There needs to be a major penalty flag thrown here. This is nor a personnel matter rather it is dirty politics played by those who want to damage somebody’s reputation in return for a substituting someone who will pro-growth parrot the party line. The public and our fragile environment is left with the increased water pollution and health effects of these crazy decisions.
This is wrong in so many ways.
Cory Buxton says
As the acting chair (former vice-chair) of the public works advisory board (from Election District 2), I’ve had the pleasure to serve alongside Bill Anderson since 2015. Bill has been an invaluable chair for the PWAB who routinely invests hundreds of volunteer hours each year performing research and attending hearings. Bill’s thorough approach to preparation for our open meetings have been instrumental to our collective understanding of important matters that have come before the board for review and recommendation. Unfortunately, I have not received any details on the circumstances of Mr. Anderson’s dismissal by the County Council, but I want to personally thank him for his dedicated service to the Public Works department and the County; his volunteer efforts have made a real difference in our community.
Leslie Steen says
What in the world is going on here? The Council fires a highly knowledgeable volunteer of 10 years before his term is up. The Public Works Advisory Board deals with very technical matters that protect our health and well-being. What is the Council up to? How can they justify their decision?
Joyce DeLaurentis says
A horrendous move that can only be blatantly motivated as removing another obstacle to a full-blown travesty at the “travesty of Lakeside” and its resultant effects.
Robert Kopec says
Has the Council given a reason for the firing or perhaps they are not required to do so?
Dirck Bartlett says
I believe this is considered by the County as an employment matter. I’m quite certain the council members cannot legally talk about it. This is a very gray area for sure. It would be in the public interest to know which council people voted to remove this dedicated volunteer and which did not. This is a legal matter and perhaps a lawyer can sort this out.
In any event, there needs to be an explanation, in the public interest. If this is how you treat your volunteers don’t be surprised if you don’t have any volunteers in the future.