At the January 25 Talbot County Council meeting president Callahan proposed a work session next week to include, “…all of the parties working on the Lakeside issue to discuss issues.” He also stated, “The Council will provide a list of people to be invited…”
We are now into the second week after that prolonged, contentious debate. Given the apparent disagreement among members of the Council at that meeting and the critical importance of the Lakeside Project to the future of Talbot County, these questions might be asked by The Talbot Spy to help citizens to understand what’s being done now.
- Have the “parties” suggested by Mr. Callahan been invited to the February 7 Council work session? If so, who has been selected to be invited to the meeting?
- Will this apparently informal process provide any record of the discussion?
- Will the February 8 meeting agenda include the Lakeside Project?
Jock Beebe
Oxford
Calvin Yowell says
Jock — Good questions. I recall suggesting the establishment of a work group when attending a council meeting last fall. If a group is established it needs to have clear objectives, the cooperation of all parties, and a commitment accept the decisions of the majority.
— By the way, I have multipole years of experience conducting productive planning sessions with major corporations and would gladly volunteer to be leader/moderator. — Calvin
Rebecca Ellison says
It seems to still be a mystery as to which ‘parties working on the Lakeside issue’ have been ‘invited’ to the Feb. 7th 5 p.m. County Council Workshop … except that ‘the public’ does not appear to have been included, except as observers.
Councilman Callahan is correct that there are many unanswered questions. Hopefully the Workshop will include direct questioning of the two most important persons involved, Gov. Hogan and MDE Sec’y. Grumbles. [re: early MDE involvement … https://publicintegrity.org/environment/town-bypasses-normal-channels-to-aid-major-development/ ]
Fernando Gaitan says
Thank you for the link to the Center for Public Integity article from some time ago, which points to long standing irregularities on the permits issued for this project. I’ve been following the more recent discussion on R281, and the serious irregularities Dan Watson has dug up on this project. At the January 25 County Council meeting, Council member Divilio seemed desperate to put the whole stinking mess behind him, and Mr. Pack was so pugnacious and combative that an observer would reasonably question whether he is resistant to being objective in the face of newly provided information. The whole affair reeks and merits a state level investigation.
Buck Waller says
I find it horrifying that there is not a state-level investigation already scheduled.