Politics & Opinion

Jerry Pesterfield. Photo by Brian Lancione

By Rochelle Karina

Each month, the Greater Severna Park Council meets at the library, and The Voice regularly covers some of the bigger items like rezoning, discussions on the high school, etc. With 2011 behind us, we sat down with GSPC President Jerry Pesterfield to recap the year, and look ahead to 2012.

Looking back, 2011 was a year of change. Cathy Vitale moved on from her county position into a new role at the state level, and Dick Ladd stepped into the county council. The council saw quite a bit of change as five of its seven members were new last year. “The GSPC and other groups had developed a working relationship with Ms. Vitale,” Pesterfield explained. “Our responsibility, our goal, was to establish the same relationship with the new council.” Those new relationships have evolved quite well, in Pesterfield’s view. “We spent a lot of one-on-one time with Dick Ladd,” he continued. “He’s been approachable, responsive and has put in extreme effort to understand Severna Park and its issues.”

Ladd asked the GSPC what Severna Park needed and wanted. In response, the group considered the economy and all of the cutbacks, determined that it would not be appropriate to respond with a “dream list” instead they offered a short list: keep the schools on the schedule. “He did the best he could do,” Pesterfield says. Though there have been some setbacks, it does appear that the Severna Park High School project is moving forward, as are other school projects.

In the spring, the GSPC set about surveying the community to ensure they were still in tune with the wants and needs of the area. Dan Nataf took the helm and the community-wide survey was born. The results were as expected, echoing what the GSPC already knew. “It was an opportunity to refine and fine tune goals,” explained Pesterfield. “It allows us to focus on priorities like the environment and quality of life.”

The next big item in 2011 was the comprehensive rezoning process, a huge undertaking that occurs every 10 years. Pesterfield explained that the GSPC spent a lot of time with Dick Ladd and his staff to understand each rezoning request, and made recommendations that remained true to the General Development Plan and the Small Area Plan. “We feel we had one of the most successful, least controversial rezoning possible,” Pesterfield shared.

The Citizen’s Advisory Board was another hot topic for 2011, and Pesterfield says the results of that are still settling. “The CAC is getting further away from people, but we need to wait and see. We need to give it a chance,” he says. In the GSPC, Brad Myers, Chairman of the Education Committee, keeps his eye on what’s going on and works to keep the membership involved and advised of changes.

Looking ahead to 2012, Pesterfield’s first concern was the recently approved congressional redistricting plan. “We have yet to understand the full impact of this change,” he explains. “It means we have new plays we need to develop relationships with. That’s what it’s really about – developing relationships.”

The environment is likely to play a large role in 2012. The buzzword for cleaning up the bay is ‘TMDL,’” Pesterfield shares. TMDL, or Total Maximum Daily Load is a regulatory term in the Clean Water Act describing a value of the maximum amount of pollutant a body of water can receive and still meet water-quality standards. “The Department of Public Works has a good handle on the impact for Anne Arundel County,” he continues. “We’re still waiting to see federal and state mandates before we can engage. Funds for this will need to be highly focused, and not part of the General Fund.”

Of course, the high school is still high on the list. “SPHS is still a priority,” Pesterfield says. “We are entering a new budget season, and we need to keep SPHS and other area schools on the radar. We need these projects to stay on track and keep moving forward.”

Pesterfield’s final concern for 2012 is about communication. “Our level of communication to Home Owners Associations(HOAs) has improved over the years,” he explains. The GSPC sends out regular, timely updates to Severna Park HOAs. Emergency notices from the state and county are making it to area HOAs within hours thanks to electronic communications. The GSPC communicates regularly with over 60 area HOAs. “We would like to work with them in 2012 to improve the level of communication from the GSPC to the HOA and finally to the home owners,” Pesterfield explains. He supports a proactive approach to communication. “We have a need to reinforce a sense of communication in our day-to-day lives. We still come home to our community, our neighbors, family, friends, local business,” he continues. “We need to improve getting along together and communication, especially between homeowners and businesses. It’s not one against the other. It’s about both together.”