Vitale Headed For General Assembly

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By John Singleton
After almost 11 years of service on the Anne Arundel County Council, Cathy Vitale is headed for a new challenge. On December 6, Dick Ladd will replace her as Chairman of the Council and as District 5 representative. On January 12, 2011, Vitale will be sworn in as the newest delegate for District 33A in the Maryland General Assembly.
“For 38 days I will be a private citizen. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with all my free time,” kidded Vitale, Severna Park’s delegate-elect. “I plan to call my councilman a lot. I have a few potholes to discuss with Mr. Ladd.”

For local residents, the November 2 general election offered mixed messages. In Maryland, voters ousted a Democrat Congressman and replaced him with Republican Andy Harris, while simultaneously supporting Governor Martin O’Malley and rejecting his Republican challenger. Similarly, voters increased by six the number of Republicans in the House of Delegates, but they concurrently decreased by two the number of Republicans in the Senate. This was in stark contrast to the rest of the nation where Republicans made historic gains in congress, governorships and state legislatures.
“Local voters approved of a fiscally conservative county government running quality schools, who are good stewards of the environment,” summarized Dick Ladd, who will represent Severna Park at the County Council. “We’ve also got to keep an eye on the roads and traffic congestion.”
The District 30 election of Annapolis resident Herb McMillan may have a greater impact on Severna Park than anything that actually happened in District 33. With McMillan’s upset victory over Virginia Clagett, the Anne Arundel County delegation flipped from Democrat to Republican control. Republicans now have eight delegates and Democrats have seven. By tradition the Maryland General Assembly will vote in support of the will of a county’s majority delegation.
“The people of Anne Arundel County don’t have a true voice in how the public schools are run today,” explained Richard Streeter, who pursued the open School Board seat in District 31 last spring. “The only elected body that affects the school system is the County Council - except they can only shift funds or take funds away – they can’t decide where they actually go.”
Education programs and policies of the public schools are established by the 9-member Board of Education, which is appointed by the Governor. Since the State of Maryland typically elects a Democrat, and Anne Arundel County typically votes Republican, the appointed representatives for each district’s School Board position does not tend to represent the political views of local residents.
“The current political makeup of the School Board doesn’t reflect the political demographics of Anne Arundel County,” explained Vitale. “An elected School Board has the potential to bring the two in line.”
For Severna Park’s Maureen Carr-York, whose campaign came up short in the race for the District 5 County Council seat, there was magnanimity in the face of adverse circumstances. The former GSPC president, School Board member, and chair of the Benfield Elementary CAC, struck a conciliatory note at the end of a long campaign.
“I have been blessed to serve the local community in a number of capacities over the years,” summarized Carr-York. “Although the election didn’t turn out the way we wanted, I will b

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