Gardner appoints herself to regional transportation board after controversial vote

Jack Hogan, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read
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Jul. 9—County Executive Jan Gardner will replace a county councilman on a regional transportation planning board that votes on such matters as the proposed widening of Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway, a top priority for Gov. Larry Hogan (R).

In an unusual move, Gardner (D) appointed herself to the position at a council meeting Tuesday.

The appointment comes less than a month after Councilman Kai Hagen (D) voted without consulting other County Council members to strike the expansion project from an environmental study. Gardner said Hagen was appointed to the board to represent the county's priorities, and council members said Tuesday they felt he disobeyed that.

"[Hagen] should've at least asked the other members of this council, in my opinion, what we thought," Vice President Michael Blue (R) said during the meeting. "Forget about the P3 project, whether you support it or you don't, I still think that Frederick County was not represented in that vote."

As county executive, Gardner has the power to make decisions on behalf of the county, but she said at the meeting that she plans for her decisions on the board to reflect both her priorities and those of the council.

"I want to make sure that our county position on certain key votes is represented at the transportation planning board," Gardner said during the meeting.

The county executive decided to replace Hagen because he acted without consulting his colleagues on the council, she said. The decision wasn't a reflection of her personal opposition to Hagen's vote against the expansion project, she added.

Hagen, however, felt that wasn't the case.

"The primary reason this is happening is because we have a difference of opinion, which is OK, about a vote that I made on a motion to strike the I-40, 495, I-270 project from the air quality conforming analysis," the councilman said during Tuesday's meeting.

The council voted unanimously to confirm Gardner's self-appointment, though Hagen abstained.

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