Nearly one year to the day after voting to proceed with a committee-recommended proposal to increase the county’s number of election districts from three to five, the Calvert County Commissioners have voted to discard the plan. Announcement of the decision was made by Commissioners’ President Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark [R] Tuesday, Nov. 13 at a joint hearing of the commissioners and members of the Calvert County Delegation to Annapolis. Clark revealed the panel made the decision during closed session earlier in the day and the vote was 4-to-1.
The announcement took Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller [D-District 27] by surprise. It also angered a member of the Calvert Redistricting Committee who was in the audience.
The committee, appointed in early 2011 by the county commissioners, had presented their recommendation for five election districts to the commissioners Nov. 8, 2011. The committee recommended that the voters choose one commissioner from each district and that the board member candidates run in a countywide race. The vote that day was 3-to-1, with Commissioner Pat Nutter [R] voting opposed. Commissioner Evan K. Slaughenhoupt Jr. [R] was absent that day and Nutter explained part of the reason he was voting opposed was the fact his colleague was not there to also weigh in on the issue. Nutter also indicated dividing the small county into five districts could result in provincial thinking on the part of the board.
Currently, one commissioner is elected from each district, with two at large members selected. The candidates run countywide and there have been occasions when the top five vote-getters are not elected since each district must have one representative.
During last year’s presentation, then-committee chair Patt Parker, who has since moved out-of-state, explained the committee made its decision based on input submitted by 742 citizens who submitted online surveys.
Commissioner Susan Shaw [R] indicated she had cast the lone vote in opposition to t
