County Executive's Office Responds to Letter to the Editor

The County Executive's office responded Wednesday to parts of a from Howard County Republican Club President Jeff Robinson.

Robinson wrote in his letter that the way County Executive Ken Ulman went about trying to affect change in the way the Howard County Board of Education is selected could prove detrimental to any aspirations by Ulman for higher office.

“The executive is focused and engaged on Howard County,” said Kevin Enright, spokesman for the county executive’s office. “He has not made any decisions on what might happen in three years.”

Enright also responded to citizen concerns at an that a plan to make two at-large seats on the Howard County Board of Education appointed rather than elected came too abruptly. 

“He wanted the study to be complete because of the tight deadlines contained in state laws; and changes to the school board require a change in state law,” Enright wrote in an e-mail.

The proposal came after Ulman to look into ways to make the school board more reflective of the diverse community in Howard County.

"He asked the commission for recommendations by the end of September so that proposed changes could be considered during the ," wrote Enright. "That would be the only way for any changes to take place for the 2012 elections, since the filing deadline for the April 2012 primary is Jan. 11, 2012."

On Wednesday,  to change the board selection process from seven to five elected members, with two appointed by the county executive.