Political Commentary
By Ken Rossignol
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY
VALLEY LEE, MD. — A flashy postcard hit mailboxes in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on Friday June 20th. The mass mailing from State Senate candidate Cindy Jones was adorned with the photo of Maryland GOP leader Audrey Scott, who as a County Council member in PG County, learned quite a bit about campaigning.
Also on the full-color postcard was an endorsement from a local news website, The Baynet, which is owned by developer Phil Dorsey. In tiny print on the address label section were the words: “Auth. Blue Crab Conservatives PAC, Elizabeth Johnson, Treas.”.
That was quite a bit to ponder, all of that on one side of the postcard.
What many folks may not remember was service that Ms. Scott gave as the Secretary of Planning in the Ehrlich Administration. It was in the back rooms of Annapolis, behind closed doors, that the scheme to rip out forests on state parkland near Great Mills and turn the property over to a Baltimore developer was concocted with none other than St. Mary’s Commissioner Tommy McKay guiding the secret deal.
Who is the treasurer of the Blue Crab Conservatives? Elizabeth Johnson, who is the sister of McKay.
Who funded the Blue Crab Conservatives? According to financial filings with the State of Maryland, the nearly $18,000 on hand to pay for its activities, such as the pretty Cindy Jones postcard, was collected and donated principally by John K. Parlett. The companies to which the money came from were from a collection of firms, companies and corporations controlled by Parlett.
What kind of planning is taking place in the north end of St. Mary’s County that could use the wonderful advice of a former Prince Georges County politico?
Given that last month, candidate and incumbent county commissioner Jones changed her vote on the issue of public sewer in the Charlotte Hall and Mechanicsville area, it could be Jones has been calling on Parlett, McKay and Scott to help her out in her campaign to beat Commissioner Larry Jarboe for the GOP nomination for the District 29 Senate race.
Jones and all the rest of the board of commissioners had previously voted against imposing public sewer on the north end of St. Mary’s County but last month three commissioners switched and in time, as the developers start running sewer lines to their garden apartment and townhouse projects, Waldorf will overtake St. Mary’s County, with crime, more congestion and overcrowded schools.
The taxpayers will have to pay for new traffic lights, new schools, and more law enforcement; and property owners will be forced to pay up to $20,000 each to hook up to sewer lines that they neither want or need.
Between Dorsey, who developed the Laurel Glen shopping center and brought hundreds of Section 8 townhouses nearby and Parlett who has become the area’s largest commercial developer, their interests are seldom on the same page as the public interest.
That is why developers and others form Political Action Committees, to sponsor candidates and further their own monetary interests.
There is nothing illegal about doing this as long as the campaign finance laws are adhered to by those involved. Sometimes those laws are stretched as in the case of builder St. John Properties that was found to have funneled tens of thousands of dollars to its executives to donate to PACs. That builder put up a nice development in Hollywood, Maryland and won approvals from the county government during the administration presided over by Tommy McKay.
According to the Maryland State Prosecutor, Edward St. John, the owner of St. John Properties, was charged with eleven (11) civil citations with making campaign contributions in excess of the statutory limitations through third parties who were then reimbursed for those contributions. Mr. St. John paid $55,000 in fines and contributed another $55,000 to CollegeBound, a non-profit organization which assists underprivileged children in Baltimore with college tuition and expenses.
St. John now has a commercial/retail complex being built on Rt. 235 in California, Md., across from Wildewood Shopping Center, along with a new multi-screen movie theatre. Given his track record, it’s hard to tell how many illegal campaign contributions he might have made to get this deal approved. God knows there are always eager hands for developer money in Maryland.
One can only hope that Parlett may have exceeded the limitations for donations as there are plenty of local children who could use a hand with college tuition.
As for Jones’s claim to be a “conservative” she voted to build FDR Blvd., a road to nowhere, which simply provides more developers with free infrastructure instead of forcing them to build their own roadways.
This one act will add $60 million to the public debt for St. Mary’s County taxpayers to pay back, along with interest, and can hardly be called the act of a “conservative”. Larry Jarboe opposed the FDR project.
Folks may often say that birds of a feather flock together and the same can be said for political campaigns. With the election on June 24th, will voters who failed to support McKay and his developer-funded campaigns in 2006 and 2010 put their blinders on and pull his lever and vote for his puppet, Cindy Jones?
PARTIAL LIST OF PARLETT AND OTHER DEVELOPERS PAC DONATIONS TO THE BLUE CRAB CONSERVATIVES
For anyone who doubts who funds the political campaigns of Tommy McKay, who is attempting to win the GOP nomination for the Maryland House of Delegates, District 29A, here is a partial list of those who contributed to his 2006 campaign, in the last few days of the election: (note that one of the contributors to McKay in that year is McKay’s opponent, the front-runner in this year’s House of Delegates race, Bryan “Puff” Barthleme)
| Received From | |||||
| Date Received | Name and Address of Contributor | ADMIN | Aggregate to Date | Contributions Amount | |
| 10/12/2006 | ALM AMERICAN CONSTRUCTION, INC.23450River Hill Court, Lexington Park, MD 20653 | D | $1,550.00 | $300.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | BARTHELME, BRYAN M.26945BAPTIST CHURCH ROAD, MECHANICSVILLE, MD 20659 | D | $200.00 | $200.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | BEAN, PARRAN STEPHEN22150Indian Bridge Road, California, MD 20619 | D | $300.00 | $300.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | BOYD, MARK AND TAMMY 24667JONES ROAD,MECHANICSVILLE, MD 20659 | D | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 09/22/2006 | BRECK FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 566 BALTIMORE ANNAPOLIS BLVD., SEVERNA PARK, MD21146-3818 | D | $350.00 | $250.00 | |
| 09/26/2006 | BURCH OIL COMPANYPO Box 8, Hollywood, MD 20636 | D | $1,360.00 | $500.00 | |
| 10/12/2006 | BURRIS OLDE TOWNE INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.Po Box707, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $2,000.00 | $500.00 | |
| 09/30/2006 | CAPITOL FOOT & ANKLE CARE CENTERPO BOX1310,22741THREE NOTCH ROAD, CALIFORNIA, MD 20619 | D | $750.00 | $500.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | CAVANAUGH, THOMAS AND CARLA22502BRETMAR DRIVE,LEONARDTOWN, MD20650 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 10/12/2006 | CHARLES F. WEBER CO., INC. PO BOX 24, 600 DORSEY ROAD,PRINCE FREDERICK, MD 20678 | D | $125.00 | $125.00 | |
| 10/12/2006 | CHESAPEAKE MATERIALS, INC.PO BOX1036, DUMFRIES, VA 22026 | D | $2,750.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| 10/12/2006 | CRYER, JIMPO Box 82, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $2,000.00 | $1,300.00 | |
| 10/10/2006 | D.H. STEFFENS CO.PO BOX1709,317 CHARLES STREET, LAPLATA, MD 20646 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 09/25/2006 | DORSEY MANAGEMENTPO Box2155, California, MD 20619 | D | $600.00 | $500.00 |
| 08/31/2006 | MCCRAW, SITHEY R. 23118ESPERANZA DRIVE,LEXINGTON, MD20653 | D | $100.00 |
| 10/06/2006 | MCKAY, DAVID A.PO BOX 98, HOLLYWOOD, MD | D | $1,000.00 |
| 09/23/2006 | MCKAY, EDWARD503 GARDNER DRIVE, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22304 | D | $2,500.00 |
| 10/06/2006 | MCKAY, JAMES MPO BOX112, HOLLYWOOD, MD 20636 | D | $1,140.00 |
| 10/12/2006 | MCKAY, JAMES MPO BOX112, HOLLYWOOD, MD 20636 | D | $890.00 |
| 09/22/2006 | MEHAFFEY & ASSOCIATES, P.C.PO Box2450, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $1,720.00 |
| 10/06/2006 | MORGAN, TODD AND MARIA46536Millstone Landing Road, Lexington Park, MD20653 | D | $125.00 |
| 09/30/2006 | NG&O ENGINEERING, INC.P.O. Box643, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $1,500.00 |
| 10/12/2006 | POTOMAC LAND LTD.18237River Road, Tall Timbers, MD 20690 | D | $800.00 |
| 09/30/2006 | PT Holdings, Inc.3437 9TH STREET, BALTIMORE, MD21225 | D | $500.00 |
| 09/25/2006 | QUALSHIRE LLC5341 KETCH ROAD SUITE200, PRINCE FREDERICK, MD 20678 | D | $500.00 |
| 10/02/2006 | RYAN,JOHN AND BEVERLY 16112DEER LAKE ROAD, DERWOOD, MD20855 | D | $100.00 |
| 10/12/2006 | SOLOMONS INN JOINT VENTURE HOLIDAY INN SELECT SOLOMONS, PO BOX1099, SOLOMONS, MD 20688 | D | $125.00 |
| 10/03/2006 | STEPHEN D. MATTINGLY INSURANCE, INC.28290Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD 20659 | D | $400.00 |
| 10/03/2006 | TAYLOR GAS COMPANY21541Great Mills Road, Lexington Park, MD20653 | D | $300.00 |
| 10/03/2006 | TOP LINE POOL SERVICE INC. 10903INDIAN HEAD HWY. NO.312,FORT WASHINGTON, MD20744 | D | $650.00 |
| 09/20/2006 | W.M. DAVISPO Box1210, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $1,100.00 |
| 10/12/2006 | DUKE MAY INSURANCEBOX PO707,30122THREE NOTCH ROAD, CHARLOTTE HALL, MD20622 | D | $250.00 | $125.00 | |
| 10/13/2006 | EBRON, B SCOTPO BOX1881, LA PLATA, MD20646 | D | $235.00 | $75.00 | |
| 10/13/2006 | FARLAND, TONY12792LEMAN LANE, WALDORF, MD20601 | D | $110.00 | $80.00 | |
| 08/31/2006 | Gardiner, B. Marie40512Port Place, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $25.00 | $25.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | GASS, RICHARD AND JUANITA39031Hodges Road, PO Box202,Avenue, MD 20609 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | GILBERT, TERESA11605MOHICAN LANE, LUSBY, MD20657 | D | $250.00 | $250.00 | |
| 10/15/2006 | GOELLER, ARTHUR AND LORENA21634Coves End Court, Leonardtown, MD 20650 | D | $50.00 | $50.00 | |
| 08/31/2006 | HARMON, THOMAS A. 23110ALMOND COURT,CALIFORNIA, MD20619 | D | $500.00 | $500.00 | |
| 10/10/2006 | HBIPO BOX2107, LEONARDTOWN, MD 20650 | D | $1,700.00 | $300.00 | |
| 10/10/2006 | J. CHRISTIAN MCCREADY CPA, LLC PO BOX899, LUSBY, MD20657 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 09/12/2006 | JOHNSON, JOSEPH F 24677JONES ROAD,MECHANICSVILLE, MD 20659 | D | $750.00 | $250.00 | |
| 09/19/2006 | KABAT, RICHARD B.11105Smokey Quartz Lane, Potomac, MD 20854 | D | $1,100.00 | $1,100.00 | |
| 10/12/2006 | LIBERTY HOME BUILDER22501Iverson Drive, Great Mills, MD 20634 | D | $4,000.00 | $1,200.00 | |
| 10/06/2006 | LONG, MAURICE I.15371PRINCE FREDERICKROAD, HUGHESVILLE, MD20637 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 10/08/2006 | MADEL, MR. AND MRS. JOHN L.38766Cobrums Wharf Road, Avenue, MD 20609 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 09/02/2006 | MALONEY, LANNY AND KANEKO 21683HANCOCK ROAD,LEXINGTON, MD20653 | D | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| 09/25/2006 | Marrick Properties, Inc.3150 West Ward Road, Suite401,Dunkirk, MD 20754 | D | $2,500.00 | $500.00 |
Who is the treasurer of the Blue Crab Conservatives? Elizabeth Johnson, who is the sister of McKay. Who funded the Blue Crab Conservatives? According to financial filings with the State of Maryland, the nearly $18,000 on hand to pay for its activities, such as the pretty Cindy Jones postcard, was collected and donated principally by John K. Parlett. The companies to which the money came from were from a collection of firms, companies and corporations controlled by Parlett. What kind of planning is taking place in the north end of St. Mary’s County that could use the wonderful advice of a former Prince Georges County politico?
