Our Say

By Thursday night, residents of District 1 should have a new council member But instead of the usual cause for celebration by a victorious campaign, this appointment by the County Council will be an exercise in civic duty. There’s no reason to cheer this process.

Every few weeks, it seems, the governor goes on a radio show to surprise long-suffering Marylanders with a new idea for a tax increase. He actually seems to time these announcements to deflect attention from news stories that would raise fewer hackles. Go figure.

On the opening day of the General Assembly, O’Malley went on the air to muse about the desirability of raising the state sales tax again. Since the legislature’s leaders were emphatically not on board, his remarks served no purpose except to antagonize state residents.

David and Diana Clickner are a long way from building their dream home on Dobbins Island in the Magothy River.

But last week’s ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals — allowing them to rebuild a barrier at the mean high tide line of the island’s beach — may still be a milestone in their long-running legal battle with the Magothy River Association. And it’s not a milestone the association will like, as it not only lost but will wind up paying court costs.

CAMPAIGN PROMISE — It should be easy to judge if a candidate lives up to a campaign promise once elected.

In the case of County Councilman John Grasso, it appears he lived up to the words he uttered in a meeting with editors of the Maryland Gazette and The Capital newspapers, but has fallen short of anyone’s reasonable interpretation of his pledge.