Our say: Editor's notebook | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

Panel members, led by Inspections and Permits Officer Elizabeth Dixon, decided they don't have much of problem with the system. But to prevent a repeat of the rancorous flap over John Getz' too-tall garage in Glen Burnie they're willing to set up some precautions.

Creating the power to issue a stop work order on a mistakenly issued permit would prevent an automatic order to tear down. The end result may be the same, but the county would be able to puzzle out how a mistake occurred and look for a fair outcome.

The promise of changing the paperwork flow to make more accurate checks sounds good too.

No one likes zoning rules if they keep them from doing whatever they want with their property. But without reasonable application of those rules we'd be living in a sprawl of development eyesores, or wake up to find a giant garage built next door.

When you realize, however, that this is the same department that missed the construction of a house without proper permits on a Magothy River island, it seems reasonable to ask whether a wider review and update of the system is overdue.

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SERVICE AT RISK - The attack on a Connect-A-Ride bus driver in Severn this spring was the latest example of a community beset with so many problems that it sometimes seems like its own worst enemy.

The service provides a vital economic link between some of the county's poorest neighborhoods and jobs and stores around Arundel Mills.

If the nonprofit that provides the bus service goes through with threats to cancel it, hundreds of hardworking people trying to better themselves will be left standing on the side of the road.

It's up to community leaders and county police to address the problem of violence and other disruptions on the K Route. In a county with only limited public transportation options, we cannot afford to lose this service.