Severna Park developer to pay $55K in fines over campaign contributions | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

A developer from Severna Park has agreed to pay $55,000 in civil fines for giving to campaigns through third parties who were later reimbursed "to disguise the true source of the contributions," the state prosecutor's office said.

The contributions were made by company vice presidents who expected to be paid back by Edward St. John, who owns Baltimore-based St. John Properties Inc., which owns and develops real estate. They were reimbursed later as part of their year-end bonuses, but returned the funds once they learned it could violate the law, the state prosecutor's office said.

More than $300,000 was contributed to various campaigns for the 2003-2006 election cycle by company employees and through limited liability companies associated with St. John Properties. The state prosecutor's office determined that the contributions were within legal limits. It was not the size of the contributions but the use of third parties that was questioned.

Mr. St. John and his companies are active in Anne Arundel County development and politics, although his fundraising activity in the county was not part of the case.

His company developed major commercial and office properties in the county, including the BWI Commerce Park, 1-97 Business Park and the Annapolis Corporate Center on Riva Road.

Mr. St. John has been charged with 11 civil citations, accounting for the number of contributions made indirectly from him through the vice presidents. Mr. St. John is paying $5,000 per citation.

About $25,000 in contributions from six vice presidents went to the campaigns of Gov. Martin O'Malley and Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, the state prosecutor's office said.

County admonished

The county Board of Appeals has admonished the county for giving a towing company permission to sell a stolen truck, but declined to decide whether it should pay the company for the debacle.

Thomas Redmond of Pasadena, a former county councilman and owner of Redmond's Towing, appealed to the board and requested $5,200 because the county asked him to tow a Dodge Dakota from an accident scene and gave him legal authority to resell it, even though it was reported stolen.

About six months after Mr. Redmond sold the truck in 2005, police impounded it and gave it to the Baltimore City car dealer who owned it, leaving Mr. Redmond with a shocked customer.

Two years after Mr. Redmond asked for a response, the county's Risk Management Division rejected his claim that the county was negligent.

The Board of Appeals sided with county lawyers who said the board did not have jurisdiction to hear the case and it should be heard in the court system. However, three of the six board members at the hearing expressed dismay at the county's negligence and urged officials to find a way to remedy their error.

Mr. Redmond can file a civil suit against the county, but the statute of limitations on such cases appears to have expired.

Official faced layoff

A top county job development official who alleged discrimination this week was on the verge of having her job eliminated, county officials said.

Rene Swafford, deputy director of the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp., said on Wednesday that she has filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Maryland Human Relations Committee and the Office of Civil Rights in the state Attorney General's Office.

Robert Hannon, president of the workforce agency, said he recommended eliminating Mrs. Swafford's job and that he planned to offer her another job with a lower salary. He declined to discuss her specific allegations.

Mrs. Swafford, an African American and former Republican candidate for County Council, said she asked top county officials to help for months, but her complaints went unresolved.

She said examples of discrimination include having her office moved from Millersville to Glen Burnie, her job responsibilities reassigned, her job eventually eliminated, and having her corporate credit card canceled during a work trip to Ohio, leaving her stranded and borrowing money for hotels and travel home.

Swearing in

Two new county school board members will be sworn in Tuesday, and a third will take the oath of public service for a second term.

Board President Tricia Johnson will begin her second term in an at-large seat, and Teresa Milio Birge will assume the District 32 seat as the Board of Education grows to nine members. Both will serve five-year terms.

Collin Wojciechowski, who will be a senior at Chesapeake High School in the fall, will be sworn in as the student member for the 2008-2009 school year.

The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in the county courthouse in Annapolis. Clerk of the Court Robert P. Duckworth will administer the oath.

Longer ban sought

County Executive John R. Leopold is pushing to extend the ban on new fly-ash dump sites in the county.

Passed by the County Council 6-0 on Oct. 1, the original legislation is set to expire a year from then unless the council passes additional legislation to add another year to the moratorium.

In 1995, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and later Constellation Energy Group began dumping fly ash, a byproduct from burning coal in power plants, at an empty surface mine in Gambrills owned by BBSS Inc.

In a prepared statement, Mr. Leopold said extending the ban "is the right course of action to take. I am very concerned about the long-term effects fly-ash dumping poses to county residents and our environment."

The ban has no effect on the Gambrills site, where Constellation and BBSS voluntarily agreed to stop dumping fly ash. There also weren't any other companies planning to dump at new locations in the county.

Elephant Club

The Elephant Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, 400 Benfield Road, Severna Park.

The public is welcome for a $5 fee.

Obama endorsed

U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, former chairman of the Hillary Clinton for President campaign, endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

The Democrat released the following statement after meeting with the presumptive Democratic nominee's vice-presidential search team:

"I have assured Senator Obama that I will help him win, and I will help him govern. I was honored to be consulted in one of Sen. Obama's first and most important decisions - the selection of his vice president."

Compiled by staff writers Barbara McLaughlin and Erin Cox from staff and wire reports.