Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — A coalition formed to represent the interests of rural counties and their residents is poised for expansion beyond the confines of the group’s origin in Western Maryland.
Cecil and Somerset counties could join the coalition of Allegany, Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties.
Garrett County commissioners decided not to join the coalition when it was formed late last year.
“We met with those folks and it was a good meeting,” said Cecil County Commission President James T. Mullin.
Mullin said Cecil commissioners met with Frederick County Commissioner Blaine Young and others.
His fellow commissioners reached a consensus and plan to take a formal vote on joining The Maryland Rural Counties Coalition at their Tuesday meeting, Mullin said.
Mullin said he thought the consensus was “unanimous.”
While the four initial members of the coalition pitched in to hire a pair of lobbyists, Mullin said he didn’t believe joining in that effort is a prerequisite to joining the coalition.
Allegany County Commission President Michael McKay said Somerset County is also interested in joining the coalition.
Somerset County commission staff confirmed the matter was up for discussion at a meeting last week but that it was tabled. McKay said his understanding was that Somerset County did not have a quorum at its last meeting so a vote was delayed.
McKay and Young have volunteered to be missionaries of a sort for the organization and will travel to meet with any county’s commissioners who might be interested in joining the organization.
The coalition’s key issues are PlanMaryland, laws relating to septic systems and watershed implementation plans for the Clean Water Act.
The coalition recently held a reception for legislators in Annapolis.
“I think that with it being a new organization, to have 50 senators and delegates show up, it was a good cross-section of the General Assembly, including Democrats and Republicans,” McKay said at the time.
Many of the legislators who attended the reception were from outside Western Maryland, McKay said.
The coalition has already made an impact by persuading the Maryland Association of Counties to support House Bill 121.
The bill would amend the state constitution and require funds designated for Chesapeake Bay cleanup to be actually used for that purpose.
The decision was historic, McKay said, because initially, MACo staff had recommended the organization take no position on the bill.
That all changed after lobbying by the coalition to support the bill and MACo officials testified in favor of it, McKay said.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com
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