Baltimore County Council Chair Julian Jones put the county’s top administrator on the spot during Tuesday’s council work session, pressing her to support his assertion that an inspector general report — that Jones used to help a businessperson secure grant money from a program meant for homeowners — is inaccurate.

Apropos of nothing, Jones — who was elected for a third consecutive year to lead the council — defended himself against Inspector General Kelly Madigan’s November report, which found the four-term councilman pushed the Department of Public Works to give almost $70,000 from an alley repaving program to a businessperson to quickly repave a Towson alley next to their commercial property.

His argument — that the county owns the alley — is false, according to Madigan’s report. County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.’s administration disagreed with much of Madigan’s report, and said the former state prosecutor misunderstood aspects of county policies and procedures.

But county Administrative Officer Stacy Rodgers did not side with Jones during the Tuesday meeting.

“I just can’t help myself,” Jones said as the council hashed out a contract of sale and easements for a $23 million road-widening and sidewalk construction project on Windsor Mill Road in the Democrat’s district.

“I just have to say it: If the county owns an alley, are we responsible to repair the alley if we deem it needs to be repaired?” Jones asked before emphasizing: “We own the alley.”

Republican Councilman Todd Crandell responded mutedly that no, the county doesn’t own alleyways; most, he added, are privately-owned.

“It’s been our understanding in dealing with alleys in our district —” Crandell began, before Jones interrupted.

“I’m not talking about your district,” he retorted,before prompting Rodgers to answer his question.

“I would say what guides us as public administrations is land records,” Rodgers said slowly. “If a land record indicates that it is a public alley … that will guide you.”

Rodgers added that the county empowers the public works director to decide whether an alley’s disrepair is hazardous enough to fix with public dollars.

“And thank you for that very, very long explanation,” Jones told Rodgers. He tried again: “I just wanted to say, if we own the alley, can we repair it?”

“Well, we definitely have regulations that direct us to, uh, land records,” Rodgers answered.

“Okay,” Jones said.

Jones is a yearslong critic of Madigan, who became Baltimore County’s first inspector general in 2019.

Jones was also the subject of an inspector general report in April that determined he broke county policy by including a link to donate to his campaign committee in at least 40 emails from his government email address. Jones said the link was mistakenly included and went unnoticed for months.

taylor.deville@thebaltimorebanner.com

Four former Marilyn Mosby staffers head to Council President Nick Mosby’s office

Four staffers from the office of former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby now work for her husband, City Council President Nick Mosby, according a review of City Hall’s internal directory system.

The city’s former top prosecutor left office in early January after Ivan Bates defeated her in the Democratic primary. Bates ran unopposed in the general election and was sworn into office on Jan. 3.

The positions were previously vacant and the hires did not require additional funding.

Jeneffer Haslam, formerly the legislative affairs director at the the state’s attorney’s office, now works as the chief of external affairs for the council president.

Tiffany Maclin, formerly a senior legislative analyst, now works as the deputy director of legislative affairs in the council president’s office.

Andrea Curley, formerly a director of community engagement, now works as the deputy director of community affairs in the council president’s office, and Taylor Smith, formerly a youth program coordinator, now works as a community liaison in the office.

emily.sullivan@thebaltimorebanner.com

State House makeover unveiled

The skyline in Annapolis just hasn’t been the same for several months, with scaffolding encircling the landmark dome of the State House for repair work.

The work is finally done and the newly refurbished dome was revealed this week to rave reviews.

“Tonight the iconic State House Dome is once again lit and shining bright in the Annapolis skyline!” Gov. Larry Hogan posted on Twitter on Tuesday, accompanied by pictures of the bright white dome illuminated against the night sky.

The dome had been looking pretty shabby, with chipping paint visible even from the street. Now, it has been repaired and repainted, at a cost of $1.5 million to taxpayers.

Crews have been hustling to get the scaffolding removed as the political year gets under way. Members of the Maryland General Assembly returned to work this past Wednesday, and Gov.-elect Wes Moore and Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller will be inaugurated at the State House next week.

The State House is the nation’s oldest state capitol building in continuous legislative use. The cornerstone was laid in 1772 and current dome was built between 1785-1794.

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

Moore rallies lawmakers

Democratic lawmakers from all corners of Maryland descended on an Annapolis hotel function room Tuesday for a pre-legislative session pep rally and a stuffed chicken dinner.

The Maryland Democratic Party hosted the luncheon, which drew federal, state and local government officials a day ahead of the opening of the 2023 Maryland General Assembly session and one week before the historic inauguration of Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor.

Moore, the big-name draw of the event, entered the room to a rousing standing ovation. The 13-minute speech lacked policy announcements, but celebrated last year’s successful Democratic election wins as the strawberry shortcake dessert course still lingered in front of guests.

“What we want to continue to show and illustrate is that this is not just that the Democratic party knows how to win elections, it’s that we know how to govern,” Moore said.

Moore urged lawmakers to enact policies that reach across the state and urged Democrats to work together during the legislative session, even when they disagree.

“We are also going to show that we can learn how to agree and be agreeable, and at times how to disagree and be agreeable,” Moore said. “Because at the end of the day, we’re all fighting for the same thing.”

Both houses of the legislature have overwhelming Democratic majorities and all three statewide officers, also Democrats, broke gender and race barriers.

”We have got to be bold. We’ve got to move different,” Moore told legislators. “We’ve got to move faster. And we’ve got to move united.”

brenda.wintrode@thebaltimorebanner.com

Comings and goings

It’s that time in the political cycle when people are leaving positions and starting new ones among post-election turnover. Here are some of the latest.

Leaving state government alongside outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan:

• Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford will join the law firm of Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny as a partner with a focus on government relations.
• Mike Ricci, communications director, will be a fellow in crisis communications at Georgetown University in Washington.
• Kata Hall Burke, also from the communications team, has joined the U.S Chamber of Commerce to work in executive communications.

Joining Gov.-elect Wes Moore’s office:

• David Turner joins as communications director. He was most recently with the Democratic Governors Association.
• June Chung, Brad Fallon, Myles Hicks, Saif Ratul and Melissa Ross will join the legislative affairs office, responsible for working with state lawmakers on the governor’s priority bills. That office is led by Eric Luedtke, a former state delegate.

Joining Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman’s office:

• Valorie Sanders joins as deputy comptroller for public engagement, moving from the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
• Ben Seigel joins as deputy comptroller for policy, public works and investment. Siegel has been an economic development consultant for local governments.
• Rachel Sessa arrives as deputy comptroller for law and compliance after serving the last decade at the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
• Kai Boggess-de-Bruin joins as chief equity and transformation officer. She previously worked in the administration of Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman.
• Eva Lewis joins as state public engagement director, coming from the Maryland Democratic Party.
• Jasmine Clemons will serve as director for the Board of Public works. She most recently worked for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.’s administration.
• Joe Francaviglia joins as director of government affairs. He was Lierman’s campaign manager and previously led the advocacy group Strong Schools Maryland.

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

More From The Banner

The developer of Harborplace bought 128 rowhomes in East Baltimore

One Baltimore County developer is pouring big money into local politics

Larry Lucchino, visionary behind Camden Yards construction, dies at 78

Dundalk was a steel town. When the Key Bridge fell, so did its legacy.