The race for Bel Air Town Commissioners will not be decided until Monday when provisional ballots are certified and the counting of absentee ballots is finished:

Currently, Preston leads the field with 414 votes, followed by Carey with 411 and Greg Adolph with 410. Ricky Davis received 356 votes, Dave Mitchell received 32 votes, and Steve Testerman received 11 votes.

In Aberdeen, Michael Bennett remained Mayor. Landbeck, Garner, Elliott, and Ruth elected to City Council.

From AP: A retired Associated Press bureau chief has killed himself after being charged with molesting two boys over a five-year period. John Edward Woodfield Sr., 80, was found dead in his home on Saturday from a single gunshot, according to Lt. Jim Eyler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. The medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide. Woodfield, who retired in 1991 as bureau chief in Baltimore, had been charged the day before with sexual abuse of a minor and other charges. Woodfield worked for the AP for more than 30 years, the entire time in Maryland. He was the bureau chief in Baltimore for 19 years…..

Towson developer J. Joseph Credit wants to put up the complex of four buildings to cash in on a wave of military jobs being shifted to Aberdeen Proving Ground as part of the military’s base realignment.

City leaders say the new offices — approved by Aberdeen Mayor Michael Bennett and City Council Aug. 24 — should help make up for a lack of space to accommodate thousands of workers. But the business park likely will not come with the hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue promised by earlier plans for the property. Credit had planned to build a 16-screen multiplex movie theater and 130,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space within walking distance of the stadium.

[...]

Construction at the Commons at Fieldside Village is not slated to begin until after Credit has lined up enough tenants to lease space at the property, according to city documents.

Credit, formerly CEO of Nottingham Properties Inc. and now head of Sherwood Partners LLC, has been planning to develop the property since 2002 as a companion to the city’s Ripken Stadium baseball stadium. He could not be reached for comment. The project’s costs have not been disclosed.

As much as 3.1 million square feet of commercial space will need to be built surrounding the military base for defense contractors, space which isn’t available in the county now.

[...]

Fieldside Village is just one of several planned business parks in the city, Miller said, and he expects many of those developments will start to move forward in the coming months. Developers including Manekin LLC, Stewart Associates and Preston Partners are all planning projects tied to BRAC. That’s in addition to two large business parks under construction by Corporate Office Properties Trust and St. John Properties Inc.

Ward Properties of Edgewood will break ground Thursday on a 700,000-square-foot business park in Abingdon to be anchored by a new Wegmans grocery store.

The developer is hoping to tap into a pent-up demand for office and retail space in the area, driven by an influx of several thousand military workers and defense contractors being shifted to the nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Ward plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the site, at Box Hill Corporate Drive and Woodsdale Road Thursday morning. The project, adjacent to the Box Hill Corporate Center, is being marketed by MacKenzie Retail LLC, which announced the groundbreaking plans Monday afternoon.

The Boulevard at Box Hill is slated to include more than 450,000 square feet of retail space and 50,000 square feet of restaurant space. It will include a 144,000-square-foot Wegmans to employ as many as 1,500 workers, MacKenzie announced. The store could open in 2011.

Governor Martin O’Malley Appoints Members to Harford and Wicomico County Boards of Education

ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 29, 2009) –Governor Martin O’Malley today announced the appointments of two new members to the Boards of Education for Harford and Wicomico Counties. Governor O’Malley named Thomas P. Evans to Harford County Board of Education and Donald L. Fitzgerald and Larry W. Dodd to the Wicomico County Board of Education.

“I am proud to appoint Mr. Evans, Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Dodd to their respective local Boards of Education,” said Governor O’Malley. “Each appointee brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise, and represents the diversity of our State. I am confident that each appointee possesses the skill and the leadership necessary to ensure every child receives the quality public education they deserve. Even in these difficult times, we must continue to protect our investments in public education to ensure that every child receives a world class education and a better future. The people of Maryland are our greatest asset and our continued economic strength depends upon our ability to invest in them, and prepare our children today for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Below is background information on the appointees:

Harford County Board of Education Appointee:
Thomas P. Evans – Mr. Evans is a licensed Pharmacist for the State of Maryland and works as a Pharmacy Supervisor at Maryland General Hospital where he supervises all aspects of the pharmacy operation, plans and implements automation of medication dispensing. Prior to that, he worked as an Informatics Coordinator at St. Joseph Medical Center. He is the former Commissioner of the Maryland State Advisory Board on Medical Privacy and Confidentiality, a member of the Maryland Society of Health System Pharmacists, President and Founder of the Bel Air Investment Club, and a former member of the Fallston Community Council. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1980, his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1983, and received his licensure to practice pharmacy in Maryland in August of 1983. Mr. Evans received his Masters of Administrative Science from the Johns Hopkins University in 1988. He is a resident of Fallston, MD. Mr. Evans’ oldest child attends Fallston Middle School.

Wicomico County Board of Education Appointees:

Donald L. Fitzgerald – Mr. Fitzgerald is a retired Vietnam Veteran and mechanic. In 1966, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served with the 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam. In 1967, he served as Platoon Sergeant for the Signal Corps at Fort Knox, Kentucky and in 1968 was honorably discharged. From 1965 to 2002, Mr. Fitzgerald worked at E.I. DuPont where he worked as a Service Operator and then Mechanic. From 2000 to 2002, he served as President of SNEC, an independent worker’s union. Mr. Fitzgerald attended Wicomico High School and graduated in 1964. He is a member of Grace United Methodist Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 194, the Moose Lodge 654 and the Optimist Club of Salisbury. He is a resident of Salisbury. Mr. Fitzgerald coaches girls’ varsity softball and is a member of the Wicomico County Softball Federation.

Larry W. Dodd – Lieutenant Dodd is a Firefighter and Paramedic at the City of Salisbury Fire Department where he has worked since 1994. Lieutenant Dodd is also an MFRI EMT Instructor and Fire Instructor at the University of Maryland. From 2002 to 2006, he served as a member of the Wicomico County Council and from 2001 to 2005, he served as President of the MIEMSS Region IV E.M.S. Council. Mr. Dodd received his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at Salisbury State University in 2000 and his Masters of Science in Applied Health Physiology from Salisbury University in 2004. He attended the University of Maryland Institute for Governmental Services Academy of Excellence from 2001 to 2005. He has two children attending Wicomico County public schools and is a member of the Beaver Run School PTA. He is a resident of Salisbury.

The Aberdeen Test Center says staff will be creating several strong, loud explosions for the rest of the month and part of September.

Aberdeen Proving Ground officials made the announcement Tuesday but said the testing began Saturday.

Officials said the detonations will likely be heard and felt outside the boundaries of the military installation. The tests are also expected to create non-hazardous smoke and dust clouds in the area.

Detonations could be rescheduled depending on the weather conditions during the testing period.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $229.3 million contract to build a chemical defense complex at Aberdeen Proving Ground for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, USAMRICD, a government agency charged with protecting the military from chemical and biological attacks.

The Army Corps awarded the contract Aug. 14 to Clark Construction Group LLC of Bethesda, which will build the new space for the institute’s research efforts. The government agency is part of the Defense Department’s U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.

The 526,255-square-foot project, to be completed by May 2013, will include a central energy plant, administrative and support space, and new laboratories for work including animal testing.

STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION TO ASSIST EXELON NUCLEAR WITH HALF-MILLION POUND TRANSFORMER MOVE THROUGH HARFORD COUNTY

Multi-Night Move to Affect I-95 and Several State Highways in Northeastern Harford County

(July 23, 2009) – The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) and the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) are assisting Exelon Nuclear with a major oversized vehicle transport through northeastern Harford County scheduled to begin 9 p.m. Monday night, July 27. The specially designed oversized vehicle will haul a new half-million pound power transformer for Exelon’s Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Delta, Pa.

The oversized vehicle, which is 16 feet wide, and moves 3-5 miles per hour, will travel from Havre de Grace to the Maryland State Line on six nights, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night. The vehicle will be escorted by Maryland State Police (MSP), SHA and Exelon’s private hauling contractor (Hake Rigging of Lester, Pa.). The vehicle will move to a pre-determined staging location each night.

The transformer hauling route includes MD 155 (Level Road), I-95 (John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway), MD 22 (Churchville Road), MD 136 (Priestford/Whiteford Road), and MD 165 (Pylesville Road). Access to homes and businesses will be maintained each night on the hauling route as the slow-moving vehicle proceeds through the route. However, the Deer Creek and Broad Creek bridges will be closed for two days each to assemble and disassemble temporary bridge structures that will carry the vehicle and its heavy load (total weight 831, 724 pounds).

traffic along MD 136 will be detoured during both two-day bridge closures. Preparation work for the move, including tree trimming and temporary relocation of utility poles, is underway. All costs associated with the transformer move will be paid by Exelon. During the transport, traffic control personnel will accompany the vehicle as overhead traffic signal poles will be temporarily turned off and moved to provide clearance for the 27-foot high transformer.

Beginning on or about 9 p.m. Monday, July 27, the vehicle will leave the staging area off Baker Road and enter the hauling route along MD 155 north of downtown Havre de Grace. The following is the schedule of dates, road closures and official detour routes in Maryland (all dates and times are approximate, weather and unforeseen events permitting):7 p.m. Monday, July 27 – 5 a.m. Tuesday July 28: I-95/MD 155 Interchange (exit 89)

The left lane of northbound and southbound I-95 approaching Exit 89 will be closed. From approximately 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. the ramp from MD 155 to northbound I-95 will be closed. Traffic will be detoured to eastbound US 40 (Pulaski Highway) to the Hatem Bridge to US 222 (Perryville Road) back to I-95 northbound.

10 p.m. Monday, July 27 – 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 28: I-95 and MD 155 to Fox Ridge Drive

The westbound lanes of MD 155 north of Baker Road will be closed while the vehicle proceeds along the route towards the I-95 interchange. Traffic will be directed around the rolling operation and motorists may be stopped for short periods of time. Posted Detour: Ramp traffic from MD 155 to northbound I-95 will be detoured to the Hatem Bridge north. At approximately 12 a.m., MSP will conduct a 30-40 minute traffic drag along all lanes of northbound and southbound I-95 to allow the vehicle to cross the median and travel lanes of I-95 and resume travel on MD 155. The vehicle will then proceed along MD 155 to Fox Ridge Drive. Detours: Overnight traffic shifts and temporary traffic control or detours may occur along MD 155. Fox Ridge Drive traffic will be detoured onto Paradise Road overnight until 5 a.m.

Night Two – 11 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 until 5 a.m. Wednesday July 29: MD 155 from Fox Ridge Drive to Glenville Road The vehicle will proceed along westbound MD 155 to Glenville Road and through traffic will be detoured. Detours: Westbound MD 155 will be detoured onto MD 156 (Aldino Road) to MD 22 back to MD 155. Eastbound MD 155 will be detoured onto MD 22 to MD 156 back to MD 155. 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 29 until Midnight Friday July 31: Two-Day MD 136 Deer Creek Bridge Closure

Northbound and southbound MD 136 will be closed to through traffic at the Deer Creek Bridge during this time. All through traffic along MD 136 between MD 22 and US 1 (Conowingo Road) will be detoured during that time. Detours: Northbound MD 136 will be detoured onto MD 22 to MD 543 to US 1 back to MD 136. Southbound MD 136 will be detoured onto US 1 to MD 543 to MD 22 back to MD 136.

Night Three – 11 p.m. Wednesday, July 29 until 5 a.m. Thursday July 30: MD 155 from Glenville Road to MD 22 to MD 136 (Priestford Road) to Deer Creek Bridge The vehicle will continue along westbound MD 155 and will briefly travel one-tenth of a mile along MD 22 in Churchville to connect to northbound MD 136. Detours: MD 155 traffic will be detoured at MD 22 until the vehicle turns onto MD 22. Westbound MD 155 will be detoured at MD 136 to MD 156 to MD 22 back to MD 155. Eastbound MD 155 will be detoured at MD 22 to MD 156 to MD 156 back to MD 155. Personnel will temporarily stop all traffic along MD 22 between MD 136 and MD 155 while the vehicle is moving along MD 22 through Churchville late at night. The vehicle will then proceed along northbound MD 136 to the Deer Creek Bridge (bridge closed until midnight Friday, July 31 with detours in effect for through traffic.)

Night Four – 11 p.m. Thursday, July 30 until 5 a.m. Friday, July 31: MD 136 (Priestford Road) from Deer Creek Bridge to Hollands Branch Court The vehicle will cross over the Deer Creek Bridge and proceed along MD 136 to Hollands Branch Court. (The Deer Creek Bridge will remain closed until midnight Friday, July 31 with detours still in effect for through traffic.)

10 p.m. Friday, July 31 until 6 p.m. Sunday, August 2: Two-Day Broad Creek Bridge Closure

Northbound and southbound MD 136 will be closed to through traffic at the Broad Creek Bridge during this period. All through traffic on MD 136 between MD 440 (Dublin Road) and MD 165 will be detoured during that time. Posted Detour: Southbound MD 136 will be detoured onto MD 165 to MD 543 to MD 440 back to MD 136. Northbound MD 136 traffic will be detoured onto MD 440 to MD 543 to MD 165 back to MD 136.

Night Five – 11 p.m. Friday, July 31 until 5 a.m. Saturday, August 1: MD 136 from Hollands Branch Road to Broad Creek The vehicle will resume travel along MD 136 beginning at 11 p.m. Friday. The Deer Creek Bridge will re-open at midnight. The Broad Creek Bridge will remain closed until 6 p.m. Sunday. During the night, once the vehicle crosses US 1, traffic on MD 136 will be detoured as the vehicle moves north along MD 136 to Broad Creek. Southbound MD 136 will be detoured onto MD 440 to US 1 back to MD 136 and northbound MD 136 will be detoured onto US 1 to MD 440 back to MD 136. Once the vehicle crosses MD 440, southbound MD 136 will be detoured onto MD 165 to MD 543 to MD 440 back to MD 136. Northbound MD 136 will be detoured onto MD 440 to MD 543 to MD 165 back to MD 136.

Night Six and Day Seven: 11 p.m. Saturday, August 1 until 5 a.m. Sunday August 2: MD 136 from Broad Creek to MD 165 to the Maryland/Pennsylvania State Line The vehicle will cross over the Broad Creek Bridge, continue along MD 136, and proceed to northbound MD 165 towards its final stop in Maryland along MD 165 at the Maryland/Pennsylvania State Line. Note: The Broad Creek Bridge will remain closed after the crossing until 6 p.m. Sunday with detours still in effect for through traffic.

Day Eight – 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday, August 3 – Transfer vehicle from MD 165 to PA 74 (Delta Bypass).
The vehicle will travel along PA 74 to PA 851 to Lay Road to Flintville Road to Papermill Road to Lay Road, ending its journey at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. Detour routes will be in effect in Pennsylvania.

This oversized vehicle transport contains the first of six new transformers to be hauled from Havre de Grace to Delta, Pa. For more information about the transformers, Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, or future transports, please contact Exelon’s Bernadette Lauer at 717-456-4818 or Rachelle Benson at 610-765-5325. A map of the transformer hauling route and other information about Peach Bottom is available on Exelon’s website, www.exeloncorp.com/programs/peachbottom.

For more information about state roads within Harford County, citizens may contact SHA’s District 4 Office at 410-229-2300 or toll free at 1-866-998-0367. For more information about detours along PA 74 or other Pennsylvania state highways, citizens may call PennDOT’s District 8 Office at 717-787-6653.

For your safety, SHA strongly advises motorists to avoid the hauling route, especially at night, and to plan ahead for temporary road and bridge closures, detours and extra travel time along MD 155, MD 22, MD 136, MD 165 and other State highways in eastern Harford County during the week of July 27 – August 3.

This hauling route is considered a rolling work zone. Please slow down, stay alert and expect the unexpected. Choose to make work zone safety your business at www.choosesafetyforlife.com.
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Censorship at the Bel Air Fourth of July Parade

The theme of the parade was “Patriots Then and Now”. A quick review of our history will recall that, in the years prior to 1776, England had instituted repressive taxes against the colonists to pay for their ongoing war with France. In response, the colonists protested by throwing Tea Parties — not only in Boston, but also in Cecil County and Annapolis. The protests eventually led to our independence being declared on July 4, 1776, the event which we were celebrating in the Bel Air parade. That was Patriots Then.

Patriots Now are fed up with government’s overspending, with paying taxes to bail out institutions, with government endangering our children’s and grandchildren’s future by monstrous debt. In response they are emulating their forefathers’ example. They are holding Tea Parties — in Boston, in Cecil County, in Annapolis, and all across the country. They are patriots determined to take our country back from the tyrants.

So, in the spirit of that theme, my parade signs read: “Delegate Impallaria says, Stop the Taxing,” “Delegate Impallaria says, Stop the Spending,” “Delegate Impallaria says, Support the Tea Parties,” “Delegate Impallaria says, Support the Constitution,” “Delegate Impallaria says, Happy Birthday, America.”

We carried these signs in the Kingsville Parade earlier in the day. As we approached the reviewing stand, the parade marshall read out each and every one over the loudspeaker, and then thanked me for supporting the positions of their community. So these signs represented not only my views, but the views of the Kingsville spectators, who voiced their agreement during the parade.

At the Bel Air Parade, however, my supporters and I were attacked by Mr. Michael Blum, the parade marshall, for carrying signs which clearly expressed the theme of the parade — Patriotism Then and Now.

If there truly had been objectionable material in anyone’s signs, the proper place for removal would have been the staging area, before appearing in public. But Mr. Blum stopped us on the parade route, ripping the “Support the Tea Parties” sign off our lead motorcycle, then stripping signs away from children as young as eight years old. Fortunately, my one niece, who is a true patriot, hid her sign, and for the remaining route we were left with “Stop the Taxing.”

As Mr. Blum and his cohort attacked the members of my group, the spectators were outraged at what they saw, and started booing Mr. Blum, calling him a “sign Nazi” and “a Communist”, and yelling “This day is all about patariotism and free speech.” It was obvious that the spectators were not offended by the signs, but were offended by Mr. Blum’s censoring of them.

Then, like true Nazis or Communists, they not only prevented my free speech, they attempted to confiscate my private property by refusing to return the signs. I was not about to stand for this. I repeatedly demanded they place the signs in my vehicle, and they repeatedly refused. All this was taking place in public, which was an embarassment to me, my family, and my supporters. When the van driver, my brother, got out and joined me, they realized that, in the famous words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “We shall not be moved,” and the parade would be held up even further, they finally returned the signs.

As one blogger put it, “he is sick and tired of *&%^ politicians walking in the parades.” I 100% agree with him, and that is exactly why we carried those signs. I believe it is the right of the people to know exactly what their elected officials stand for. If they do not support what I stand for, it is their option to boo or ridicule me. If they do, they have the right to support me for my representation of them.

Mr. Michael Blum’s actions are a total disgrace. He owes a public apology to every true American who believes in freedom of speech. He should also attend classes on the Constitution given by the Institute on the Constitution which are held at Boyle Buick. Or, he should just openly admit to his fascist/community beliefs which he so clearly demonstrated at the Bel Air Parade.

As for my family, my supporters and myself, we stand 100% behind the positions we have taken, and we proudly say that we will continue to support the patriots of the past by doing all we can to be patriots of the present.

Rick Impallaria
Delegate, District 7
rick.impallaria@house.state.md.us