Upon taking office, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman has moved quickly to reorganize the structure of his office. Among the changes is the revival of the Office of Government and Community Relations, and the abolishment of the Office of the Chief of Staff.
To people on the outside looking in, such changes seem to make little difference in the day-to-day function of government. Truth be known, the elimination of one governmental office and the revival of another pretty much is little more than window dressing.
No senior level government jobs were harmed in the making of the changes, though, to be sure, there were personnel changes, as is to be expected when a new administration takes office.
That Glassman moved so quickly to make the reorganization, however, is an indication that he and his core advisers have a plan for how they want to manage the county.
The revival of the Office of Government and Community Relations – which under previous administrations had been a sort of public affairs and constituent services operation – comes with what the new administration characterizes as a renewed focus on coordinating the efforts of the executive with the actions of the County Council as well as with efforts put forth on behalf of the county in Annapolis and Washington, D.C. In other words, instead of focusing personnel power on public relations locally, that energy will be focused on lobbying.
There's a measure of logic behind the shift. Harford County's representation in Annapolis has been weak when it comes to bringing state funding back to the county for roads, schools and public works projects. In Washington, D.C., the county, which is nearly large enough to make up its own Congressional district, has been divided in such a way that any countywide voice is meek at best. The failure of the Army to be prodded into finding money to replace the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, once one of Harford County's top tourist attractions, is a case in point.
There's a case to be made that local elected officials are, themselves, the most potent lobbyists at the state and federal level, but there's noting wrong with a new administration trying a new approach.
Another element of Glassman's reorganization relates to an arm of the county's executive branch that has perplexed county executives almost from the start: the community councils. Initially devised as a way to solicit community input for a comprehensive land use review and support for the subsequent zoning changes, the councils initially were linked to the county planning office and indeed were known as community planning councils.
The councils, each comprised of people appointed by the county executive, did provide input, as well as dissent, during the comprehensive rezoning process in that round. They were subsequently stripped of the planning role and have long since become forums where the general public can raise issues of localized concern.
The councils have no real authority, acting strictly in an advisory capacity, but some have shown the potential to evolve into meaningful forums for public input into the formulation of public policy. Even so, many of them went dormant toward the end of the administration of David R. Craig. It's not surprising as their role had been ill-defined since their planning function was stripped away many years ago.
Glassman's plan for the councils involves a newly-established branch of the office of the director of administration called the Division of Citizens Affairs and Administrative Services. It is to be led by Ben Lloyd, a holdover from the previous administration, whose job will include being the official liaison between the executive's office and the presumably revived community councils.
On the subject of the community councils, Glassman had this to say: "We do anticipate continuing the community councils. ... We are looking at changing their role and improving the way they operate to some extent."
The councils are, however, a double-edged sword. It's great when they're coming back with ideas and proposals. It's another thing entirely when they're sounding off about why those ideas and proposals aren't being implemented (which is kind of what happened when they had an associated planning function).
All the same, the community councils were a good idea when they were community planning councils, and they're still a good idea, albeit an underutilized one.
On the whole, it would be good to see the Glassman administration make better use of the community councils. As for the other changes, time will tell if the energy expended on making the office changes can be sustained and directed to effect real and meaningful change.
They seem to show a desire to get down to the business of governing, even if they constitute little more than changing names and titles on office doors.