All was quiet in the blue office where Carroll County Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge sat poised to speak.

A microphone, a couple of flat computer screens and a sign hung on the outside of the closed door - "Quiet Please Commissioner Taping In Progress" - were the only indications of what was taking place in the corner room of the county office building in Westminster on a recent Thursday afternoon.

Gouge cleared her throat, clicked the mouse and began.

"Hello, everyone, this is Julia Gouge, coming to you from the commissioners' office."

While the nation can hear the president's weekly radio address every Saturday, Carroll residents can tune to WTTR (1470 AM), the self-dubbed "Voice of Carroll County," on Sundays at about 8 a.m. for The Commissioners' Report.

The topics vary, ranging from current issues the board is tackling - creating a county police force or dealing with solid waste disposal - to anything the three officials wish to share with county residents, as Commissioner Dean L. Minnich did during a recent address about the changing nature of the media.

For the commissioners, who take turns doing the 10-minute show, the segment represents an unbridled opportunity to speak their minds, without having to defer to one another as they do during their regular meetings.

"It's my mike, and whatever I want to bring to the table as a priority, that's what I bring," Commissioner Michael D. Zimmer said in an interview. "I don't have to consult with anybody. ... There's no filter."

Gouge echoed that observation during her recent report about the creation of a county police force: "Each of us, as commissioners, have our own opinion," she said in closing. "This is definitely my opinion that I am speaking of today."

Among the counties with boards of commissioners, Carroll's radio show, which goes back more than 30 years, is a relative rarity in nature and longevity.

The Kent County commissioners used to do a Wednesday radio spot, but county administrator Susanne Hayman said she now goes on the air in their stead. In Queen Anne's County, board President Eric S. Wargotz said he gives weekly radio updates on a local station.

And in Charles County, press secretary George Clarkson recently began a television show on the county's cable channel, with each board member rotating in a "commissioner's corner" feature.

"People just want a little bit more," Clarkson said of the program's purpose. Viewers of the regular meetings "just generally see them legislate and vote on things, but the commissioner's and president's corner allows them to elaborate. ... It gives them a little bit more opportunity to provide an explanation" for their decisions.

Carroll's Commissioners' Report is part of WTTR's two-hour block of public-affairs programming, which runs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sundays, said Mark Woodworth, the Westminster-based station's news director.

That kind of programming harks back to a time when the Federal Communications Commission had public service requirements for stations, he said.

"It's very important for local radio stations to provide an outlet for community members to find out what's going on with their leaders," Woodworth said. "It's fascinating to hear them explain their positions on different issues that have come up because you get a sense of what they are thinking and why they are doing things. ... Sometimes we don't get to hear all of the facts that are at their disposal."

WTTR's 1,000-watt signal covers most of Carroll County during daytime hours.

Even as The Commissioners' Report has remained a regular feature, it has evolved from a broadcast recorded at the WTTR studio to a cassette recording delivered to the station and, now, a digital recording e-mailed to Woodworth.

A couple years ago, the board began recording in-house, with the help of Chris Swam, the county's media production specialist, who initially hooked up a microphone to one of his computers, creating a makeshift studio in his office.

The reports are posted on the county Web site after the Sunday broadcast for people to listen to throughout the week, Swam said.

Each member of the board approaches the segment differently. Gouge, who was introduced to the feature as a commissioner in 1986 and recalls when it was twice as long, comes with some notes jotted down but improvises her comments.

Zimmer said he prefers an interview style, inviting guests - such as the head of the county's Environmental Advisory Council - to discuss various topics. That format allowed him, as a new commissioner, to educate himself along with the public, he said.

While Minnich used to interview county staff, he said, he now goes solo, bringing in a scripted message or opting for a more spontaneous "fireside chat" - a reference to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio talks.

Despite their approaches, all three said they know they aren't speaking in a vacuum.

Gouge said she's had fellow congregants come up to her some mornings at church and say they heard her on the radio.

Minnich said he was surprised at how much feedback he gets. But "people who make decisions have an obligation to explain why," he said. "To me, this is part of showing up for work."

arin.gencer@baltsun.com