On Thursday night, 10 well-qualified individuals interested in public service were vetted by the Anne Arundel County Council to fill the vacancy left in the District 1 seat ("Arundel councilman uses ethnic slur," Feb. 17). After witnessing the behavior of some of the council members, those individuals probably wished they never applied, as serving on this council will be a trying task indeed.
Two incidents stood out that were particularly embarrassing: Councilman Richard Ladd uttering the ethnic slur "gooks" while interviewing one of the candidates, and Councilman John Grasso berating two fellow male councilmen as "ladies" for not adequately explaining their votes to his satisfaction. Oddly, after an extended discussion on "diversity" with respect to council members, perhaps the panel should have taken a break to reacquaint themselves with the concept of "civility."
To make matters worse, after over 100 ballots, the council is now deadlocked between two candidates: Pete Smith, a former Marine who emphasized his integrity during the process, and Mike Wagner, a former state senator and businessman whose current claim to fame is to dole out campaign cash, including an attempted donation to one of the current councilmen who would be voting on his appointment. The apparent conflict of interest didn't seem to bother many on council, save Councilman Jerry Walker, but it sure demonstrated the good old boys network is alive and well in Anne Arundel County.
The council comes back on Tuesday, Feb. 21 to continue voting. Hopefully by then, the council will demonstrate some sense and settle on a candidate, but I doubt either Mr. Smith or Mr. Wagner is holding their breath. It's too bad. The people of District 1 and the county as a whole deserve better.
Stephen Thibodeau, Annapolis