Maturity used to be viewed as a prerequisite for elective office. Although present-day examples of political immaturity abound, local, close-at-hand examples can still be grating.
Specifically, in the case of the negotiations between the Kendall family and the Ulman administration over the purchase of an easement to enable a county-sponsored development in Clarksville, the two parties failed to agree to a price. Steve Kendall's response to this gridlock was to observe, as reported in the Howard County Times, "they just don't like the purchase price," and then to diplomatically decline further comment.
In contrast, County Executive Ken Ulman felt compelled to resort to what amounted to name-calling, by characterizing the difference between the Kendall price and that of his administration as "a huge discrepancy, almost a laughable discrepancy." A more mature and professional county executive would have observed that there was a significant difference in price between the negotiating parties and left it at that.
Hopefully, the next immature act will not be to attempt to bulldoze, under the guise of a "Clarksville bypass, " a backdoor entrance through protected farmland to the sponsored development site.
Folks in Howard County have the right to expect maturity from not only occupants of the county executive chair, but also from those who aspire to any higher office as well.
Steve Curtis
Dayton