I am writing to express my disagreement with the Howard County Board of Education Study Commission to create a hybrid school board through political appointments and the formation of voting districts. County Executive Ken Ulman and Del. Frank Turner's recommendation is an attempt to take away the power of the voting electorate and place it in the hands of political cronyism.
While this recommendation seems to revolve around the lack of diversity on the school board, I would challenge this thought on the premise that elections are designed to allow the general electorate to vote in the best candidates. The power is in the ballot box and candidates need to energize their bases to vote on Election Day.
What the county executive and Del. Turner do not like is that previous elections have not provided the lineup they would like to see. Their recommendation and the pending legislation is another example of the political left in Howard County minimizing the voting public by using political appointments or by meddling with the current system to create advantages in order to obtain their desired outcome. This is yet another reason for the necessity of checks and balances in both the Howard County Council and the Maryland legislature.
Kyle Lorton
Highland