|
Ehrlich defends land sale initiatives { November 24 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8665-2004Nov23.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8665-2004Nov23.html
Ehrlich Defends Land Sale Initiatives
Parks, Forests Safe, Md. Governor Says
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 24, 2004; Page B01
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. released a lengthy public statement yesterday defending his administration's attempts to sell off state-owned properties, and playing down criticism of his efforts as the work of "a few political opportunists."
"My political opponents claim this is a plan to turn parklands into condominiums. Nothing could be further from the truth," Ehrlich (R) wrote in the letter, which was distributed to the media by his press office and to political donors and allies by his campaign finance director.
"Our beautiful parks and public forests never were and never will be for sale," he wrote.
Ehrlich's letter comes as Democratic leaders and environmental groups are coalescing behind plans to enact legislation restricting the governor's power to sell state-owned property without legislative approval.
That effort is part of a growing backlash to recent attempts by top Ehrlich aides to market large tracts of environmentally sensitive land to developers. In one deal, the Ehrlich administration tried to sell 836 acres of woodlands in St. Mary's County to a Baltimore builder, despite strong resistance from experts in the state's land preservation unit.
In another, Ehrlich's allies on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents were advocating a plan to sell off portions of an 840-acre environmental research lab on the Choptank River in Cambridge.
"He seems to be trying to rewrite history," said Maryland Sen. Brian Frosh (D-Montgomery). "It's as if all this stuff is a figment of our imaginations."
Frosh said he believes the governor's letter is an attempt to wash away weeks of bad publicity about the administration's real estate ambitions that are only now being fully understood.
The Washington Post reported yesterday that Ehrlich is considering creation of a centralized real estate office to handle all state land transactions. His agency heads have submitted inventories of every parcel of land under their control. And this summer, his administration hired a real estate consulting firm owned by football great Roger Staubach to prepare a central database that, among other things, would help officials identify state properties that could be sold.
The $500,000 project, which is still underway, was promoted as a tool for the state to become more efficient.
The governor echoed that idea in his public statement yesterday, saying the land sales initiative was "emblematic of my efforts to restore fiscal discipline in Annapolis after years of 'tax and spend' government."
"Make no mistake," he said, "our work is not done. We will continue scrutinizing state-owned property to determine whether it is worth the high cost taxpayers shoulder to maintain it."
In the statement, Ehrlich said his administration has "enjoyed great success in disposing of questionable state property." He mentioned his decisions to auction off the state yacht for $250,000 and sell a state-owned airplane for $470,000.
Critics of the governor said they are more concerned about 3,000 acres of state parkland that the Department of Natural Resources placed on a list of surplus property. Those are parcels that environmental advocates said should not fall into the hands of developers for any price.
"We are being inundated with calls and e-mails from people who are really, really concerned about this," said Dru Schmidt-Perkins, executive director of the environmental advocacy group 1000 Friends of Maryland. "We all thought this land was supposed to be protected forever."
House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said one major concern about the governor's policy is that it was being conducted largely in secret. Another is the possibility of political motivation, he said, noting that a central figure in the initiatives has been Ehrlich's fundraising chief, Richard E. Hug.
Hug oversaw research into the idea of selling surplus state property while serving on Ehrlich's transition team.
But Ehrlich said there is only one motive for considering the sale of state properties: "efficient management of taxpayer dollars."
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
|
|
