By Richard E. Hall, Maryland Secretary of Planning
Duck hunting on Eastern Shore, Maryland
Plenty of people have urged me not to attend today’s forum about PlanMaryland sponsored by the Carroll County Commissioners at the Pikesville Hilton. People who concur with us that PlanMaryland is a long-overdue idea, and even some who are less enthused, say the event is one-sided, not a public meeting and not worth our time. Their concern is that my attendance would legitimize the commissioners’ invited speakers, whose views against smart growth and climate change are well-documented. Even the executive director of the Maryland Association of Counties, a group that has voiced many concerns about PlanMaryland but has continued to work very seriously with us on it, said of today’s forum , “The potential for negative repercussions from this event … is very significant.”
The reason I’m accepting my invitation is simple: I’d rather engage than not.