The Perryman Peninsula Moratorium bill died when the County Council declined to act on Tuesday May 3, 2022. Here is a timeline summary of the Great Perryman Peninsula Moratorium Bamboozle.
UNANIMIMOUS VOTE BY COUNCIL
On April 19 2022 all 7 Councilmen voted FOR Bill 22-003, as amended.
VETOED BY BARRY GLASSMAN, COUNTY EXECUTIVE
On Monday May 2, 2022, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman vetoed the bill which requires the Council to override the veto the following day or the bill dies.
Mr. Glassman’s reasons for the veto included the following 4 items:
1) The map delineating the boundaries of the Perryman Peninsula was not included in the copy presented to Glassman
3P RESPONSE: When printing out the bill from the Harford County Council’s Legislative Library website the map is included. The clerical omission is trivial, and whether made by accident or design, does not trigger an executive veto.
2) The Legislature cannot require an employee of the Executive Branch to assist in a legislative function.
3P RESPONSE: This is false and many Bills have included Executive Branch departments to assist. For example, Glassman signed the Farm Brewery Moratorium Bill 21-012 one day after Council vote. The Bill stated, “The County Council shall appoint…a representative of the Harford County Department of Planning and Zoning, a representative of the Harford County Department of Inspections, Licensing and Permits…”
3) It is illegal that the Bill states that a study group may not be appointed until the Bill becomes law and must not be formed until the Bill becomes effective.
3P RESPONSE: Of course a legislative study group will not be formed until after a bill becomes a law. The study group is an operation of the law itself. And, nowhere in Bill 22-003 did it require or allow the study group be appointed before the effective date of the bill. To assert an illegality on this premise is nonsensical.
4) A moratorium that studies issues that already require approval is illegal.
3P RESPONSE: This is false and moratoriums are meant to allow a pause in an activity so additional analysis and adjustments can be made. Glassman signed the Farm Brewery Moratorium Bill 21-012 one day after Council vote. The Bill stated, “…a temporary moratorium is in order to prevent future problems with the placement, construction, minimum acreage, and operation of farm breweries pending the completion of necessary studies and consideration of amendments to the current law on this subject.”
NO MOTION
On Tuesday May 3, 2022, the Council President, Patrick Vincenti, nor any other Council member made a motion to vote to override Glassman’s veto. In particular, the Bill sponsor and Perryman’s elected Councilman, Curtis Beulah, did not speak during the only opportunity to override the veto. Therefore Bill 22-003 was not adopted into law.
Political Suicide is what occurred. I will do everything in my power from this day forward to make sure no incumbents are re-elected… NONE
I think this was their plan all along!
Wagner, when voting said this did require more study, as well as more clarification of the L1 status. But it seems they all lost their voice on May 3rd!
I wonder how they would like it if all these factories were in their backyard. With the increased traffic in the area that was once a safe and quiet place to raise a family. My children would never have the opportunity to explore and enjoy the area as I did growing up.