County Executive

There are so many jaw-dropping accusations in the new indictment of Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold that it's hard to pick the most outrageous. Is it the $10,000 in police overtime? That was the county taxpayers' bill so Leopold's personal security detail could stand watch at a hospital to prevent his live-in girlfriend from meeting his other girlfriend, a county government subordinate. Or how about the allegation that Leopold (R) required the police officers to empty his urine bag when he was using a...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) is in renewed discussions with former Baltimore County executive James T. Smith Jr. (D) about becoming state transportation secretary, according to several people familiar with the talks. The Cabinet-level post has been open for almost a year, following the resignation last summer of Beverley Swain-Staley. O'Malley has been criticized by even some fellow Democrats for taking so long to name a replacement. Smith, whose second term as county executive...

Douglas M. Duncan, who abruptly dropped his bid for governor six years ago amid a diagnosis of depression , has told supporters that he is running for his former job as Montgomery County's executive. The decision, which Duncan has been mulling for months, resurrects the political career of one of the Washington region's most dynamic public figures, a gregarious and at times tempestuous politician whose forceful leadership led to the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring. It also immediately reshapes the 2014...

Correction: Earlier versions of this article misidentified the person who criticized former county executive Douglas M. Duncan's assessment of downtown Silver Spring. At the low point in the boom-bust-boom history of Silver Spring, the biggest downtown in the Washington suburbs was in desperate straits. From the mid-1960s through the next decade, storefronts emptied out fast. Some morphed into low-rent adult bookstores or churches catering to immigrants. Crime spiked.

Anthony H. Griffin County executive 12000 Government Center Pkwy., Suite 552 Fairfax 22035 703-324-2531 coexec@fairfaxcounty.gov http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/countyexec

After conducting a nationwide search with the help of an outside consulting firm, Prince William County officials appointed one of their own, Deputy County Executive Melissa S. Peacor, to be the county's new leader. The search for a new county executive began in July, about a month after former County Executive Craig S. Gerhart stepped down to take a job with Amtrak. Gerhart's announcement came just one day after three county employees were indicted for allegedly pulling off one of the largest bid-rigging and ...

Fairfax County appointed a new deputy county executive Monday to oversee the county's human services programs and agencies. Patricia Harrison, director of the county's Department of Community and Recreation Services, will start as one of the county's four deputy county executives Sept. 28 and be paid $175,000 a year. Harrison, 51, who in the past went by Pat Franckewitz, replaces Verdia Haywood, who is retiring. Haywood, 61, has worked for the county government since 1978 and has been a deputy...

Isiah Leggett (D) County executive Montgomery County 101 Monroe St., second floor Rockville 20850 240-777-2500 Jennifer Hughes Special assistant to the county executive 101 Monroe St., second floor Rockville 20850 240-777-2500 Constantia Latham Special assistant to the county executive 101 Monroe St., second floor Rockville 20850 240-777-2500 ...

After a nationwide search, Prince William County officials appointed one of their own, Deputy County Executive Melissa S. Peacor, to be the county government's new leader. "I'm honored by this opportunity you have given me," Peacor said after the announcement at Tuesday's Board of County Supervisors meeting. "I promise to listen and always give you my best ideas. Thanks for your trust in me, and I won't let the board or the community down. " The search for a county executive began in July, about a month...

Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin, long mentioned as a possible candidate for county executive in 2014 , is moving closer to running. Ervin (D-Silver Spring) said she is in "serious discussions" with two national Democratic operatives, pollster Fred Yang and media consultant Martha McKenna, about roles in the campaign. Incumbent Isiah Leggett (D) has yet to announce whether he will seek a third term . But Ervin said if she runs, it will be regardless of whether Leggett is in...

With the state legislature adjourned and county budget deliberations all but complete, Montgomery's 2014 political season is starting to heat up. Former county executive Doug Duncan, seeking to reclaim the office he held for three terms (1994-2006), held his first major public event Sunday, a picnic fundraiser where he received the endorsement of Rep. John Delaney (D-Md). Duncan, who considered running for the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District seat in 2012, instead endorsed Delaney . The...

The Prince George's County Police Department is a step closer to buying a $27 million headquarters after a County Council committee gave preliminary approval to the plan Tuesday. The council's public safety committee approved a lease/purchase agreement for properties in Suitland that several years ago had been sought by the school system for its headquarters. The site on Presidential Parkway, which includes two buildings and space to construct others, will allow the police department to...

Under ordinary circumstances, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and members of the County Council, progressive Democrats all, would stay away from an event that forced them to cross a picket line. But there's nothing ordinary about Saturday night. Organized labor is boycotting the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee's annual spring fundraiser, in protest of its support for November's Question B ballot measure that limited certain kinds collective...

THE BITTER fight over empowering Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III to manage the county's public education system sadly isn't over. An effort — apparently with some support from the school board — has been launched to overturn the law that gave Mr. Baker new authority in overseeing education. We guess it was too much to hope that those who profess to care about student needs would actually work with Mr. Baker to improve schools rather than launch another power struggle at a critical time.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who is poised to announce next month that he is running for governor, is in discussions with Howard County Executive Ken Ulman about joining his ticket, according to several people familiar with the talks. The pairing of Democrats Brown and Ulman — who has been gearing up to run for governor himself — would shake up a highly competitive Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Martin O'Malley just as it gets underway in earnest. By...

The big shoe in Montgomery County politics — County Executive Isiah Leggett's announcement on whether he will seek a third term in 2014— has yet to drop. The conventional wisdom is that he will run, but the continued absence of confirmation has effectively frozen the plans of those who aspire to the job or to seats on the County Council that might open up if Leggett leaves the stage. A no-go from Leggett(D) could trigger a stampede, with Council members Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring)

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that the county Board of Education would be able to fire the superintendent. The schools chief can be removed by the state superintendent of schools, not the board. This version has been updated. As he begins the search for a new schools superintendent, Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III said he would consider candidates from outside education to lead the struggling $1.7 billion system, including...

Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) and the County Council are accepting applications for four new appointed positions on the Board of Education, county officials announced Saturday. State lawmakers expanded the nine-member elected school board under a compromise bill that also allows Baker to hire the county's next schools chief. Last month, Baker sought a complete takeover of the county's public school system, asking for...