Campaign alliance opposes library

New Leonardtown branch hit by Jarboe and his slate

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

The $15.9 million library is approved for the Hayden Farm, 172 acres purchased by county government earlier this year for $5.3 million, at the north side of Hollywood Road across the highway from the current library. Two new schools are also planned for the property, which is not in the town of Leonardtown's current boundaries.

Members of the Town Hall Alliance, affiliated with County Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R), attended a joint meeting Tuesday of the county commissioners and Southern Maryland legislators to oppose the library.

The county commissioners are requesting authority from the legislature to borrow up to $25 million from the bond market to help pay for future construction projects. One of those projects is the new library for Leonardtown.

Jarboe voted against both the land purchase and the new library project.

Richard Johnson of Valley Lee, Dan Morris of Oakville and Randy Guy of Clements, candidates with the Town Hall Alliance, all said Tuesday the county shouldn't be building a new library right now and agreed with Jarboe that even renovating the existing facility should be put off.

The Leonardtown library is housed in the old National Guard Armory, built in 1954. The library moved from Tudor Hall to the building in February 1984.

"We need to pay for what we need and not what we want," Morris said. He is running for the Leonardtown/Hollywood seat and said the county jail needs to be expanded and maintained, which he said is more important than the library. "A library is not what we need right now," he said.

Johnson said the "new grandiose plan for the library is over the top and out of town," so it doesn't currently have access to public water and sewer. County Administrator John Savich said the annexation process is under way.

Johnson is running for the seat representing the Ridge/Piney Point area, and Guy is running for president of the commissioners.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D) asked Johnson about a renovation instead. "How much do you think that can save?"

Johnson said, "Maybe when I'm county commissioner I can answer that question."

Mattingly said Wednesday the joint meeting between the commissioners and legislators was not an appropriate venue for the slate to be campaigning. "I didn't think last night's legislative public hearing was a campaign opportunity. It shouldn't have been," he said.

Jarboe said Wednesday that it was a public hearing, "an opportunity to speak regardless of who they are. It's only appropriate they would."

"Their comments were uninformed. They're basically telling the community they're against expanding library opportunities in one of our development districts," Mattingly said. Leonardtown is an area of designated growth in county plans.

"They clearly didn't understand the cost of a renovation and a state-of-the-art" facility, he said. Renovations tend to cost more than brand-new construction, he said.

"Are they coming out a little bit rough? Absolutely," Jarboe said of the slate's informal presentation.

Mattingly said, "I assume [Jarboe's] entire ticket is against public library services."

"There is nobody that loves libraries more than I do," Jarboe said. "I'm saying maybe we need to step back and not spend the $25 million" that would be borrowed for a new library, connecting FDR Boulevard in Lexington Park and other projects.

"The candidates are saying ‘maybe we don't need to spend more.' When you spend more, you tax more," he said.

"Tommy can throw things at me or the people I want to work with," he said, but he said it shows the difference between his philosophy and Mattingly's. One is tax and spend, Jarboe said, and his is "spend less, tax less."

An April public hearing was held on a new library for Leonardtown where most residents spoke in favor of it. "Evidently they don't care how the public feels. It's about how Ken Rossignol feels," Mattingly said of the slate. Rossignol is publisher of St. Mary's Today.

Asked if Rossignol is behind the Town Hall Alliance's opinions, Mattingly said, "No question at all. He continues to write about that [Hayden] family and questions the integrity of not only that family, but other members of the community. I hope our community recognizes that."

Jarboe said, "Ken is a member of the slate and he does a lot of media for the slate. As far as the opinions, he's got his opinions and I've got mine." Rossignol has not filed for any office.

Jarboe said of the $25 million sought in bond authority, "I see no reason to apply to this bond bill." This bond bill would be for capital projects beyond fiscal 2011.

jbabcock@somdnews.com