Harford County Executive Vetoes Redistricting Legislation

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The County Council will have to make another pass at its redistricting map, after County Executive Barry Glassman vetoed the legislation.

Every 10 years, Harford County's councilmanic district maps are reviewed.

This year, a commission was tasked with handling redistricting.

The Harford County Council passed its own redistricting bill with amendments, 6-1, on Dec. 7. It kept Aberdeen and Havre de Grace in two separate districts.

“Earlier today I vetoed the Harford County Council’s redistricting legislation," Glassman said on Monday. "I have heard from community members, including the NAACP, concerned about transparency in the process affecting their council representation for the next decade. I urge the council to provide an additional opportunity for public comment.”

The city of Havre de Grace filed suit against Harford County government and members of the Harford County Council over the councilmanic redistricting process, alleging the County Council violated the open meetings act and the county charter in the way they went about conducting the county's redistricting process.

In addition to holding closed meetings, the complaint says the council stepped outside its role in creating a new map for redistricting rather than adjusting the map presented by the Harford County Redistricting Commission.

"Although not part of the lawsuit, we fully support this action, and we also call on County Executive Barry Glassman to veto Bill No. 21-025," the Harford County NAACP said in a statement on Dec. 21.

"The Harford County Redistricting Commission, a body that was specifically chosen to be reflective of the demographics of the County’s communities and interests, spent considerable time deliberating in public. Throughout the entirety of the process, the commission and its members ensured that the public understood the reasoning behind their proposal. The Harford County Council, on the other hand, approached the process of redistricting behind closed doors, and many Council members ignored their own constituents' requests to discuss the issue," the NAACP said. "The map developed and presented by the Harford County Redistricting Commission after extensive public input and consideration should be adopted in its place."

See Also: Havre de Grace Sues Harford County, Council Over Redistricting