Harford County Executive Glassman Seeks Applicants for Community Advisory Boards

From Harford County government:

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman is pleased to announce the creation of eight Community Advisory Boards to advise his administration on matters of interest to local communities, and to provide better communication between citizens and county government.

“Allowing our communities to come together to have meaningful discussions about issues of local concern should be an important part of our decision-making process,” County Executive Glassman said. “The Community Advisory Boards will certainly not be the only means through which my administration will interact with citizens, but they will serve a key advisory role in matters affecting local communities.”

The eight Community Advisory Boards are: Abingdon, Churchville/Creswell, Dublin/Darlington, Edgewood, Fallston, Jarrettsville/Norrisville, Joppa/Joppatowne and Whiteford/Cardiff/Pylesville/Street.

The Community Advisory Boards will function in much the same way as did the former Community Councils and, prior to that, the Community Planning Councils. They will provide a forum for keeping communities abreast of important projects, programs and events, and will serve as a source of information for both county government and interested citizens.

The boards will consist of five to ten citizens selected by the county executive who collectively represent a diversity of interests and backgrounds. In addition, each board may have one student member who is enrolled in a high school in Harford County. Members will be expected to attend regular board meetings, ranging in frequency from monthly to quarterly. Meeting dates and locations will be determined by the county in consultation with each board.

One change from the most recent past is that citizens who live within the boundaries of an inactive board area are welcome to participate with an active board nearby, and boards will be encouraged to take a broader view of issues pertaining to their communities.

The previous Community Council areas of Abingdon/Emmorton and Bush River will be combined into one Abingdon Community Advisory Board. Within the Bush River area, there are very active community associations in both Riverside and Forest Greens/Perryman, which provide citizens with community-level interaction, and county government will also explore working with those associations to provide improved cooperation and communication. Residents of any portion of the Bush River area are welcome to participate in the Abingdon Community Advisory Board.

While two community areas are joining together, one previously inactive area is being revived. Recognizing sufficient citizen interest, and at the urging of County Councilman Pat Vincenti, County Executive Glassman is planning to establish the Churchville/Creswell Community Advisory Board, serving the areas of Churchville, Creswell and Fountain Green.

Citizens interested in serving as a Community Advisory Board member should visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/cab to download an application or call the Office of Citizens Affairs & Administrative Services at 410-638-4109, ext. 1824 to request an application via email or U.S. mail. Any citizen unsure regarding with which Community Advisory Board he or she should participate should also contact this office. To ensure consideration for the initial round of appointments, citizens should return their applications by February 27; however, applications will be accepted at any time during the term.