Ethics panel dismisses complaint
Arundel commission rejects allegation against Schuh over confidentiality issue
An ethics commission in Anne Arundel County has dismissed an elections-related complaint filed against incumbent County Executive Steve Schuh by his Democratic opponent.
The Anne Arundel County Ethics Commission rejected Steuart Pittman’s complaint alleging that Schuh, a Republican, used taxpayer-funded resources for campaign materials.
The commission said Pittman’s campaign violated confidentiality requirements when it spoke to the media about the complaint. A story regarding the complaint ran in The Capital Gazette.
“The ethics commission takes this oath of confidentiality seriously,” the commission said in its ruling. “Until this commission reviews a complaint, hears from the respondent and conducts a hearing, if necessary, the subject matter and parties of the complaint must not be made public, much less be used for clear partisan political purposes.”
Pittman has asked the commission to reconsider its decision. Pete Baron, a spokesperson for Pittman’s campaign, said he spoke to a reporter prior to filing the complaint and signed the ethics commission’s confidentiality agreement.
“We believe the ethics commission dismissed the complaint in error,” Baron said. “The people of Anne Arundel County deserve to know that the prohibition on using tax dollars to advance a partisan political agenda is applied evenhandedly to all county employees, including the county executive.”
The complaint was filed after Schuh used Anne Arundel County letterhead to send a memo to Crofton residents this month regarding development projects.
The commission said in its ruling that the Crofton memo “raises some concern because it mentions the county executive’s political opponent by name, and appears to address and further campaign rhetoric and argument, going beyond what might be considered usual and customary constituent communications.”
However, no action will be taken because the commission’s dismissal of the complaint.
A county spokesperson said the memo was intended to correct “misinformation” from Pittman’s campaign.
“The Ethics Commission saw Mr. Pittman’s ridiculous complaint for what it was: an obvious attempt to use the commission’s complaint process for blatantly political purposes,” said Owen McEvoy, a spokesperson for the Schuh administration. “We remain committed to communicating with every community on county initiatives, and thank the commission for dismissing this charade so quickly.”
The complaint also sought a review of other memos sent by the executive. The commission said those memos — one related to a proposed Chesapeake Bayhawks project in Crownsville, another that responded to criticisms after the county police union endorsed Pittman and another that addressed development issues on the Mayo Peninsula — were “usual and customary constituent services.”
Election day is Nov. 6, and early voting begins Thursday.