Crack pipes

I found it interesting that the Anne Arundel County Health Department admitted they “hadn’t put enough thought” into the decision to hand out clean pipes to smoke crack cocaine (The Capital, April 9).

That equates to an admission that the county’s leadership team, specifically County Executive Steuart Pittman and county health officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, do not possess the leadership and management skills to make significant decisions.

The concept of distributing crack cocaine pipes should have been researched and discussed carefully with drug experts, former users, medical personnel and other county officials. But the decision to undertake this initiative was done with little thought and vetting. That is not how leaders at this level make important decisions.

Additionally, why would our county leadership team undertake such a sensitive initiative without first informing the public? As a taxpayer, I’m incensed that my tax dollars would be used for such an outrageous concept.

Perhaps if the concept were explained, I could be swayed. But leaders need to understand what decisions need to be explained to the public. If they don’t have the sensitivity over what should be briefed and explained to the public, I question their leadership skills. Their first obligation is to the citizens they represent.

Additionally, probably the most important ingredient of a good leader is to possess good judgment and use it in his or her decision-making. Needless to say, good judgment was amiss in this decision.

Retired Rear Adm. Tom Jurkowsky, Annapolis