I am glad that stories like this are being posted by Patch. When it comes time to vote in November I, my family members and many of our friends will cast our votes to reflect the severe disgust of "politics as usual" with our county council in general.

So sad that the "elected officials" of OUR County do not have the time to let the voters speak their peace before them....2 minutes is a joke and the Council knows this.....and so it goes....;

D. Frank Smith-
I am writing to you about the false statements in your story. Please post the disparaging remarks I made to corroborate your allegations in the news article.

I was interviewed by Nicole Fuller for the story you hyperlinked and reviewed her story and the digital recording of the December 5, 2011 meeting and I did not utter any disparaging remarks. The story quotes and the recording corroborates the following, ""It’s the elephant in the room,” said Delimater. “Or perhaps, we should call it the Democrat in the room.” And with that, newly appointed Council Chairman Derek Fink, a Pasadena Republican, banged his gavel. “Ma’am, I’m sorry,” said Fink. “This is not the right place for this.” Delimater attempted to continue her remarks, but Fink again pounded his gavel. “Well, there’s your government,” said Delimater, as she walked back to her seat."

Please post a retraction of the story and represent the Tuesday's nights events in accordance with Patch policy of objectivity.
Thank you.
-Karen Delimater

So what was her issue this time? She has every right to freedom of speech but she does not have the right to disrupt a public hearing. She needs to become a member of the council if she is so passionate on her issues.

People shouldn't have to become members of any council in order to voice their opinions or concerns. I think that what Karen doesn't understand is that nothing that is ever said at these meetings ever mean anything. The decisions are made long before the meetings ever take place.

Two minutes does not give a professional speaker enough time to make her/his point. Nevermind a lay person that's not used to public speaking. D, I understand that every public body has a time limit but if two minutes is the norm, it's time to get that changed.

I read the 15 charter amendments and I hope that voters really do some research. It's amazing how many want of them are to limit any outside "interference" in their little club.

IT IS TIME!!!!!FINK HAS TO GO!!!!! FINK HAS TO GO......FINK HAS TO GO!!!!!

In speech and debate competitions Impromptu speech events provide the speaker with 2 minutes to gather their thoughts, and 5 minutes to speak. Just another bad statistic.

D. Frank Smith said: "In any elected board like this, it's commonplace for there to be guidelines for how long a person can speak. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a public body without any guidelines. Even then, there are likely unwritten guidelines. Sometimes a chairman will let it slide over the time allotted, other times they'll let the person know to "please summarize." In Fink's case, he used the gavel. When that failed, he turned to the police."

1. There were TWO, CONFLICTING official clocks for speakers. Given that mistake on the part of the government, one would reasonably expect them to grant leeway and honor the longer of the guidelines THEY ISSUED, especially since it was only an increase of one minute per speaker. It seems very clear that they did not do so because they do not like this woman. As you noted, a "showdown" had been brewing and the government acted in a petty and tyrannical fashion the minute the door was open to do so.

2. I would like to see you respond to Ms. Delimater's comment above.

Regards,

Mike

It's just a matter of time before the dirty dirty about Fink is revealed. Stay tuned. When tiny little men think they are more powerful than the people they have sworn to represent, the ego usually causes them to be sloppy (see Dwyer and Leopold). Fink is no exception, and the story will eventually break in the Sun.

Guess she was just having a bad case of verbal diarrhea.

So...we know what she did to be removed (too much time), we know what the council did and didnt do (banged a gavel and sat there), but I still dont know what it was all about ? Come on Frank, why the dust up ?

At a meeting in January 2012 with Derek Fink, Karen Delimater and other citizens at his Glen Burnie office - Karen Delimater noticed a GIS map of all development projects planned in northern AA County (District 2 and 3). This was precisely the same information that she requested weeks before as part of the referendum process on the Marley Meadows project in an email request to Derek Fink as one of his constituents. She also followed up my email request with a phone call and Derek Fink told her that no such capability or information existed to be able to aggregate all of the proposed development projects. She told Derek Fink in front of two other witnesses that this map was the exact one sheI had requested and he said he knew that. She asked why he did not just send her this map, and his direct quote was "You Pissed Me Off." She has never received this map, nor has this map been released to his constituents so they can see all the new development in the already congested Pasadena area.

The AA County Department of Public Works was charging fees to private citizens, non-profit organizations, and pool-water hauling companies without the statutory authority to do so for at least one year. After this information was elicited by questions from Derek Fink and other council members, there appears to be no follow-up investigation into this alleged crime by county bureaucrats. In the weeks preceding the September 4th meeting, Karen Delimater was in contact via phone with all County Council members, Eric Robey, and officials at the Dept of Public Works to attempt to get a formal investigation into this department. John Grasso and Peter Smith were the only council members who returned voice mail messages on the subject. Chris Trumbauer's legislative assistant stated that it was being looked into. She is still awaiting the promised information from Eric Robey on what actions the county executive's office is taking in regards to this alleged criminal admission from county officials at a county council meeting.
There has been a lack of follow-up investigation into to the Dept of Public Works.Derek Fink exerted his presumed "discretionary" powers as Chairman to quell free speech and redress of grievances before this information could be presented.

There is a strict definition of emergency stipulated in the County Charter which is the only criteria for the use of the expedited process of passing legislation. Karen Delimater spoke on the misuse of this EMERGENCY PROVISION by the Council and County Executive many times and provided copies to all council members and Alan Friedman from the County Executive's office stating that to continue to use this ordinance for budget issues which are not directly related to disaster situations (hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorist attacks, etc.) is a violation of the Charter. She even had the promise of John Grasso that if provided with the definition, he would vote No on any future bills using the emergency ordnance. An emergency ordnance for funding was on September 4th agenda. This provision is not meant to bypass the normal legislative process established in statute in Section 307 (d) and e) - but o protect citizens from loss of life and property

The continued use of this provision to enact legislation for funding disenfranchises all citizens of the guaranteed constitutional rights.

Sec. 208 (d). Legislative sessions; meetings of the County Council; quorum; rules of procedure. Emergency Legislative Session.
"... the term "emergency ordinance" shall mean one which deals with an actual acute emergency necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and welfare;"