Why I Volunteer

It seems that suburban Howard County, MD is turning into a mini-Washington, D.C.

I volunteer on the Howard County Human Rights Commission (HRC), for which I am currently the chairperson. The HRC was established in 1969 and serves to protect and advocate for the human rights of citizens and employees of businesses and organizations throughout the county. In particular, we serve in an adjudicatory capacity regarding allegations of discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, etc.

In December, I was elected chairperson after having served on the HRC since 2010. (I also serve on the Howard County Board of Appeals.) And it was in late December/early January that County Executive Kittleman not only called me to personally congratulate me on being elected chairperson and to hear my thoughts on improving the HRC, but also embarked on proposing CB4-2015, which sought to vastly reorganize both the HRC and the Office of Human Rights, which is the liaison office to the HRC. However, despite the best efforts of my fellow commission members, as well as myself, we never did get an explanation from the County Executive's office as to how and why CB4-2015 came about.  In our collective opinion, this was directly contrary to the platform of "transparency and disclosure" that the County Executive based his political campaign that culminated in his election in November of 2014. (Kittleman, a Republican, won the election and followed Ken Ulman, a Democrat.) Needless to say, the HRC, under my leadership, unanimously opposed CB4-2015, which was essentially defeated as a result.

Fast forward to July 6th and the legislative session of the Howard County Council...unbeknownst to me, according to my review of the recording, http://howardcounty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=2506 , a resolution was before the council to appoint a person to replace me on the HRC. (That appointment, resolution 89-2015, was summarily tabled by the county council, as were several others that were to replace still serving board members and commissioners.)  However, as recently as June, the HRC had asked for clarification as to the reappointment of certain commissioners, including myself. At no point was I told I was not to be reappointed, despite the customary policy of reappointment of volunteers throughout county Boards and Commissions, without regard to political affiliation after party changes post-election. As such, I can only think that the failure to reappoint me is retaliatory for my leadership on the HRC as the Commission vehemently opposed CB4-2015.

Now, I get it..."Elections have consequences." But this is not a paid position or employment. It is a VOLUNTEER commitment...one I took on when I was still a federal employee and thus prohibited from participating in most pro bono activities. In Maryland, pro bono activities are voluntary and not compulsory. Just the same, I have always tried to honor the legal profession's commitment to pro bono services. Nevertheless, as a volunteer, I am giving of my free time and valued talents. When I walk out the door to an HRC meeting or to testify at a council session, as a VOLUNTEER, I am taking valuable time away from my family, my law practice and my free time. When my 4 year old cries because Mommy is going to a meeting, I tell her I'm going to "help people", because that's in essence what I believe I am doing. And this type of service to community is what I'm trying to teach my daughter...that it is important to give of our time and help people. I'm sacrificing my personal time to help people throughout Howard County...to help make our community just a little bit better. And when volunteers are appointed to county Boards and Commissions, it is with the expectation that our time and opinions will be valued for their unvarnished objectivity...and that we will not suffer retaliatory consequences as a result. As a community that values diversity of race, thought and opinion, we should all be aware, as a community, the chilling effect and message this type of response sends, not only throughout our community, but also beyond its borders, when volunteers are mistreated and dismissed for attempting to objectively give back to our community. Let's "Choose Civility" in Howard County, Maryland, and let it mean something more than a bumper sticker slogan.