top:  Collins listens to questions.  below:  Collins and Beall bottom:  This month's attendees.

WALDORF - Commissioner Ruben Collins held his monthly District 3 meeting at Capitol Clubhouse in Waldorf this past Monday.  His guest speaker was Director of Planning and Growth Management Melvin C. Beall, Jr., P.E. to help answer some of the questions raised at the previous month’s meeting.

Commissioner Collins uses the monthly meetings to stay in touch with the needs of his District 3 citizens.  Citizen complaints during this meeting ranged from dangerous mini-motorbike riders to flooding of neighborhood roads even during the lightest of rain showers.

Following a discussion of the older neighborhoods the commissioner read an email from a constituent who suggested a one-time $100 tax of all citizens to devote to the drainage issues would be one solution.  The commissioner was clear that this was not a plan but merely a citizen suggestion on which he would like some feedback. 

One attendee mentioned that she was in a newer neighborhood that didn’t have those issues and asked why they should have to pay for the flooding issues in the older neighborhoods.  The Bay Net asked Mr. Beall if the flooding issues of one neighborhood affect the other neighborhoods.  Mr. Beall stated the neighborhoods do affect each other, such that ignoring older neighborhoods would affect the property values, flooding and crime in newer neighborhoods.

Mr. Beall told The Bay Net his department is working on a concept called “Neighborhood Visioning” to create a sense of community in which neighborhoods feel responsible for the other neighborhoods around them.  It is still in its early stages at this point, but it is something the county Department of Planning and Growth Management is focused on.

Mr. Beall also explained the previous moratorium on the building of townhouses, which was implemented to improve the quality of the housing and architectural aesthetics for the community.  The moratorium was lifted around the year 2000.  A townhouse complex is being built on Leonardtown Road across from Thomas Stone High School.

Beall reported the county has a minimum requirement of 1650 square feet for new homes.  The details of why this is the case were not discussed.  This fact tied into a brief discussion of the “Mc Mansions” which have been cropping up, but there was not time to explore the topic further.

The commissioner did mention a discussion of workforce housing would take place at the Housing Summit this week. 

Another attendee asked if the new County Administrator, Paul Comfort, would attend one of Commissioner Collins' monthly meetings.  Collins replied he would invite Comfort to attend once he’s had time to settle in after his May 27th start date.

Reuben B. Collins, II - Commissioner for District 3

Collins, a life-long resident of Charles County, was born and raised in Bryans Road. He attended and graduated from Charles County public schools, earned his B.A. degree in Political Science from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, then his law degree from the District of Columbia School of Law. Commissioner Collins currently practices law in La Plata, Maryland, as a partner in the law firm, Collins & Talley, LLC.

By participating in a tutoring program sponsored by Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Pomonkey, Collins began nineteen years of service in government, civic, and public. Prior to his election as County Commissioner in 2006, Collins has been involved in many community and civic organizations.

President and founder of the Black Leadership Council for Excellence;
Board Member, United Way of Charles County; 
Chairman and founder, Akoben Political Action Committee;
Member of the American Bar, D.C. Bar, Maryland State Bar, and Charles County Bar Associations;
Member, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association;
Past Board Member, Charles County Economic Development Commission;
Chief Counsel, The Working Men Associated Enterprises;
Board Member, Charles County Club, Kiwanis International, and Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc.,
Member, Charles County Redistricting Committee for the 2000 Census.

He is the County Commissioner representative for the Charles County Department of Social Services, the Charles County Economic Advisory Council, the Chesapeake Bay Area Commission, and the Patuxent River Commission. Mr. Collins and his wife Debborah currently reside in Waldorf, with their children, Janiya, Tyme and Taj.

Photos by H. Bartlett for TheBayNet.com

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