Elaine Kramer - The Bay Net Photo by Ahmar Mustikhan

“It’s a little bit unfortunate,” Commissioner Dan Raley told The Bay Net. “It’s a bureaucratic issue,” he added.

The St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners Tuesday afternoon saw Finance Director Elaine Kramer and Land Use and Growth Management Director Denis Canavan engage in a wordy duel in full view of the public.

At the second televised budget work session animosity was witnessed between the two key department heads. Most budget work sessions are not televised until such time broad agreements are reached between key politicians and bureaucrats.

This dispute arose after Canavan had requested from Kramer new account numbers for the zoning division. The finance director declined his request and asked first for concurrence from the commissioners.

“We don’t have the authority,” Kramer insisted. “I told him we can’t do that, Denis,” she said at her office Tuesday evening. Kramer said she told Canavan, “It’s the same for everybody.”

Kramer insists seeking the commissioners’ concurrence is an established practice on transfer of funds or positions. She brought a file from her backroom to illustrate her point. The precedent she produced was a request made by George Erichsen to consolidate some divisions at the Public Works and Transportation Department. Erichsen’s request made on January 9 was passed only after the commissioners consented.

Even changes in the commissioners’ budgetary office go before the St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners explained Kramer, pointing to a budget amendment earlier that day for advertisement pertaining to the newly created task force and committees.

“We are the instruments of carrying out the commissioners’ direction,” Kramer attempted to convince Canavan. She believes there should be no exceptions.

“It [the commissioners’ concurrence] has always been a requirement,” Kramer said. “It’s not our decision to make,” she told Canavan. For Kramer Canavan’s request amounted to bypassing due process.

At the board meeting, Canavan responded that the matter should be referred to the county legal department to remove any ambiguity.

After the meeting, Kramer was later seen huddled in talks with Human Resource Director Sue Sabo near a stairway and later in conversation with George Erichsen over the matter.

On Thursday, Canavan told the commissioners in a letter, “Prior to the Finance Department establishing new account numbers for Zoning Division, they would like concurrence by the BOCC of the organizational structure.” His letter stated that three years ago he had separated the Zoning Division from the Development Services Division to provide independent review of requested rezoning cases and Board of Appeals cases.

“If you would like to discuss the organizational structure of the department please contact me. If you agree with the structure, please initial authorizing the Finance department to provide new account numbers staring July 1, 2007,” wrote Canavan.

But the board heard Kramer exclaim she “hated” what Canavan was asking her to do.

“I guess it’s in the process,” Canavan, mostly responding in brief sentences, said to a query from The Bay Net. He said his request had not come out of the blue but that he had been making them routinely for many years.

It was not the first time differences between Kramer and Canavan came out in the public or that his proposals met with opposition. At the public hearing last Tuesday, hosted at Leonardtown High School, two planners from Canavan’s department - Robert Bowles and Dave Chapman - spoke out against Kramer’s suggestion to prolong the period a county employee would be entitled to full health benefits from 15 to 25 years.

“They did on their own,” Canavan told The Bay Net, denying the two got his go-ahead before making the public appearance. “I am at a loss,” Kramer said, when asked why just the two land use employees came to protest her retirement health plans. However, he  conceded the new plan would impact workers in many departments.

While acknowledging the two Canavan subordinates were fully entitled to air their views publicly, Kramer insisted that the county had a legal right to revise the service rules.

When asked about the number of county employees that will be impacted by her retirement revision and the legal protocol Kramer responded, “Sue Sabo or Christy Chesser would be better able to respond to that query.”

Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R. Golden Beach) ,for one, thought it would be unfair to change service rules abruptly. The board of commissioners would have to look at the change very carefully, he said.

Talking to The Bay Net, Jarboe described the infighting between Kramer and Canavan as “Bumping heads a little bit.” However, said Jarboe, “That happens when you rob Peter to pay Paul.”

Jarboe commiserated with John Savich, saying the county administrator was new to the turf battles. Savich was caught unguarded Tuesday, and thought the exchange between Kramer and Canavan unnecessary.

Dan Raley (D. Great Mills) suggested to Savich the issue could be resolved at the level of the executive management team. Kramer, however, felt it belonged to the commissioners’ table. She said the issue had been festering for long enough, and what she was telling the commissioner was “lets get to a conclusion.”

“I need directions,” appealed Kramer.

Canavan tried to downplay his differences with Kramer and the seriousness of the executive bypassing legislative authority, which Kramer felt was at stake with Canavan’s request.

“We will soon come to a solution,” Canavan confidently asserted. The county has other far more serious issues to grapple with, he concluded.

Meanwhile, Commissioner President Jack Russell (D. St. George Island) downplayed the matter as a "communication glitch."

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