PRESS RELEASE RALE CALLS FOR STATE PROSECUTOR TO - TopicsExpress

PRESS RELEASE RALE CALLS FOR STATE PROSECUTOR TO INVESTIGATE FREDERICK AREA COMMITTEE FOR TRANSPORTATION LETTER RALE calls upon the State Prosecutor to look into a letter that BOCC President Blaine Young read into the record on the last night of the Monrovia Town Center development hearings, citing serious questions of irregularity. Young stated that the letter was from the Frederick Area Committee for Transportation (“FACT”) and raised it after all opposition testimony was concluded and before the developer presented rebuttal testimony. The letter advocated in favor of the Monrovia Town Center project on the grounds that certain transportation improvements would be possible within the “foreseeable future” if the project were approved. Young read some of the names on the FACT letterhead into the record including numerous members of prominent land development, engineering and land planning firms. BOCC member David Gray asked if the named individuals had signed the letter. Young responded “they gave authority for this letter to be signed.” BOCC member Paul Smith, Vice-President of the BOCC and one of four members who voted in favor of the Monrovia Town Center development, also is listed on the FACT letterhead. According to McKay “we call for this investigation because we have been unable to establish that this letter was sanctioned by FACT or the named individuals.” Matthew Siebert, Vice-President of RALE, underscored these concerns. “No cross-examination was allowed regarding the letter. Nobody from FACT testified in support of the contents of the letter. In my view the last-minute submission of this letter was a deliberate ploy to alter the weight of the evidence presented by the opposition – that transportation infrastructure is inadequate and will remain that way for the foreseeable future if this project is approved.” McKay said “RALE calls for an investigation into this letter because this case was highly contested, the evidence on transportation issues weighed heavily in favor of the opposition, and there appear to be serious irregularities that must be investigated to ensure that this type of abuse of process does not occur in the many upcoming rezoning cases scheduled before these same Commissioners.” Seubert elaborated: “There are so many questions. Who asked for this letter? Who authorized this letter? Why was nobody there to provide testimony or be available for cross examination? Someone with the ability to get the answers needs to look into this before the next rezoning case is decided.”