BPW rescheduling attempt fails, but could a future meeting be held in an alternate location?

Comptroller Peter Franchot's (D-Takoma Park) attempt to move a Board of Public Works meeting, which is scheduled for the same day as the annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake has officially failed. But the attempt leaves open the possibility of holding future BPW meetings in locations other than Annapolis.

On June 26, Franchot sent a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Baltimore) and state Treasurer Nancy Kopp (D-Bethesda), requesting that the BPW meeting be rescheduled, seeing as it interfered with the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake.

"Given the typical starting time and length of BPW meetings, and assuming a realistic travel time of at least 2.5 hours from Annapolis to Crisfield, it is likely that those of us who are participating in the July 16 meeting would miss most - if not all - of this year's gathering," Franchot wrote in a letter to O'Malley and Kopp.

Franchot suggested the consideration of an alternative location in order to allow attendees of the BPW meeting to arrive at the Tawes festival at a more suitable time. One suggestion was Salisbury University, which the comptroller argued would provide the necessary infrastructure to conduct the meeting. But his reasoning went further, suggesting a different location would give residents of the lower shore "a rare opportunity to observe this unique Maryland institution in action, and to gain a better appreciation of its extraordinary range of responsibilities."

"The fact is that there is a bond sale that appears on the agenda that week," said Shaun Adamec in an interview with PolitickerMD.com. Adamec serves as a deputy communications director for O'Malley. "All the logistics had been publicized weeks in advance."

Howard Freedlander, a spokesperson for Treasurer Kopp, stressed the importance of the $400M bond sale as well. He said the meeting "needs to be conducted without the possibility of any hitches."

The comptroller's attempt to reschedule the July 16 meeting may have been ineffective, but the idea of holding a future BPW meeting at a different location remains a favorable scenario for some.

Freedlander noted "not to say that with sufficient time to plan that it couldn't be done," and that Kopp was "certainly not opposed" to the idea.

Del. D Page Elmore (R-Salisbury), who received a carbon copy of the comptroller's letter, questioned if there would have been enough time to reschedule the July 16 meeting, but also noted the comptroller's "suggestion was a good idea and would support it at a later time."

Greig Mitchell, Salisbury University's vice president for administration and finance, left open the idea as well.

"While we always welcome to campus Governor Martin O'Malley and his cabinet, along with Treasurer Nancy Kopp, Comptroller Peter Franchot and their staff, we understand the Board of Public Works' decision and know there will be other opportunities for them to visit Salisbury University in the future," wrote Mitchell in an email to PolitickerMD.com.

Both the governor and the comptroller said they would be open to having a meeting outside of Annapolis in the future, but both pointed out there would be details to work out.

According to the governor's office: "Any decision to move a BPW meeting would need to be agreed upon by the voting members who would weigh the reasons for the move and other variables involved."

Warren Hansen, a spokesperson for the comptroller said: "Comptroller Franchot looks forward to working with the Governor and Treasurer should appropriate opportunities arise in the future to hold Board meetings outside of Annapolis, as it can provide Marylanders with greater accessibility to their elected officials and a chance to see their government at work for them first-hand."

BPW meetings have been held outside of Annapolis in recent history, but it is uncommon. Former Gov. William Donald Schaefer reportedly held at least one BPW meeting in Baltimore City while in office.