Team Duncan Turns Up Heat On Planning Board Chief

Supporters of Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) appear to be turning on Planning Board Chairman Derick Berlage , whose management of the agency has come under increasing scrutiny in the wake of the controversy over alleged building violations at Clarksburg Town Center.

With Duncan running for governor, some of his loyalists appear to be worried that the planning agency's woes are undermining his campaign.

The Planning Board reports to the County Council, not the county executive. But some Duncan supporters don't think that's an easy distinction to sell to voters, especially because Duncan has the power to veto the County Council's nominee for Planning Board chairman.

When Berlage was appointed in 2002, Duncan objected but didn't veto the nomination.

Berlage's current term expires in June. Council members appear divided over whether Berlage should be reappointed. David Weaver , a Duncan spokesman, said the county executive has no comment on Berlage's future.

But in recent weeks, Duncan and other administration officials have used increasingly harsh language to describe the Planning Board's leadership.

Last week, Duncan said, "There is a culture of dysfunction at Park and Planning."

Other Duncan supporters are chiming in.

In an interview last week, Stanton Gildenhorn , former chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee and a member of Duncan's campaign steering committee, said that "we are all very disappointed in Derick Berlage."

He added, "I think we have all been shocked since Clarksburg at his very defensive attitude and his disdain for elected officials who are now calling him to task. Derick surprised a lot of people. He simply wasn't on the job."

In an interview, Berlage made it clear he wasn't looking to pick a fight with Duncan loyalists. But he said that Duncan shares part of the blame for what happened in Clarksburg.

"The reasons people respect Doug Duncan is he understands you have to own a problem in order to fix it," Berlage said. "At Park and Planning we have owned our part of the problem. I know that Doug is going to own his share of the problem, and together we are going to fix this."