La Plata Mayor Calls It Quits

By Megan Greenwell, Jenna Johnson and Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 7, 2008

La Plata Mayor Gene Ambrogio resigned abruptly over the weekend, announcing his decision at an outdoor concert Friday night.

The first-term mayor said that he would leave his post immediately because he had become disillusioned with electoral politics and a "counterproductive" atmosphere within Town Hall. The announcement was followed by a letter to La Plata residents.

"Unfortunately, during the past 3 years as Mayor, my eyes have been opened to the realities of politics and it is a very disappointing picture," Ambrogio, 57, wrote. "I have also found that the overall atmosphere is incompatible with my understanding of the desires of the people of La Plata."

Ambrogio's resignation came two weeks after he had filed an ethics complaint against a member of the Town Council. The mayor said Ward 2 council member Scot Lucas should recuse himself from discussions about a proposed 14-acre annexation for a commercial development on Rosewick Road. Lucas is opening a sandwich shop in Rosewick Crossing, a shopping center created by Faison Enterprises, the developer for the proposed project.

Ambrogio was elected in 2005 based largely on a small-growth policy and his opposition to creating more commercial development within the town limits. He opposed the Rosewick Crossing development, where Lowe's and Giant are. During a public meeting, Ambrogio once declared that he did not want the town to become "La Waldorf."

Ambrogio could not be reached for comment.

Written Comments on Connector Due by Aug. 15

After a contentious public hearing on the proposed cross-county connector in Charles County last Thursday, the agency charged with deciding whether to issue project permits will accept written comments until Aug. 15.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials must decide whether to approve permits for the final three phases of the project, which would connect Route 5, south of Waldorf, with Indian Head Highway. The $70 million project, which is a year behind schedule, would cross through the environmentally sensitive Mattawoman Creek watershed, making it a target for environmentalists opposed to potential damage to natural life in the area.

Proponents have said that the county will make sure environmental damage to the watershed area is minimal.

Nearly 150 people signed up to speak at the hearing, the last in a series moderated by the corps. The meeting ran past midnight. Most of the speakers objected to the project's potential impact on the creek, although county commissioners and other residents spoke about the connector's possible benefits.

Corps officials said they do not know how long it will take to issue a decision. One option for the agency would be to order a full environmental impact study.

Beach Party Set for Saturday on the Square

Leonardtown's seventh annual Beach Party on the Square will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday on the square in downtown Leonardtown.

Sons of Pirates will play, and the Power Explosion Company dancers will perform. Reggie Rice will entertain with his magic and illusion show. The Daughters of Veda will perform hula dances, and Pam Veitch will get everyone moving with Jazzercise.

The Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department will provide water spray "hose-downs." Participants are encouraged to bring towels. Other activities will include an inflatable water slide, sand volleyball with a demonstration by the College of Southern Maryland's volleyball team, a sand pit for kids, moon bounces, carnival games, Hula-Hoop, jump rope and limbo contests, face painting, hair painting, crafts, classic cars, crafts, informational displays, games, prizes and food.

For information, contact the Office of the Leonardtown Commissioners at 301-475-9791 or e-mail leonardtown.commissioners@verizon.net.

Lexington Park Cleanup

Lexington Park residents wrapped up a cleanup project this week that began with volunteers building a house in the Southampton neighborhood.

Patuxent Habitat for Humanity, with support from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, recently built the house for a local family. Since then, other homeowners have been fixing up their properties.

The culmination of the neighborhood cleanup took place Tuesday, on National Night Out, when neighbors cleaned up trash and celebrated with a block party. Patuxent Habitat for Humanity officials plan to build more houses in the Southampton community.

"If one home has this kind of effect on the neighborhood, imagine what a few more could do?" said Patuxent Habitat President Gary Williams.

Animal Control Issues in Calvert

Calvert's Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to include North Beach in its animal control ordinance, but the ordinance does not apply to the Twin Beaches, said board President Wilson H. Parran (D-Huntingtown).

County animal control officers are responsible for enforcing only state and county laws, not individual town ordinances. North Beach, for example, has banned pit bulls. The county ordinance has rules that apply to dangerous dogs, but it does not list breeds.

Chesapeake Beach Town Council members had requested the town be included in the county's ordinance, but commissioners voted to remove several of the town's new laws, including those that applied to traveling with animals and enclosures for them.

Commissioners refused to consider Chesapeake Beach's request and suggested its Town Council reconsider adopting the county's ordinance.

"If you don't like ours, write your own," said Commissioner Gerald W. Clark (R-Lusby). Clark suggested that the town adopt the county law and reimburse the county for more animal control officers to patrol the area.

Calvert Cliffs Hearings Underway

About 150 people attended the first in a series of hearings Monday night about the proposed third reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant being considered by the Maryland Public Service Commission.

Of the nearly 45 speakers, nine raised concerns about the project proposed by UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture of Constellation Energy Group and EDR, a European energy group.

Politicians, ministers, representatives from regional chambers of commerce, current and former employees of Constellation and residents spoke in favor of the third reactor, which would double the capacity of the plant on the western banks of the Chesapeake Bay in Lusby.

Calvert Cliffs and a site in southwestern Fredericksburg are the only sites in the mid-Atlantic region where the industry is vying to build the first new nuclear plants since the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979. The nuclear industry, which operates 104 plants across the country, has tentative plans to add up to 30 reactors nationwide.

Several people cited the need for clean energy, more jobs and tax revenue and the plant's safety record.

"This could be the biggest asset Southern Maryland has ever seen," said William Scarafia, St. Mary's County Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive.

Opponents said that the emergency evacuation plan is inadequate. They expressed concern about the storage of spent fuel and security at the new reactor and the Dominion Cove Point LNG plant.

"We live in an environment where we don't have geographical boundaries," said June Sevilla, a Cove Point resident. "We all breathe the same thing."

A final ruling from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the Maryland and Virginia proposals is two to three years off. Construction costs could reach $4 billion for the Calvert Cliffs project.

Public hearings are scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday and Aug. 19 at the Holiday Inn Select in Solomons. Other hearings to present reports from state and industry officials will begin at 9 a.m. Monday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dowell and continue each day that week, if necessary.