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Three Friends in Glare of Pr. George's Probe
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On the council, Hendershot was a strong proponent of the Greenbelt project, seeing it as a way to bring a bit of Ballston or Bethesda to Prince George's, complete with homes, offices and snazzy retail stores. His enthusiasm angered some environmentalists and neighbors of the project, who were dubious about its chances of success and thought it would bring too much traffic to their communities and harm nearby waterways.
In 1998, he sponsored legislation that allowed a mixed-use development at the Greenbelt property, which had been zoned for industrial use. Then, in 2000, he sponsored a bill that allowed the developers to move forward even though they lacked a necessary commitment from a high-end department store.
He was also one of several sponsors of 2006 legislation that made the project eligible for a massive government subsidy, a benefit that Johnson has not acted on.
"Did he push it?" asked former council member Peter A. Shapiro (D), who served on the council with Hendershot. "Yes, sure, he was very engaged in it. But it's a very big project in his district. That's what we were elected to do."
In his day job, Granzow is responsible for much of the administration of the county fire department, including human resources, construction of firehouses and analysis of response times for proposed developments.
But he also has harbored political ambitions. In 2002, Granzow ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates. His campaign received contributions from Hendershot, Hendershot's wife and a campaign slate chaired at the time by Hendershot's wife. When Florence Hendershot ran unsuccessfully to succeed her husband in 2006, Granzow returned the favor, donating $400 to her campaign.
After term limits forced Hendershot from office in December 2006, he looked for a new job. Less than a year later, he was hired as a part-time employee of the fire department, making $45,575 a year.
Staff writers Aaron C. Davis and Mary Pat Flaherty and researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.
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