Public commenters press county on missing financial disclosures and report alleged threats, blocked federal access

During public comment, Kit Pepper of 211 James Court urged the commissioners and relevant staff to file annual financial disclosure statements that she said were missing for the years 2022'24. "No financial disclosure reports have been filed other than the 3 that Commissioner Atkinson filed on Monday," Pepper said, and she told the commission she had confirmed the filing requirements with the Maryland Commission on Ethics. Pepper asked the county to place the missing reports on file and for the ethics commission to take them up at its next meeting.

County staff and Attorney Beaman responded that some disclosures had been filed with the board of elections during candidacy and forwarded, but that annual filings for interim years were inconsistent. Beaman said the proposed code changes include a defined list of employees who will be required to file and that staff will begin sending annual reminders in January.

A second commenter, Timothy Herbert Blaze of Old Town, alleged repeated threats and that a neighbor had brandished a weapon, shot at his property and put a trailer and fence on federal land blocking public access. "He shot my truck and was trying to shoot me," Blaze said, adding that he had contacted state police and the U.S. Forest Service. County staff advised him to call law enforcement when threatened and said they would follow up with code enforcement after the meeting and contact him for follow-up.