Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Meetings topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission rebukes disruptive attendee, declines Open Meetings Act allegation and says federal site is outside county jurisdiction
Summary
A disruption early in the Feb. 19 meeting led to a brief recess after an attendee displayed signs and challenged the chair. County staff also read and rejected a renewed Open Meetings Act complaint and said a Williamsport site is federal property outside Washington County's jurisdiction.
A Washington County meeting opened with a disruption that prompted the chair to call a recess and request removal of an attendee identified in the record as "Mister Porter." The attendee displayed two signs and repeatedly challenged the presiding officer; at one point he said, "Free speech is under attack in Washington County, and you're leading the charge." The chair characterized the behavior as disruptive and asked deputies to remove the participant before proceeding.
County staff later read aloud a renewed complaint alleging violations of the Maryland Open Meetings Act, including assertions the board had met in secret. Staff declined to treat the complaint as a well‑supported allegation, saying the complainant "alleges no specific facts" and that speculative assertions about undisclosed closed sessions could not be sustained on the record.
On a related community concern, County Administrator Michelle Gordon told the commission the parcel in Williamsport that has drawn local attention is now federal property and that "Washington County government has no jurisdiction, and we are not the governing body that will be overseeing this project." Gordon also noted a Feb. 10, 2026 resolution in the county record expressing general support for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement in matters related to public safety, and said the county had no further information to provide at the meeting.
The commission recessed briefly after the removal and then continued the agenda; no formal enforcement action against the commission was announced during the session.
