Anne Arundel County Council reverses changes to administrative staff oversight

Anne Arundel County Council member Pete Smith on Tuesday reversed a controversial change he and others made earlier this month to the leadership structure over the County Council’s administrative staff.

The decision comes after allegations that Smith harassed the council’s administrative officer Laura Corby throughout last year during his time as council chair. Sources close to the council told The Capital last week they saw or were aware of incidents in which Smith approached Corby in a domineering manner, yelled at her and blamed her for things going wrong in the office.

At the council’s Feb. 5 meeting, Smith and the three Republicans, Nathan Volke, of Pasadena, Amanda Fiedler, of Arnold, and Shannon Leadbetter, of Crofton, passed a resolution making all seven council members the supervisors of the administrative staff, which included Corby’s position and two others. Previously they reported only to the chair.

The resolution was placed on the Feb. 5 agenda during the meeting though it was originally scheduled to be heard at the Tuesday’s meeting. It had no advertised public comment period.

The week after the resolution was passed, five sources close to the council confirmed they were aware of Smith’s behavior toward Corby and there had been a longstanding rule in the office that Corby could not be alone when meeting with Smith.

Corby resigned last month as the resolution was being drafted. Smith had been chair and therefore Corby’s boss throughout 2023. The chairmanship rotates every year and Allison Pickard, a Glen Burnie Democrat, became chair at the end of 2023. Soon after, Smith and the Republicans drafted legislation once again making him and the other council members Corby’s boss.

Corby is still planning to resign despite the reversal, she said in a message. Her last day is April 10.

The remaining three Democrats on the council, Julie Hummer, of Laurel, Lisa Rodvien, of Annapolis, and Pickard all opposed the resolution and asked the sponsors a series of questions that were never answered, including how one person can report to seven separate bosses.

On Tuesday, Smith introduced an amendment to a separate resolution focused on council processes. It reverses the seven- supervisor rule and returns it to one supervisor — the chair. Smith explained it was the result of concern about how administrative staff could receive instructions from seven people with different priorities.

The amendment passed unanimously. However, the resolution it was amending, which focused on a variety of council procedures, was only passed by six of the seven members. Volke was the lone no vote though he did not explain to fellow council members why he voted that way. He did not respond to a request for comment from The Capital on his vote.

Other changes to the rules may come later but “the more pressing concern is the alignment of direction from this body to its staff,” Smith said at the meeting Tuesday night. “To provide that clarity, I thought it was prudent that we focus on this particular item so that we can ensure there’s continuity in how the delivery of instruction is given to staff members.”

Since early December, Corby has been the only staff member in her three-person administrative office, which includes an assistant administrative officer and a legislative counsel.

Sources close to the council told The Capital that the council’s previous assistant administrative officer, Alexis Berk, who is a pharmacist, lacked the necessary qualifications for the position, but Smith insisted on hiring her last year. When she resigned later that year, Smith blamed Corby for things not working out, sources said. The legislative counsel also resigned late last year.

While the assistant administrative officer position is still vacant, a new legislative counsel was unanimously approved at Tuesday’s meeting.

Meredith Beach previously worked as the legislative counsel for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, reviewing legislation related to animal welfare issues. Before that, she worked for the Howard County Council and with the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress, according to the American Bar Association. She also serves as the secretary of Rebuilding Together Kent County, an organization that helps repair and rehabilitate the homes of seniors, veterans and disabled Kent County residents.

“She’s incredibly well qualified and brings a great background in legislation drafting,” Hummer said in a message after the meeting. “I’m very excited to have her join the team.”