Legum’s New Line

In a dramatic letter circulated around the State House this morning and obtained by the New Line, Del. Susan K. McComas (R-Hartford County) alleges that Del. J.B. Jennings (R-Harford County) held an illegal meeting to depose her as chair of the Harford County delegation.

The letter alleges that, at the conclusion of the session Monday, Jennings verbally announced “a special meeting [of the Harford County delegation] to take place minutes later in the Silver Room of the State House.” The purpose of the meeting, according to McComas, was to remove “the delegation’s duly-elected chair and vice chair.”

Jennings chaired the hastily called meeting and later sent out an email “announcing he had been elected Chair and Del. Wayne Norman [R-Harford County] elected Vice Chair at the special meeting.”

In Maryland, chairing the county delegation can be an important position. The General Assembly frequently considers legislation that only impacts a particular county. When a county delegation approves of legislation that only impact their county, the rest of the General Assembly nearly always goes along. The chair of the county delegation has substantial control over a set of legislation that will directly effect constituents.

UPDATE: David Nitkin of Baltimore Sun follows up on this post. Apparently, it all started with a nasty argument between ousted caucus vice-chair Del. Richard K. Impallaria and another caucus member over payments for snacks at caucus events.

You can read the full letter below.

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