You are correct in stating that ethics commissions have historically been structured to be ethical. However, we are dealing with Planet Broomell. She has already manipulated the seniority process and has attempted via several re-do moves to impose draconian financial reporting requirements. She knows better than the State of Maryland Ethics Commission. Her real objective is to invade the privacy of all manner of volunteers, employees, as well as elected and appointed officials in her maniacal quest to expose wrongdoing which only exists in her head.

Her cronies Falcioni and Rozanski recently confronted a citizen opposed to Broomell on a “hot button” issue. This alone should call for their resignations from the panel. Both have been acting as the Broomell Intimidation Squad. They should resign since they no longer have credibility.

I don’t know who appointed Hemphill, but each of the other commissioners should appoint a member. This would help restore credibility unless Mullin and Dunn follow their pattern of bending to her will and rubber stamp her choices.

Ethics commissioner Valerie Falcioni is a close friend of Commissioner Broomell, as she has acknowledged, and it appears the same can be said for Walt Rozanski from my observations. I was concerned that Commissioner Broomell would try to use Valerie for the Commissioner’s own purposes and the substantial penalties of breaking confidentiality would fall on Valerie. Valerie assured me that would not happen. I hope so for Valerie’s sake.

The release of the tentative vote by the ethic commission on Commissioner Broomell’s proposed changes had to have come from within the commission. While the commission’s rules do not call out that discussions on non-ethics issues are confidential from my review, the releasing of internal discussions by member(s) of the ethics commission is at least unseemly and to citizens may appear to be unethical as per the common definition. Thus, unfortunately, that action may have given citizens the impression that there is little separation and independence between the ethics commissioners and the county commissioners.

With government generally not held in high esteem by the citizenry, that impression would not help with the creditability of Cecil County government and future ethics commission rulings.