08/04/2026
After a much-needed rest following the primary, I am happy to be back.
Over the next few days, I will be making an announcement that may surprise some of you - but those who know me well know that I have always put the interests of District 6 residents above party politics.
Stay tuned.
But first, something important is happening at the Anne Arundel County Council, and I think the public should know about it.
Earlier this year, a bill was introduced that would have done something simple and straightforward: restrict campaign contributions from property owners, applicants, and related parties connected to zoning, land-use, and development matters.
That bill was voted down.
As many of you know, during my campaign I was a strong supporter of Bill 23-26, and I was very vocal about the council members who voted it down - including some who are now seeking higher office.
Now, before the November election, a new version has been introduced.
But this is not the same bill.
Bill 65-26 is not meaningless. It does include disclosure requirements and limited contribution prohibitions. But compared to Bill 23-26, it is significantly weaker.
Here is what changed:
- The original bill had broader, cleaner prohibitions and was written to be construed liberally. The new version is narrower, more complex, and easier to work around.
- The original bill carried criminal penalties for violations - including possible jail time. The new version relies on civil fines only, capped at $1,000 per violation.
- The original bill included strong recusal-or-return requirements before certain zoning and land-use votes. The new version does not include that same strong recusal-or-return structure.
- The original bill gave the Ethics Commission the ability to seek an injunction, including a request to void an official action taken in violation of the law. The new version does not include that same power.
- The original bill had a two-year lookback period. The new version looks back only 12 months.
- The original bill explicitly covered family members and agents of applicants, including spouses, siblings, children, attorneys, engineers, land-use consultants, traffic consultants, traffic engineers, and lobbyists. The new bill narrows that network significantly.
That last point matters.
Because if you leave the obvious door open for money to flow through a spouse, a sibling, a consultant, a lobbyist or someone connected to the applicant, do not be surprised when that door is used.
The residents of Anne Arundel County deserve the real thing - not an election-season imitation of it.
The timing raises serious questions.
After the stronger bill failed, a weaker version is now being introduced before the November election. Residents are entitled to ask why. They are entitled to ask who benefits from the watered-down version. And they are entitled to demand that real reform not be weakened behind technical language.
To be fair, a watered-down bill is still better than nothing. I will always acknowledge progress, even when it is incomplete.
But we should not pretend this is the same reform that was rejected earlier this year.
I will be honest with you: I do not understand why this is so difficult.
Putting the interests of the people first should not require legislation to remind elected officials of basic ethics.
If you are a true representative of the people, you should not need a bill to tell you that taking money from people connected to development projects while voting on those projects creates a serious conflict of trust.
You should already know that.
You should feel it.
And if an elected official does not see that conflict of trust, residents are entitled to ask whose interests are really being protected.
This is where the public comes in.
The public hearing for Bill 65-26 is scheduled for September 21.
Show up. Speak up. And if you cannot attend in person, submit written comments.
Tell the Council what you believe should be in this bill, including the explicit coverage of family members and agents that Bill 23-26 had and Bill 65-26 does not.
They need to hear from the people this bill is meant to protect - not just the lawyers, insiders, and lobbyists who may try to water it down even further.
Democracy is not a spectator sport.
It never has been.
Dominik Prokop. Always on the side of District 6 residents.
Approved by Prokop for District 6, T. Y. Prokop, Treasurer.
