05/01/2026
GAN just sent out an update:
How much government does $500,000 buy?
Last week was a bad week for democracy in Anne Arundel County. But the developers got a bargain.
The citizens of AA Co want to ban money from developers with business before the County.
More than 100 people spoke up -- ALL in favor -- in emails, testimony, and our Rally for Our Voice at People's Park. (Watch the Rally video here.) Nary a nay to be heard, except by 5 council members voting down the clearest call for clean and transparent government.
They did it stealthily, at the bill's first hearing to cut off testimony, and silently, without a word of objection or explanation. Two yeahs, five nays was all it took. It was over in less than a minute.
But the blowback has only just begun:
Our GAN op ed appeared in the Capital last Thursday: https://www.capitalgazette.com/2026/04/23/matt-minahan-developers-bill/
The next day, a Capital investigation revealed that members of the County Council, including two who are running for County Executive, have accepted more than half a million dollars from the very development interests they should be regulating:
"Anne Arundel County Council members voted Monday to kill a bill that would have barred developers with pending projects from contributing to their campaigns—after already accepting more than half a million dollars from developers since 2019", according to a review of campaign finance records by the Capital Gazette. The 5-2 vote comes on the heels of the council advancing a string of pro-growth measures, including discounted land sales and zoning changes."
"It leaves intact a system in which council members can accept campaign money from developers, vote on legislation affecting those contributors, and not be required to disclose those contributions before casting those votes. That arrangement has fueled growing frustration from residents who say public land-use decisions are being shaped by political money rather than community concerns."
That same day the Capital ran an editorial on the same topic: ""Many residents are understandably wary of the influence deep-pocketed developers may wield when major land-use decisions are on the table, decisions that can generate significant profit for a few while reshaping entire communities for many."
By any measure, $500k is a lot of money. And it appears to have worked.
And sadly, this huge step backward comes just two years after an important step forward, when the council voted to establish a public campaign finance fund, allowing candidates who participate to raise only small amounts (up to $250 each) from only small donors in order to receive matching funds from the county. No money from developers or real estate interests or unions or PACs. James Kitchin is running for County Executive using the system. We understand that Gavin Buckley, running for County Council from District 6 has applied to use the system. And, we know it worked well enough to get Larry Hogan elected to his first term as governor.
We have since heard some hemming and harrumphing from the County Council justifying their votes against the bill We'll address that in our next newsletter.
Opinion: The defeat of a bill to limit campaign contributions from developers is a loss for good government in Anne Arundel County, writes Matt Minahan.
