Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-04-24
BY Caucus Group
Interest Conflict
Broadsides Fired

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The Democrats for So faction formed onlv
a few weeks ago, this week launched an allout
conflict-ofinterest campaign for the Forthcoming
primary election, May 20
They released "fact sheet No. T. yesterday
by the authority of Dean G. Acheson, former
Secretary of State and treasurer of the group
Wholly given over to conflicts of interest, the
statement said in part:
Montgomery County's biggest private indus
try, aside from retail trade is real estate de.
yelopment Over 81 billion worth of houses
stores etc, have been built to serve Montgomery
County since 1850.
"Snce 1854 three of the seven members of
the Montgomery County Council have been per.
sons engaged in the real estate business.
'Three of the five Montgomery County mem.
bers of the maryland National Capital Park
and) Planning Commission appointed in May
1857 by the County Council are: real estate
developer; a property manager of commercial
property owned by one of the county's most
prominent land spectators; the owner of several
hundred acres of land in part of the county
where intensive development is expected in the
near future.
Zone of the Montgomery County members
of the washington Suburban. Sanitary Commits
sion is the head of of the largest real estate
companies in the county"
The "fact sheet did not name any names
of the above persons.
AS remedies for conflicting interests, the fact
sheet included these statements:
"a well-established principle of the common
law forbids a public servant from placing him
self in position that might tend in any way to
limit his usefulness to the public by bringing his
private interests into conflict with his official
duties
1.-THE first Congress required that prospec
tive Secretary of the Treasury divest himself
from ownership of any ships
"The Senate asked Mr.. Charles Wilson to
divest himself of his General Motors stock be.
fore becoming Secretary of Defense.
Federal statutes governing appointments to
agencies that regulate industries and activities
affected with public interest require that while
holding office the appointees have no connec
ton, direct or indirect, with the industry or ac
tivity they engaged in regulating"
The fact sheet gave the following as the
record" of the United Democrats:
"The United Democrats are a faction of the
Montgomery County Democratic Party that in
cludes majority of the present day County Coun-
Gil, majority of the Montgomery County dele
gates to the Maryland Assembly the States At
torney, majority of the judges on the Orphans
Court and majority of the members on the
State Central Committee.
"In the 1856 Democratic primary the Lee
Organization spent $7231 and obtained over two.
thirds of this campaign fund from men who
either were in the real estate business or had
and still have major interest in land develop
ment in Montgomery County
Among the Lee Organization are men who
see nothing wrong with having persons
active in land speculation and real estate develop
ment hold offices which demand the regulation
OF land use in the public interest
blair Lee III, chairman of the Montgomery
County Delegation to the General Assembly
refused to put meaningful conflict of interest
clause in the 1857 bill reorganizing the Maryland
National Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion."
Then the Democrats for SO listed the follow.
ing record" on their stand against conflict of
interest:
Persons having a personal interest in the
development of real estate have been given the
power to plan for the use of land We pro
pose that this be stopped by electng officials
clearly dedicated to the principle of government
In the public interest -. A county council that
Will not appoint to public office persons having
substantial conflict of interest and a delega-
non to the Maryland Assembly that will work
for legislation prohibiting such appointments
Margaret C. Schwenhaut an incumbent
delegate to the Maryland Assembly and Demo-
cfdt Ior Do, last year introduced House Bill 318
which contained meaningful conflict of interest
clause relating to the Planning Commission.
House Bill 31S was strongly supported at
the public hearings by the League of Women
voters, the Montgomery County Civic Associa-
ton' the Allied Civic Federation, the Montgomery
County Planning Association, the Western Subur
ban Democratic Club, and the Kensington-W hea-
ton Democratic Club. Blair Lee III refused to
support this conflict of interest clause.
Stella Werner, an incumbent member of the
County Council and Democrat for SO, has al
ways voted against the appointment of real estate
developers and spectators to the Planning and
Sanitary Commissions"