More than 200 volunteers contributed to Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman’s transition report, which was released last week. The report is available on the County website: https://www.aacounty.org/departments/county-executive/transition/index.html
Members of the transition team assembled on Thursday evening, February 28, in Annapolis to present their recommendations to Pittman. After brief presentations from the team leaders of each of the seven transition committees, the county executive thanked the volunteers and reflected on their recommendations.
“We told you to think big and asked you to help us change the world for the better,” said Pittman. “You have met that challenge and given us a path forward to truly make Anne Arundel County The Best Place.”
In a departure from traditional transition team structure, Pittman’s transition committees focused on communities rather than specific county departments. The seven committees were: Safe Communities, Healthy Communities, Thriving Communities, Empowered Communities, Educated Communities, Sustainable Communities and Responsive Government.
The 20-page transition report includes 63 broad recommendations and there are a total of 298 action items in the subcommittee reports. Recommendations included adding some key management positions within county government, increasing staffing levels for teachers and public safety personnel, adopting new technologies to improve efficiency, increasing community engagement and instilling better collaboration among departments and partners.
Overall, the report noted that county residents want to be engaged in local government. According to the report, they want better access to information, more opportunities for public participation and a chance to help shape decisions.
The transition, which was led by former County Executive Janet Owens and former County Councilmember Chris Trumbauer, included more than 200 volunteers who spent over 5,000 hours of time creating the report.
