Thompson switches boards

Friday, Dec. 12, 2008

He said Tuesday that the county commissioners approached him and told him there would be an opening on the board because chairman George Allan Hayden Sr. had reached the term limit.

"The appeals board is a very good board," Thompson said. "It helps more people than the planning commission."

The board of appeals generally deals with individual home owners, who may be seeking a variance to build a deck or pier, whereas the planning commission usually deals with plans for large-scale developments.

At the board of appeals, those who offer testimony on a case are sworn in, unlike at the planning commission, and its decisions can be appealed to court.

Thompson was vice chairman of the planning commission. "I enjoy doing things for the county," he said.

The commissioners appointed Martin Siebert of Valley Lee on Tuesday to take Thompson's seat. Terms run for five years, but Siebert is filling out Thompson's term, which runs to the end of 2009.

He was chosen in part to bring more geographic diversity to the planning commission, said Commission President Francis Jack Russell (D). "I think he'll be OK," he said.

Siebert said he is a machinist by trade but has been working as a government contractor for 10 years. He has lived in St. Mary's County since 1967.

He said he thought serving on the planning commission would be "a neat thing to do and a way to serve the county you live in." He said he has no political aspirations and realizes that the planning commission makes controversial decisions. Someone will walk away unhappy with a decision, but "the planning commission's job is to see the county is the winner," he said.

Siebert will join the planning commission at its first meeting in January.

jbabcock@somdnews.com