Haire Campaign received $90,000 in contributions from Halle Corporation, associated businesses and family members
Annapolis, MD - County Executive Steuart Pittman met with more than 350 residents from communities around Two Rivers, Crofton, and Odenton at the Two Rivers Clubhouse and via Zoom last night to discuss updates in the permitting and litigation process over a proposed landfill long opposed by local residents. During the meeting, residents reported that County Councilmember Jessica Haire accepted $90,000 in campaign donations from individuals and LLCs associated with Halle Development, the company seeking to build the landfill.
“I don’t know what Haire promised Halle, but I do know that this kind of bundling on a smaller scale led to very bad land use decisions by previous county executives,” County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “It is exactly this kind of politics that leads to loss of public trust in our government institutions, and it leads to disastrous public policy.”
Residents have opposed the construction of the Chesapeake Terrace Rubble Landfill for more than 30 years. County Executive Pittman held the town hall to update residents on his administration’s work to block Halle Development from constructing the landfill, which would negatively affect an environmentally sensitive area adjacent to homes, streams, a historic African American Church, and accessible only by narrow, winding scenic and historic roads.
“Halle Development has tried for years to build a landfill in our community, a development that would dramatically decrease our quality of life,” said Two Rivers resident Ed Riehl. “County Executive Pittman and his administration are working to save our neighborhoods from this landfill.”
During last night’s meeting, residents reported finding out that County Councilmember Jessica Haire accepted $90,000 from individuals and LLCs connected to Halle. State law restricts campaign contributions to $6,000 per individual and $6,000 per corporation. According to a recently filed campaign finance report, Halle Development got eight family members and 7 corporations that are registered at their office to each contribute $6,000, amassing possibly the largest single corporate bundle in county history.
“It is incredibly disappointing to see elected officials betraying our community, accepting almost $100,000 from a Silver Spring developer looking to turn an environmentally sensitive area right next to our homes into a landfill,” said Cathy Fleshman, Forks of the Patuxent resident.
Halle Development has tried for decades to avoid following local zoning regulations, including at one point attempting to donate the land to an Oklahoma Native American tribe to skirt the rules. County Executive Pittman assured residents at the meeting that he would continue blocking the landfill from receiving a zoning certificate of use. Residents questioned whether Jessica Haire’s decision to accept $90,000 from Halle meant she would reverse that decision.
"We need our county executive to listen to our community, and what those living along the Route 3 corridor want and have wanted for 30 years is to stop this landfill,” said Crofton resident Karla Schaffer. “It is clear that the developer thinks it is good business to spend $90,000 to buy Jessica Haire's approval for this landfill."
The Halle Development money represents more than 10% of Haire’s total outside contributions from the last year. Haire also loaned her campaign $500,000 in January, a debt that has not yet been paid or forgiven by the campaign.
