The push
County Council meetings in Baltimore County can sometimes become heated. Reasonable people will disagree. Sometimes strongly disagree.
They never get physical.
Depending on whom you talk to, things might have gotten physical between Don Mohler, a spokesman for County Executive Jim Smith, and Leslie Pittler, a county Revenue Authority board member, after the council’s Nov. 17 meeting.
The two men were walking toward the front of the council chambers discussing testimony provided by Mary Harvey, the director of the Office of Community Conservation, on a contract that would provide a tax break to the developer of the former Kingsley Park property in Essex.
The county purchased the low-income housing property several years ago and then gave it to a developer who now wants a tax break to build affordable senior housing. Pittler, an attorney, is familiar with the property, having represented the former owner of the property who sold it to the county.
Pittler, who also is a member of the state Department of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Finance Review Committee, told Mohler that Harvey was wrong when she told the council that the senior housing project already had state approval.
“Come on Les, she testified for 30 minutes and did a great job,” Mohler said. “You’re going to nitpick her on that one thing?”
With that, Pittler turned to walk through a gateway that separates where the council and its staff work and where the public sits during meetings.
Almost as quickly, Pittler whipped back around.
“Don’t push me,” Pittler said to Mohler.
Mohler denied the push. The two then began to argue about the alleged push with Mohler eventually telling Pittler he should “move on” and Pittler replying that he “didn’t have to go anywhere.”
The pair were quickly separated by Councilman Sam Moxley and Fred Homan, the county administrative officer.
So, was there a push or not? Only those two know for sure.
It happened (or didn’t) in a roomful of people and in close proximity to a reporter. No one saw anything for sure.
The incident left councilmen and staffers talking afterward.
“I don’t have to go home to watch wrestling,” said one council staffer who was rushing out to get her son home in time to watch WWE Smackdown on television. “I’ve got it right here.”