Ex-planning chief calls Clarksburg 'symptom of serious systemic problems'

A former Montgomery County Planning Board Chairman calls the Clarksburg scandal "a symptom of serious systemic problems."

Royce Hanson, who chaired the planning board in the 1970s, told County Council members his "opinion with the bark off."

The Sentinel reports that Hanson said that the board's "lack of institutional and intellectual leadership" has made scandals like Clarksburg possible.

Hanson's blunt comments add fuel to Seven Locks Elementary School parents who allege wrongdoing in the decision to build a "replacement" school on Kendale Road after school Superintendent Jerry Weast complied with County Executive Doug Duncan's request to hand over school land for the construction of a high-density housing project.