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NEWS RELEASE

January 29, 2008

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Ken Ulman to Chair Baltimore Metropolitan Council

ELLICOTT CITY, MD - Howard County Executive Ken Ulman was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) at today’s meeting. The BMC is an organization of the elected executives of Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

“As a strong advocate for regional cooperation, I am honored to have this opportunity to serve as Chair of the BMC,” said Ulman. “These are challenging times, but by working together I believe we can have a stronger impact and create change that will benefit our entire region. I expect to focus on the issues that affect all of us, and public safety is at the top of that list. Environmental concerns like energy efficiency and carbon reduction will be top priorities as well.”

As members of the BMC, the leaders from the six jurisdictions work together to identify regional interests and develop collaborative strategies, plans and programs to improve the quality of life and economic vitality throughout the region. The Council also anticipates future needs in infrastructure, the environment, and economic development and provides regional planning for solid waste management and transportation. In addition, BMC provides technical and staff support to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, the federally-designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Baltimore region.

Elected to serve as Vice Chair of the BMC Board was Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold. Other board members include Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, Jr., Carroll County Commissioner Dean L. Minnick. Howard County Executive Ulman succeeds Harford County Executive David R. Craig, who served as chair in 2007.