As a public service, TLR is making available copies of selected documents filed in the court cases resulting from the question of whether District 2 Commissioner Thomasina Coates (D) is allowed to vote on the employment contract of County Administrator Mark Belton after having been administratively barred from doing so by the rest of the board.
On Dec. 30, 2022, Stewart and Bowling filed a lawsuit in Charles County Circuit Court seeking a judge’s ruling on whether Coates should be allowed to participate in such a vote. On Feb. 3, 2023, Coates appealed the judge’s interim temporary restraining order to the Appellate Court of Maryland. The two cases are currently proceeding in parallel through their respective courts.
TLR‘s coverage of the cases, which are referred to collectively as “Stewart et al. v Commissioners,” can be found here.