County officials discussed the new relationships being forged between communities and surrounding military installations during a session yesterday at the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) summer conference.  The session, titled “Evolving County Relationships With Military Presence,” focused on building joint planning relationships to address growth and creating greater collaboration to address community issues.

Speakers included: Colonel Edward Rothstein, Garrison Commander, Fort George G. Meade; Bob Leib, Special Assistant for BRAC, Anne Arundel County; Commissioner Todd Morgan, St. Mary’s County; and Mayor Mike Bennett, City of Aberdeen.  Each speaker discussed new initiatives taking place between their installations and surrounding counties  as well as challenges they face related to BRAC and growth in cyber security.