July 29, 2015 — EASTON MD — Former Queen Anne’s County commissioner and waterman George O’Donnell has been brought onto the Department of Natural Resources’ payroll as a seafood industry and fisheries stakeholders liaison, of sorts.
O’Donnell has been in the position since July 8, and according to Maryland Watermen’s Association President Robert T. Brown, he’s already been working with the commercial industry to find solutions to their issues.
“We’ve finally got a friend up there,” Brown said.
O’Donnell’s official title at DNR is the fisheries customer relations manager.
It’s an outreach position to ensure that fisheries stakeholders’ views are communicated to state departments and policymakers for consideration.
“The administration believes that through outreach a better understanding can be reached to benefit the user groups as well as our marine resources,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell said that Gov. Larry Hogan, in his quest for the state government to provide better “customer service” to the people of Maryland, wants to make sure that any industry area of the state that feels underserved has a voice in Annapolis.