Walker Withdraws 'English Only' Bill

District 7 Councilman Jerry Walker (R-7th District) withdrew his from the agenda in Monday night’s County Council meeting because of “certain racially-charged rhetoric.”

"I withdrew the bill because of racially charged comments made by some of my council colleagues," Walker told Patch in a text message. "The intent of the bill was not racist but due to the atmosphere created by my colleagues, the bill was being perceived as racist." 

In Monday night's meeting, the room was filled to capacity as people sought to speak on both Walker's legislation and the . 

Walker's proposed "English Only" legislation, Bill 13-12, would make English the official language of Anne Arundel County for all official documents, communications and agreements on behalf of the county.

The bill is backed by three other Republican members of the County Council, but Councilmen Jamie Benoit (D-4thDistrict) and Chris Trumbauer (D-6th District) both oppose the bill.

The District 7 councilman said he plans to reintroduce the bill at a later date because it was a campaign promise. 

“There was overwhelmingly positive response [to the bill], so I turned it into a campaign commitment,” when he first introduced the bill.

Broadneck Patch editor D. Frank Smith contributed to this article.