William E. Hanna, Jr.

1983-1998

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

William E. Hanna Jr., a long-time resident of Rockville, and retired federal government administrator with the Social Security Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was first elected to the Montgomery County Council in 1982. Previously Hanna was elected Mayor of Rockville for four terms, during which time the City earned two "All American City" awards, and Hanna served as a senior advisor for science and technology with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. His impressive history of public service also included membership on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors, and service in the National Association of Counties and Sister Cities International.

Hanna was re-elected to the County Council in 1986, 1990, and 1994, and was three times Council president in 1985, 1990, and 1993. As a member of the Council, Hanna served as the Chair of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee and sponsored some important and innovative legislation for the County. One of the most controversial initiatives that Hanna undertook was that of productivity housing. The measure was designed to meet growing housing needs by allowing developers to build homes on land originally zoned for industrial or commercial uses, and allowing for homes to be built closer together on land zoned for residential uses. The program stalled, however, due to fierce opposition from communities in which productivity housing was proposed, and no housing was built under the original bill enacted in 1990. The Council repealed the program in 1995, but Hanna persisted and proposed a revised version in 1996 which allowed for developers to build on industrial and commercial land, but not in residential neighborhoods. The new program was approved by the Council unanimously in 1996.

In 1985, Hanna introduced a catastrophic health insurance plan to be extended to all those who live or work in Montgomery County. The plan was intended to supplement the existing health insurance of those facing catastrophic medical expenses, and became the first such County-wide plan in the nation in 1988.

Hanna was a proponent of various additional social service initiatives, such as the County's Juvenile Sex Offenders Program, and a parental leave bill designed to give County employees three weeks of paid parental leave at sixty percent of their salary. Hanna was also a passionate defender of funding for the arts, and spearheaded a seven-year campaign to repair the destruction wrought by Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 by rebuilding the bridges at Olmstead Island.

Hanna was also committed to developing a vision for the future of Montgomery County. In 1986, he and Council member Scott Fosler sponsored a bill to create a Commission on the Future of Montgomery County. In addition Hanna was involved with the Metropolitan Washington COG, becoming President in 1990, and serving on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, which worked to solve the area's long-range transportation and development problems. He also served as President of the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee, which was charged with overseeing the region's compliance with the requirements of the federal government's Clean Air Act; and played a significant role in developing the Greater Washington Initiative, a public/private partnership sponsored by the area's Chambers of Commerce, designed to unite key leaders in bolstering the Washington region's economy.

In 1997 the National Association of Regional Councils presented Hanna with the Bradley Award, which is given to a local government official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership on regional issues. In 1998, which marked the end of Hanna's last Council term, Maryland's Governor Parris N. Glendening appointed Hanna to the Maryland Greenways Commission, which is dedicated to the advancement of a statewide greenways network.

PROCESSING PROCEDURES

General processing procedures consisted of discarding duplicates, unnecessary binders, and routine transmittals. Oversized documents and photographs were removed from the original location in their assigned series and placed in separate containers. Separation sheets were inserted in the original location within the folder to indicate the new location of any records placed elsewhere.

Preservation copying of newspaper clippings was performed whenever feasible. Records in folders were arranged, unless otherwise indicated, in forward chronological order, with undated records appearing at the end of the folder.

One folder of material relating to the Commission on the Future of Montgomery County was transferred to record group 15 (Boards and Commissions).

PROVENANCE

The records were transferred from the office of William E. Hanna in November, 1998.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The 3.33 cubic feet of William Hanna's papers date from 1983 to 1998, and encompass the four terms that William E. Hanna served on the Montgomery County Council from 1982-1998. A large portion of the collection documents Hanna's work on the County Council, with the remaining records relating to his activities in various regional organizations. Record types primarily include correspondence, memoranda, minutes, agendas, reports, clippings, and photographs. Topics include housing and zoning issues, health insurance, parental leave and child care, air quality, and regional planning.

The collection has been arranged into two series:

Series I: County Council Subject Files

Series II: Regional Subject Files

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I: County Council Subject Files, 1983-1998 (2 cu. ft.)

This series contains subject files relating to County Council legislation, with particular emphasis placed on laws sponsored by William Hanna. Especially well-documented are the issues of productivity housing, catastrophic health insurance, truck cover legislation, and all day kindergarten. Also well represented in this series is Hanna's campaign to fund the reconstruction of the Olmstead Island bridges at Great Falls.

Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject. Access to three files is restricted: one contains information relating to a grievance, and the others contain confidential salary and housing application information.

Series II: Regional Subject Files, 1992-1998, (1.33 cu. ft.)

These subject files document Hanna's involvement with various regional organizations dedicated to addressing development, traffic, economic, and environmental issues in the Washington Metropolitan Region. The material relates to Hanna's work with the Metropolitan Washington COG, including his involvement with the COG's Transportation Planning Board vision planning initiative, and Policy Development and Air Quality Committees. Also represented in this series is Hanna's involvement with the Partnership for Regional Excellence and the Metropolitan Washington Marketing Partnership.

Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Series I: County Council Subject Files

Box 1

All Day Kindergarten, 1987

All Day Kindergarten, January-April 1988

All Day Kindergarten, May-December 1988

All Day Kindergarten, 1989-1992 & n.d.

Art in Public Places, 1983-1993

Art in Public Places, 1994-1998 & n.d.

Bills Sponsored by Hanna, 1983-1989

Boyd's Quarry, 1988-1990 & n.d.

Catastrophic Health Insurance, 1985-1987

Catastrophic Health Insurance, 1988-1993 & n.d.

Catastrophic Health Insurance Clippings, 1985-1989 & n.d

Chesapeake Bay Protection Act, 1991

Colonial Pipeline Company, 1995

Council Resolutions, 1983-1997

Deer Management, 1995-1996

Employee Parking Tax, 1990-1992

Great Falls Bridges, 1983, 1985-1988

Great Falls Bridges, 1989-1994, & n.d.

Great Falls Bridges, 1996

Great Falls Bridges Clippings, 1985-1996 & n.d

Great Falls Bridges Correspondence, 1985-1996 & n.d.

Health Care for the Uninsured, 1989-1996

Juvenile Sex Offenders, 1983-1994 & n.d.

Box 2

Kaiser Permanente Care for Children, 1987-1992 RESTRICTED

Mini Bonds, 1987-1990 & n.d.

Minority, Female, and Disabled-Owned Businesses, 1988

Parental Leave, 1986-1988

Parental Leave, 1989 & n.d.

Photographs, Awards, and Clippings, 1986-1997 & n.d.

Police Cadet Program, 1987-1988 & n.d. RESTRICTED

Police Technicians Association, 1986

Press Releases, 1993-1998

Productivity Housing, 1989

Productivity Housing, 1990 (2 folders)

Productivity Housing, 1991

Productivity Housing, 1992

Productivity Housing, 1993 RESTRICTED

Productivity Housing, 1994

Productivity Housing, 1995

Productivity Housing, 1996

Replacement Housing, 1986-1988 & n.d.

Seatbelts in Taxicabs, 1985

Second Hand Rose Consignment Store, 1997

Super Majority Voting Requirements for Special Exemptions, 1997

Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation, 1995-1996

Travilah Quarry, 1985-1991 & n.d.

Trial Retirement and Retirement Counseling, 1984-1988 & n.d.

Truck Cover Legislation, 1986-1987

Truck Cover Legislation, 1988-1991

Box 3

Unregistered Vehicles on Residential Property, 1984-1985

User Fees, 1983-1985

User Fees, 1992-1993

Series II: Regional Subject Files

Air Quality, 1994-1996

Air Quality, 1997 (1 & 2 of 3 folders)

Box 4

Air Quality, 1997 (3 of 3 folders)

Air Quality, 1998 (3 folders)

Council of Governments, 1995-1997

Greater Washington Marketing Partnership Board of Trade, 1993-1994

Greater Washington Marketing Partnership Board of Trade, 1994-1995

Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, 1993-1995

Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, 1996

Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, 1997-1998

Partnership for Regional Excellence, 1992

Partnership for Regional Excellence, 1993-1994

Vision Planning, 1995-1996

Vision Planning, 1997 (3 folders)