ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball is seeking applicants interested in serving on the Consumer Protection Advisory Board. The deadline to apply for these positions is Friday, May 14th.
"It's vital that residents are aware of scams through phone calls, in their email inboxes, or on social media, and our Consumer Protection Advisory Board works to do just that," said Ball. "I encourage residents to join this Board to support and inform our neighbors, family, and friends about the presence and persistence of fraudulent campaigns in our community."
The Board is composed of seven voting members, with at least two members representing consumer interest groups, two members representing business interest groups, one member representing an economically disadvantaged group and two members representing the general public. Board member activities include participating in community activities and advising the Office of Consumer Protection and the County Executive on policies, programs and practices that can improve consumer protection-related services in the county.
To be eligible for consideration, candidates must be Howard County residents, 18 years of age or older, have an interest in consumer issues and be able to attend the Board’s meetings which are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Office of Consumer Protection, located at 9830 Patuxent Woods Drive in Columbia. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings are currently taking place virtually via WebEx.
Applicants should send a resume and brief letter explaining why they want to serve on the Board to Kimberly Pruim either by email to kpruim@howardcountymd.gov or by mail to: Howard County Government, Office of the County Executive, Attn: Kimberly Pruim, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. The names of eligible applicants will be submitted to the County Executive for approval and then to the County Council for confirmation.
As part of the Department of Community Resources and Services, the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) provides information about current scams, assists in resolving consumer-merchant and landlord-tenant disputes and enforces Howard County consumer protection laws. The Consumer Protection Advisory Board works with the Office to educate and protect Howard County consumers. Board members also provide feedback and recommendations on OCP's programs and educating county residents about consumer protection services.
For more information on the Consumer Protection Advisory Board, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/CPAB or call the Office of Consumer Protection at 410-313-6420.