Anne Arundel County’s state lawmakers had a lot to celebrate Monday at the end of the General Assembly’s annual 90-day session. Two major pieces of local legislation were among the bills approved after years, and in one case decades, of work.

After more than 20 years of debate, county residents will get some input in choosing members of the county school board. The General Assembly approved a bill that will require the governor to appoint school board members who a commission has nominated.

The commission will be comprised of members the governor and local education advocates picked. The governor will not be able to appoint candidates who are not on the commission list, and each appointee will have to be approved by the county’s voters to serve a second four-year term.

County Executive John Leopold praised the compromise bill that limited the governor’s appointment authority and gave voters more participation in the process.

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“The votes have not been there for a referendum for an elected school board,” Leopold said. “It’s unique and it’ll be a unique school board selection process in the state, but I think it’s an innovative and effective way of building compromise.”

Roadside panhandling and advertising — for businesses and politicians — in and on the sides of county roadways was also outlawed, though lawmakers in other parts of the state worried about the precedent.

Anne Arundel lawmakers included language in the bill to preserve the ban on panhandling if the ban on advertising is later ruled unconstitutional, but supporters insisted the restrictions on political advertising would not hinder free speech and were more about public safety than censorship.

“The legislation as amended does not prohibit sign-waving on private property,” Leopold said. “There are hundreds of locations on private property where, with the property owner’s permission, candidates can wave signs.”

stracy@baltimoreexaminer.com