Council sells school land to private academy

The Washington Post: Montgomery to sell school building to private academy

...An intense lobbying effort, including the intercession of Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), helped seal the deal. Council members said they were flooded with e-mails, calls and letters on the issue, and the academy hired a Washington-based public relations firm to help it.

Council Vice President Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda) told several people that Cardin had called him to urge him to vote for the sale, according to people with knowledge of the conversations. Cardin's office did not respond to repeated requests for comment...