Councilman David Marks has appointed Aigburth Manor resident Paul Hartman to Baltimore County's Telecommunications Advisory Panel, the councilman said Monday.

The panel oversees customer service, maintenance, standards and other issues with the county's Comcast and Verizon franchises.

Hartman, a music writer, publisher, software engineer and community activist, is perhaps best known in the area as host of Detour, the weekly folk and world music show on WTMD-FM. He's the former president of Aigburth Manor Community Association and also a vice president of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations. We wrote a feature earlier this year on Hartman.

"I wanted someone with a technical background and a sensitivity to local issues to serve on this panel, and I am very happy to appoint Paul Hartman," Marks said in an email. "My hope is that the panel will continue to press for implementation of cable services throughout the county, including parts of Towson that are currently underserved."