By Sharon Dooley.
The proposed county budget is suggesting cuts for many current Ride-on routes and outright elimination for others. Current bus riders fear loss of connectivity and bus drivers, who are county employees, face loss of jobs.
At the outset, it must be acknowledged that the county faces significant budget issues and cuts are to be expected across the county in services. This area, however, is one where the impact would be widespread and reconsideration is necessary. The move, suggested to save slightly over a million dollars is not – in the long run – a wise decision. Across the county, neighborhood activists, government workers, societies for disabled children and adults and school communities are speaking out and urging opposition to these changes. From down county to mid county, from Olney to Germantown, buses are being layered in flyers, alerts and petitions. Community groups are meeting, emails are being shared and plans are in place to have a good turnout at the Department of Transportation hearing on Monday February1st. The hearing is open to the public and currently has over 60 speakers scheduled to testify. Available to the Shady Grove Metro Red Line travelers most easily, the hearing is being held in the cafeteria of the Executive Office building at 101 Monroe Street in Rockville at 6:30.
Currently 23 routes (mostly part-time Rush hour only or weekend routes) are scheduled for complete elimination and 6 other routes are scheduled for cut-backs. It is most counter productive in a difficult economy to make commuter travel less accessible to transit and more expensive. It is further short-sighted to directly impact those who cannot or do not travel by cars but still want to be productive members of this community. Finally, if we are to ever be a green community, we must encourage less vehicular traffic.
In a community meeting, shop steward Nelvin Ransome of UFCW Local 1994 said that 20 bus driver positions are currently unfilled and 33 more are slated for elimination if these cuts go through. He said his union is working on creative solutions to maybe create a senior driver force where part-time routes could be served by retirees working limited hours and not requiring benefits. He indicated that his members were thankful for the community support that they have received across the county. Last year many of these same routes were slated for elimination but were saved when the county residents spoke up; this year many are confused since few issues have changed.
In the community of Olney, many areas are far from the town center where Metro buses run. The community is more than 10 miles from both Glenmont and Shady Grove Metro stations and almost as far from the Rockville Metro – the terminal ends of the two Rush Hour only Ride-Ons that serve the community (Routes #52 & #53). These 2 buses travel many miles as they go in and around neighborhood streets then run a circular route between the town and the Metros. Recently riders have kept tallies of the numbers of riders indicating many days when there were standees due to lack of capacity. Others have noted the many times fare boxes were broken or absent entirely. Many complain that the ridership is undercounted. Some indicate that because the community is further out – Olney is only 5 miles from the Howard County line - that numbers are irrelevant. The Ride-on had always been a promised link to the rest of the county and that link should not be severed.
If the county is truly committed to Smart Growth principles, then cutting off rush hour Ride- ons is absolutely the wrong decision. To reinforce this, the mid-county advisory board, (MCAB), Action for Transit (ACT) and the Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA), among many other groups, have all spoken in opposition to these suggested cuts. In Olney it was thought that another 300 cars would enter the rush hour commutes should rush hour not have options.
Many in the Upcounty live in widely spaced communities. There are fewer apartments where many riders could be served by a single stop; their buses have to travel greater distances with lesser ridership. They also have less access to Metro bus lines; this is seen especially when students stay late at High Schools past activity bus schedules and their schools are off the beaten track. Communities far from the Metro stations such as those in Olney, Damascus, Clarksburg, Poolesville and Germantown also pay taxes and should not be distanced from a transit connectivity just because they are “far out” in a geographic sense. Policies that say we need to car-pool and do not provide commuter lots or Express buses do not jive. Policies that do not serve all of the residents of the county are not reasonable. The Upcounty should not be isolated or dismissed; it should not be forced further into gridlock situations.
Until down county urban areas can benefit from the promised Purple Line, they needs Ride-on buses.
Until areas in the Upcounty can reap the benefits of proposals such as the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) – long on the books - or the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) suggested by Council Member Marc Elrich, they need Ride-on buses. The county must keep its inferred promises to each of the communities in the area, that the old and infirm will not be isolated in their homes, that those without cars will not only be given the options of walking or taxis, that our school children with working parents can get safely back home, that public employees who do a good job will keep that job.
See you at the hearing!
Sharon Dooley is President of GOCA the community civic group which serves the more than 40,000 residents of the greater Olney area – and a frequent MPW contributor.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Ride-On Woes
By Sharon Dooley.
The proposed county budget is suggesting cuts for many current Ride-on routes and outright elimination for others. Current bus riders fear loss of connectivity and bus drivers, who are county employees, face loss of jobs.
Hunk Dunks Tweets
District 19 Delegate candidate Sam "Hunk of the Hill" Arora loves attention, but he does not love scrutiny of his tweets because he has locked them from public view. Now why wouldn't a politician want to spread his tweets far and wide? We know he is tweeting about this blog since his Twitter site linked to our "King of the Hill" post which raved about his six-digit financing. Why is the Hunk dunking his tweets, Sam?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Maryland Arts Day 2010
Following is an announcement for Maryland Arts Day, which is scheduled for February 9, 2010 in Annapolis.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Top Blog Posts, 5/30/09-1/2/10
Following are our most-viewed blog posts from May 30, 2009 through January 2, 2010, the entire period covered by our premium Statcounter subscription. Those seven months were the busiest in MPW's history and account for 40% of all page views on this blog.
Saqib Strikes Back!
Delegate Saqib Ali (D-39) has mounted a blistering counter-attack to Senator Nancy King's recent comments about him in the Gazette. We reprint his statement, "Fighting the Smears," from his blog.
I was dismayed to read your recent article about me in which unnamed sources and rival politicians questioned the ethics of my campaign activities. This article was nothing more than baseless charges, political innuendo and anonymous smears. I owe it to your readers to set the record straight.posted by Saqib Ali at 3:04 PM
During my recent listening tour I was consumed with listening to the people of District 39 to gauge what issues they cared about at the onset of this year's legislative session. The state budget is in crisis and the budgets of our households are similarly strained. Every evening I heard from individuals who are struggling to make ends meet. Many had lost their jobs or been furloughed. These were real problems that we in the legislature have a responsibility to address -- not contrived political issues. I held my listening tour to give voice to these every-day struggles. Our idea to hold the raffles mentioned in Allan Brody's article was an afterthought that the Legislative Ethics Council Bill Sommerville had cleared. On December 22, he wrote: "It is my opinion that this presents no problems as a matter of legislative ethics". Still, we ended up eliminating them for unrelated logistical reasons. Unfortunately recent political chatter about this non-issue has distracted attention from the pressing concerns of my community.
The article also carried water for critics who claimed outrage that I recommended a low interest credit card from a non-profit Federal Credit Union on a local blog. Of course there was no personal gain in it for me. I was merely helping constituents escape usurious credit card APRs of 30%. It is remarkable that in these trying economic times some would see fit to criticize my efforts to save money for constituents. I've always considered saving my constituents money to be part of my job.
Formal ethics complaints are always handled by the state Legislative Ethics Commission. This commission has never issued any finding regarding me. However, when smear-peddlers know they have no leg to stand on, they are forced instead to rely on media to get their message out. The truth is that the "ethical questions" the Gazette reported are actually nothing more than a unfounded political accusations that are ridiculous on their face. It is unfortunate that the Gazette has given these accusations any credence at all.
Let me be clear: I have done nothing illegal, unethical or even slightly untoward. These accusations by political opponents are utterly without merit.
I am working very hard to do the business of the people of Maryland. I've introduced bills in the State Legislature to increase legislative transparency, fight against abusive credit card companies and increase road safety. I also continue to seek constructive input and advice from my constituents. For this State Senator Nancy King has launched over-the-top personal attacks on me calling me "crazed" & "desparate". It is unhelpful and unbecoming.
I respect Nancy's service to our community. But she would do well to remember that the seats we occupy in the State Legislature do not belong to me or to her. They belong to the voters. So instead of lobbing nasty personal barbs, lets all roll up our sleeves to solve the problems that Marylanders have sent us to Annapolis to work on.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Knapp Proposes Budget Summit
County Council Member Mike Knapp has proposed a "budget summit" for this year's grisly $608 million cut-and-slash fest. Normally, the budget proceeds through a slow and sequential process. The Superintendent of Schools develops his proposal for the Board of Education, which votes on it and forwards it to the council, and the Executive Branch department heads work with the county's Chief Administrative Officer to develop the County Executive's proposal, which also goes to the council. The council then holds hearings, moans in the newspapers, bickers in their offices and plays chicken until the last day or two, whereupon releasing the documents of woe to the cringing outside world. Knapp would instead like to gather the entire council, the school board, the Executive and his department heads, and even the public employee union leaders in one room to work it out all at once. No one would be allowed to leave until a deal is done. Knapp promoted the idea in a Gazette op-ed and issued a press release outlining it that we reprint below.
MoCo PTAs Support MOE Fine Waiver
The Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) has written the Montgomery County Delegation Chairs, Delegate Brian Feldman (D-15) and Senator Rich Madaleno (D-18), in support of a local bill that would waive Montgomery County's $46 million Maintenance of Effort (MOE) fine for this year's budget. But MCCPTA was careful to distinguish the narrow issue of the fine from discussion of a broader restructuring of the MOE law, which is currently the subject of a different bill. The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), also known as the "800-pound Gorilla of MoCo Politics," also supports waiving the fine but not altering the underlying MOE law. We reprint MCCPTA's letter below.
Kagan Releases Website Statistics for 2009
District 17 Senate candidate Cheryl Kagan has released her website statistics for 2009. They show growing interest in her campaign.
The Simmons-Kramer Hump-or-Dump Bill
Delegates Luiz Simmons (D-17) and Ben Kramer (D-19) have filed a bill allowing a divorce to be granted if the parties are not having sex. No, we are not making this up!
Change or Die
The conventional view of politics in Montgomery County is that much depends on the balance of power and the relationships among three groups: business, labor and the civic community. That view may no longer hold because newer groups are elbowing their way to a place at the political table. But regardless of which paradigm you believe, one thing is true: no politically relevant group in the county is facing as much change as the civic world.
The MCCF operates in a manner that fails to provide solutions or constructive alternatives to the problems of this county. Saying “NO” to everything is not a sustainable position… The MCCF is no longer representative of Montgomery County citizens. After attending an MCCF meeting it was quickly apparent that the delegates in attendance are not a reflection of Montgomery County. Montgomery County is a thriving, diverse county with many young families and young professionals. MCCF does not embody this.We print the letter in full below.
RCA’s thirty-something leadership is exactly what MCCF needs to revitalize its organization. But new residents who belong to a younger generation with different priorities will not buy into some elements of MCCF’s anti-development ideology.
Any organization that has been around for decades eventually faces a moment when it must change or die. For the Montgomery County Civic Federation, that moment is now.
Mizeur Builds Massive Support for Open Government Act
Delegate Heather Mizeur (D-20) has amassed 75 House co-sponsors and 30 Senate co-sponsors, a majority in each chamber, for her sweeping Maryland Open Government Act. The bill, which is lead-sponsored by Nancy King (D-39) in the Senate, would enable free public access to the General Assembly's "up-to-the-minute" bill tracking service, which is currently available only for an $800 fee; post General Assembly committee agendas a day in advance; webcast committee hearings; and substantially open up the proceedings of the Board of Public Works, which currently has the power to implement gigantic budget cuts without public input. Mizeur deserves credit for crafting a comprehensive bill and attracting widespread and bi-partisan support for it. We reprint her press release below.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Gazette vs. Costco Subsidy
The Gazette issued an editorial questioning the Costco subsidy today, but it was Gazette cartoonist Chris Curtis who really put things in perspective.
Straight Down the Middle?
Recently, Red Maryland’s Mark Newgent went after the new political website Center Maryland for advertising itself as “straight down the middle” when some of its founders are former employees of Governor O’Malley. As it turns out, Newgent’s argument may have more validity than even he believed.
District 18 Delegation Opposes Ride-On Cuts
The District 18 Delegation - Senators Rich Madaleno and Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez, Jeff Waldstreicher and Al Carr - have joined the District 16 Delegation in opposing the County Executive's cuts to Ride-On service. But the District 18 letter contains a twist - the delegation alleges that the Chevy Chase Land Company, owner of a future development site along the Purple Line alignment, owes the county $1 million in lieu of making intersection improvements at Connecticut Avenue at Jones Bridge Road. The delegation asks that that money be collected from the company and used to subsidize Ride-On. This is the first that your author has heard of this debt and it will be interesting to see the county's response. We reprint the delegation's letter to County Executive Ike Leggett and Council President Nancy Floreen below.
Disclosure: Your author is the Treasurer of the District 18 Democratic Team and had no knowledge of this letter prior to its release.
Hans Riemer Announces At-Large Council Run on Facebook
Former Obama campaign worker and current Action Committee for Transit board member Hans Riemer has just announced his entry into the council at-large race on Facebook.
Riemer's entry changes the contest and we will be reporting more on this. For past coverage, see the opinions of our spies last June, the most recent discussion by Marc Korman and myself on the at-large race, the results of our reader poll a month ago and our comments on his website last night.
On Berliner vs. Hopkins
District 1 County Council Member Roger Berliner is facing a potential Democratic primary challenge from East Bethesda civic leader Ilaya Rome Hopkins. Berliner, a freshman who lost a special election primary for the seat in 2000 but came back to defeat incumbent Republican Howard Denis in 2006, is known for his work on mansionization, energy conservation and re-introducing policy area traffic tests to the county’s growth policy. He was recently denied an opportunity to ascend from the Council Vice-President position to the Council Presidency as almost all previous Vice-Presidents have done. Hopkins is the leader of the Coalition of Military Medical Center Neighbors, a civic group working on the Navy’s expansion of the Walter Reed BRAC site on Wisconsin Avenue and Jones Bridge Road, and is the past President of the East Bethesda Citizens Association.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Hans Riemer Online
Rumored at-large County Council candidate Hans Riemer has a new website up, strongly suggesting that he will soon enter the race.
Montgomery County residents young and old are facing some of the most serious challenges we've ever witnessed: layoffs and furloughs, foreclosures and rising property taxes, overcrowded schools and education cuts, & spiraling health care costs amidst massive budget cuts.
If we are going to turn Montgomery County around, we need new voices at the table.
Throughout my life, I've fought for seniors, youths, progressive causes, and President Obama -- and now I want to fight for you. My name is Hans Riemer and I am a Montgomery County Democrat. I live in Silver Spring with my wife, Angela, and we have chosen to raise our toddler, Henry, here in one of the best counties in the world.
I have dedicated myself to engaging people of all backgrounds in the challenges of making public policy:
In my work for the AARP, I help engage AARP members in local service opportunities to connect seniors to their communities.
As the National Youth Vote Director for the Obama campaign, I helped millions of young people raise their voice for change.
In my national advocacy on issues such as Social Security, Medicare, health care, education and voting reform, I have championed the concerns of people from every race and background.
In Montgomery County, I am best known for my advocacy on issues such as the Purple Line, Corridor Cities Transitway, Metro (WMATA), RideOn and other transit programs; as well as helping to build the Obama Montgomery County and Maryland grassroots campaigns.
I believe passionately that we have to find a more sustainable way to grow here in the county. We need new jobs, more housing, and a stronger tax base if we are going to maintain our quality of life and progress in our schools. But we have to make wise choices about land use and transportation in order to simultaneously preserve Montgomery County's rural and surburban ways of life. It can be a challenging process, but if we do it right, together, there's a great place to live for everyone here.
In order to get there though, I need you. Sign up now to join the movement, and stay tuned for an important announcement regarding my future.
Sincerely yours,
Hans Riemer
Montgomery County Democrat
I Am Not In… But Also Not Out
By Guled Kassim.
I want to take this opportunity to update my friends and neighbors of my decision regarding the 2010 election year. Thanks to many of you and my family for encouraging me to run for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council as well as the publicity from the popular blog “Maryland Politics Watch,” I’ve had the benefit of speaking with many people all around the county regarding the critical issue we are facing as a community and the importance of the 2010 election. It goes without saying that my heart has been in public service ever since my early childhood experiences after immigrating to the United States. I’ve always tried to find ways to be of service to others.
Senate Democrats Announce Legislative Agenda
The Senate Democratic Caucus has released its legislative agenda for 2010 in a press release that we reprint below. The agenda includes Delegate Kirill Reznik's (D-39) bill preventing employers from using credit scores in hiring and promotion decisions. Additionally, the Senate will adopt a rule change this week requiring that committee votes be posted on-line within ten days, matching a similar move by the House.
Busch: Committee Votes will be Posted Online
Speaker of the House Mike Busch has directed the House Office of Information systems to post committee votes on the General Assembly website prior to the arrival of bills on the floor starting in this session. This would accomplish the purpose of online committee vote reporting more rapidly than would any legislation. We reprint a memo from the Speaker's Office on this subject below.
MSM Falls Down on Costco Story
Here’s one more element of the Costco story for MPW readers to mull over: the issue has exposed the limitations of the local mainstream media (MSM) in reporting on the internal workings of government.
Consider how this story developed.
From the initial development of Westfield’s financing pro forma, the company has sought the County’s financial assistance to attract Costco to Wheaton. Based on prevailing market conditions, the rate of return Westfield projects from a $28 million investment (of the $58 million project costs, Costco will reimburse $30 million) is insufficient for Westfield’s corporate management to approve the Wheaton project over other competing Westfield projects around the country. Westfield has estimated the financial gap at $4 million plus.Note the fact that the administration did not identify the rate of return expected by Westfield, the rate of return typical in the retail real estate industry for such projects or the exact reason for the “$4 million plus” needed for the project in contrast to some other amount. No private investor would ever invest millions in any project on the basis of such scanty information.
Accordingly, the County Council reacted with skepticism when the administration presented its case for the subsidy in closed session on January 12. Immediately after the session, administration officials scrambled into action, contacting community members that they believed would be supportive. Some of them began calling and emailing the council within hours. This occurred despite the fact that the issue was supposed to remain secret through the commitment of both branches of government. These contacts alarmed some in the council building because it was an obvious breach of closed session rules by the administration. This proved to be the downfall of the administration’s strategy as MANY hands reached for their cellphones. If they can leak, so can we. Soon enough, the leaks turned into a water sprinkler.
MPW broke the story on January 15 and our initial post remained the only account on the subject for over 48 hours. The first MSM article that contained original reporting on the matter appeared in the Examiner on January 17, which quoted Marchone’s owner Filippo Leo as saying that “we will not survive” if Costco arrived. NBC 4 went up on January 18. The Gazette first reported on the issue late on January 18, almost four days after the story broke. By then, the story had spread as far as India. And in an epic disgrace for the Washington Post, the newspaper has not only failed to report on the Costco story at all, it instead chose to re-write a County Council press release about a new bill on development oversight introduced by Council Member Duchy Trachtenberg.
When the MSM has reported on the Costco issue at all, its coverage has tended to be spare and formulaic. The last Gazette article was typical, offering a bare bones description of the project followed by standard pro and con views. The Washington Business Journal was even worse, quoting only project promoter and Director of Economic Development Steve Silverman. No one delved into the data, the process or the politics of the issue.
In the meantime, events swiftly left the MSM behind. On Sunday, January 17 - a day before the Gazette’s first article - Silverman began the defense of the subsidy on this blog. The next day, Just Up the Pike author Dan Reed – an employee of Council Member George Leventhal – also defended the project and linked to the Gazette article quoting Leventhal’s similar defense without disclosing his employment relationship. That attracted baleful notice in the council building. More importantly, some Council Members struggled with the subsidy in the face of the county’s $608 million budget deficit. “Well, for me it is very hard to justify spending $4 million while we are in the process of budget cuts,” said one. “This is a moral issue for me,” said another. “I don’t want to look my constituents in the eye, cut their services and give away $4 million to a giant retailer.”
As a result of these tensions, a secret straw vote of the County Council scheduled for Tuesday, January 19 was postponed. But the administration did not stop lobbying for the project. In a closed meeting with small businesses in Wheaton that same night, a Westfield representative pleaded poverty in making the case for the subsidy. One attendee at the meeting wrote, “To that end Jim Agliata from Westfield stated that it had been four years since Hechts left the mall and that millions in lost revenue have made the situation for the mall precarious if not dire.” That statement ignores the fact that Wheaton is the second-most profitable mall of the 55 malls owned by Westfield in the U.S. Its modest sales per square foot is more than offset by its relatively low property value, which minimizes its property taxes. Westfield’s aggressive assessment appeal strategy further minimizes its tax liability. And since the assessment of Westfield’s main parcel has just dropped by almost 11%, Westfield’s property taxes will fall even more. Neither the administration (which knows better) nor the MSM have questioned Westfield’s characterization of its finances. Nor have they discussed Westfield’s hypocrisy in seeking a subsidy for itself while opposing tax breaks for its tenants.
On Wednesday, January 20, Council President Nancy Floreen arranged for the nine council Chiefs of Staff to be lectured about “leaks” by a council attorney. This provoked much amusement in the council building, as well as – of course – multiple leaks. With due respect to the Council President, she is missing the point on two counts. First, the “leaks” began with the Executive Branch, which operated in bad faith with the council by launching a selective community lobbying campaign just hours after the supposedly secret closed session. And second, what government officials call “leaks” we call “public information.” This process should never have been closed to begin with.
At the moment, the administration is having problems rounding up majority support for the subsidy on the council. Economic Development Director Steve Silverman, displaying the competitiveness that served him so well in his years on the County Council, is still trying to push the deal through. (We hope he applies the same energy to landing Northrop Grumman.) Anything could happen. The subsidy could be reduced, eliminated or restructured. Or Westfield and Costco could decide to go ahead with the move with no public money, just as Best Buy did successfully in 2006. Costco told the Wheaton small businesses that they have 62,000 members in Central Montgomery County. Are they really going to walk away from those members over a measly $4 million? And in the future, both the Executive Branch and the County Council will be sure to be more cautious about discussing matters like this in secret.
You will read none of the above in the MSM. Its performance on this issue has proved to be just as dismal as its coverage of the 2009 District 4 special election. Make no mistake - the local MSM contains several fine reporters who break stories and turn out good work on a daily basis. But the Costco story reveals several general truths about most members of the local MSM press corps. Very few of them have any investigative research skills. They shy away from financial data. They do not aggressively hunt scoops. They do not have large source networks, especially outside the narrow ranks of government officials. They do not continuously try to expand, develop and diversify their source networks. They do not write with history or perspective. They dispense with creativity in favor of formula. They are complacent with being late, or in not covering issues at all.
And they wonder why we won’t pay for newspapers.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Curry Birthday Video
Baltimore radio host and blogger Doni Glover recorded this video from Wayne Curry's birthday celebration in which he interviewed Jack Johnson, Doug Duncan and Al Wynn. Check out how Duncan says, "Who knows what will happen?"
What is Michael Steele Doing with his State Account?
RNC Chairman and former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele is likely out of Maryland state politics. But he continues to spend significant amounts of money out of his state campaign fund. Why?
An expenditure is defined as a gift, transfer, disbursement, or promise of money or valuable thing by or on behalf of a campaign finance entity to promote or assist in promoting the success or defeat of any candidate, political party, or a question at an election.Retired candidates often make contributions to other campaign accounts, party accounts or charities. But your author has never heard of a retired candidate spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on salaries and other payments to corporate entities. Given the controversies over Steele's collection of speaking fees and his book tour, we believe this is an appropriate matter for SBE review. And perhaps also for the Attorney General.
§ 1-101(y) of the Election Law Article
* Expenditures must be election related; that is, they must enhance the candidate's election chances, and one must be able to conclude that they would not have been incurred if there had been no candidacy.
* Expenditures, including loans, may not be for the personal use of the candidate or any other individual.
* Expenditures must be made by the treasurer, by check signed by the treasurer from the campaign bank account.
* Expenditures must be supported by receipts or vouchers, which must be kept with the treasurer's books and records.
