Showing posts with label Roger Berliner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roger Berliner. Show all posts

Monday, May 09, 2011

From Nancy Floreen's Last Campaign


Not Meant for Groceries

I was surprised to learn that Councilmember Nancy Floreen handed out reuseable bags during her last reelection campaign. She expressed concerns about sanitation and hygiene related to bag reuse in a Washington Post op-ed written before she became the sole at-large councilmember to oppose the new Montgomery County bag tax:
And speaking of environments: The one inside a reusable bag is perfect for growing bacteria and cross-contaminating food, so if you opt against paying for disposable bags, you had better remember to wash your reusable ones. Do you really want to carry home unwashed chicken or seafood in a bag you might be carrying apples in later?
From the color and design, one might get the impression that using bags is an environmental rather than hazmat situation, though I know green is also Nancy's campaign color. Roger Berliner and the other eight members of the County Council seemed willing to risk public health as they disagreed with Nancy's view:
“I consider this to be a nudge, not a nuisance. This nudge has profound effects on our consciousness,” said council member Roger Berliner (D-Bethesda-Potomac), who cast one of the eight votes for the measure.

Reducing the number of plastic bags that end up clogging waterways is the principal aim of the new tax. By taxing paper bags as well, officials are trying to keep shoppers from simply choosing paper instead.
Del. Al Carr is sponsoring a similar measure at the state level.

Update: Apologies for problems with the image.

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Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Pepco Apologizes



Thank you Councilmember Berliner for pointing out the bankruptcy of Pepco's attacks on the super-dangerous trees of Montgomery County. Oh, and one of my constituents was not happy to be woken up at 1:30AM when Pepco decided to finally trim trees by her home months after she had pointed out the problem. More info at TBD.

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Roger Berliner for County Council, 2000

Roger Berliner first ran for the County Council District 1 seat in the 2000 special election to replace the retiring Betty Ann Krahnke. Berliner was defeated in the primary by Pat Baptiste, who in turn lost to former GOP Senator Howie Denis. Berliner returned to defeat Denis in 2006 and just won a second term. This is a lit piece from Berliner's first campaign in 2000.


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Monday, September 13, 2010

Roger Berliner's Ben Cardin Mailer


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Hopkins Contrast Mailer Misleads on Ambulance Fee

Council District 1 challenger Ilaya Hopkins has released this contrast mailer asserting that incumbent Roger Berliner supported the ambulance fee “as part of 2010 budget.” That’s true, but it’s also misleading.



Berliner has voted twice against the ambulance fee in full council session – once in 2009 and again in 2010. Berliner did vote for the most recent county budget that included the ambulance fee (over his opposition), but so did two other Council Members who voted against the fee: Nancy Navarro and Valerie Ervin. All three have been endorsed by the Volunteer Fire Fighters, who are the biggest opponents of the ambulance fee in the county.

We’re not saying Berliner is perfect. His record, along with that of almost every other council incumbent, has some problems. But when a candidate includes a misleading criticism along with more legitimate points, it undermines that candidate’s entire message. So it is with this mailer.

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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Roger Berliner: Effective Leadership, Real Results


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Saturday, September 11, 2010

Roger Berliner's Education Mailer


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MCEA Pushes Back Against Anti-Berliner Mailer from Hopkins

Council District 1 challenger Ilaya Hopkins has sent out this negative mailer against incumbent Roger Berliner.



The mailer quotes MCEA political strategist Jon Gerson as saying of Berliner, "...we wish Mr. Berliner had been a stronger voice for our schools and students." Gerson's full quote from the 8/13/09 Potomac Almanac article sourced by the mailer was, "There have been times we wish Mr. Berliner had been a stronger voice for our schools and students. His position on next year’s school budget will be telling." (Incidentally, your author was quoted in the same article as saying, "He's one of the more civil personalities on the Council.")

The problem with spotlighting a quote from Gerson is that Berliner has been endorsed by MCEA, so his performance on the last budget must not have been so bad. MCEA President Doug Prouty sent us the following comment on the mailer:

In contrast to a recent mailer from his opponent which misrepresents our position, the Montgomery County Education Association wants all voters to understand that Roger Berliner has our unequivocal support. Roger has been a steadast supporter of the students and employees of the Montgomery County Public Schools during his first term as a County Council member. His advocacy for our schools have helped make the public schools in Maryland first in the nation two years in a row, according to Education Week. The use of an incomplete and outdated quotation from a member of our staff in the mailer reveals more about the means to which his opponent will stoop than it does about Roger. MCEA is proud to support Roger and we look forward to working with him to keep our schools strong in the next four years.
Just tell us that most campaigns could not have seen that coming.

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Friday, September 10, 2010

Hopkins Zaps Berliner on Electricity

Man, we don't want to touch this one with a ten-foot pole, or else... BRRZZZZT!!!


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Thursday, September 02, 2010

Roger Berliner's Pepco Mailer


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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Roger Berliner's First Mailer


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Monday, August 30, 2010

Primaries to Watch V, Part One

By Marc Korman and Adam Pagnucco.

Marc
A major fundraising report is in, the Washington Post has given its blessings from atop the mountain, mailboxes are filling up, and people who do not read this blog are finally starting to pay attention. So it is time for another installment of “Primaries to Watch.”

The problem with a list like this is it rewards bad behavior. The relatively tame District 14 and 17 State Senate challenges are not as fun to watch next to the madness of the District 16 or 19 Delegate races or the increasing nastiness of District 19 or 39 State Senate. But these races are supposed to be interesting, so here goes.

10. Hopkins vs. Berliner
Previous Rank: #10

Marc
Hopkins is hitting Berliner harder and harder through her mass emails, really taking it to him on one of his strongest issues, energy. She has attacked his loan program for home improvements, his public comments on Pepco, and his passage of a carbon tax. But it is probably too late to really change the overall momentum of the campaign. Hopkins does not have much presence outside of her geographic base of East Bethesda where she will likely do well. Berliner retains all the advantages of incumbency including a fundraising edge and most endorsements.

The Gazette endorsement is a nice feather in Hopkins’ cap and if she is thinking about her political future, she should figure out how to use big endorsements and other attributes from losing campaigns a la Laura Berthiaume (she got the Gazette in her 2006 Delegate race and later was elected to the School Board) or Ryan Spiegel (he got the Post in his 2006 Delegate race and later was elected to the Gaithersburg City Council).

More likely, Hopkins will spend the next few weeks continuing to hammer pretty hard at Berliner and try to pull out an unlikely win.

Full disclosure, I donated to Berliner in 2008 and serve on the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board with Hopkins.

Adam
Ilaya Hopkins had a lot of potential at the beginning of this race, but Berliner has totally overwhelmed her. He has run a classic incumbent campaign of reporting early money, rolling up lots of endorsements, taking the high road as she has gone negative and using his status as an incumbent to get into the Washington Post on the Pepco issue. This contest stopped being competitive when Berliner got on the Apple Ballot and now none of our informants believe Hopkins will win. She has to be kicking herself for missing out on the District 16 open seat. Hopkins would have been one of the favorites in that race.

The fact that we still have this contest at number ten illustrates how bored we are by the District 15 and 39 House primaries. Those races are midget wrestling compared to the titanic King-Ali and Lenett-Manno cage matches.

9. Council 2 Open Seat
Previous Rank: #9

Marc
There are five candidates in the race, but this one is really a three-way contest between Delegate Craig Rice, former Planning Board Chair Royce Hanson, and civic activist and prior candidate Sharon Dooley.

The stars may be aligning for Rice. He has the financial edge, strong endorsements, and is apparently the only candidate doing serious door knocking. Still, Hanson should have some latent name ID and people should be impressed by his experience. Dooley will be the only woman in the primary and has garnered substantial votes in the District before.

The winner here will face a spirited race against Robin Ficker, making this one of the more serious fall contests in the County.

Full disclosure, I have been doing some volunteer work for Craig Rice.

Adam
Craig Rice is now the favorite. He has the edge over Royce Hanson and Sharon Dooley in money, endorsements and prior electoral performance. Hanson last ran for office in 1978 (losing a Democratic County Executive primary to Charlie Gilchrist) and has half of Rice’s cash on hand. Dooley was crushed by incumbent Mike Knapp in 2006 and hasn’t changed much since then. She has almost no money. Rice worked very hard to beat popular Republican incumbent Delegate Jean Cryor in the last cycle and his Legislative District 15 precincts accounted for about 40% of the votes cast in Council District 2 in 2006. Additionally, MCEA will knock itself out on poll coverage in this district because Rice could be a swing vote on budget issues. All of this puts Rice over the top.

More tomorrow!

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Friday, August 13, 2010

Roger Berliner Endorses Hans Riemer

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Hopkins Goes Negative Again

Council District 1 challenger Ilaya Hopkins has gone negative against incumbent Roger Berliner again, following her criticism of him in her announcement speech, her slamming him for supporting the Costco subsidy, her post-debate screed in June and her attack on his Purple Line position. Hopkins probably has to do this because Berliner has nearly swept the major endorsements and looks pretty strong right now, but at this point, she is running the most negative campaign in the county. Don't be surprised if Berliner responds by discussing her history as a registered Democrat.

Following is her latest email against Berliner.

Berliner's Failing Grades

Greetings!

The Montgomery County Council recently adjourned for the summer recess. This presents an excellent opportunity to review the work and accomplishments of Councilmember Roger Berliner during the recent legislative session, and more importantly, over the past four years. As other organization do, we have issued Councilmember Berliner grades in six key areas. You can view all the details on our website.

Education - D

Berliner's blank check sign off on MCPS budgets over the last four years, where his lack of engagement with the Board of Education and Superintendent on school funding and infrastructure issues is now having a detrimental impact on our classrooms and students

Transportation - D

When one looks at Berliner's proposals it becomes clear that none will reduce the amount of cars on the road in the short term, alleviate severe congestion from major District 1 intersections, shorten any commute times, improve existing mass transit options or provide any immediate alternative transportation solutions in the form of new bikeways or pedestrian access.

Environment - E (for Effort!)

Given his role as an energy lawyer and registered lobbyist, it is not surprising that nearly all of Berliner's sponsored bills deal with energy or environmental issues. Unfortunately, Berliner's proposals have a negligible impact on the environment in the county, where real environmental impacts are seen through transportation and land use policies.

Fiscal Responsibility - F

Despite repeated budget warnings from the County Executive, Berliner and his Council colleagues increased Montgomery County spending a total of 14.5% three of the last four years until reaching a record billion dollar shortfall this budget year.

Economic Prosperity - F

As our budget scenario grows more dire, Berliner and his colleagues on the Council have worsened the situation by continuing to impose drastic taxes and fees on the only source of revenue they can now turn to - our business community. The net effect will be a loss of jobs, more businesses leaving or going out of business, and an uncompetitive economic environment to attract new private sector businesses and federal agencies to Montgomery County.

Quality of Life - F

Unfortunately, our quality of life in Montgomery County has not improved over the last four years under Roger Berliner and this council. In fact, we can't even say that it has stayed the same. It's difficult to give such a poor grade in this most important of categories, but not even being able to maintain the status quo merits a failing grade.

Overall Grade - D-

We can't afford four more years of pour leadership, misguided priorities and fiscal recklessness!

You can read the full scorecard here.

Don't forget, donations need to be in by midnight today to count for our August financial report. You can contribute on-line right now.

Thanks for all your support.

Sincerely,

Christopher Gill
Campaign Manager

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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Berliner on Pepco

In one of his regular emails to constituents last week, Council Member Roger Berliner shared his perspective on how to improve Pepco's service reliability. This is a matter of great concern to many of our readers (including your author) and we reprint his remarks below.

Keeping the Lights On

Now that we are well on the other side of the latest devastating storm to hit our community, it is time to begin the hard work of looking at the reliability - or unreliability - of Pepco's electric distribution system.

What you know and what I know right now is this - in many District 1 neighborhoods and throughout our county, our electricity goes out too often and for too long. On windy days and on days in which you can not see a cloud in the sky or feel a breeze on your face - our power goes out. For seniors living in 95 degree heat without electricity, for businesses that can not open, for mothers taking care of their children - the current state of affairs is simply not acceptable. And my office has fielded your complaints and heard your frustrations rise to the breaking point.

One of the many frustrations I feel in this situation is that our county has no -- I repeat no -- authority or jurisdiction over Pepco. Pepco is 100% regulated by a state independent regulatory agency, the Maryland Public Service Commission (MPSC), a 5 member Commission that is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maryland State Senate. Local jurisdictions like ours have no ability to demand or require Pepco to do anything. That is one of the reasons why I sponsored, and the Council passed, legislation that for the first time authorized the County to participate in proceedings before the MPSC - so that we could formally make our case to them on issues affecting Pepco and their rates.

This is also why all of my colleagues joined me in sending a letter to the Chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission urging the Commission to open an investigation into the reliability of Pepco's service. We need the regulators who have direct control over Pepco to tell them that enough is enough and to order them to make sufficient investments in its system to meet customer expectations.

Here are the three basic steps that I believe the Commission should follow:

1. Establish a clear "standard" of reliability by which to hold Pepco accountable, a standard that truly meets our needs. A portion of Pepco's "return on equity", as authorized by the MPSC, should be explicitly linked to Pepco meeting that standard in the future;
2. Determine, neighborhood by neighborhood, the current level of reliability; and
3. Focusing first on the areas that experience the greatest outages for the longest periods of time, require Pepco to invest in system upgrades that will increase reliability to acceptable levels;

It is important to remember that there is "no free lunch." Upgrades to the system will be paid for by ratepayers - that's you and me. That is one reason why it will be important that Pepco work with us to identify the most cost-effective means by which we can make the most dramatic improvements.

Based on my direct conversations with the President of Pepco, I am convinced that they have come to the same conclusion - the system needs to be upgraded. They also appreciate that they did a terrible job in communicating with customers in this last storm. They have pledged to work with us to come up with an appropriate plan of action. And it is action that we need.

If you share our view that it is time for action, then I urge you to individually contact the MPSC, with copies to the Governor and your state legislators, by calling the MPSC at (410) 767-8000, Toll Free at 1-800-492-0474, clicking here, or writing them at

Maryland Public Service Comission
William Donald Schaefer Tower
6 St. Paul Street, 16th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202

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Saturday, August 07, 2010

Berliner to Endorse Riemer?

It looks like County Council Member Roger Berliner, who represents Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac, may be endorsing at-large challenger Hans Riemer. Check out this blast email from Riemer's campaign sent out this morning.

Dear [Recipient],

I am so happy to announce a couple wonderful developments for my event at Lucy Freeman's house on Wednesday, August 11th.

First, County Councilmember Roger Berliner - who is a dear friend and wonderful public servant - will join us to speak at the event. I am thrilled to have Roger with me in this race.

Second, I am deeply honored that our Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler will stop by the event, too. Doug's service to the people of Maryland and his roots in Montgomery County are very special. I am glad to count him as a friend and touched he can make an appearance.

Our stellar Host Committee of Democratic leaders and activists has been working hard to make the 11th a very special night.

To RSVP for the event on Wednesday night, send an email to rsvp@hansriemer.com. You can reach my office by calling 240-646-4562.

Or you can RSVP online at:

www.hansriemer.com/freemanevent.

Here are the details once more:

WHO:

Nancy Altman, Darrell Anderson, Joanne Anderson, Willie Blacklow, Carole Brand, Liz Brennan, Sue Byrnes, Dan Farrington, Edith Fierst, Pete Fosselman, Delegate Bill Frick, Betty Ginsburg, Judith Hallett, Matthew Herrmann and Almina Khorakiwala, Ashwani Jain, Indu and Palav Jain, Roz Jonas, Mary Ann Keeffe, Ariana Kelly, Marc and Rebecca Korman, Minh Le, Delegate Susan Lee, Gil Lessenco, Connie Lierman, Kyle Lierman, Lisa and Paul Mandell,David Marblestone, Margit Meissner, Lynn and Michael Novelli, Ketch Ryan, Elly Shaw-Belblidia, BJ Sanford, Nicky Silverman, Len and Linda Simon, Ann Statland, Betsy Stephens

WHEN:

Wednesday, August 11
7 to 9 PM

WHERE:

The Home of Lucy and Harry Freeman
4708 Dorset Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD

Thank you again for your support.

Sincerely,

Hans Riemer
Democrat for Montgomery County Council, At-Large

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Berliner Goes After Pepco

Check out this email that District 1 County Council Member Roger Berliner sent out to his constituents. If you are a Pepco executive, well... maybe you should take some aspirin and look at it tomorrow.

Dear District 1 Residents and Friends,

Many of you have contacted me during this power outage crisis. I completely understand your frustration - my wife and I are also without power and we lose power all too regularly.

Today, my colleagues and I were briefed by PEPCO on their response to the storm. They continue to say that this is a 'multi-day event' and that they will have the "vast majority" of residents back on by Thursday. This brief storm was far more damaging than the blizzards - 200,000 customers in our county were without power after Sunday's storm.

During the briefing, I made it clear to PEPCO's President that their system simply isn't reliable enough. Power outages occur all too frequently for too long. I informed PEPCO that I would be asking the Maryland Public Service Commission, which has total and complete regulatory authority over PEPCO, to open an investigation into PEPCO's reliability, or lack thereof.

You should know that problems in the system were evident prior to the storm. I wrote to the President of Pepco on July 12th about the repeated and lengthy power outages that were occurring in fair weather and for no apparent reason. Many constituents had written to me about those outages. This current situation only adds a greater sense of urgency to get to the bottom of this. Pepco is only in the service provider business and does not generate power itself. We should have the very best system that we can and today we do not.

While it may be understandable why there cannot be a human response when thousands of people are calling, it is not acceptable for there to be a recorded message with inaccurate information. There should be a real person answering your questions as to why your power went out, when a crew will be dispatched, and how long it will take. Losing power is a serious matter, and getting a recorded message that lacks timely, accurate information is simply not acceptable. PEPCO has told us that citizens can now call 877-737-2662 to receive real time information on when power will be restored.

Here is the latest information made available to the County Council:

Storm Event
At 3:20 pm Sunday, a line of severe thunderstorms rolled through MontgomeryCounty, causing widespread damage, road closures, and downed trees. More than 200,000 PEPCO customers and nearly one third of all traffic signals in the county were reported without power.

Road Closures

A total of 254 roads have been reported as closed due to downed trees and other tree related obstructions; the number of current road closures now stands between 50 and 60.
DOT has cleared all known road closures except those involving Pepco lines. All road closures are pending until Pepco clears the power lines from the obstruction.
Pepco has been notified of all road closure locations involving power lines
County crews and contractors continue to clear debris countywide
Equipment operators will remain overnight to open roads as Pepco clears power lines.

Transit

Continues to operate on a regular schedule with some delays associated with traffic conditions

TransportationManagementCenter (TMC)

Monitoring traffic conditions and signal outages. The number of dark signals fluctuates as power goes on and off and trips fuses. 19 temporary stop signs are in use at selected intersections to assist with traffic control.
Between 80 and 90 signals are out at this time.

If you are concerned about food safety please consult the guidance provided by the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp.

For more information on cleaning up after this storm, please visit http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/swstmpl.asp?url=/content/dep/solidwaste/stormcleanup.asp for a thorough explanation on what to do with any large debris that may have been generated in your yard.

Again, know that I share your frustration and I will continue to push PEPCO and the Maryland Public Service Commission to take all reasonable steps to increase the reliability of the system and improve the customer response by PEPCO to outages.

Sincerely,

Roger Berliner
District 1

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Hopkins Attacks Berliner Over Purple Line

In her most pointed attack yet, Council District 1 challenger Ilaya Hopkins is slamming incumbent Roger Berliner over the Purple Line. The district includes Bethesda, the western terminus of the project, and Chevy Chase, where some residents have complained about the line's impact on the Capital Crescent Trail. Following is Hopkins's statement.

#####

NEWS RELEASE

Media Contact: Chris Gill, campaign manager
Email: chris_gill@ilayahopkins.com

Berliner Playing Politics with the Purple Line

BETHESDA, MD – July 20, 2010 – Last month's public hearing on the Purple Line Functional Plan – where many citizens from District 1 expressed continued concerns about the plan – spurred Roger Berliner into action based on politics, not sound policy.

Attempting to appease voters concerned about tree loss on the trail, the Gazette reported that Mr. Berliner called for research into a single track option from Connecticut Avenue to Bethesda.

Fortunately, he didn't have to look far. A report conducted by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) last year, at Mr. Berliner's request, found that single-tracking was not a viable option.

The MTA report concluded, “introducing a single-track segment between Bethesda and Connecticut Avenue would significantly compromise travel time savings, service frequency, passenger carrying capacity, and the maintenance and operating reliability of the Purple Line, thereby reducing the effectiveness, efficiency, and the return on a $1.3 billion investment. The reduction in the amount of tree clearance hoped for from building a trail and single track segment would not likely be achieved.”

The issue of the environmental impact of light rail on the trail has been raised for years by local communities. Yet up until now, Mr. Berliner remained unswayed by those concerns. In January 2009, he voted with his colleagues on the county council in support of the Purple Line light rail transit option along the Georgetown Branch Trail. In his statement on the vote he said, “...no one disputes that building the Purple Line will fundamentally alter the current character of the trail experience.”

Last week, the Examiner reported that Mr. Berliner abandoned his two-week-long effort to save trees along the trail.

“I had hoped to be able to convince you that single-tracking would not compromise the integrity of the system,” Berliner said during a council committee meeting. “I grudgingly will come to the same conclusion [as the MTA].”

If Mr. Berliner believes light rail is the best option for the Purple Line, why would he push an idea which would make it less effective? If he truly cares about tree preservation, why would he push an idea which would have little to no impact on tree clearing? If he was legitimately addressing community concerns, why such a superficial response a year and a half after his vote when he had an opportunity to stand up for the community and impact the decision?

The answer to these questions sadly is - politics. His disingenuous attempt to reopen discussion on the Purple Line and half-hearted effort to research other options smacks of the worst form of election year politics – putting electoral results over legitimate community concerns and sound policy.

That isn't leadership, it's playing politics with our future, the kind of politics Montgomery County can no longer afford.

Ilaya Hopkins has participated in the Purple Line conversation for many years. Through the process she weighed the merits of different arguments and attempted to balance the good of public transit on the one hand with the much beloved and well-utilized green space and hiker/biker trail on the other. In the end, she took a principled stand in support of Bus Rapid Transit over light rail on the trail to minimize environmental impacts, avoid the use of overhead wires and reduce cost.

Ilaya is a strong advocate for robust, flexible and affordable East-West transit options and is committed to finding the best solution for the long-term success of the community. For more information on Ilaya’s position on the Purple Line visit, http://www.ilayahopkins.com/?page=transportation or watch her interview on transportation issues at http://vimeo.com/12007348. You can also read her testimony last year before the Montgomery County Planning Board here and her letter to County Executive Leggett here.

We need strong leadership, to move Montgomery County forward. Vote Ilaya Hopkins for Montgomery County Council District 1 on September 14.

#####

For the record, here are both candidates' responses to a question about the Purple Line on an Action Committee for Transit questionnaire.

Question: Do you support the Locally Preferred Alternative selected by Gov. O'Malley for the Purple Line, including an at-grade light rail line with a trail alongside it on the Georgetown Branch right of way between Bethesda and Silver Spring, as well as the at-grade light rail line running along Campus Drive through the University of Maryland?

Roger Berliner (D): I have been a supporter of the Purple Line and ran on that platform four years ago when I ran successfully for the County Council. I continue to be a supporter of the locally preferred alternative and have tried to work with all parties to see that the very best possible system is developed. If there are mitigation measures that can be taken to help maintain the character of the Trail and develop a successful transit system I want to see MTA embrace those measures.

Ilaya Hopkins (D): I strongly support transit and believe our current transit system needs better East-West connectivity. Our current major transit system – Metrorail – was designed to move people from homes in the suburbs to jobs in the city center. Over the past decades, work patterns have shifted to become suburb to suburb and we have not adjusted our transit systems accordingly.

To fill in this gap, I support a Purple Line between Bethesda and New Carrollton, via Silver Spring and College Park. I am on-record supporting the Master Plan alignment and continue to support it. Given the state and county budget situation, along with the uncertainty of federal funding, the selected medium-investment light rail option, at a cost of $1.6 B, no longer appears affordable. The Maryland Transportation Administration explicitly noted in its alternatives analysis that limited availability of capital funds may require selecting a lower-cost investment, or implementing only a portion of the selected alternative.

MTA estimates the medium-investment bus rapid transit option can be implemented for approximately a third of the cost of the current PLA. I believe it is preferable to investigate this option in more depth and move forward with its implementation, rather than waiting for funds to be available for the full LRT option. By pushing for the high cost option now, I fear we may wind up with no Purple Line at all.

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Monday, July 12, 2010

Primaries to Watch IV, Part One

By Marc Korman and Adam Pagnucco.

Marc
Adam Pagnucco has been temporarily dragged out of retirement for another installment of Primaries to Watch. With the filing deadline behind us, the races are set for the September 14th primary.

Adam
Look folks, I am just as unhappy with the lack of mainstream media coverage of our council and state legislative primaries as you are, so I am going to help Marc with this series just this once. If there are any typos in my commentary, it means the Little Man has poured milk onto the keyboard. Off to the Top Ten most interesting primaries in MoCo!

Marc
Off the list:

District 39 Delegate Open Seat - There’s still plenty of action in District 39, but with Shane Robinson racking up endorsements, Bob Hydorn strong in Montgomery Village and the incumbents working hard, this is the calmest of the open Delegate seats. We only have ten slots and District 39 Delegate just does not make the cut.

10. Hopkins vs. Berliner
Prior Rank: #10

Marc
Ilaya Hopkins’ biggest coup since our last installment was securing the endorsement of Doug Duncan, still a strong name among Democratic primary voters. Berliner has taken Hopkins’ challenge seriously and they are both working the district hard. So far, the two have met for one debate which depending on who you talk to was a resounding victory for both candidates.

Berliner has done a good job of reminding folks about some of the good things he has done and has lined up lots of community support, got the Apple Ballot, and most recently was endorsed by the Washington Post. Hopkins has not needled Berliner as sharply as she probably needs to on some of his weak spots. She has the hot summer at door steps and at least two more debates to do so. As with most races, the next big milestone in this one will be the campaign finance reports. Hopkins is knocking on doors, but will she have the resources to compete with Berliner at the mailbox?

Full disclosure, I donated to Berliner in 2008 and serve on the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board with Hopkins.

Adam
Roger Berliner has run a classic incumbent campaign. First, he locked up a huge district resident supporter list a month before challenger Ilaya Hopkins announced. Next, he showed a cash balance of nearly $100,000 in his January campaign finance report. Then he began rolling out waves of endorsements. All of this persuaded MCEA to put him on the Apple Ballot because they figured he was going to win.

Ilaya Hopkins is not a bad candidate. To the contrary – she was one of the district’s most prominent civic activists and had a good deal of potential six months ago. But there’s nothing that most challengers can do when an incumbent without an obvious problem executes the above strategy as well as Berliner has. A challenger in Hopkins’ position has three choices: withdraw, run a polite campaign with an eye on the future, or go negative in a long shot to win. Hopkins appears to have picked the third option as she has hit Berliner again and again and even went after one of his supporters on her website. Adding to Hopkins’ problems is the impending mail barrage by District 16 Delegate candidates that will bury her literature under piles of other candidates’ pieces. Now that the Post has endorsed Berliner, this race is almost over.

9. Council District 2 Open Seat
Prior Rank: None

Marc
District 2 has seen a lot of action the past few weeks. The district went from a rematch between Sharon Dooley and Mike Knapp to a face-off between Delegate Craig Rice and Dooley, his former supporter. Now the race has been shaken up by the entry of two-time former Planning Board Chair Royce Hanson.

Each candidate has their strengths. Dooley has run for the seat before and knows the district well. Rice won a tough election in 2006 and picked up a lot of institutional support before Hanson got into the race, including the Apple Ballot. Hanson has some name ID, will have no trouble raising money, won the Post’s endorsement and will be an ace on development issues.

Now the weaknesses. Dooley may have topped out in the “slow growth” year of 2006 with around 35%. Rice won in 2006 on a Democratic wave and had poor fundraising. Hanson has not run for office since the 1960s and may not be prepared for a grassroots, door to door campaign.

Watching this one shake out will be great fun for political junkies all summer. One key issue will be whether Hanson comes off as a responsible, experienced voice or someone bitter and dismissive of his former bosses on the County Council.

Full disclosure, I donated to Rice’s Delegate campaign.

Adam
Royce Hanson is the most intriguing candidate in the county. He has not run for office since he lost to Charlie Gilchrist in the 1978 County Executive Democratic primary. Hanson is a living legend: the father of the Ag Reserve, the inventor of many of the county’s planning tests and procedures and arguably the leading advocate of smart growth (though some disagree over how that is defined). But there are so many questions. Will Hanson hit the doors? Where will his fundraising come from? What will his message be? What does he believe about non-land use issues? If he is elected, how will he get along with a County Executive and a County Council that he frequently disagreed with as Planning Chair? Will any of the county officials with whom he fought try to block him from being elected?

Delegate Craig Rice is a good campaigner with lots of endorsements. His state Legislative District (15) accounts for at least a third of Council District 2. But he is not a great fundraiser, does not know nearly as much about the county as Hanson and the candidacy of Poolesville Commission President Eddie Kuhlman could peel away some District 15 votes. Rice will have to work hard to beat Hanson. Sharon Dooley is a veteran civic activist who works hard for her community and on behalf of progressive causes. She has always had trouble raising money and now Hanson’s candidacy threatens to draw away a great deal of her environmentalist support.

More tomorrow!

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

SEIU Local 500 Makes Council, School Board Endorsements

Shortly after SEIU's Maryland and D.C. State Council made endorsements for state legislators, SEIU Local 500 (which represents school support staff and adjunct professors) released their county office endorsement list. Many of their incumbent endorsements were expected. The newsworthy endorsements are incumbent Roger Berliner in District 1 (who is batting one thousand on this measure), Craig Rice in District 2 and Hans Riemer, who is challenging at-large. Incumbent at-large member Nancy Floreen also earned an endorsement. Following is their press release.

SEIU Local 500 Announces Montgomery County Endorsements

GAITHERSBURG, MD (June 22) – SEIU Local 500 announced its endorsements of candidates for the Montgomery County Council and Montgomery County Board of Education today.

For election to the Board of Education, SEIU Local 500 has endorsed Patricia O'Neill, Judy Docca, Mike Durso, and Shirley Brandman. SEIU Local 500 members chose to endorse Roger Berliner, Craig Rice, Nancy Navarro, and Valerie Ervin in their respective district-wide county council races. In the at-large county council race, Local 500 endorses incumbents Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, and George Leventhal, and challenger Hans Riemer.

“In a difficult year, Local 500 is supporting leaders who value the contributions of Local 500 members, who educate and support the needs of students and persons with disabilities throughout Montgomery County,” said Mary Belin, MCPS supporting services staff member and chairwoman of SEIU Local 500’s COPE committee. “We are proud to support long-time friends of Local 500 members and those they serve, as well as challengers, who we believe will bring fresh ideas and principled leadership to the county.”

“Local 500 members play a critical role in education and community service throughout Montgomery County and the region,” explains Merle Cuttitta, president of SEIU Local 500. “We are invested in the political process in order to ensure that the services we provide are properly funded and understood as essential to the success of our county and region. Naturally, we support candidates who are pro-education and pro-working families. Local 500 members are committed to ensuring their election this fall and we look forward to working with these leaders in the coming years. Though they will undoubtedly be challenging ones, we believe this group is suited to meet those challenges and bring all the county’s stakeholders together to find acceptable solutions.”

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Service Employees International Union Local 500 represents 18,000 women and men working in child care and education, and in service to communities and the public interest in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

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