granolapark

Granola On The Move

2006-02-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

ANNOUNCING: GRANOLAPARK HAS MOVED!!

The granolapark Blog has moved to the Takoma Voice website! Go to http://www.takoma.com/granola/

These archives will eventually be moved to the new site.

See you there!

- Gilbert

Tweak, tweak!

2006-01-27T10:03:00.000-05:00

Panic!

That’s what many city residents do when they hear that the city is “looking” at its rent stabilization code. For instance, just prior to this week’s council session (Jan. 23) an e-mail circulated warning that “beyond dismantling the rent control law this meeting could result in 20% rent increases.”

The city’s rent control - or “rent stabilization,” as it is officially called - was indeed on the city council’s agenda - as it will be occasionally over the next few months. Revisions to the rent stabilization code are very likely in store. This is part of the council’s continuing effort to review and revise city code.

Council members Terry Seamens and Marc Elrich, both representing large numbers of renters, immediately challenged the approach. Seamens questioned where the council was heading with it, and whether there was a problem with how the city calculates the rate of rent increases. Elrich, eyeballing the thick packet of background and research documents handed out by the staff, asked why the city is looking at this law in such detail - much more than they did with any other piece of revised city code.

Elrich asked why the city is looking at the law at all. There have been no complaints from residents, he claimed. “So, what’s the problem?”

City staff-member Sara Anne Daines of the Economic and Community Development office explained that the law is more complicated than most, hence the heavy paperwork. Council Member Bruce Williams pointed out that the current city code called for review of the rent stabilization law once every three years, and in his many terms in office, this is the first time he’s seen it done. A review is long overdue, he said.

The mayor reassured the two ruffled council members and the large number of observers in the council chamber’s audience that nobody intends to make fundamental changes to the law - there will be only “tweaking.”

“Tweaking” then became the Word of the Evening, along with reassuring commitments to affordable housing from all the council members and mayor.

The staff presented a number of comparisons - comparing Takoma Park's rent control with those of a number of other cities. The key difference seems to be in how annual rent increases are calculated. A number of cities, including Takoma Park, base their stabilisation formulas on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a number calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor showing changes in the cost of consumer goods and services. Takoma Park allows landlords to raise rents based on 70% of the CPI. The city doesn’t allow 100%, as some cities do, because it assumes that some expenses, such as mortgage payments, are fixed.

At the end of the session, all that had been proposed were, indeed, a few tweaks. A few suggestions to make slight adjustments in the annual rent adjustment rate were made. The adjustments would factor into the rate fluctuations in utility costs, higher insurance rates, and the effects of property tax adjustments. There is also the issue of fees and utility costs charged above the cost of rent by some landlords. The code revisions might address this disparity.

So, it seems as though there are no big changes coming in Takoma Park rent control, just “tweaks.” All of the council members gave at least lip service to preserving the law essentially as it stands. The newest member, Colleen Clay, cited a recent Univ. of Maryland study of Takoma Park rent control. That study, she said, found that while city landlords were unsatisfied with rent control and claimed they did not make enough profit because of it, they nevertheless rarely charge the maximum allowable rent. This would indicate, she said, that there were other factors keeping rental rates where they were. She did acknowledge the other point of view , noting that landlords she’d met while campaigning complained to her about rent control. On the other hand, she said that a year and a half ago, when she moved out of a city apartment her landlord never returned her security deposit. The city staff, amused, told her she could have pursued the case through their office, but the statute of limitations was up.

I’ll pass on the appeal the council made to the public. This is the time for those concerned to affect the process of changing - or not changing - the rent stabilization code. The process is just beginning and there are ample opportunities for public comment and suggestions.

The next discussion will be at the Feb. 6th session. The council will discuss exemptions and other regulations and “current trends,” as well as rent increases upon vacancy of rental units. The following two discussions will be on capital improvement rent increase petitions, held on Feb. 21 and 27.

The Mayor and many of the council members noted with concern, that while it may be useful to revise the rent control code, they were not addressing an issue that could make rent control moot - and that is the rapidly increasing loss of rental stock as apartments are becoming privately-owned condominiums. This is happening not only the city, but in the county, the metropolitan region, and even the entire eastern seaboard, as the mayor noted.

All in all it was an easy council meeting. None of the Trail-gate pro- or anti-foot people showed up. Ms Mayor and Ms Austin-Lane were perfectly civil to one another, discussions were generally brief and to-the-point.

How boring!

The most contentious moment came when Council Member Terry Seamens objected to the actions of City Manager Barbara Matthews. She had, in Seamens’ view, “unilaterally” appointed Deputy City Manager Wayne Hobbes to be chairman of the Emergency Responsiveness Committee. Seamens felt it is inappropriate to have a city staff member appointed by the city manager to a committee that has an oversight role. Seamens had brought up this objection previously and he was unhappy that the response had been to make Hobbs co-chair, which Seamens felt was a token measure.

Other than that, the council officially disapproved of the death penalty, approved of “Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center” as the official name of the commingled building, though they granted that the staff may refer to it as the “Takoma Park Community Center” for short. I’m betting it will still be known as “City Hall” by most people.

Fear not, readers! There are plenty of hot topics to liven up future council meetings. Trail-gate is on the agenda for Feb. 6th - same session as the rent-control discussion. Hoo, boy! That could be a long, loud meeting!

- Gilbert

Hopping Mad About the Extra Foot

2006-01-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Is this going to be Trail-gate? Is there a smoking jackhammer? What did the arborist know, and when did he know it?

More residents made their displeasure known to the council about this - the extra foot added to the width of a 366 foot long section of the Metropolitan Bicycle Trail. It was supposed to be 7 feet wide to accommodate tree roots along that section, That was the width agreed to after years of study, discussion, and compromise. Allegedly, as the section was being completed two weeks ago, the city arborist gave the contractor permission to make it 8 feet wide.

Some former members of the committee are hopping mad about the extra foot. Last week, you may recall, two of them spoke, one anti-foot, one pro-foot. This time two more anti-foots showed up and expressed outrage.

Mayor Porter assured them that she has asked staff to look into the incident, and City Manager Barbara Matthews said in her first City Manager Report, now a regular feature of council meetings, that she recommends a council work session on the issue. So, watch for this one, readers!

The Washington Adventist Hospital president Jere (pronounced “Jerry”) Stocks himself turned out for what was scheduled to be a discussion of a proposed WAH site committee. However, more significant news came out of the discussion.

Erwin Mack, who serves on the Adventist Community Action Council, a group made up of leaders of local Seven Day Adventist institutions reported that the council was unanimous in its 1) desire to keep the hospital, and 2) concern with the impact of the sale on Columbia College, the Adventist campus adjoining the hospital grounds. There is a movement, Mack said, to find a way to keep it in Adventist hands, and a search has begun to find a funding source. This is not to say that the hospital would remain there, only that the Adventist council hopes the property will remain in Adventist hands.

Though President Stocks is presumably a member of the council which unanimously wants the hospital to remain, he made it very clear that nevertheless the hospital was on the path to relocation.

Stocks, in the opinion of activist/resident Rino Aldrighetti in remarks a few weeks ago to the city council, was hired to head the transition as smoothly and uncontentiously as possible from Takoma Park to roomier, more profitable pastures. Certainly, Stocks chose his words carefully, both staying on message, and keeping the council as reassured as possible.

When questioned, he claimed to have paid little attention to such issues as when the hospital will be sold or what the hospital board’s Plan B is if the state does not approve their proposal to move. In fact, he says they put no thought into these subjects at all. There is not one grain of doubt in their minds that Plan A is all they need to think about and they are SO FOCUSED on their vision of a new hospital, they haven’t spend one second musing about any other aspect of this proposed move.

Right.

Mayor Porter was at pains to get Stock’s public commitment to working with the city on the issue, and he readily gave it. She was also anxious to get on record his approval of the committee makeup. He said it was fine with him. The proposal, prepared by Suzanne Ludlow, the city’s Community & Government Liaison, called for a committee made up of “14 persons: 2 persons appointed from each Ward, and 2 persons appointed by the Mayor; ex-officio representation from Washington Adventist Hospital, Maryland National Park and Planning Commission, and Montgomery County Health Department. City Manager to appoint staff. “

The group’s makeup was not so fine with others, particularly Council Member Marc Elrich, whose ward the WAH site is in. He wanted more residents from the immediate neighborhoods, and he questioned why people were requesting representation from other wards and institutions - for example, representatives from Victory Towers, the Ward 1 retirement home.

The reason for having such a wide community spectrum, he was told, is that the concerns go beyond the immediate community due to the healthcare implications for the entire city if (more likely when) the hospital leaves. Elrich pointed out that since it seems inevitable that the hospital is leaving, it would be pointless to combine the two concerns, health care and development, on one committee. Subsequently, the council decided to create TWO committees, one to focus on the WAH site development, the other on healthcare provision.

In a presentation that was as bald-faced as it was pathetic, a representative from Maisel Development Company tried to make the case that the self-storage facility the company plans to build fits the criteria of the city Master Plan. It was like listening to a small child make the case that a trip to Disneyland would be so educational it would justify missing a year of school. The Maisel presentation was about that convincing - and that transparent. Nobody was buying.

The location in question is the Takoma Park’s very southeastern tip at the corner of New Hampshire and Eastern Avenues. These two major traffic arteries mark the boundaries of Prince George’s County and the District of Columbia.

The prominence and visibility of this location makes it what, readers? All together now, . . . “THE GATEWAY!!!”

Yep, that’s right, readers! Rest assured that your council knows that this is THE GATEWAY, too! Boy, howdy, do they! They told the developer’s representative that though technically self-storage is a retail business, which the Master Plan calls for, this is definitely not the sort of retail that helps create a thriving community economic center, which is the goal, especially for such a high-visibility, important location as THE GATEWAY.

All told, hey must have repeated this message fifty times. Maybe they felt the need to drive the point home like a stake into Maisel Development’s vampire heart, but for those of us watching the already late-running meeting it was one of those pleeeeze-make-it-STOPPP-athons that deliberative governing bodies are so expert at creating.

Maybe I’m missing the point - maybe it’s like a jazz jam session. The Mayor plays a riff, repeats it a number of times with slight variations, then the council members pick it up and do their own variations with different cadences and counter-themes.

However one looks at it, it was LATE, and even the council was complaining about it as they dragged the proceedings on. It is a rule of human nature that, though one is fed up to the teeth with a meeting and all one wants to do is go home, one will still perk up to add “one more thing,” even if it is only to reiterate what the last five speakers have just said.

Last week I reported on testy words exchanged between the Mayor and Council Member Joy Austin-Lane. This was sparked when Austin-Lane rebuked a speaker who had just verbally attacked another speaker in the council meeting’s public comment segment. The mayor and Austin-Lane were more cordial with one another this meeting.

However, at the beginning of the meeting Mayor Porter took a moment of the “council comment” time to remark that she has become disturbed over the last few years with what she called the degradation of respect given by the council to citizens and their viewpoints. She said council members can have discussions that express strong disagreements, but they should remain respectful.

Austin-Lane made no remark on the subject.

Readers, you might want to note that the Council will take up rent stabilization at the Monday, Jan 23 meeting. This is the perennial hot potato issue. The city web site says, “The following aspects of rent stabilization will be considered during the months of January and February 2006: annual rent increase allowance (January 23), Rent increases upon vacancy and exemptions from rent stabilization (February 6), and the Capital Improvement Rent Increase Petition (February 21)”

It also says, “You may submit your comments in writing to the City Clerk at 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park MD 20912 or by e-mail at Clerk@takomagov.org. You are also welcome to attend the Council meetings. . . .
For more information, please contact Linda Walker (301.891.7222) or Sara Anne Daines (301.891.7224).”

Gosh, I feel so public service-y, now!

- Gilbert

The Ten Point Proposal

2006-01-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

Here, by permission, are the proposals presented by Council Member Doug Barry two weeks ago.

- Gilbert

New Hampshire Avenue Corridor Redevelopment Proposals

1. Market the area to prospective developers--with an emphasis on affordable housing (synthesize and update master plan documents and studies of the area). Organize walking tour of the area. Working jointly with other local governments including Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and the District of Columbia.

2. Proceed with creating a new business organization for the south end of the corridor to the District line. Success of CDA could be used as a model.

3. Streetscape improvements and lighting for Holton Lane. This would involve city funds and would be fast-tracked to coincide with what EZ storage has done. Original proposal involves mostly new lighting fixtures.

4. Continue work with the County to find an ownership solution for New Hampshire Towers, the largest apartment complex in the city. Emphasize tenant purchase options, affordable rentals, refurbishing condemned units, and improving living conditions throughout the structures.

5. Generate CDBG grant or other funds to help businesses on New Hampshire improve their storefronts.

6. Leverage transit improvements at the Crossroads which will include a transit center, relocating bus stops, signals, crosswalks, median fencing, additional left turn lanes, sidewalk improvements, etc.

7. Insist that the state resurface the accident-plagued section of NH between Holton and Sligo Creek and power up the pedestrian warning lights throughout the area.

8. Resuscitate the work of the International Corridor Task Force, which should be a permanent private/public sector partnership helping guide redevelopment in the area including Piney Branch.

9. Get a public art project with a multicultural theme going in the pocket park near Holton and University.

10. Accelerate installation of way finding signage at both ends of the corridor. Add U.S., MD, and Takoma Park flags at the crossroads, and rotate flags representing the different nationalities represented in the area.

Carpal Tunnel and Sprained Tongues

2006-01-13T17:01:00.000-05:00

There’s some serious thinking going on in the Takoma Park Recreation Department. The Rec. Dept. forwarded a question to the council via City Manager Barbara Matthews. The question was, in effect, “in referring to the soon to be officially christened Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center can we truncate the ridiculously clunky name?”

They worded it a lot more politely, of course, but your Gilbert knows what they were thinking, oh yes he does! They are thinking of all the wasted ink, paper, time, wear and tear on their keyboards, wrists, and tongues that the long, redundant name will cause. If we added up all the wasted staff-hours, materials, and the repetitive motion syndrome medical bills over the next 10 years, we could afford to build the gym!

The councils answer to the question whether to truncate or not only underlined the problem. It seems that the Takoma Park Community Center refers to the entire Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center building, whereas the Sam Abbot Citizens Center refers only to the public areas of the Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center. So, if they were to truncate it when someone calls and asks where the Rec. Dept. is located, they could say they were in the Sam Abbott Citizens Center on Maple Avenue, but that might be confusing when that person arrived at the Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center and found no clear delineation of which part of the Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center is the Takoma Park Community Center and which part of the Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center is the Sam Abbots Citizen Center.

The Mayor noted that to complicate the matter, the old municipal building was named after a previous Mayor Miller.

In lieu of a common sense solution, I suggest everyone follow Gilbert’s policy and refer to it as the Center Center. Much easier.

The council meeting led off with high drama. Longtime resident Frances Phipps addressed the council during the citizen comment segment. “Livid” hardly does justice to her mood. With barely controlled outrage, she related the long history of the Metropolitan Bicycle Trail - or at least the segment that passes through Takoma Park. Ms Phipps was active on the committee which worked out a compromise on the construction and width of the trail. The short version, leaving out the allegations of cost overruns and bad engineering, is that after years the committee agreed that a certain section should be 7 feet wide to protect nearby tree-roots, but last Thursday, as that section of trail was being constructed, Ms Phipps claimed a “rouge staff member,” Brett Linkletter, the city arborist, gave the contractor permission to make that section 8 feet wide.

Mayor Porter , who has acquired considerable skills over the years mollifying mad-as-a-wet-cat citizens, knows how to telegraph calm concern. She said in that I-take-you-completely-seriously-though-I-will-not-join-in-your-shark-frenzy tone that the incident would be looked into.

The drama made a 180 degree turn as another citizen, Jim Evans, who had served on the same committee as Ms Phipps, took the public microphone to counter attack. Ms Phipps, he said, was hardly a disinterested party. When bicycle trail routes were first proposed, the favored one ran past the historic Cady-Lee House, which Ms Phipps had just purchased and was renovating for sale. She joined the committee, he said, to fight that route tooth and nail. The seven-foot width, he said, was an unhappy compromise a browbeaten committee agreed on to avoid a long-drawn out battle. He challenged most of Ms Phipps charges, and urged the council not to reprimand any staff member or waste time and money over a perceived injustice. He said the city now has a great bicycle trail and if anything, the staff should be rewarded for their work.

Ward One Council Member Joy Austin-Lane began to question and reprimand Mr. Evans, pointing out that Ms. Phipps, her constituent, had cast no aspersions against him, yet he had publicly attacked her. She asked him if he had voted for the 7 foot width on that section. He said he had. She remarked that even if he didn’t like the decision, it was arrived at through the proper process and should be held to. She asked him if he had come to the council meeting at anyone’s behest. He said he’d come at no-one’s behest, that he’d suspected Ms Phipps would be there to complain to the council and he wanted to add balance.

Mayor Porter spoke up and thanked Mr. Evans for coming forward. She said she had found his comments helpful. She added that citizens who come forward to speak to the council should not be given the third degree. This was obviously aimed at Joy Austin-Lane, who seemed less than happy with the remark. For the rest of the evening exchanges between the two were sometimes chilly.

The frost in the air became almost a snowball fight between the two during the discussion of the instant runoff voting referendum. That referendum won handily in last fall’s city election, you may recall, so it is just a formality to set up a public hearing prior to writing it into the city charter. Piggybacked on the instant runoff voting, however, are proposals to move the dates of the nominating caucus and the council inauguration.

Porter backed the proposal to move the nominating caucus to an earlier date to avoid Rosh Hashanah, out of respect, she said, to the religious holiday

Austin-Lane spoke up in favor of moving the council inauguration date, pointing out that the most recent inauguration had to be done “piecemeal” instead of all at once, due to council members being out of town. Mayor Porter said the original purpose of rescheduling events was to show respect for a religious holiday, not, she sniffed, to work around people’s vacation plans.

Council member Williams stepped in as the exchange grew terse, saying there was no need to argue, the charter amendment could simply be written to give flexibility to the dates. Disgruntled, but looking for a way out of the conflict, the mayor asked the rest of the council what they thought should be done. Council members Barry and Clay wisely and quickly backed William’s sidestepping suggestion and the council moved on.

There was nothing more on the development issues that were explored last week. I do, however, want to mention one thing that I left out of last weeks account. Before they discussed the New Hampshire Avenue corridor, that long section of old strip malls, parking lots, neglected high-rises, and (in places) hard-bitten street-scape that flanks the wide, ugly expanse of New Hampshire Ave where it borders then cuts through a corner of the city, the council heard a report from staff. The report undercut the conventional wisdom, which is that New Hampshire Ave. is a potential tax-revenue gold mine just waiting for the city to guide a development effort t here. In fact, the study shows, the corridor is already quite full, with few vacant store fronts, or lots to build on. Tax revenues are not likely to increase much there, unless there is aggressive gentrification of the area, which the council is loath to support.

A kind person on a white horse has sent Gilbert a copy of council member Barry’s 10 point plan for development of the New Hampshire Avenue corridor, and will be posted here as soon as I have determined I may do so.

- Gilbert

Taking Proactive for a Spin

2006-01-06T18:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

Council member Barry rode in on a white horse last council session.

I don’t know what reforms were discussed in the council’s informal meeting last month to explore ways to make meetings shorter and more efficient, but I have a suggestion. They should all emulate ward six’s Doug Barry. The guy knows how to talk with purpose, without “ummming” and “uhhhing,” and without rambling. The rest of you council members (with perhaps the exception of Marc Elrich), take note! [This is not to say that Gilbert would do any better, you understand]

At the most recent (January 3rd) council meeting Barry barely spoke, but when he did speak his erudition was like a blast of oxygen, and he made probably the best contribution to the evening’s proceedings.

He presented a proposed 10 point plan for development of the New Hampshire Avenue Corridor.

I wish I could share that plan with you, but I don’t have a copy. I e-mailed Mr. Barry for one, but apparently he was busy grooming his horse. I was hoping it was available on the city web site, and indeed it may have been included in the the background information pdf file that one can download. That document is 39 pages long, but alas, as is all-too typical of city downloads, 37 pages are completely blank.

Whatever is in the 10 point program - which was described by Barry as a list of suggestions for projects that encourage affordable housing, pedestrian traffic, a sense of community, and a “sprucing up” - the rest of the council was galvanized. Watch for more on this 10 point plan!

This occurred near the end of a meeting which was a walkthrough of some of the thorny development issues facing the city, and what realistically can be done about them.

Remember the buzzword “proactive” from the election campaign? The mayor, in the face of criticism that her governing style is merely reactive, pledged to be proactive - especially on the subject of development. Pro activity got taken for a test drive by the council last session, and . . . had to be taken back to the shop.

The council discussed both the WAH site and the New Hampshire Avenue Corridor, and as a high number of ongoing and potential development projects was described in these and other parts of the city (including the breaking news that the old VFW hall on Fourth Avenue is now for sale), Council member Seamens called fervently for the city to craft a proactive stance on development.

But City Administrator Barbara Matthews pointed out that 1) coming up with such a proactive stance would require more resources (staff and money) than the city has, and 2) we already have a city master plan. There are only 2 full-time city employees dedicated to city development and they are plenty busy as it is, she said.

Council members Bruce Williams and Marc Elrich pointed out that there is a county development office that should be helping the city. Elrich, in a characteristic rant, said the city can’t come close to matching what the county development office does. There’s nothing the city could do that the county doesn’t already - or could if it were pressed. He complained that the county office previously made improvements that stopped just outside the city border, and currently ignores the New Hampshire Avenue corridor. Elrich also pointed out that “we don’t have jack to say” beyond the master plan zoning. He opined that the most effective action the city can take is to have designer charettes. Out of these would come community approved guidelines - so developers can see the “path of least resistance.” He said these are more realistic solutions, not more staff or spending.

It seems that all parties involved in the potential Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH) move are nervous and touchy. The agenda item read, “Discussion of the process for review of future development of the Washington Adventist Hospital site.”

No sooner had Suzanne Ludlow explained the tricky zoning situation the city might face if the hospital leaves - it will have relatively little say about what gets built if it reverts to residential zoning - when council members and citizens rose to object to the discussion itself. Council member Joy Austin-Lane and Marc Elrich both urged the council to focus on getting the hospital to stay where it is. Both are concerned with the loss of jobs and health care in the community. So too were residents Rino Aldrighetti and Irwin Mack, both longtime community activists. All said something to the effect of “The corpse isn’t dead yet,” and they were afraid that somehow discussing plans for a post-WAH city would cause it to happen, or perhaps insult the hospital’s board.

However, everyone who expressed these worries also expressed fears that if the hospital DID move, whatever replaced it might not be good for the community.

Mayor Porter tried to assure everyone that the city did not want WAH to go, but since the threat of its exodus was real, plans for that contingency should be made. She cited, as she has numerous times before, that she has the assurance of Jere Stocks, the hospital president, that he would work with the city in any contingency.

The mayor requested city staff to compile a list of stake holders in the fate of the WAH site so that a committee can be set up. Objections to such a committee were raised by Council member Clay on the grounds of group dynamics. It would be dominated, she feared, by people who stuck out a long series of meetings. She asked that the number of meetings be kept to a minimum, so that all those who showed up once or twice would have equal voice to those who showed up for all meetings. The mayor added these concerns to the staff request.

- Gilbert

De-Constructivism

2005-12-30T12:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

I tried it - I tried hosting a Constructive Discussion. And what happened? Two responses. Hardly what I would call DISCUSSION, Readers!

Council member Marc Elrich wrote: "I think Tom's main point is about being proactive rather than reactive. I think that having us bring a design forward that starts with the needs for parking, access, bus spaces and a park and then looks at what development is possible is a good way to go. I have raised this with some of the principle folks involved in fighting the current proposal and that there's an interest in looking at it."

This is good a good way to approach the entire subject of "how to deal with development." Start with the needs of the community and design to meet them. We have to be careful, however, not to get into the indiscriminate inclusiveness that some say plagued the Center Center (known to the more bureaucratic-minded as the Takoma Park Community Center Sam Abbott Citizens Center) .

The planning should be done, it seems to me, by professionals who know how to filter the laundry list of "needs" expressed by various citizens and interest groups, take into consideration all the factors such as access to public transport, traffic, economic viability, future population and development growth, environmental concerns, and so forth, and design something holistic, to use the crunchy-granola term (but then, granolapark is sooo crunchy granola). And by that I mean there should be a citywide plan. There seems to have been some attempt along those lines with the Carroll Ave. street-improvements, but otherwise the city just deals with each development project as it pops up. For instance there are two development plans in the works for each end of the Laurel Avenue/Carroll Avenue block, which abut, but are virtually uncoordinated.

I'm sure it would cost money, and likely scotch the current developer's plans, but wouldn't the sensible action be to hire a (radical, visionary, green-thinking, public-transport-friendly, automobile-hostile, development-scuttling, crunchy-granola) city-planning professional to develop guidelines for the entire Old Towne area, or for that matter the entire city? Can the city do that? It doesn't have zoning authority, after all.

If you do it right, a contemporary functional design can be aesthetically pleasing, by the way. Unfortunately, too many planners in this town try to make new architecture blend in with existing buildings by having them built with faux "period" details. This results in, for instance, a modern-era block with faux art-deco designs tacked onto it (Laurel Ave. in Old Towne and Flower Ave.), or a contemporary big brick box with a faux mansard roof glued on top (the Center Center). This is regardless of the fact that there are no authentic mansard roofs within sight.

The way to "blend in" new architecture is to build something in the same (or complementary) style, color, or material as the surrounding buildings - in the Center Center's case a late-Modern brick school, brick 30s-modern apartment buildings, and brick-steel-and-glass high-rise apartment buildings. The mansard roof supposedly refers to a historical hotel that was in some other location.

Sorry, but this strikes me as pretentious. It's like a soccer-mom who discovers a link to aristocracy in her family tree and takes to wearing tiaras.

Oh, wait, we're being Constructive this week, aren't we? OK, ignore all that. I'll just say that planners and residents should open their hearts to contemporary design. A good architect can come up with an original building design that fits into a community without making a pathetic copy of existing architecture.

Happy New Year, dear Readers! See you in 2006!

- Gilbert

PS. I've heard complaints that this blog doesn't offer adequate opportunity for a dialog. It's not MY idea, it's the way this blog site is designed. If someone were to point out a better FREE blog site which allows for better dialog, please e-mail me off-blog at: granolapark@yahoo.com

Do you want to be on the mailing list to be notified when Granolapark publishes a new post? Email: granolapark@yahoo.com

Pot of Harmony

2005-12-16T14:27:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

There’s no council to kick around, they’re out to recess. While they are gone, let’s sneak into the council chambers, sit in their comfy chairs (I get the mayor’s, it’s the biggest), and have a Constructive Talk about The Issues.

See, a reader commented that GranolaPark was just trying to “stir the pot of disharmony,” and wasn’t constructive enough. A constructive discussion is in theory a good idea, but I’ll be surprised to find readers prefer them to steaming pots of disharmony. But, we’ll give it a shot!

The BIG issue to discuss, of course is development. Development projects are underway near the Metro, Old Towne, and possibly at the WAH site. Everyone is concerned, but with no zoning authority, is there much we can really do?

Our city government has managed to negotiate a “place at the table” in the Metro planning, and in other projects, so there is a chance we can have a measure of control. I get the impression, however, that we are limited to making a stink about something we don’t like, and lobbying for support at the county and state level. Seems like developer who didn’t give a damn about our stink would do whatever he wanted, within county and state regulations.

So, I see two areas of discussion. One is how do we get The Power to control development in our own city? Two is what development (or lack of it) do we want, exactly?

On the latter I’ll bet there are as many visions as there are residents.

To kick off part two of the Constructive Discussion, here’s what faithful reader/contributer Tom Gagliardo said in a series of comments to the last GranolaPark post (there were a number of comments there I recommend reading, also one in the next to last posting)

I mapped out an alternative plan for the Metro site development, based on comments and expressed values at the public hearing at the council meeting. Marc Elrich has it, and is supposed to be circulating it.

Let me try to explain my idea since I don't know how to post an electronic sketch of the Metro development.

1. There seems to be consensus that the first priority is to maintain and enhance transit service. Hard to disagree. Mark (?) Friedman suggested that all transit functions (Metrobus, Rideon, passenger drop-off, etc. be kept immediately adjacent to the tracks. Makes sense. I suggest that bus bays, etc., be strung out from Carroll Street to Eastern Avenue through what is now the Kiss and Ride drop off and parking lot.

2. At least one person commented that the parking lot can be scary because it is located in the "back" of the site in a rather unobservable area. True. It also is what the residents on Eastern have to look at and which dictates the need for a substantial green barrier.

(a) My suggestion is to move parking to the corner of Carroll and Cedar Streets (across from the 7-11).

(b) I suggest it be designed similarly to the Montgomery County garage on Roeder Road in Silver Spring. Main features to imitate: brick facade, street facing retail on ground level.

(c) In order to provide enough parking spaces AND green space it may be necessary to build a 2- or 3-story structure. That's something to work through if the concept is accepted.

(d) Locating the garage on the "front" side of the site allows community friendly retail (which is an endorsed goal) to be located directly on Carroll St., increases the safety of parking (located near activity, rather than isolated), removes an eyesore from view of the Eastern Avenue neighbors, and diminishes the need for a 50' green barrier between the site and the residential neighborhood. It also makes parking convenient for patrons of Carroll Avenue retail.

(e) Marc Elrich has suggested that DC funding for parking/retail may be available. If the cost is removed from EYA's side of the equation, they may be more likely to reduce the number of units they wish to build. Someone needs to educate me more on this issue.

3. The remainder of the site is then available for open space and housing units. Again, if the concept is accepted the number of housing units and amount of green space can be worked through.

Comments, criticisms and improvements welcomed.

Here are some comments and Tom’s answers:

_____________

Anonymous said...

How does turning the parkland on the corner of Tulip and Carroll across from 7/11 into a parking garage preserve green space?

_____________

tgagliardo said...

Ahem, there already is a significant part of the site which is devoted to parking, my suggestion is to move it to a more useful location. Depending on any number of factors the new parking arrangement could net more, less or the same amount of surface and green space.

_____________

Gilbert said...

Have you looked at what that location would do to traffic flow, Tom? One advantage to the current parking location is that it diverts parking traffic over to Eastern Street, away from that busy intersection of Carroll and Cedar (not Tulip).

Also, a parking garage there would sort of block the view of the "green" park vista for people approaching Metro along Carroll. How visible will the greenland be if it is tucked into the corner now occupied by the parking lot?

- Gilbert

_____________

Anonymous said...

What about a taxi stand? And somehow encouraging cabs to actually be there.

_____________

So, there you have it, Dear Readers. Make for Constructive Discussion!

- Gilbert

Never Too Early

2005-12-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

Is it too early to start tracking progress on campaign promises?

It’s NEVER to early!

“Proactive on development!” That’s what Mayor Porter promised to be, a pledge echoed by Ward Three council member Bruce Williams in his swearing-in speech two weeks ago. Each council member had some variation on this theme in her or her campaign.

So far, other than a brief report by council member Joy Austin-Lane on the Metro development site, no proactivity has been in evidence, not at council meetings, anyway. No indications of what is meant by “proaction,” either. Also, no word on the charette-type forum on city development that the mayor proposed.

“Finish the gym!” Mayor Porter, Bruce Williams, and Marc Elrich all promised this.

Plans to review sites for the gym have been discussed. At some point in the near future the council will meet outdoors and bore (for soil samples). OK, I drove that one into the ground, so to speak, last week. Enough.

Overseeing taxes/services, review TASDI recommendations. Take a more political approach rather than rely on persuasion. This was the mayor’s promise, and all the other candidates included it in their campaign priorities. But, TASDI has had no or very little mention so far in council meetings. Newest member Colleen Clay obviously has cost oversight in mind, however.

Terry Seamen’s promise to propose legislative initiatives soon has so far not materialized. Perhaps he’s been distracted by the death of his mother-in-law. He was not at the most recent meeting, also.

Colleen Clay has not yet mentioned the series of forums she proposed on city issues.

Marc Elrich promised to slow traffic on Sligo Creek Parkway . No news on that, yet.

Of course, there may be all kinds of action happening on these proposals, pledges, and initiatives outside of council meetings.

Speaking of which, the mayor said the next meeting of the council will be an informal supper gathering at the home of one of the council members. She said this was in order for the council to get to know the newest member, Colleen Clay, and to discuss ways to make meetings more efficient (one of Seth Grime’s issues).

Now, this sound reasonable on the face of it, but is it legal? I thought all meetings had to be open to the public. Does that mean anyone can attend? More importantly, does that mean anyone can get supper? MOST importantly, will the food be vegan and gluten-free?

It’s easy to see what the problem is with efficiency. At this week’s meeting, the council was still discussing in agonizing detail the construction change orders for the community center at 9:30 pm, two hours after the meeting started. It was the second item on the agenda. A change order, for those of us who haven’t built an addition, is an unanticipated problem a building contractor or tradesperson runs into that incurs additional time, labor, or parts. For instance, the community center contractor discovered a slab of concrete that nobody remembered was part of the old municipal building. Tearing it out took more time and labor and tools than anticipated - or budgeted. It had to be done to accomplish the job, of course, so more money had to be found.

This sort of thing is common in construction jobs of all sizes, and the community center is no exception. When it happens during the building of a home addition, the homeowners discuss what to do: scrimp on another part of the job, suck it up, find a cheaper solution, find fault with the builder, or negotiate the extra costs. This is tough enough for a couple of homeowners, but when it is the seven council members, the city manager, and various other city staff, and each one has questions and suggestions, complaints, and comments . . . perhaps it becomes clear why the city council meetings are so inefficient!

In its effort to make up for being blind-sided by cost overruns and design changes last year, the council has chained itself to the practice of spending a large portion of its meeting time sifting the minutia of the community center building. Surely, this is something that can be delegated to a smaller committee.

It should be said that the item preceding the weekly community center report was the lengthy 2005 audit report. That report similarly focused on minutia, but that sort of city-budget minutia is more within the job description of the council .

On other business, the council voted to proceed with the purchase of equipment/software for internet streaming and archiving of city council meetings. One advantage of this over watching the cable rebroadcasts is that the sessions with be in segments, so one can download and view a short portion of interest, rather than watch the whole meeting. Won’t THAT be fun, readers? I’ll bet you can’t wait.

I wonder how they would label the segment that soured the end of the meeting? “Cinderella,” perhaps. Joy Austin-Lane butted heads with Mayor Porter, and particularly with Marc Elrich when Austin-Lane wanted the city to “send her” (pay for her $100 ticket) to the Montgomery County Executive's Ball for the Arts and Humanities. She wanted to be sent as a representative of Takoma Park, she said, to be present when city businessman David Eisner of the Institute of Musical Traditions is given an award. Joy said she and Marc Elrich were sent to this event two years ago when another Takoma Park businessperson was given an award.

Elrich scoffed that the ball is well known to be the “political function of the season.” Joy thanked him for this “edification.”As far as she knew, she said, the function of the ball was to raise money for arts grants. The mayor, Elrich, and Bruce Williams outlined the council policy, which is that the city pays only for events held by groups that the city has membership in such as the League of Cities, and Council of Governments. Colleen Clay came out on Joy’s side, saying that it was important to network with county politicians, and advocating that funds be set aside for such events to be used at the council person’s discrection. Mayor Porter ducked that one in her usual way, saying that as meritous as that idea might be it would require an official policy change, wording, discussion, and funding of which would have to be put off until the next city budget round. Porter would not accept that a precident had been set two years ago when then City Manager Rick Finn allowed funding for two council members’ tickets to the same ball. She ended magnanimously, saying that any council member was “free to go to the ball,” meaning that any council member was free to pay out of pocket for her or his ticket.

This may be related to the current political game of musical chairs. The host of the ball, County Executive Doug Duncan, is running for governor. Joy has just announced her candidacy for the state legislative delegate seat soon to be vacated by Takoma Park’s Peter Franchot. Franchot is running for the state comptroller seat. Heather Mizeur, former Ward Two councilmember is also running for Franchot’s seat. Perhaps Joy was imagining her rival Heather at the ball, buttonholing potential supporters and contributors, dancing with the Prince, dropping her glass slipper. . . . Joy, the mayor is not going to be your fairy godmother - spring for the ticket, get in there and buttonhole!

More musical chairs - according to Julie Scharper in the Takoma Voice, Seth Grimes is thinking of running for Joy’s city council seat if Joy wins the November 2006 election. If she does win (and I hope she does), there will most likely be a special city election, as the vacancy will occur more than the requisite 240 days prior to the regular city election. That is unless Joy somehow delays resigning her city council seat until March, 2007 in which case the council would appoint a replacement.

Individual council members get to have their say on any subject in the Council Comments segment early in the meeting. Newest council member Colleen Clay of Ward Two took the opportunity to show she’s jumping into her new job with both feet. She conveyed constituent complaints about the bad potholes on Ethan Allen Ave which she said must be fixed

Mayor Porter asked gently but pointedly if she had made an official request to the city. “Try it at staff level,” she suggested.

Clay then reported on a meeting she had had with Jere Stocks, president of Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH). Out of that meeting she brought what she thought were a couple of important items to the council. First, she said they had come up with ideas to deal with the heavy employee traffic, one being a letter to hospital staff showing alternative routes. Again Porter’s response was somewhat deflating, asking her if she had taken the idea to the city staff to ask them to take a look at it. Er, no, she hadn't.

Clay soldiered on to her last bit of news, which was that the hospital would be willing to engage in joint planning with the city for the hospital site if the hospital decides to move. Again, Porter let the air out of Clay’s balloon saying that, yes, President Stocks had expressed the same willingness at a previous meeting, but it is “a good thing to affirm.”

Either this is a case of Colleen needing to learn the ropes a bit better - for which she hardly deserves a public deflation like that - or the Mayor feels that Clay is stepping on her toes, getting into WAH negotiations on her own.

This was the last official meeting of the year.

- Gilbert

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Boring Sites

2005-11-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

So where the hell IS everybody? Last week's swearing-in session was attended by only four out of seven members (including the mayor), and this week's first full meeting of the new term also had only four. Joy Austin-Lane and Doug Barry were again absent, leaving Wards 1 and 6 unrepresented for a second week - though at no obvious peril. Bruce Williams, who was away last week, returned for his own personal swearing-in. This time Marc Elrich was missing - though he showed up near the end just in time to watch an online broadcast of a Stockton, California city council meeting.

Yes, the evening was full of such excitements! It’s hard to say what the highlight was. Perhaps it was the discussion of boring sites. That’s “boring” in the sense of a soil sample, but I suspect “boring” was one of the first words used by new council member Colleen Clay when she dragged herself into the house late that night and her partner asked “how was your very first full council meeting, dear?”

Ms. Clay was eager to show her budget watchdog personna. She asked many a sharpish question about how much things would cost, where the money was coming from, and what it was paying for. The answers seemed to mollify her, and she made no bold challenges to any expenditures. Not so for veteran council member Marc Elrich, who lit into Prince George's County for not funding the day laborer pickup site.

Elrich recited the long history of the site, and how much (or little) each county funded it each year. At issue for the council was a request to fund a paid organizer for the site, a person who campaigns, promotes, and explains the site to potential laborers. Marc testily reminded everyone that Prince George's County had dodged out of funding the site, letting Montgomery County and the city assume the costs - despite the fact that the majority of the laborers are from PG County. “We are not a cash cow!” he declared to the chagrined representatives from the laborer site. This sort of apparently ad-libbed speech, marshaling facts and figures, delivered with an articulate, dramatic outrage, is what makes Marc Elrich the council’s best practitioner of the political arts.

The mayor said she agreed with Marc, but she softened the blow to the representatives by saying that the council would postpone final judgment until they saw the proposal.

Collen raised the question of costs more successfully when the elections were reviewed by a panel of three election judges. The judges determinedly missed the point of the review process, they thought they were there to praise, and be praised. They praised the process, they praised the staff, they praised each other. They even praised the community center, calling it “the star in the process.” Though the mayor and council pressed them to identify even little faults or to make suggestions, they insisted that everything had gone swimingly and no, they didn’t see any room for improvement, They only avoided being dragged into the back room for a waterboarding session by admitting that perhaps having two shifts for judges would help.

The election, if you recall, was unusual because it used paper ballots. This was supposed to be not only a blow for democracy, there being no “paper trail” with the alternative electronic voting system, but a cost-saving measure. Under questioning from Colleen, however, it came out that the additional judges, and additional time they needed to hand-count the ballots raised the cost, as did one-time expenses such as ballot boxes (how much does a ballot box cost??).

City Clerk Jessie Carpenter joined the hallaluhuh chorus, praising the judges, though intriguingly quipping “some were better than others”. This amused several in the room, but there was no explanation. Why does our purportedly trasparent government suddenly become opaque when there's a good joke to be told? I protest!

Ms. Matthews made a pitch for an elections board, saying that a board could reach out to groups in the population that don’t normally vote. Ms. Clay failed to ask her how much this would cost.

She didn’t get much of an opportunity to ask about community center costs, either. During City Manager Barbara Matthews report on the CC Mayor Porter eagerly interrupted to point out that $17,000 in cost overruns caused by on contractor’s change-orders were more than offset by compensation owed the city by another contractor. Cut off at the pass!

Costs didn’t come into the discussion about the naming of the new community center, an exercise in absurdity as the council discussed whether to include the word “citizen” in the already overly-long name. They mulled the implied meaning of “citizen” and whether some might find it offensively exclusive. In a perfect demonstration of why it is a bad idea to let a government body name anything, they settled on “The Takoma Park Community Center /Sam Abbott Citizens' Center.” The mayor said this will appear on a sign in front of the building (perhaps she was afraid that if the name were on the building the combined weight of the letters would pull the wall down). It will have to be a BIG sign. Maybe it will be big enough to hide the ugly parking-pit.

It is going to look very silly to have "Center" twice in the name, and since "citizen's center" and "community center" mean viturally the same thing there is no point in having both. I would suggest naming it thusly on two lines, with the top line in smaller letters:
Sam Abbott Memorial
Takoma Park Citizen's Center

Next week, city manager Matthews said, she will have a CC financial report. Perhaps that is what Joy Austin-Lane and Doug Barry are waiting to return for. Or maybe it is for the onsite meeting in preparation for a study for the gym location. This is to determine the boring sites - the spots where soil samples will be taken. “Boring” certainly sums up most of the meeting. It makes you wonder why anyone would run for office.

To give you an idea, the items I’ve described above were the EXCITING parts. They also sat through: Four interviews with prospective committee members. A reading of an ordinance “Re: Contract for Pavilion and Pathway at Toatley Fraser Park." A reading of a budget amendment that would fund tree planting in the spring. And at the END of the evening, when the meeting was already running late, they had a reading of the City Managers financial report.

Who can focus on finances at 10:30 at night? The details rolled by like credits at the end of a big-budget movie -- revenues were down $1.7 million, assistant to the director, operating revenues were up, gaffer, revenues generated by recreation and services were down due to lower participation in day camp and recreation activities, best boy, but there was a $360,000 increase in tax rebates from the county, foley operator, most of that was for the police department, no animals were injured in the making of this financial report, please deposit your litter in the trash container as you exit.

Prior to the financial report, the council enjoyed a sublimely bizzare moment. They all got up from their seats and watched from the floor of the chambers a demonstration of the web streaming application the city is considering buying. This would allow the city to post streaming video of council meetings on its website for public viewing. Stockton, California uses this system, So the council sat in their boring meeting, watching an equally boring meeting of the Stockton city council.

The new website was also unveiled to oohs and ahhs. All I can say is I hope they do a better job of providing streaming council meetings than they do of providing documents in pdf form. A large percentage have something wrong: the document is blank, has too many pages, or in one case, has several pages that contain only the illegible torn corner of one of the original document pages.

So, from boring soil sites to boring web sites, the new council inched its way through its first full meeting. I can’t imagine how they endure years of this kind of tedium and minutia. And they do it all for us citizens (if I can use that term without offense). I don’t know whether to feel grateful, guilty, awed, or amused.

I’ll stick with amused - it makes for a better blog.

- Gilbert

Grace and Grease

2005-11-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

A cheering, exultant crowd of Porter S’porters filled the city council chambers Monday night to witness her swearing-in. The overflow number stood in the adjacent lobby straining to hear the mayor’s victory speech. Afterwards, traffic was forced to a halt as the celebratory mob left the building, burning an effigy representing Sustainable Takoma in the middle of Maple Avenue.

Er, no.

That’s not what happened. In truth, a surprisingly small crowd turned up for the swearing-in of Mayor Porter and the slightly new council. Three of the council members didn’t even show up- they were traveling, it was said.

The campaign fight echoed faintly through the speeches, though it was muted with conciliatory and inclusive statements - particularly from the mayor. The most chastening comment came from veteran council member Marc Elrich, whose support for the mayor surprised some observers (but, one speculated here on GranolaPark that this was a trade for mayoral support when Elrich runs again for county council).

A sedate scattering of about 20 people turned out for the event. Only three citizens took the opportunity to make comments. Catherine Tunis, a Grimes supporter, graciously congratulated everyone in sight. Pat Loveless, the tall, blind, handicapped peace activist from Ward 4 who is often seen perched in the audience with an American flag adorning his white cane, stood up and in good-ol’ Revolutionary Takoma Park fashion, called on the new council to focus on peace, social justice, and human needs.

When Heather Mizeur approached the microphone, there was a stir of anticipation on the council. Heather, having resigned her council seat when she moved to a different ward, would have been marking the end of her first term this night. She was not rising to reflect on this, or to contribute to the evening’s congratulathon, however. She was merely delivering a message from US Representative Chris Van Hollen, reminding everyone present that he was hosting a town meeting at the nearby middle school the same evening and time.

This was a graceless moment for her, especially since she did not use the expected political platitudes to lubricate the harsh insertion of her off-topic (and conflicting) announcement. Perhaps I am uncharitable to suspect her intent was to demonstrate to the city voters her association with Big Dog Chris Van Hollen just as she is preparing to run for higher office, herself. If so, she has to learn tp use more grace and grease.

The mayor and council demonstrated the lavish use of the 2 G’s as they said farewell to Mizeur’s appointed replacement Marie Ritzo. No superlative was left unturned as her efforts and the council’s support of her were praised by all parties concerned. A number of people urged her to run for the office in the future, overlooking the fact that the trend in Takoma Park is for council members to stay in office for many, many terms (unless they decide to try for higher office, of course), and Marie’s elected replacement, Colleen Clay, appears to be one of the younger council members with potentially many terms in her future.

The mayor pronounced the old council over and done (with what may have been a small glint of satisfaction). She was promptly sworn in.

The actual swearing-in ceremony is somewhat curious. Each elected person has to swear to protect the US Constitution and, among other things, “allegiance to Maryland,” whatever that means. Foreswearing all other states? The occasional night-raid on Delaware?

Freshly resworn in, Her Honor made a speech thanking the many people who worked on the campaign - more, she said, than were involved in any previous campaign. An interesting piece of information, conjuring images of The Porter Machine working the phones, calling in favors, dealmaking, and backslapping late at night in a smoke-filled room - actually, in Takoma Park, it would be an aroma-therapy-filled room.

One got a glimmer of how she achieved her impressive 60% win. She called in all the faithful and put them to work. Who are these faithful and where were they for the inauguration?

She thanked the voters, saying that going door to door, talking to people, and hearing their concerns was valuable. She even intimated it was transformative. She said to those citizens “I hear you”, and she pledged that she’ll make their concerns part of her priorities. She didn’t say what those concerns were, however, or whether they pushed her in any new directions. Her list of priorities that followed didn’t indicate much new, except perhaps her statement that she plans to be more proactive in development issues.

Her priorities list is:

• Finish the community center with a gym.

• Take a pro-active role in development. Hold a charette-type forum on city development. Shape development so it serves the community. Hold talks with the Washington Adventist Hospital about potential uses for the site if the hospital relocates. Work with Joy Austin-Lane on Metro development. Focus on the economic development of NH Ave (one of Seth’s big campaign promises).

• Oversee taxes/services, review TASDI recommendations. Take a more political approach rather than rely on persuasion.

She finished on a conciliatory note, urging all voters to remember that we are neighbors, that we agree on more areas than we disagree, and we should work on the areas of agreement. This is very much Kathy’s style, I think, in dealing with most of the issues, voters, and politicians she encounters. It looks like a successful technique.

Council member Seamens, who had supported Porter’s opponent, was nevertheless gracious in his congratulations. He kept his remarks short, but he did say he would be introducing legislative initiatives in the next few weeks, including a proposal to upgrade the recreation committee to a statutory body. Did I perceive an “uh, oh!” look on Kathy’s face?

Next to speechify was new council member Colleen Clay. She was also gracious, thanking her opponent for running and her family - apologizing to her children for not having much time for them lately. They happily ignored her, being too busy squealing and romping on the floor.

Clay, who late in the campaign allied with Seth, avoided bringing up any campaign issues or differences between herself and the mayor. She said her priority is to hold a series of four forums on: economic development, affordable housing, environmental sustainability, and traffic and public safety.

Curiously, she did not include city taxes, services, or rebates on her list.

Mark Elrich, a vociferous Porter S’porter, made the most obvious reference to campaign issues. He also made the most modest proposal for his next term - to slow down traffic on Sligo Creek Parkway, and make the Sligo Creek Park more accessible to his constituents. These are the big issues on the minds of Ward 5 residents, he explained with a shrug.

He said he will also hold the line on the city’s rent stabilization and affordable housing. He also pledged to build a gym within 2 years.

Addressing those who would consider curtailing city services in order to bring down taxes, he came down strongly in support of city services. The services people want should set the tax rate, not the other way around, he said. This was a swipe at Grimes’ campaign. though Grimes denied that he would have cut services.

Elrich ended on a pessimistic note, saying he sees precious little good in development. Just because development brings benefit to the developers doesn’t mean it is a good thing for the people of the city, he said.

Now, that’s the attitude I want to hear!

The meeting adjourned in time to rush over to the Chris Van Hollen meeting

- Gilbert.

Glog - Grimes Gabs

2005-11-15T20:32:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

Hey, remember that crazy Takoma Park election back in . . . when was that . . . last Tuesdayt?

Wow, a whole week ago. Does anyone stll care?

A few people have asked Granolapark to keep going as an observer of city politicis. We’ll give it a try, but, the postings will not be as frequent.

As former candidate Seth Grimes observed in the comments-section, the format of this blog site is frustrating for those posting comments. One gets the feeling they are not seen. We agree. The format is frustrating for us as well. We don’t like the everything-on-one-big-page aspect of the homepage, and the reverse order is a problem. The introduction is the last post, for example. What can we say? It’s a free site.

The last post posed many questions, and you readers gave some cracking good answers. They are too good to be lost in the comments sections. So, they are featured as “glogs” - guest blogs.

If YOU, dear reader, have a glog, send it to granolapark@yahoo.com!

The glog below is from Seth.

- Gilbert

------------Seth Grimes writes--------------

I'll eventually write a ward-by-ward voting analysis.

For now, regarding the original blog item -- Dan Robinson and the people who started the write-in campaign didn't tell me about it before announcing. I spoke to Dan after and told him that it complicated life for me and that I didn't have the resources to help him.

From my point of view, it rendered a valuable advocate (Dan) unusable in my campaign since he'd now be focusing on his own, it would be unlikely to bring any new voters to me, and it made it likely that Bruce Williams would work even harder.

OK, I'll give a short taste of why I lost ward 3 so badly and why I didn't win ward 1 and why I did better than some expected in ward 2:

I did zero personal canvassing in wards 1 & 3 and I canvassed heavily in ward 2. There are other factors. I'll elaborate later.

- Seth

Glog - Seamens Sums

2005-11-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

Here is a guest blog from Ward 4. The first entry is purportedly from a Ward 4 resident. The second entry is from city councilmember Terry Seamens. Both are responding to my question below.

- Gilbert

Specifically, to what do you attribute
Seth's winning vote in Ward 4?

------------Anonymous writes--------------

What happen on Maple avenue. We tired to be ignored. We want new mayor who listen. People not safe on street. Not safe at homes. Drug everywhere and police nothing. Mayor group fight hospital. We need hosptial. Rich house owners fight hospital out of Takoma Park to protect money. Takoma Park. Nobody care us. We work much jobs and not afford anything. Tell Kieth not talk for poor. He mayor win but he know nothing about poor. Go look mirror and talk self. Go count you money. I talk for me.

- Anonymous

------------Terry Seamens writes--------------

I see two possibilities:

First, I openly supported Seth while campaigning in Ward 4. Seth's promised new approach sounds like an improvement. I based my decision on what the candidates said about themselves and their plans, rather than what the candidates or their supporters said about the opposition.

Second, the City government has done little to address the top priorities of Ward 4, such as traffic and drug law enforcement. There's a perception of preferential treatment of other Wards. Some attribute it to racism. Some to other reasons. Most see a gross disparity.

I was elated to see the strong voter turnout in Ward 4, and will work to double it for 2007. I promise Ward 4 residents that participation in the system will produce results. It's a hard sell, but I believe we're making progress.

Those who say they wish Takoma Park had stronger participation from a broader cross-section of residents can help by supporting some of the Ward 4 requests. I realize that may be hard to understand the views of people who live very different lives than our own. Still, I think if we prime the pump with a little support, some of the skeptics will start to believe a little more in the system, and take the time to participate more. I will strive to do better this term in bringing the necessary changes to the Ward.

Just to illustrate how some of my constituents' lives' are different from most people I see coming to the Council meetings, here's an example. Today, a constituent asked me for help, because their landlord raised the price for the use of washers and dryers by 25 cents. That sure wouldn't be a noticeable impact on my budget, but some residents in the building say they will have to wash some of their cloths in their bathtub, because of the increase. They asked one resident to approach me for help.

<1>
Generally, does the council form into
pro-and anti-Porter factions? What
will be the effect, do you think, of
having Seth's ally Colleen Clay on
the council?

Obviously, any new person on the Council adds a new dynamic. I expect Colleen to be a fully engaged Council member, well informed about the subjects, prepared for the meetings, willing to consider other's viewpoints, and strong enough to stand for her beliefs, even when she stands alone. I think the Council will continue to fully discuss issues, and disagree on occasion. I expect the disagreements to be issue-based, rather than personality-based. I also expect Mayor Porter will learn from this election and do an even better job over the coming two years.

- Terry Seamens

Glog - Gagliardo Gasses

2005-11-15T17:57:00.000-05:00

-------------Tom Gagliardo Writes------------

Some additional considerations:

1. Personality counts in all campaigns. While many of us deride glad-handing politicians, friendly, engaging candidates get votes -- even from people who may not totally embrace their philosophy, politics or program. Like all human beings, Seth has his strengths and weaknesses -- warm and fuzzy isn't one of his strengths. Kathy is in a lower percentile in the warm and fuzzy category, as well, but no one would think of describing anything she does as "agressive", let alone "overly aggressive" as one anonymous poster has said about Grimes.

My guess is that Seth didn't win over many people based on his persona and Porter didn't lose many because of hers. Quick, somebody do a study to determine if Takoma Park voters are humans (who consider personality) or wonks (who don't).

2. In campaigns which are low on voters' radar screens (e.g.,state legistlator, city council) voters can be swayed more by personal endorsements. Kathy had Bruce Williams in high-turnout Ward 3 and Marc Elrich in low-turnout Ward 5 openly and vigorously advocating for her. Seth didn't have any councilmembers -- maybe Semans in low-turnout Ward 4, but I don't know one way or the other -- doing the same for him.

As the incumbent mayor, former Ward 2 councilmember and past president of South of Sligo, Kathy had a formidible network to count on for votes in her home ward.

In Ward 1, I think, as Gilbert observed before the election, development was the hot button issue. I think people bought the Kathy-has-contacts line -- even though she hasn't demonstrated that she has pull in D.C. or the federal Transit Administration where the Metro development decisions have been and will continue to be made. Seth missed the "hearing" at which EYA and WMATA made presentations in Takoma Park only two weeks before the election (he had someone read an uninspiring letter for him) and his call for a city zoning or planning commission was far from what was needed. I also suspect that Heather Meizur stumped for her and that Kathy will back her for state delegate.

So Seth couldn't beat Kathy on her home turf, she had at least two incumbent councilmembers -- one from a ward that generates more votes than three others combined -- stumping for her, and he couldn't connect on the issue that may have been most important to voters in his ward.

So Kathy remains in office.

More important than who is mayor is the fact that, as Gilbert notes, there are some very large issues confronting this community. We need competent leadership (elected or not) to step up to the plate.

- Tom Gagliardo

So Many Votes, So Many Questions

2005-11-10T23:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

The prognostications (the ones on this blog, anyway) were a bit off. I predicted that Kathy would win with about 52% of the vote, Tom Gagliardo predicted that she would win by 200 - 300 votes. Instead she won by 457 votes, capturing 60% of the tally. Tom wrongly guessed that Seth would carry Ward 1, but he correctly predicted that he would win in Ward 4. That’s according to the not-quite-final ward-by-ward vote tally from late Tuesday night.

Ward 4? How did Seth get that one? Ward 4 is predominated by high-rise apartment buildings, in contrast to the single-family homes that characterize the other wards. Though some of the Ward 4 apartment buildings have turned condo, most of the ward residents are low-income renters. I find it curious that Seth's fiscally conservative campaign found such support there. Maybe it was something else in his agenda. Maybe Ward 4 residents have a beef against the incumbent. Perhaps it was the influence of the their council member, who like Seth is a Sustainable Takoma member and who posted public e-mail list comments defending Seth's proposals to review city services.

Maybe it's because they don't read the Takoma Voice! The local newspaper, after much soul-searching, I understand, endorsed Kathy Porter for mayor. How much of a factor in her win that was, I don't know. What do you think, reader?

The heaviest vote was in Ward 1, Seth's home ward, so it was a little surprising that Kathy got the majority in that ward. Tom G. predicted that Seth would take it by 300 votes, but he lost by about 50 (again, I should mention the ward votes I have are from an incomplete count - about 90% of the vote). My speculation is that Ward 1, while a hotbed of progressive fiscal conservatism (Pro-Cons), is also home to many diehard moderate pro-Porter establishment types (Mods). The Mods are the "take it easy, let's not be extreme" folks that used to be on the right-hand side of Takoma Park's political equation, but in this election found themselves on the left, sort of.

Speaking of the local political spectrum, has Sustainable Takoma become a defacto political party? Was the Grimes campaign ST's high-water mark, or just a step towards taking power? Does this election show that the city rejects their ideas, or will the ideas be adopted by the council and mayor? If they do, will ST have a reason to exist?

What was the message of the voters, anyway? We know 40% want change. They want a focus on fiscal responsibility, they want more vision, they want more police, they are angry with the current mayor, they are willing to consider reducing the number of services the city provides. Sure, 60% of the voters rejected that message and voted their support for the status quo, but, how steady is that support? 40% is a minority, but it represents a big erosion of the mayor's backers, and it may grow, especially if any more of the ongoing and upcoming issues: WAH, Metro development, the Community Center, gym, and Old Towne development, go sour. The last time she ran against an opponent (2001), she got 1676 votes, 335 fewer than she garnered this time, a whopping 73% compared to this election's 60%.

If I were her, that would take a bit of the edge off the victory celebration.

What will be the effect of having Seth's ally Colleen Clay on the council? Will we now see the council form into pro-and anti-Porter factions? Who will be on what side?

In that Ward 2 race, to get back to prognostications, I predicted that Eilleen Sobeck would defeat Colleen Clay with 54% of the Ward 4 vote. Big fat raspberry for ME! Colleen Clay took it with about 53% of the vote.

I find the vote in ward 2 curious. It was a split vote - Seth's council ally won, yet Seth lost the ward. Who are these voters who liked Colleen but didn't like Seth, and what were their reasons?

While we're raising questions, how did voters choose between Colleen and Eilleen? Each had similar positions, and I thought Eilleen had the edge since she was a longer-term resident. Unfortunately, the staff here at Granolapark is too busy to conduct a telephone public-opinion poll, and the candidates and other in-the-know individuals have not answered these questions I've posed to them via e-mail. I'll be generous and assume that everyone is too burned out by the election to answer, and that it's not that responsiveness is no longer necessary now that the votes are counted. It couldn't possibly be that Granolapark is too rinky-dink to bother with.

Hmmmm, . . . . Naw!

- Gilbert

Mr. Ambivalence

2005-11-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

Here we are, hours away from the election and Mr. Ambivalence is still sitting in my lap. I remain uneasy about the incumbent due to her lack of vision, her reactive policies, and her reputation of indifference and even hostility toward grassroots activists. Though the challenger has vision, is proactive, and claims to be open to activists, I'm disappointed that he is so focused on budgetary-economic reform. I know these are important and that in reality budgetary matters are the chief concern of elected city officials, but my ideal candidate would have a vision that's a bit . . . higher, . . . more focused on social, environmental, and political issues. I'd like a candidate that focuses primarily on development, who has creative ways to bring in the sort we want and keep out the sort we don't.

Now that I've concluded that the incumbent will win, however, I feel a sense of loss. Although I'm wary of his aims and his allies, I'd still like to see a change: some fresh blood in office, a different approach, and a spur to citizen involvement -- even if it is to rally against the new mayor.

This is something akin to wishing conservative Republicans come to power so it will galvanize opposition to them.

So, on election eve, my vote is floating like a feather. It could blow in any direction and is just as likely to come down on a protest vote for Rudy, or for someone like Joy Austin-Lane, who I wish had run.

- Gilbert

PS. Voter info from the city website:

City Election - November 8, 2005. Polls Open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The single polling place will be in the Computer Learning Center (rooms between the Community Center and the Library - please see the map). Voter parking will be in the rear parking lot - enter the lot from Philadelphia Avenue. Voters who are walking may enter from the rear parking lot or they may enter the polling place by crossing the pedestrian walkway from Maple Avenue.

See the website for the map and other information such as a sample ballot: www.takomagov.org/index.html

Signing Up and Writing In

2005-11-06T22:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

A campaign-sign counting drive through town reveals a number of things.

The mayoral race is so tight it squeaks, but as best as I can tell, the squeak belongs to Mayor Porter. As I said last week, Ward 2 is a Porter stronghold, and the vote will likely be heavy in that ward due to what was the city's only contested council contest. I suspect this will give Porter an advantage.

A late-breaking development is the announcement of a write-in campaign for Dan Robinson for Ward 3 council seat, currently held by Bruce Williams. Dan is a cofounder of Sustainable Takoma, so it is fair to suppose he is on the Seth Grimes "slate". Dan was on the ballet in 2003 and lost 183 to 337 to incumbent council member Williams.

Although mayoral candidate Grimes and Ward 2 candidate Colleen Clay have formed an alliance recently (as evidenced by their letter in the recent Gazette), that alliance is not reflected in Ward 2's front yards. Nearly half of the dozen households posting signs for both a mayoral candidate AND Clay's opponent Eileen Sobeck, favor Grimes. One of the three households posting signs for Clay and a mayoral choice favors Porter.

Ms Sobeck appears to have slightly more support in Ward 2 than Ms Clay.

The low-income, disenfranchised areas that in the 2001 election showed fervent support for mayoral challenger Terry Seamens show very little interest in this election. Somewhat curiously this is also true in the moderate-income areas where one would think Seth's pocketbook issues would be of interest to homeowners of low-, moderate- and fixed-income. But, there is little evidence of support for either candidate in these neighborhoods, nor in the northern parts of the city, nor Hodges Heights, nor the newly annexed sections, nor large parts of Ward 3. There were many blocks and neighborhoods where there were no signs of an election at all.

This is either because of apathy or because there are so few council contests - or both. Interest is highest in parts of the city populated by well-off home owners. It seems that the campaign issues amount to little more than a difference of opinion between groups of Takoma Park's upper-middle-class homeowners.

- Gilbert

The Bulldozer Test

2005-11-02T12:55:00.000-05:00

I can't get in a lather about crime, taxes, the Community Center, or the gym. Seems like those are issues we can work out no matter who is in office.

MY big worry is the issue that's bearing down on our city like a category six hurricane - and that's DEVELOPMENT. No other issue on the list has the potential to change the city so drastically. And soon! As the condos rise, our quality of life may flatten. In a few short years many of us may not even want to live here any more because all the things we enjoy will be gone: the quiet streets, the local businesses, the diversity, the progressive attitude, the affordable housing. This could be as big a change as when the Adventists surrendered the city to the invading Abbott Revolutionaries.

We've got a number of development projects coming into the Carroll Ave corridor between Takoma Park and the Metro. There are two projects being planned for Old Towne. The WAH grounds will likely become a development of some sort. Any number of apartment buildings in town will probably be converted to condominiums.

The construction alone over the next 5 years is going to be a pain in the ass! It's going to look like the West Berlin building boom after the fall of the Wall!

Both candidates say they are concerned about this. Kathy says she has been working with residents to "modify development at the Metro." She talks about "win-win" solutions such as the one achieved with Montgomery College. She has a quote from Lorraine Pearsall of Historic Takoma saying Kathy "has always worked for balanced solutions with the community's interest at heart."

“Balanced" and "win-win" solutions sound reasonable. But, such solutions may mean that nobody ends up completely happy. How much of the unique Takoma Park quality of life will we have to give up for "balance," I wonder?

As reasonable (and non-commital) as she sounds on this, Kathy’s statement lacks fire. It makes me worried that she doesn't share my fears and concerns about development.

Seth, on the other hand, says, "Residents feel they're strapped in the back seat, being taken for a ride with little say about the destination." Right on, Seth! That's how I feel, exactly!

So, Seth gets empathy and rhetoric points, but how's he going to deal with development - and will it be differently than how Ms Win-Win will deal with it?

Seth puts his finger on the big problem, "The city lacks zoning authority within its borders and has no formal input into most local development"

He proposes a number of things he will do, or attempt to do, to fix that, but my heart sinks as I read down the list and realize all the obstacles and realities that will get in the way. Do we really want city zoning, for instance? Kathy points out, and I suspect she's right, that having our own zoning department will require more city employees and expense.

Seth says he's going to get a "a formally recognized, meaningful seat at the table in zoning and planning matters" with the county. Instead of zoning authority, the city has, as Seth describes it "ad-hoc arrangements based on memorandums of understanding." He says the memoranda of understanding "have not proved sufficient in providing the control."

I'm not sure about that. We may already have a "meaningful seat at the table." I can't think of any development projects that have spun out of control in Takoma Park city limits. The CVS and the Metro development are in DC. There is only one chain fast-food restaurant in the City, Subway, which is understated and blends with the city street-scape fairly well. Years ago there were rumors of a fast food burger joint or a "box" drugstore going in at Takoma Junction, but that was stopped - or discouraged.

If my impression is correct, we haven't really had a full test of the City's power to stop or change a big development. But, we are about to find out.

Seth says "The developer-slanted county agenda must not trump local concerns" which I agree with, but it's one thing to say it and another to get the county to go along with our anti-developer local concerns. When Seth says “local concerns” does he mean the same thing I do?

Seth says he wants to set up a Takoma Park Development Commission (oh, boy, another Takoma Park committee!), made up of representatives from various city interest groups. Most of them reflect business interests, which worries me a bit. As a resident I don't feel well represented by business people. He did not likewise nominate any community organizations for membership in this proposed commission. I wonder if that indicates a bias toward business interests. Seth is, after all, a local businessman.

In summation, based on information at hand, Seth better expresses the fears I have about development. I'm not sure his solutions are necessary or workable. Kathy doesn't come out as two-fisted as I'd like but I suspect her approach is more practical. I get the feeling she knows which Rockville or Annapolis door to knock on to get some influence on development projects.

I'd like to hear more about what the candidates will do to hold firm against quality-of-life-threatening development. So far neither of these two pass the bulldozer test. Only one mayor has ever done that. Thirty years ago Sammie Abbott lay down in front of bulldozers and occupied buildings to prevent an Interstate from being built through the heart of Takoma Park. As problematic a mayor as Sammie was, that's the spirit I want to see from my mayor!

So here's some questions for the candidates or their surrogates: What exactly are you going to do to STOP the Old Town development from taking away ANY commercial space and from creating a traffic snarl due to all the additional residents? Exactly what kind of development are you going to work your tail off to bring into the WAH property that won't also cause traffic snarls and won't be a isolated yuppie residential [e-word]?

- Gilbert

- NOTE: Several new comments on past blog postings, some from candidates. I recommend reading the blog by clicking on the individual post links in the left-hand panel. That way, each entry appears singly, with comments following. If you view the blog on the home page ALL the entries appear on the page, and you have to click on "comments" to read them, which I find more confusing and awkward. Thanks for reading. I hope you find this site helpful.

"Glog" - Demagoguery and Cynicism

2005-10-31T12:10:00.000-05:00

I asked for essays from Porter S’porters and I got one. Here’s a “guest blog” (would that be a “glog?”). My own comments follow.

______________________

Demagoguery and Cynicism

I am someone who is accustomed to speaking out on the promises and actions of political leaders. In most of these cases, my concern is about the substance of the policies they advocate.

Grimes is a different case, though. For one thing, I have found it very difficult to make coherent sense of what he stands for, as he (for example) publicizes Jack Carson's extremist views and then disavows them or declares himself a champion of the poor, while hinting to landlords and wealthy homeowners that he's really their man. (Jack Carson is Grimes' campaign treasurer.)

And that is the major issue I have with Grimes' candidacy. In his contradictory pronouncements and actions, I see cynicism and disingenuousness of a kind that we have grown sadly accustomed to on the national stage, but have thus far been spared on a local level. (I am not alone in this view: a Democratic Party official based here in Takoma Park recently told me that the Grimes campaign is the most cynical she can recall in her three decades of residing here.)

Take taxes. As I have previously noted, Grimes has been emphasizing Takoma Park's tax rates all year. Yet, his promises of massive spending increases and no borrowing make it clear that he won't (or won't be able to) do anything about them. This leaves me scratching my head: why talk incessantly about taxes if you have no plan whatsoever to cut them?!

Now, I would be among the first to object - on substance - if Grimes were to enact tax cuts for anyone but the most needy among us. What I find infuriating - and so out of place in Takoma Park - is that the only apparent reason why Grimes keeps sounding the horn on taxes is so that he can whip up emotions and distract the public (which he must assume is awfully gullible) from any substantive debate on real issues. The goal does not seem to be any particular policy or vision of government, but rather power for its own sake.

Take crime. Grimes made himself chief publicist of Carson's recent fear-mongering based on CNN figures that don't even apply to our city. (Note: according to no less than the FBI, crime is at a ten-year low in Takoma Park!) Jack Carson's solution to the nonexistent "crime wave" is to dissolve the police department (much as he wants to dissolve the whole city). Until Grimes had the speciousness of Carson's argument rubbed in his face, he was only too delighted to help defame our city and scare its residents. Why? The only answer I can come up with is that he decided that these tactics would get him elected. There is no other rational explanation.

As I observe Seth Grimes' slippery mayoral campaign, I long for a straightforward right-winger who could be debated - and defeated - on the merits of his or her case. And I hope with all my heart that Takoma Parkers will not be taken in by what amounts to no more than smoke, mirrors, and cynicism.

--Anonymous Porter Supporter

____________________

I can’t say I agree with all this. In fact it seems to me to be fairly demagogic, itself - second-guessing Seth’s motives, implying conspiracies, and calling it a “slippery mayoral campaign.”

The Porter S’porters are telling me Grimes has a hidden agenda. The Grimes Group is telling me I’m falling for Kathy’s “spin”.

I don’t think so. Maybe I should change my name to “Pollyanna,” but I think both Kathy and Seth are sincere in what they say.

--Polly . . . I mean Gilbert

Readers' Comments

2005-10-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of thought-provoking public comments (slightly edited) I'm promoting to post.

--Gilbert

_________________

Anonymous said...

An unfortunate side of Takoma Park, this election, human nature (?) is the unwarranted character assassination that goes on in the promotion of a particular point of view. . . . .

From what I have heard so far from supporters of Mr. Grimes in this campaign, I would not be surprised to hear that Kathy Porter has been consorting with Lucifer. And in one particular case, a supporter of Kathy has returned the bile.

I've seen divisiveness in campaigns in Takoma Park. I've seen friendships sour and die over a choice for mayor. That's politics, I suppose. This year, the passionate loathing that some of Seth's supporters (and, seemingly, Seth himself) feel toward Kathy Porter leads me to wonder about the fallout after the election, no matter which way it goes.

Of course, such passion is understandable in the case of gross incompetence and corruption, which is what Seth's campaign is alleging. How well has the case been made that either have occurred?

What I hear from some of Kathy's supporters (including myself) is that they accept Kathy's limitations, but feel that they have been exaggerated by a coalition of discontent people with varying agendas. That perceived exaggeration, whiffs of conspiracy theories, and personal attacks makes us wonder if Seth has a clear grasp on the realities of the job and how divisive he will be once elected.

I would love to see a more visionary mayor. Seth is clearly visionary. But I do not want one who will make our problems worse because of his misperceptions and divisiveness. I have strong doubts about how well any vision can be achieved if those are the limitations.

Relationships, and even marriages, I hear, are being tried by this election. That's too bad. In the end, we'll make lemonade out of this experience, no matter who wins. But it doesn't mean that I have to enjoy the current bitterness.

__________________________

Anonymous said...

Watch the meetings and see how Kathy answers public with complaints. Two weeks ago a woman complained the arborist approved her neighbor's project which would damage her trees. He didn't follow city laws. The city administrator didn't help her and the permit was to be issued in two days. So she said.

Kathy's answered Barbara issues permits not the council. When the woman persisted Kathy said "I'll get back to you".

Her answer seemed like a brush off. Which do you think happened? Permit issued or Kathy got back to her.

A better example might be when Seth complained the city was violating the law by not publishing minutes. Kathy tried to brush him off with "we always follow the law". It went back and forth with Kathy telling Seth he was wrong. The state ruled Seth was right. The minutes are now published on time. Thanks to Seth.

Kathy's handling of changes in the tree ordinance and manipulation during codeifying the environment committee are other examples.

I know these don't look bad when written on a blog. Talk with those involved and you walk away with a better understanding. It is not about appearances. It's about how she handles people's concerns, how they feel when it's all over and if right is done.

___________________________

Maybe I'll just vote for Rudy.

--Gilbert

La la la Seth la la la

2005-10-29T20:14:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

Since I've been saying all along that I'm only leaning a bit in the direction of reelecting the mayor, today I'm going to sing the praises of her opponent, Seth Grimes. I especially want to do this because all the heated comments I've gotten from Grimes supporters in reaction to my previous essays are only pushing me more toward Mayor Porter. So, I'll try looking at it from the other side, and see what kind of comments wash up this time.

Seth is definitely a man with a plan. He's got firm ideas about what he wants to do in office and he's laid it all out. The main points are:

He will fully staff the police department, add more officers, raise police salaries, and make police more visible on their beats.

He will leverage influence for Takoma Park in zoning and planning matters and set up a Takoma Development Commission that will be broadly representative. He will keep a close eye on development issues so we are not taken by surprise by any projects.

He will make sure the city staff follows policy and directions as mandated by the budget and the council. He'll keep spending within budget limits., and make sure the "sunshine law" to ensure government transparency is being met.

He will "aggressively but diplomatically" pursue getting a larger, fairer tax rebate from the county. He will determine whether the city can economize without compromising service by letting the county take over any city services. And he will promote eon comic development.

He's going to conduct a comprehensive survey to determine whether to spend the money to build a community gym.

He's going to expand the city recycling program and promote green building techniques.

He promises to be fair-minded, inclusive, visonary-yet-practical, and a host of other good things.

I have to say this is a refreshing change from Kathy's program, or lack of it. Kathy promises, in essence, more of the same. While she has accomplished some positive things in her terms: negotiated unification, preserved the fire house, made many useful contacts for the city in surrounding jurisdictions, brought in money for the community center (er, well, that gets tricky), she hasn't exactly been a firebrand, especially when it comes to aggressively checking development, promoting environmentalism, or watching the pursestrings. Many local activists are unhappy with Kathy because she keeps them at arm's length, doesn't support their causes, and at best sets up a committee to "study" their proposals. As a result, little happens.

This all makes Seth seem like the much needed change many residents have been hoping for - a credible candidate who not only looks capable of running the city but has some promising ideas and the apparent energy to implement them.

--Gilbert

Reply from Seth Grimes

2005-10-28T23:25:00.000-04:00

Seth wrote this as a comment on my last post. I think it deserves it's own posting up front.

Where are the Porter S'porters? How about writing an entry?

--Gilbert

From Seth Grimes (or someone claiming to be him):

I'll respond to a few points --

1) "He must get some regular exercise, and judging from his tan, he gets it outdoors." I spent five hours standing out in the sun, handing out leaflets and talking to folks, at the Folk Festival and at the Street Festival. I spent a couple of hours out at the Farmers' Market one Sunday, and then I've spent dozens of hours canvassing door-to-door. Let me recommend all this as the way to achieve a tan and to lose a bit of weight.

2) I'm not getting my message across. "Seth's clipped descriptions of how he's going to whip the city staff into shape and change the managerial style of city hall." The second part's my message but not the first part. It's council procedures that I plan to whip into shape. I'd like to create new city policies -- I'd like to create an environment policy and a development policy to replace our current haphazard, reactive approaches -- and I'd like to improve the sloppy execution (call it policy if you wish) in our major projects. These changes will affect staff, but they will be for City Manager Barb Matthews to implement, for her to do any "whipping into shape" she sees as necessary.

The only references I've made to staff that I can think of are a) we should have hired a professional construction project manager for the Community Center and we should consider hiring a facilty/marketing manager for the CC now that it's about to open, and b) we should hire additional police officers to get our force up to full, authorized strength, possibly involving the city's human resources manager in recruiting.

But more important, 'For instance, Seth makes much of the city paying "$327,000 more than the $423,000 budgeted for legal services" for a 4 year period as an example of mismanagement and profligate spending.' No, THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL. Profligate spending isn't my point, UNCONTROLLED spending is. This overspending/underbudgeting occurred for five years running (counting last fiscal year), and Mayor Porter implicitly admits that she didn't see (or care about) the PATTERN of underbudgeting, which should have been fixed after 2-3 years of this, whether by raising the budgets or cutting spending is another discussion. In fact, I and the Sustainable Takoma folks who brought light to this problem had a positive effect: the city is now no longer using attorneys for certain administrative functions, which is saving the city money.

It's difficult to get nuance across and regardless people hear what they want, what they're predisposed to hear, and if they're predisposed to hear that someone's a "gadfly" (implying an intention to sting rather than to lend a hand), then they'll wrongly hear a message of non-contributing criticism.

Seth

Tan and Bald, vs. Pale and Curly

2005-10-27T17:06:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

If you would like to add a Takoma Park election essay of your own to this blog (rather than a comment), send it to me at granolapark@yahoo.com, and I will publish it. You can choose to be anonymous or not.

One of the biggest problems baby boomers have is admitting that they are no longer young. This denial may have an effect on the mayoral vote, since the majority of voters are middle-age homeowners. Will voters have difficulty admitting they are "going bald?" Challenger Seth Grimes would be the least hirsute mayor we've had since Sammie Abbott, and he was safely of the older generation.

Judging by the number of yard signs around town, the answer is "no." Perhaps he negates his “streamlined” hairline by being so lean and fit. He must get some regular exercise, and judging from his tan, he gets it outdoors. Kathy Porter, though she possesses an impressive headfull of curly hair, looks pasty white by comparison. It's one thing to look tan, rested, and ready, but the contrast between the working mayor and the challenger leads one to wonder if this new guy is up for the obligations, responsibilities and worries that make Kathy look like she hasn't seen sunshine for 4 terms.

Lean is one thing, mean is another. I have to say a word or two about how Seth comes across. I emphasize that this is just based on his public appearances, not from knowing him personally.

It's a little worrisome. I'd certainly be worried if I were a city employee, listening to Seth's clipped descriptions of how he's going to whip the city staff into shape and change the managerial style of city hall. When dealing with any person who spends most of his or her time complaining about how other people haven't done their job right, listing all their mistakes and flaws, listeners wonder what happens when the complainer turns his attention to them.

Maybe its the fact that he works with computers, but Seth seems a bit machinelike himself - an efficient machine, I'll grant you, but he comes off as a bit cut-and-dry, possibly imperious and potentially ruthless. Again, I emphasize this is just the impression I got.

I question how patient such a person will be with citizen comments at city council meetings. Seth has vowed to zip through city council meeting agendas more efficiently than the current mayor does. How is he going to react to long-winded critical citizen remarks? Will he install a trap door under the citizen-comment podium? A giant mallet suspended above it?

I can't see him doing what Kathy does. She slips into neutral mode, and even when the citizen is unloading nasty criticisms directed personally at her, she sits as calmly and inexpressively as the folks who take cranky calls on CSPAN. She nods her head, says something like "ok, I hear your concerns." and, much like she does with Seth's criticisms, she walks through the events that led to the decision or situation being criticized and leaves most people thinking, "oh, that makes sense when you consider how it came about."

At the candidate forum Kathy seemed defensive but ready with a patient, calm explanation of how things ended up the way they did, which, without fireworks, takes the sand out of Seth's criticism. For instance, Seth makes much of the city paying "$327,000 more than the $423,000 budgeted for legal services" for a 4 year period as an example of mismanagement and profligate spending. Kathy explains that that due to the nature of legal services, it is impossible to predict an exact budget for them. Spending will vary depending on the legal needs of the city. A city can predict what it's road maintenance costs will be, but not whether it will get sued or not. This is, Kathy says, typical of most municipalities.

Yes, it all looks bad when one lists the problems, as Seth does. But, Seth wasn't there. It's easy to second-guess a bad outcome, and to cast blame and neglect in hindsight. Its another thing to have to deal with the situation face-to-face and make decisions in real time based on the information at hand at the time.

I don't mean to make Kathy look so good, though. I hear over and over from residents that, yeah, she does a competent, sometimes even terrific, job, but . . . she just just doesn't have the fire and vision that people would like to see. I heard one person complain that she is merely reactive - she waits for stuff to happen: whether the catalyst is outside commercial interests or citizen activism. Be it Metro development, hospital expansion, the community center,r or citizen's committee recommendations - as it comes up, she deals with it or facilitates it. She doesn't seem to have a program, except for dealing with it as it is served onto her plate. With a tiny little fork.

Even as I write this I see myself headed for trouble going down this path. After all, she's elected to represent the city's people so what else should she do but what she's asked to by the citizens? This is what the Abbott Revolutionaries discovered. Once in office they discovered the job was mostly about responding to constituent requests like installing stop signs and speed bumps. Some revolution.

Kathy doesn't always come through for citizens, though. I do know that she's made some citizens genuinely angry with her for NOT doing what they asked. And, she sometimes seems to wriggle out of some citizen requests by going through the basic motions on their behalf but not really fighting for them. These are criticisms I've heard, but I don't have any specific examples.

Seth doesn't exactly have a visionary program himself. His website indicates that the issues he speaks to are, essentially, poll-driven. They are based, he says, on the citizen concerns he's heard voiced in conversations he's conducted over the last 6 months.

I hope, reader, that you also read the comments from the last entry. A Grimes supporter put his finger on the crux of the campaign. "Kathy gives the impression ( may be false ) its not "that" broken[,] let[‘]s plug along ahead."

The Pro-Cons see the city as "broken". The Moderates don't see it as broken, and that's the bottom line of this election.

Basically, all the "fixes" proposed by Pro-Cons, Sustainable Takoma, the TASDI committee, and others - such as looking into whether the county would provide as good service for some things the city provides, Kathy says she's working on, or open to working on. It's not like she refuses to listen to this stuff. But, since she won't admit it's broken, she'll continue to raise the ire of the Pro-Cons.

Seems to me that in the natural order of things municipal, issues come up (crime, cost-overruns, development, and so forth), elected officials respond, and the process to officially deal with these issues is fairly slow since it involves studies, citizen input, etc. It's easy to stand on the sidelines and shout "you should have seen this coming, the system is broken!".

This is what bothers me about the Pro-Cons. I hear a whole lot of angry rhetoric that appeals to people's emotions and discontent, but when you look at the complaints they raise, most of them are "gottchas" - incidents that look bad when described in a certain way without the full story.

Readers, some of you are wasting time trying to guess my identity. I'm not going to play the game. The focus here should be on the election. My (and your, if you so choose) anonymity allows us to say what’s on our minds. The purpose of this “blog” grows out of the assumption that many people are in the same place I am - not entirely sure who to vote for (or perhaps leaning slightly one way or the other). By voicing my thoughts I hope to able to assist others in thinking though their vote. I don't seek to influence the way anyone votes, but I hope to get people thinking - and I hope you share your own thoughts and information. Please note that you can leave comments anonymously, yourself. I admit I look forward to making smart-alecky remarks, but I will not be abusive. I hope you won't be, either.

--Gilbert

Background: Mods, Revs, and Pro-Cons

2005-10-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

Takoma Park politics seem bizarre to outsiders. That's because when outsiders compare the political positions of TP politicians with those of politicians in the rest of the country (excepting probably Berkley and other "liberal/progressive enclaves") ours seem pretty extreme. But, no, our politics are just like everyone else's in the sense that here are camps, factions, those in power and those who aren't, and they all act pretty much the same as they do anywhere else.

Here we've had one particular camp that's been in power since Stephen J Del Giudice was elected back in 1985 (can it be twenty years ago?!). I call that camp the Moderates. They unseated the Revolutionaries, the camp one former council-member calls "The Disloyal Opposition". This is the group of radical activists, led by the late mayor Sammie Abbott and a slate of radical city council candidates who swept into power in the early 80s. It really was a revolution, they seized control of the city from the conservative Seventh Day Adventists who had been running it for at least a couple of generations. The SDA promptly moved their world headquarters out of town, a sea-change of a magnitude that Takoma Park is not likely to see again for awhile, certainly not in this election.

The Revolutionaries promptly started factionalizing and in-fighting as soon as they gained office. They managed to lose the mayoral office because Sammie Abbott did things that some say were justified in the cause of his radical agenda, others say were abuses of power. The Revolutionaries have never quite gotten over the fact that they lost the city to the Moderates over this. On occasion they have tried to get it back, but each election shows how, even though this is the group that gave Takoma Park its reputation, their brand of politics is increasingly unpopular. The Moderates have won each mayoral election for the past 10 terms, starting with Stephen Del Giudice, then Ed Sharp, now Kathy.

The majority just doesn't want a Sammie Abbott-type rabble-rouser leading the city, even though Sammie was more responsible than just about anyone else for shaping the city's current image as a progressive, activist enclave (oh, that E-word again).

The Moderates drive the Revolutionaries crazy, as you might expect. The Revolutionaries fought for a decade to shape the city into a radical [e-word], only to see the Moderates horn in and with no more effort than buying homes, moving in, and voting, turn the city into an [e-word] for liberal homeowners with "peace" bumper-stickers on their gas-guzzling SUV's, the sort of people who say they "love Tree City" but get incensed when they discover the tree ordinance applies to them, too. These are people who are pleased to live in a city with a liberal cache, but are ambivalent about the city's past radical postures. They just want a City that provides services and a family-friendly small-town atmosphere - and that's what the Moderate Ed Sharp and Kathy Porter provided. If the services caused taxes to go up a bit, well, that's fine, they wanted those services and that's what taxes are for. If there were no radical programs coming out of the Mayor's office, that's fine too, as long as residents can get new curbs and plenty of speed-bumps on their streets, the Moderate camp doesn't care. The big issues were unifying the city into one county and saving the fire house, and had been since the Abbott days, but the Moderates went about it quietly, building relationships with the politicians who could make those things happen. No big Abbott-style confrontations, mass demonstrations, and public denouncements of other politicians.

How annoying - if you happen to be a Revolutionary.

And even more annoying how Mayor Porter easily swept to victory again and again, gathering endorsements from every organization in town, from other elected officials, and from influential citizens. Many of these endorsements even came from the Revolutionaries - people who admitted that while it would be nice to have a mayor who lived up the Takoma Park's reputation, Kathy knows how to get things accomplished. Her Revolutionary opponents, while sufficiently radical, seemed more than a little weak as administrators.

In the last few years however, we have seen the growth of a new faction. They hold a very odd position, considering local politics. They rail against excess spending and high taxes like traditional conservative Republicans would, yet they support liberal causes as much if not more-so than traditional progressive Democrats. In fact their candidate Seth Grimes says that as mayor he would be more pro-active in pursuing an environmental agenda for the city than Kathy has been. One of this faction's criticism of the Community Center construction, besides the cost overruns and mismanagement, is that the building is not sufficiently "green."

So the opposition to the mayor comes not from the Revolutionary left this time, its from the . . . . well, it's from the right and left - these people are progressive fiscal conservatives. Scratch your head over that one for while, especially when you consider that these Pro-Cons are attacking Kathy for being a tax-and-spend moderate. Kind of bends your mind in donut shapes, doesn't it?

Can the Pro-Cons pull it off, or are they destined to become outsider fist-shakers like the Revolutionaries? There are a lot of Porter loyalists out there. She has supportive quotes on her website from movers and shakers in the community, crowned with an endorsement from Tom Perez, County Council President. Bruce Williams is supporting her - he's the city council representative from Ward 3, traditionally the ward that turns out the most voters. Of course, Williams is unopposed, which may thin out that ward's vote. Look to Ward 2, the only ward in which there is a contested seat, for a big number of votes. And, that just happens to be Kathy's ward. Play the Jaws theme for Seth!

But, Kathy is swimming with the sharks herself these days - and she's bleeding in the water, due to wounds inflicted by the community center cost overruns. She acts wounded, too. Her campaign still doesn't seem to be in full swing, when Seth has been up and running since early October. His signs have been posted for at least a week, her's are just starting to appear and so far they are vastly outnumbered. Seth's very professional-looking website has been up for ages, [www.sethgrimes.com] while Kathy's just came online - a couple of weeks after she provided the url on her literature. Her's [www.kathyporterformayor.com] is pretty minimal compared to Seth', but then you'd expect a disparity, since websites and computers are Seth's business.

OK, enough background and horse-race speculation. Next time I'll write more on the candidate's positions, personalities, and campaigns (as I see them.

Meanwhile all of Seth's signs that he put out so early are getting soaked in tonight's downpour. I hope he got waterproof ones.

--Gilbert

Introduction and Smart-Mouth Remarks

2005-10-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

Welcome to my blog!

It's about Takoma Park, Maryland's election campaign. Reader, you are part of a verrry small demographic if this interests and effects you.

Disclaimers: I am "Glibert", I am anonymous. It's a small town soIf I wasn't anonymous I couldn't be my free-wheelin', mouthy self. Also, if I'm anonymous, I don't have to waste time checking my facts! It's an on-the-fly blog, reader, and likely full of spelling and factual errors. My own candidate preference - SLIGHTLY for the incumbent, Mayor Porter. I could still be swayed the other way, however.

Here's the election situation. We've got Kathy Porter, who has been mayor since 1997 (last millenium!), running for re-election. She's challenged by local computer consultant Seth Grimes. He's been involved in a group called Sustainable Takoma, a group of typical TP homeowners, which is to say, they are greying progressives, folks who were street-fighting activists in their hippie youths, but find themselves fighting for fiscal conservative measures to bring down their property taxes. Maybe it's a side effect of bi-focals.

Seth was also a member of the "TASDI" citizen committee. This is pronouced "Taz-dee" and you are not cool in this town if you don't know what it means. if you can't pronounce it right, they won't let you vote.

It stands for Residents Committee Tax and Service Duplication Issues, except it doesn't, as you can see. If it did, it would be RCTSDI, or "Rickets-dee". I don't get it, if they wanted a catchy name (not that TASDI approaches catchy by hundreds of miles), why not actually name it something catchy that explains to the uninitiated what it's all about - like "Give Us Our Goddamn Money Back!"

Seth will tell you (several times) that he served on this committee and that he is better prepared than anyone on the planet, especially anyone currently occupying the Mayor's cushy-backed chair (slightly taller than the other council-members' cushy-backed chairs), to take the county to the mat and force them to give us more of a tax rebate to cover duplicate services. (for instance, the county has a police force, the city has a police force, so we don't use the county's, but the county still keeps some of the tax money for their police force).

Kathy will patiently explain that she's been there, done that and we have hardly any leverage with the county to get the rebates we do.

They laid it all out at the Voice candidates forum, a "fun" evening of droning voices puncuated by the awkward moments when candiates disagreed with each other - awkward because after all, they're all neighbors and they see each other all the time. This is particularly so in the Ward 2 city council race.

The residents of Ward 2 must be agonizing over which candidate for city council to vote for. Both have virtually the same positions on all the issues, both are very similar in their credentials and backgrounds. They even have similar first names: Colleen and Eilleen. On top of that, candidates and voters being neighbors it makes it even more difficult as it becomes something of a popularity contest.

If I lived in that ward I might decide based on which one could get me the best discount for Girl Scout cookies - that would be scout leader Colleen Clay. On the other hand, I might go for the one with the best sense of humor. That might be Eilleen Sobeck, based on the spontaneous exchange between candidates at the start of their debate. Moderator Eric Bond flipped a coin to establish the first speaker. To do this he borrowed a quarter from Ms. Clay. but then missed the catch when he flipped it, sending it flying off the stage. Councilman Terry Seamans scrambled to find it under a table (I love living in a small town), proclaming "tails" which meant Ms Sobeck went first. She immediately quipped that one difference between her and her opponent is that "I can handle money better!" This was met with a humorless glare from Ms. Clay.

That said, Ms Sobeck did admit she is a lawyer, an environmental lawyer, but a lawyer nonetheless. Ms. Clay seems like more of a community activist, but for the last three years she said she's been a HUD employee. There's something about people who work for the government, even (or especially) for agencies that are involved in issues such as the environment or housing, that rings my alarms. It's the suspicion that they think they are doing us a favor by bringing in their expertise. I'm not so sure. I'm afraid that bringing "big government" people into local government is going to limit the extent of creative thinking and programs - because they are going to want to make everyting local fit the federal thinking and programs.

Of course, one difference is that one candidate is a lesbian. I wonder if that will be the deciding factor. The Ward 2 council seat is being vacated by a lesbian. In this progressive community the sexual orientation of a candiate elicits mostly shrugs from the straight people. If the large number of lesbians at the forum crowd is any indication, though, it could well be a big deal in their community, and many may vote their "orientation".

Another difference is that while Ms Clay sports a short hairstyle, Ms. Sobeck has long, flowing blonde tresses. In my flippant mind that raises the question akin to one raised in the forum - which was how can each of them, as parents, find the time to do that and serve on the council. I further question how a person can have the time to be a parent, serve on the council, AND take care of a nearly waist-length hair!

I'm too tired to go on to the main event. So, next time I'll write more about Seth and Kathy

---Gilbert

PS, If you see a note in the comments section below that comments have been deleted, the deleted comments were spam messages.