R-69-09
The bill lists the following evidence as to why Moyer should have a building named after her:
-first woman Mayor
-40 years of service, from First Lady to Alderman to Mayor
-founding GreenScape, Annapolis Conservancy, and "the City's numerous Street End Parks"
-completion of a fifteen-year backlog of capital projects, finishing each project during her administration, including the facilities located at 145 Gorman St
Now, I'm not saying some of this stuff doesn't matter. The first woman Mayor in 300 years has gotta be worth something. However, if this honor is bestowed upon the Mayor, here are some other awards and honors that could be gifted:
-The Einstein Medal, given to any person who figures out what a Street End Park is, or the Al Gore Internet Award, bestowed upon anybody giving the Mayor credit for inventing parks.
-The Ellen O. Moyer Ceremonial HVAC Trophy, given to the vehicle taking up the maximum amount of parking spaces downtown without patronizing any businesses near those parking spaces, and/or destroying a previously established business without a plan to encourage future business success.
-The Moyer MHPSRDFPA (Market House Police Station Racial Discrimination Firemen Pension Award), a joint prize awarded in collaboration with the Bar Association to the lawyer with the most billable hours in defense of lawsuits where the city is named as a defendant.
-The Ellen Loves German Heritage Award, given to anybody who wears socks with sandals in public.
-The Facebook award, given to the social networker that accumulates the highest amount of non-reciprocating, resource consuming friends in the style of the Sister City Program.
-The Obama Award, pioneered by Cohen, Fox, and Cordle, given to any politician that mounts a platform of "change" from the previous politician.
-The Citizen Bravery Award, given to any citizen that fulfills their civic duty by testifying at city council in the face of condescension and dismissal of one's opinion.
-The Nepotism and Favoritism Agreement, more of a technical document that is included in the welcome packet for all new city employees.
-The 'That's Not My Job' Medal, given to a Mayor or Police chief when they respond to citizen concerns of violence by saying "You should start a neighborhood watch".
-The Welcome to the 21st Century Award, given to any Mayor who writes their own emails, flies in airplanes, or writes their own blog posts with more frequency than 1 time per year.
Showing posts with label mayor moyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mayor moyer. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Legacy Damage Control: Mayor to (Possibly?) Host Market House Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Annapolis, MD (8-10-09) - Mayor Ellen Moyer announced today, the Market House
will host a special Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 11
a.m. to celebrate the new businesses that have joined the community. At this
event, the Market House will officially welcome Atwater’s, Flowers by Donna’s,
Homestead Market and Maryland Federation of the Arts who are joining Vaccaro’s
and BankAnnapolis.
WHAT: Market House Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
WHEN: Friday, August 14 at 11 a.m.
WHERE: Market House
25 Market Space
Annapolis, MD 21401
Market House is a 220-year-old landmark in the center of historic downtown Annapolis’ business district whose prime mission is to provide a gathering and shopping destination for those visiting the center city. Today, Market House is in the midst of an ongoing transformation to better meet the needs of those who shop, work, and visit Annapolis offering a variety of goods and services from locally-owned
businesses. For more information about Market House, please visit www.markethouseannapolis.com.
The Mayor, by all allegations, has been on a quest to establish her legacy. Here are the 2 things she has been trying to get people to remember:
1. Green-ness
2. Not the Market House
It has been speculated that she will attempt to use her green "credibility" to obtain some green-related cupcake employment at the state level after her term expires.
Now, the press release states that the Market House itself will host this event. Being a building, the Market House will probably have a problem identifying with the audience, which leads me to believe that a city official or at least some sort of animal will assist with hosting duties. I'm interested to see if the Mayor herself will host the event.
If she does, I can inform that the correct emotion to feel is anger. Notwithstanding the joy of new risk-taking businesses displaying capitalism at work, Ellen Moyer celebrating the success of the Market House is an oxymoron on the same scale of "mainstream blogger". The press release describes the city's continuous mismanagement of the Market House as an "ongoing transformation", a joke on the same scale as "financially successful blogger".
Thursday, July 30, 2009
If The Moyer Administration Is Our Guide, Property Taxes Need A Cap
A couple of weeks ago Mayor Moyer took the offensive against critics who say property taxes have been allowed to grow too rapidly under her administration. Due to my extensive experience with having money taken by the government, I feel uniquely qualified to rebut some of the claims made by the Mayor.
The editors noted, accurately, that the city's property tax rate was last increased in 1999 to 68 cents and that today it is 53 cents. This is a 15-cent reduction, something no other jurisdiction has achieved over the last 10 years.
The Homestead Credit is what allows the Mayor to make this goofy claim. So, the amount of property taxes you pay is calculated by the tax rate times the value of your house. If either one of them goes up, your taxes will go up. For the majority of the Moyer administration, the value of your house went up like crazy. The fact that the tax rate went down doesn't mean the city saved you any money. The reason that other jurisdictions haven't lowered the rate that much is that they limit the growth of the taxable value of your house to 2% per year, and the city lets it grow at 10% per year.
During the same period of time when property values were going up statewide, the county tax rate was going up by 2.1 cents. In fact, the county tax rate over the last 10 years - at 54 cents in 1999 after going up to 56.1 cents in 2005 - is now 1.7 cents less than the 1999 rate.
By law, a resident of AA County cannot pay an increase in property taxes of more than 4.5% over the previous year. This is due to the tax cap. Here are the collected property taxes in the city, going back to 2002, and the percent increase over the previous year:
2010 $34,536,000 (budget) 9.6%
2009 $31,489,000 (proj) 11.7%
2008 $28,190,000 12.7%
2007 $25,011,400 7.6%
2006 $23,245,060 6.3%
2005 $21,862,569 7.9%
2004 $20,248,310 6.3%
2003 $19,049,000 4.7%
2002 $18,187,380
THIS IS CRAZY! The best way to increase city revenue is to successfully lobby the state and county for more money. You know this wasn't happening because the Mayor doesn't even talk to the county executive. The next best way to increase city revenue is to increase fees because at least people can control how much they use and reduce their cost (water, sewer, etc.) The worst way to increase city revenue is to raise property taxes, because the citizen has absolutely no control over how much they are paying without moving, which is really hard to do. Look at those percentages! Remember, if we were looking at the county, none of those percentages would be more than 4.5%. Property taxes increased more in the city than in the county in every year of the Moyer administration.
If you live in the city, your tax bill includes taxes for all three jurisdictions. As the assessed property value rose, the state property tax rate went up, the county property tax rate went up and the city's property tax rate went down 15 cents. The city could have done what most jurisdictions did, and simply maintained or increased the property tax rate to really take advantage of increased value.
This is the ultimate pot-calling-the-kettle-black situation. The city took massive advantage of increased home value, allowing their assessed base to grow by 10% per year. Lowering the tax rate "mercifully" lowered the increase in your taxes to, say, the rate charged by a car dealership--instead of the rate charged by my credit card companies. In 2008 and 2009, the city maintained the tax rate in such a ridiculous fashion that your property taxes actually went up by MORE than the 10% which is inconceivably arrogant.
The editorial ends with, "Does Annapolis need elected officials who will reduce spending - or a law that does it for them?" The last statement suggests the editors have already started an argument for the city tax cap, an idea that would certainly lower our excellent AA + Bond rating, eliminate our stable economic outlook and eventually bankrupt the city. If the tax cap is their agenda then the editorial is an example of manipulation of public opinion.
I recently made the argument that a good bond rating is at least partially a measurement of the city's willingness to stick it to the taxpayers. The increase in property taxes proves my point. Contrary to what politicians might say, good finances can actually be achieved by cutting costs as opposed to always raising taxes. Hopefully the next Mayor will realize this, but since they probably won't, we need a tax cap to realize it for them.
The editors noted, accurately, that the city's property tax rate was last increased in 1999 to 68 cents and that today it is 53 cents. This is a 15-cent reduction, something no other jurisdiction has achieved over the last 10 years.
The Homestead Credit is what allows the Mayor to make this goofy claim. So, the amount of property taxes you pay is calculated by the tax rate times the value of your house. If either one of them goes up, your taxes will go up. For the majority of the Moyer administration, the value of your house went up like crazy. The fact that the tax rate went down doesn't mean the city saved you any money. The reason that other jurisdictions haven't lowered the rate that much is that they limit the growth of the taxable value of your house to 2% per year, and the city lets it grow at 10% per year.
During the same period of time when property values were going up statewide, the county tax rate was going up by 2.1 cents. In fact, the county tax rate over the last 10 years - at 54 cents in 1999 after going up to 56.1 cents in 2005 - is now 1.7 cents less than the 1999 rate.
By law, a resident of AA County cannot pay an increase in property taxes of more than 4.5% over the previous year. This is due to the tax cap. Here are the collected property taxes in the city, going back to 2002, and the percent increase over the previous year:
2010 $34,536,000 (budget) 9.6%
2009 $31,489,000 (proj) 11.7%
2008 $28,190,000 12.7%
2007 $25,011,400 7.6%
2006 $23,245,060 6.3%
2005 $21,862,569 7.9%
2004 $20,248,310 6.3%
2003 $19,049,000 4.7%
2002 $18,187,380
THIS IS CRAZY! The best way to increase city revenue is to successfully lobby the state and county for more money. You know this wasn't happening because the Mayor doesn't even talk to the county executive. The next best way to increase city revenue is to increase fees because at least people can control how much they use and reduce their cost (water, sewer, etc.) The worst way to increase city revenue is to raise property taxes, because the citizen has absolutely no control over how much they are paying without moving, which is really hard to do. Look at those percentages! Remember, if we were looking at the county, none of those percentages would be more than 4.5%. Property taxes increased more in the city than in the county in every year of the Moyer administration.
If you live in the city, your tax bill includes taxes for all three jurisdictions. As the assessed property value rose, the state property tax rate went up, the county property tax rate went up and the city's property tax rate went down 15 cents. The city could have done what most jurisdictions did, and simply maintained or increased the property tax rate to really take advantage of increased value.
This is the ultimate pot-calling-the-kettle-black situation. The city took massive advantage of increased home value, allowing their assessed base to grow by 10% per year. Lowering the tax rate "mercifully" lowered the increase in your taxes to, say, the rate charged by a car dealership--instead of the rate charged by my credit card companies. In 2008 and 2009, the city maintained the tax rate in such a ridiculous fashion that your property taxes actually went up by MORE than the 10% which is inconceivably arrogant.
The editorial ends with, "Does Annapolis need elected officials who will reduce spending - or a law that does it for them?" The last statement suggests the editors have already started an argument for the city tax cap, an idea that would certainly lower our excellent AA + Bond rating, eliminate our stable economic outlook and eventually bankrupt the city. If the tax cap is their agenda then the editorial is an example of manipulation of public opinion.
I recently made the argument that a good bond rating is at least partially a measurement of the city's willingness to stick it to the taxpayers. The increase in property taxes proves my point. Contrary to what politicians might say, good finances can actually be achieved by cutting costs as opposed to always raising taxes. Hopefully the next Mayor will realize this, but since they probably won't, we need a tax cap to realize it for them.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Moyer, Miron, and Others Named In Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
See HERE or HERE. Hat tip to Arundel Muckracker.
Here are the allegations as summarized by Eye On Annapolis:
-Mayoral Appointee Mike Miron approached her and other women asking if they wanted to see his “pussy”. (He was carrying a cat at the time)
Here are the allegations as summarized by Eye On Annapolis:
-Mayoral Appointee Mike Miron approached her and other women asking if they wanted to see his “pussy”. (He was carrying a cat at the time)
-Mayoral Appointee Mike Miron routinely commented that because of her race (presumably) she would not have been allowed in certain establishments in years past
-Mayoral Boyfriend Dale Maddox reached under her blouse and groped her while the Mayor watched
-Mayoral Boyfriend Dale Maddox referred to her as “Aunt Jemima”
-Mayor Moyer refused to address the issues and despite having been a witness, claims she did not believe Ms. Blakeney
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Mayor Seeks Sole Authority To Negotiate Market House Leases
At Monday's city council meeting, the Mayor is set to introduce R-44-09, which would give her sole authority to negotiate short-term leases with new Market House tenants. 'Short-term' is defined in the bill as expiring on or before January 3, 2010.
My favorite part of the bill's language is this bit:
Funny, since it was the Mayor's negotiation of a long-term lease that ensured the failure of the Market House, uncountable lawsuits, and a taxpayer-funded bailout of the city's interest in the property.
The city has, for obvious reasons, expressed interest in getting tenants into the Market House ASAP to accommodate the current tourist season. "We should not be delaying the visibility of the businesses even in the short-term", the mayor recently quipped, arriving at an epiphany. For this reason, don't be surprised if this bill gets the fast-track treatment. A normal bill would be passed on first reader, sent to committee, given a public hearing, then voted on--normally a 3-meeting process. I predict a suspension of the rules, and a passage of this bill on Monday night. After all, the Mayor needs to act quickly to save the Market House!
My favorite part of the bill's language is this bit:
Whereas, it is necessary for the Mayor to negotiate and execute short-term
leases with new Market House tenants to ensure successful operation of the
Market House.
Funny, since it was the Mayor's negotiation of a long-term lease that ensured the failure of the Market House, uncountable lawsuits, and a taxpayer-funded bailout of the city's interest in the property.
The city has, for obvious reasons, expressed interest in getting tenants into the Market House ASAP to accommodate the current tourist season. "We should not be delaying the visibility of the businesses even in the short-term", the mayor recently quipped, arriving at an epiphany. For this reason, don't be surprised if this bill gets the fast-track treatment. A normal bill would be passed on first reader, sent to committee, given a public hearing, then voted on--normally a 3-meeting process. I predict a suspension of the rules, and a passage of this bill on Monday night. After all, the Mayor needs to act quickly to save the Market House!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Cohen and Moyer To Swap Support**
**Rumor Alert.
It is common to describe a rumor as 'hearing something second hand'. This info is probably like fourth hand, but I've heard that County Councilman Josh Cohen and Mayor Moyer are collaborating to support each other in election cycles in the next year.
Cohen, a relatively recent (presumed) entrant into the mayoral race, would get the backing of the Moyer machine for the upcoming mayoral election. The return favor is a bit more curious. My understanding is that Cohen wouldn't have to resign from the county council until January (assuming a victory for him), which would mean that the county Democrat central committee could appoint his replacement. Cohen could then lobby for Moyer's appointment to that seat.
Chuck Weikel used to be the chair of the AADCC, but now the position is held by a person named Kory Blake. That's unfortunate, because Weikel was the Mayor's former heir apparent, but seems to have since fallen out of favor. It would have been awesome to see what happened if he had the power to appoint her to her next job.
Anyway, I know that Councilman Cohen reads this site occasionally, and he is certainly invited to respond. I don't know that the Mayor has ever read this blog, but I do know from one of her old employees that she knows of city political blogs, and she is invited to respond as well. In fact, everybody's invited. We'll have a party.
It is common to describe a rumor as 'hearing something second hand'. This info is probably like fourth hand, but I've heard that County Councilman Josh Cohen and Mayor Moyer are collaborating to support each other in election cycles in the next year.
Cohen, a relatively recent (presumed) entrant into the mayoral race, would get the backing of the Moyer machine for the upcoming mayoral election. The return favor is a bit more curious. My understanding is that Cohen wouldn't have to resign from the county council until January (assuming a victory for him), which would mean that the county Democrat central committee could appoint his replacement. Cohen could then lobby for Moyer's appointment to that seat.
Chuck Weikel used to be the chair of the AADCC, but now the position is held by a person named Kory Blake. That's unfortunate, because Weikel was the Mayor's former heir apparent, but seems to have since fallen out of favor. It would have been awesome to see what happened if he had the power to appoint her to her next job.
Anyway, I know that Councilman Cohen reads this site occasionally, and he is certainly invited to respond. I don't know that the Mayor has ever read this blog, but I do know from one of her old employees that she knows of city political blogs, and she is invited to respond as well. In fact, everybody's invited. We'll have a party.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Cronyism In City Government
Most political administrations are criticized on some level for giving political jobs or directing lucrative contracts. The O'Malley administration famously padded the purchase price of land that the state was buying from a member of the Governor's transition team.
The Moyer administration is not free of such controversy. Finance Director Tim Elliot's wife is on the payroll (although she may well be qualified for the job). There are implications of improper use of city money, including sister city voyages and the pulpit given to clear mayoral candidate Chuck Weikel via the Annapolis Alive program. Perhaps most egregiously, the Mayor has twice changed the charter and created entire new departments that are promptly staffed with her friends in $100,000+ director positions.
Reporters with more resources are able to make more pointed connections. Laura Vozzella, a columnist for The Sun, recently found a dubious connection between the city special events coordinator and Moyer appointee Karen Engelke, and a firm contracted to work on the city's recent anniversary celebration:
I am actually fine with a certain level of cronyism. I have some friends and family that are smart as hell, and if I was elected Mayor I would appoint them on the first day. Some of them have companies that do really good work, and I would want the city to do business with them. The difference is, it wouldn't be a secret. I would defend my appointments and awarded contracts. My public information officer would know about it, and he would be instructed to say "Those people are smart and those companies are good, so calm yourselves down." With this administration, it's always quite the opposite, and one can't help but be a cynic.
The Moyer administration is not free of such controversy. Finance Director Tim Elliot's wife is on the payroll (although she may well be qualified for the job). There are implications of improper use of city money, including sister city voyages and the pulpit given to clear mayoral candidate Chuck Weikel via the Annapolis Alive program. Perhaps most egregiously, the Mayor has twice changed the charter and created entire new departments that are promptly staffed with her friends in $100,000+ director positions.
Reporters with more resources are able to make more pointed connections. Laura Vozzella, a columnist for The Sun, recently found a dubious connection between the city special events coordinator and Moyer appointee Karen Engelke, and a firm contracted to work on the city's recent anniversary celebration:
Yet there's a tribute to Her Majesty, calling her "the mother of elected,
democratic government here in Maryland" on the Annapolis Alive! Web site.
Where'd the city get that idea? That bit was written by
"writer and historian Joseph Meany of Samuel Hutton Associates." He had a hand
in several aspects of the charter celebration, including arranging for Ellefson
and other symposium speakers to come to town. Where'd the city find Meany?
I tried to ask Karen Engelke, the city's special events coordinator. I
never heard back from her, but it seems she didn't have to look far to find
Meany.
Samuel Hutton Associates is based out of a Cornhill Street house listed in
state records under her name. Engelke is listed as a "principal" in the
two-person firm on a company profile posted on the Web.
Is it really possible that someone in charge of special events for the city
could hire her own firm to do work for those events? The Annapolis Alive! site
describes how Meany wrote up some history that was posted on a kiosk in the Clay
Street neighborhood. "The kiosk project manager was Karen Engelke," the Web site
notes. The site makes no mention of Engelke's connection to his firm.
I am actually fine with a certain level of cronyism. I have some friends and family that are smart as hell, and if I was elected Mayor I would appoint them on the first day. Some of them have companies that do really good work, and I would want the city to do business with them. The difference is, it wouldn't be a secret. I would defend my appointments and awarded contracts. My public information officer would know about it, and he would be instructed to say "Those people are smart and those companies are good, so calm yourselves down." With this administration, it's always quite the opposite, and one can't help but be a cynic.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Clarification: Mayor Moyer For Convention Delegate
A recent post here revealed some details of the Mayor's candidacy for delegate to the Democrat National Convention, resulting in various speculation in the comment section of the post. The provider of that information contacted me, and accepted my offer to publish a comment to set the record straight. As I told her, I am interested in information, not misinformation. So says she:
Dear Mr. Gill,
I see that one of your correspondents
forwarded my letter asking voters to support Ellen Moyer for delegate to the
national convention.
For the record, I am not an employee of the
City of Annapolis. I circulated the letter at the request of the Mayor,
whom I consider a friend. It went to my list of past supporters of hers,
which I maintained from when I was her campaign manager in the 2001 and 2005
city elections.
Since I didn't mention who the Mayor is affiliated with, let me
give you a hint -- she's an accomplished woman (which applies to both of them
when you think about it).
I know the way Democrats select their
candidates may be different than what you are accustomed to, but please be
assured it is inclusive and collaborative, just like the Mayor herself.
While I have the floor, I would like to remind any readers who are
registered Democrats (I realize this might be a long shot) to be sure to vote
for my friend Ellen Moyer for delegate to the convention. And for all you
who aren't Democrats, have a happy Lincoln's birthday.
Thanks.
Kathleen M. Nieberding
Coldwell Banker
Residential Brokerage
572-A Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146
Web Site: www.cbmove.com/kathleen.nieberding
Direct: 410.212.1051
knieberding@comcast.net
Monday, January 28, 2008
Mayor Moyer On The Ballot Again
Mayor Moyer is running for election in 2 weeks.....for delegate to the Democrat National Convention:
To me, nominating conventions are baffling. As I understand, the delegates who want to go to the convention have to say who they plan to vote for at the convention; that way, the candidates who won the primaries know they will be represented proportionally in the nominating process.
I think this process even varies by party. For the Democrats, it's my understanding that half of the convention votes are determined by party leadership, rather than by the results of the primary! WTF???
Anyway, I can't explain this line: "no matter who you support on the national level, if you are a Democrat, select Ellen Moyer as a delegate and send her to the convention in August". Like I said, I hardly understand the convention process, but I have to believe that it does matter who you support on the national level. Is the mayor asking that the voters simply reward her and send her on a vacation. And do sitting elected officials normally do this?
I guess it doesn't matter anyway....Mike Huckabee all the way to the White House!
(Just Kidding)
Friends,
We all know how important it is to participate in the
primary on February 12th, no matter who we support. The race is too close;
the stakes too high to sit on the sideline.
Maryland should play a significant role in the selection of our party's standard bearer, and we have the opportunity to have an Annapolis presence in that process.
Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer is on the ballot as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention. So please, no matter who you
support on the national level, if you are a Democrat, select Ellen
Moyer as a delegate and send her to the convention in August.
February 12 happens to be Ellen's birthday (which she shares with
Abe Lincoln, who isn't running at this time). I know she would love
to celebrate her special day as part of this historic national
election.
Please help me spread the word, friend to friend, by sharing this with
other Democratic friends. Do us a favor, and forward this message to your
personal contacts. Thank you!
To me, nominating conventions are baffling. As I understand, the delegates who want to go to the convention have to say who they plan to vote for at the convention; that way, the candidates who won the primaries know they will be represented proportionally in the nominating process.
I think this process even varies by party. For the Democrats, it's my understanding that half of the convention votes are determined by party leadership, rather than by the results of the primary! WTF???
Anyway, I can't explain this line: "no matter who you support on the national level, if you are a Democrat, select Ellen Moyer as a delegate and send her to the convention in August". Like I said, I hardly understand the convention process, but I have to believe that it does matter who you support on the national level. Is the mayor asking that the voters simply reward her and send her on a vacation. And do sitting elected officials normally do this?
I guess it doesn't matter anyway....Mike Huckabee all the way to the White House!
(Just Kidding)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Recall Election "Did You Know"
When I was driving the other day, I saw a bumper sticker that said "MoyerMustGo.org". I had not heard of such an 'org' before, and I must admit a bit of embarrassment that such an internet-based political journal was outside the purview of my internet-based political journalistic expertise.
To my glorious disappointment, the site no longer exists. Nevertheless, I have anticipated the following question to be asked more and more: What can we do about Mayor Moyer?
There is an answer. Article II, section 9 of the city charter provides for the removal of elected officials via a recall election, much like the fate suffered by former California Governor Gray Davis (who was replaced by Arnold). The charter says the city council should figure out the details of the recall process, which is done in Chapter 4.46 of the code.
The first thing that needs to happen is a petition. The code provides very detailed requirements for a valid recall petition, including specifications for paper type, font, language, and enumeration of reasons for the recall. If the petition is signed by more than 30% of people who were qualified to vote (not registered voters) in a ward (Alderman) or the entire city (Mayor), then you have yourself a referendum election. The question on the referendum ballot is "Should the Mayor/Alderman be removed from office", and is subject to a simple majority. If it passes, the city council must pass a resolution declaring a vacancy within 10 days of the election.
So what happens next? It depends on the timing. If the removal occurs less than 15 months prior to the next election, the central committee of the political party that held the seat can appoint a new mayor/alderman. (This would apply after July of this year). If the general election is more than 15 months away, there is a special election. The removed official cannot be restored to office through the central committee process, but is not disqualified from running in the special election.
So, is this appropriate? Ehh, I really don't know. I see the Mayor as the ultimate lame duck. She has been on the city council forever, and doesn't face reelection. To me, she seems only concerned with leaving her mark (environmental measures), furthering her pet projects (sister cities), and rewarding the people who helped her get to where she is (Malinoff, Miron). She seems genuinely annoyed that citizens would have concerns that she has to address. This is truly how I view the Mayor right now--doing just enough to avoid being recalled.
I generally view recalls as severe and counterproductive. With Governor O'Malley as the exception, I do not think you should recall an elected official for the purpose of reversing a particular policy. However, the recall provision is meant to guarantee accountability, which is precisely the deficiency in the Mayor's leadership. Citizens have repeatedly offered their suggestions and demands, only to be met with directives to become more involved in neighborhood watch. If the Mayor was truly concerned, there would be an emergency session of the city council with emergency spending measures, and the Segways and horses would be on the streets tomorrow. Of course, that's if she really thinks these things would work.
If I'm honest, I was trying to think of reasons to oppose a recall election, but I find I cannot think of any.
To my glorious disappointment, the site no longer exists. Nevertheless, I have anticipated the following question to be asked more and more: What can we do about Mayor Moyer?
There is an answer. Article II, section 9 of the city charter provides for the removal of elected officials via a recall election, much like the fate suffered by former California Governor Gray Davis (who was replaced by Arnold). The charter says the city council should figure out the details of the recall process, which is done in Chapter 4.46 of the code.
The first thing that needs to happen is a petition. The code provides very detailed requirements for a valid recall petition, including specifications for paper type, font, language, and enumeration of reasons for the recall. If the petition is signed by more than 30% of people who were qualified to vote (not registered voters) in a ward (Alderman) or the entire city (Mayor), then you have yourself a referendum election. The question on the referendum ballot is "Should the Mayor/Alderman be removed from office", and is subject to a simple majority. If it passes, the city council must pass a resolution declaring a vacancy within 10 days of the election.
So what happens next? It depends on the timing. If the removal occurs less than 15 months prior to the next election, the central committee of the political party that held the seat can appoint a new mayor/alderman. (This would apply after July of this year). If the general election is more than 15 months away, there is a special election. The removed official cannot be restored to office through the central committee process, but is not disqualified from running in the special election.
So, is this appropriate? Ehh, I really don't know. I see the Mayor as the ultimate lame duck. She has been on the city council forever, and doesn't face reelection. To me, she seems only concerned with leaving her mark (environmental measures), furthering her pet projects (sister cities), and rewarding the people who helped her get to where she is (Malinoff, Miron). She seems genuinely annoyed that citizens would have concerns that she has to address. This is truly how I view the Mayor right now--doing just enough to avoid being recalled.
I generally view recalls as severe and counterproductive. With Governor O'Malley as the exception, I do not think you should recall an elected official for the purpose of reversing a particular policy. However, the recall provision is meant to guarantee accountability, which is precisely the deficiency in the Mayor's leadership. Citizens have repeatedly offered their suggestions and demands, only to be met with directives to become more involved in neighborhood watch. If the Mayor was truly concerned, there would be an emergency session of the city council with emergency spending measures, and the Segways and horses would be on the streets tomorrow. Of course, that's if she really thinks these things would work.
If I'm honest, I was trying to think of reasons to oppose a recall election, but I find I cannot think of any.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Police Department "Did You Know"
The Mayor recently sent out a fact sheet regarding the police department, a strategy and position that will be futile in mitigating the backlash stemming from her inexplicable denial that the crime trends are going in the wrong direction.
I was not on the Mayor's email list, but fortunately the document found its way to my highly active email inbox, allowing for this analysis. Actually, it's not really an analysis; the problem is evident--a blind man could see it in a minute. Let's take a word-for-word look at the mayor's response to demands for action.
The Annapolis Police Department received National Accreditation in March, 2004 and was reaccredited in March, 2007. This puts the APD in elite company along with only 29 out of 183 police agencies in Maryland and 593 of approximately 17,000 police agencies in the United States.
Here we go! This fact is irrelevant; the elite accreditation status of the APD has nothing to do with our crime problem. "Fully staffed departments with effective tactics don't solve crime--accreditations solve crimes", the saying does not go.
Annapolis Police are among the highest paid and have the best health and retirement benefits in the state. The current pay for newly hired officers -- $44,630.00 annually -- is among the highest in Maryland. It is substantially higher than the starting salaries paid by Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Montgomery County.
The problem here is that the $5000 hiring bonus is included in that $44,000+ figure. So, the first year they make that much, but in the second year when there is no bonus, they have to take a pay cut to under $40,000. Not good. And not better than other jurisdictions.
There have been 51 officers hired since 2002 and 7 new officers were hired in 2007.
But how many retired? And how many positions remain vacant despite funding? And most importantly, even if we hired ten thousand officers, is crime getting better? (Answers: a handful, 18, no.)
The national clearance rate average for homicides is between 50-75%. Annapolis' clearance rate for homicides consistently surpasses the 80% mark. Over the past 5 years, the department has cleared 17 of 19 homicides. In addition, the clearance rate for all crimes reviewed nationally is about 21-22%. The Annapolis Police Department averages 30% for all cases reviewed.
First of all, how can the clearance rate average be between 50 and 75%? If you have national statistics, you should have a single number. Anyway, a city where you know all of 100 murderers is inferior to a city where you don't know the only murderer. See what I'm saying? But, good work to the APD for the higher than average clearance rate.
Chief Johnson, Captain Imhof, Captain Marshall, Lieutenant Powell, Lieutenant Della and Sergeant Hall have all received training at the FBI National Academy.
I have received training from the Oxford Institute for Influential Blogging, yet this is merely the 63rd most influential political blog in Ward 5.
Captain Simpson, Lieutenant Powell and Lieutenant Cynthia Howard have all been trained at the Southern Police Institute.
I was not on the Mayor's email list, but fortunately the document found its way to my highly active email inbox, allowing for this analysis. Actually, it's not really an analysis; the problem is evident--a blind man could see it in a minute. Let's take a word-for-word look at the mayor's response to demands for action.
The Annapolis Police Department received National Accreditation in March, 2004 and was reaccredited in March, 2007. This puts the APD in elite company along with only 29 out of 183 police agencies in Maryland and 593 of approximately 17,000 police agencies in the United States.
Here we go! This fact is irrelevant; the elite accreditation status of the APD has nothing to do with our crime problem. "Fully staffed departments with effective tactics don't solve crime--accreditations solve crimes", the saying does not go.
Annapolis Police are among the highest paid and have the best health and retirement benefits in the state. The current pay for newly hired officers -- $44,630.00 annually -- is among the highest in Maryland. It is substantially higher than the starting salaries paid by Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Montgomery County.
The problem here is that the $5000 hiring bonus is included in that $44,000+ figure. So, the first year they make that much, but in the second year when there is no bonus, they have to take a pay cut to under $40,000. Not good. And not better than other jurisdictions.
There have been 51 officers hired since 2002 and 7 new officers were hired in 2007.
But how many retired? And how many positions remain vacant despite funding? And most importantly, even if we hired ten thousand officers, is crime getting better? (Answers: a handful, 18, no.)
The national clearance rate average for homicides is between 50-75%. Annapolis' clearance rate for homicides consistently surpasses the 80% mark. Over the past 5 years, the department has cleared 17 of 19 homicides. In addition, the clearance rate for all crimes reviewed nationally is about 21-22%. The Annapolis Police Department averages 30% for all cases reviewed.
First of all, how can the clearance rate average be between 50 and 75%? If you have national statistics, you should have a single number. Anyway, a city where you know all of 100 murderers is inferior to a city where you don't know the only murderer. See what I'm saying? But, good work to the APD for the higher than average clearance rate.
Chief Johnson, Captain Imhof, Captain Marshall, Lieutenant Powell, Lieutenant Della and Sergeant Hall have all received training at the FBI National Academy.
I have received training from the Oxford Institute for Influential Blogging, yet this is merely the 63rd most influential political blog in Ward 5.
Captain Simpson, Lieutenant Powell and Lieutenant Cynthia Howard have all been trained at the Southern Police Institute.
George W. Bush went to Yale.
1/3 of City of Annapolis Police Officers have either some college or full degrees.
Enough already. Nobody is doubting the ability of the rank officers. The issue is: without their full compliment of resources--specifically more officers--they cannot be fully effective..
The training process to become a member of the Annapolis Police Department includes 6 month training at a police academy and 8-12 weeks of field training. The entire process takes between 8-10 months. Annapolis uses police academies in Howard County, Baltimore City and occasionally Frederick. Training dates vary and occur between late September and early January.
This "did you know" is becoming more and more unrelated to the issue at hand. Who is complaining about the training process? Actually, I want to complain--notice how (A) we don't have a police department of our own and (B) how we don't send our recruits to Anne Arundel County because they steal our officers away from us by offering higher pay!
The national ratio of officers per 1000 citizens is 1 per thousand. The Annapolis Police Department currently maintains a ratio of 3.6 officers per thousand citizens.
I recently saw this described as a "tortured" argument, which is highly brilliant commentary worthy of mention. Ratios such as this are not useful because:
1. The International Chiefs Of Police say so.
2. Annapolis has an abnormally high density of public housing, which accounts for most murders and a disproportionately high number of drug crimes.
3. We are a capital city and have a unique non-resident population.
I have chosen to present the mayor's document in it's entirety, so now you will have to read through some boring statistics before arriving at the next bit of brilliant commentary. Also, take a look at this article called Officer-per-thousand Formulas and Other Policing Myths. You'll particulary enjoy the part where it says "We have worked.........for managers with 3.6 officers per thousand who delcare they cannot do proactive policing without more cops". What a fabulous concidence--we have 3.6 officers per thousand!
Statistics - The numbers game
The charts included in the addendum of this report include data supplied by the Annapolis Police Department to the FBI that accurately reveals significant progress in the City’s commitment to improve public safety and security.
In 2005, 2097 violent crimes were reported, the lowest number reported in the City since 1990. And while it is true that 2006 showed a nationwide spike in crime levels, the 2,415 crimes reported in Annapolis were still far less than the levels of nearly 3000 crimes per year reported in the mid 90’s. As of July, the year 2007 is showing a downward trend-some 6% lower than last year, and 2% lower than 2005.
The charts also show that the number of officers currently on the streets protecting the citizens of Annapolis is consistent with, and, in some cases, higher, than historical numbers.
Some attempt to show crime rates by comparing the numbers of incidents with the census population of a city. These types of comparisons are convenient but inaccurate, especially when discussing a City like Annapolis. They do not take into account the common sense factor that the City of Annapolis entertains more than 4 million visitors each year and may, on any given day, have over 100,000 people inside her borders. The Naval Academy, St. John’s College and other state and federal residents and employees are not included in the census for Annapolis.
And, we're back. DID YOU JUST READ THAT???!!! The mayor speaks of the "common sense factor" that this city is a Capital city and has a high non-resident population. Isn't this the same common sense factor that would invalidate officer-to-population ratios?
Other destination communities like Ocean City, Maryland, with a census population of approximately 8000 and a non-resident population of over 200,000 on many days face the same challenge.
Statistics, when manipulated, can be used to “prove” that based on the number of crimes per 100,000 residents, Ocean City is a much more dangerous place than Washington, DC or Baltimore.
So let's forget ratios. The city for the second year in a row has set a record number of murders, with 8 and 9 respectively for the past 2 years. The early pace for 2008 is 36! Any worries? Plus, Ocean City is a terrible comparison that is not made anywhere else. Are you really trying to deny there is a problem?
Using the numbers, Ocean City, Maryland, a “city” of approximately 8000 people, would show a crime rate about 300% higher than the national average. Double or triple the rates of cities like Newark, Detroit, Baltimore and Atlanta. Using the census population to number of crimes comparison would lead one to conclude that they are four times more likely to be robbed, six times more likely to be burglarized, seven times more likely to be raped, and ten times more likely to be assaulted in Ocean City than in Washington, DC.
Common sense says that is simply not possible in a city of 8000 people.
But, when Ocean City’s public safety numbers are compared to those of a city of 200,000 – the number of people that may actually be there on any given day - they fall far below national averages. Richmond, Virginia has just under 200,000 residents. They had 84 murders in 2005. Ocean City had one.
So, are you saying that the tourists here are the problem? ARE THE TOURISTS THE PROBLEM? NO. THIS IS WHY OCEAN CITY IS A TERRIBLE COMPARISON.
Someone seeing the numbers alone could easily make the mistake of assuming that the crime rate in Annapolis is higher than that of the national average for a City of its size.
Or, they could call upon their first-grade arithmetic skills and understand that 9 murders is more than 8 murders, and try to fix a problem.
Again, common sense says that is not true.
If you want common sense, I'll give it to you. If you asked anybody who didn't follow the issue what to do about the crime problem, they would say fix the projects. That's common sense. We have a lot of public housing, section 8, subsidized housing--whatever you want to call it. And many to most of the drug and violent crimes happen in or near these areas, or by someone living in or near these areas.
When Annapolis’ numbers are compared to a city of 120,000-the number of people that may actually be here on any given day-they also fall far below the national average. Waco, Texas, a city of about 117,000 people, had 692 auto thefts in 2005. Annapolis had 150.
Statistics such as these do not consider the large numbers of visitors that swell the daily populations and create public safety of cities like Annapolis and Ocean City. Improving Public safety in Annapolis depends on working with the real statistics, and not playing a “number’s game.”
I mean, this is incredible. The mayor is intensely laboring to defend the record. To her, this is a problem of statistics. She is just getting to how she intends to "solve" the problem.
Public Safety Initiatives by the City of Annapolis –August, 2007.
1. Increase visibility of existing police personnel
The pool of personnel for public safety has been depleted nationally by the war in Iraq and other Homeland security programs. Like other jurisdictions around the country, Annapolis is facing new challenges.
Reduce the number of shifts at the Annapolis Police Department from the current five to three. This will increase the number of officers available for each shift and result in a higher level of visibility and protection and the most efficient deployment of available officers.
This is crazy. Rather than hire more actual officers, the mayor plans to adjust the patrols to make it look like we have more officers. Unbelievable. By the way, this is not a new idea. None of this stuff is a new initiative that the mayor has come up with in response to the increasing citizen concerns. This is all recycled ideas from last year.
Purchase 4 additional Segways. Segways increase “feet on the street” by providing greater mobility and allowing officers to cover a wider area.
So does a bicycle. Or more officers. Why do we need Segways? They are like thousands of dollars each.
Examine the feasibility of adding one horseback mounted unit to the City’s police force. Officers on horseback are highly visible and research shows that in crowd and emergency situations a single mounted officer is equal to ten officers on foot. This allows foot officers to be deployed elsewhere.
I once fell off a horse. Oh, and this is a terrible idea. Good for riot control, meaningless for drug enforcement.
2. Improve recruiting efforts
Returning from a National Conference on Employee Recruitment, Director of Human Resources Kimla Milburn offered new insights and outlined some tips for successful recruiting.
"In speaking with my colleagues from around the country, it is evident that we are all facing tremendous challenges in recruiting police officers," she said. "Positive statements about the department go a long way in encouraging people to consider a career with the APD. Negative articles and Letters to the Editor bashing the Department simply do not help. We need to work together to increase the level of interest in working for the Annapolis Police Department."
There is no shortage of applicants.
Enhance recruitment efforts by creating a team of ambassadors to help bring officers to the Annapolis Police Department. The team will include Director of Human Resources Kimla Milburn, Public Information Officer Ray Weaver and the members of the City's Public Safety Committee-Aldermen Ross Arnett, Dave Cordle and Alderwoman Sheila Findlayson."
Create new brochures and marketing messages and materials.
"A team of ambassadors" armed with wagon-loads of "new brochures and marketing messages and materials" is a steaming heap of useless horsecrap. I can tell you from several years of recruitment efforts that cash is king. It's not the only factor, but in the case of police, it is reasonable to assume that being an officer in Annapolis is roughly the same as anywhere else. That being the case, if we pay more, we get more officers. The mayor will have you believe that we pay more already, but since a $5000 signing bonus goes away, we really don't. (On a side note, the sister city budget is thriving).
Also, why should we even worry about this since our crime rate is so much lower than the national average?
3. Fight illegal guns and drugs
Request the City delegation to the General Assembly to submit legislation designating the entire City of Annapolis a Drug-Free Zone. This action will double the fines to anyone convicted of dealing drugs in the City.
I've never understood this one. Are drugs more illegal in some parts of the city than others? Why is there even debate on whether or not the entire city is a drug-free zone? I guess they teach that at the FBI National Academy and the Southern Police Institute.
“We need to send a clear message that dealing drugs in the City of Annapolis will not be tolerated,” said the Mayor. “Hitting dealers in their pocketbook, doubling their jail time and in general making Annapolis a hostile environment to this type of activity will help convince dealers that our City is not a place they want to be.”
Great. Couldn't agree more.
Request the City delegation ask for additional state funds for a comprehensive drug plan for both treatment and prevention in the City of Annapolis.
If we can get more money, fine. It doesn't hurt to ask. However, treatment programs benefit users rather than dealers, and don't get at the bigger crime problem.
Initiate a new illegal drugs and illegal guns task force with State & Federal agencies.
This was already going on--even before the mayor announced it the first time.
“In 2006, the Annapolis Police Department made 275 arrests on drugs and conducted 45 raids,” said Mayor Moyer. “The goal of this unified effort is to double the number of arrests and to make it crystal clear that the Capital City is not a Drug Capital.”
Yes, who knows how bad it would be if the message "that the Capital City is not a Drug Capital" was muddled and murky.
3. Forge partnerships with communities
Call on citizens to identify places in the City that need better lighting.
This, of course, would never happen because leaving lights on is anti-environment, and environmental chicanery is the #1 Moyer priority.
“Leave your porch and outside lights on or set them up on motion detectors-people that are up to no good don’t like bright lights,” said Mayor Moyer. “If you see a dark place, or a street light out anywhere in the City, call us and we’ll work with your Alderman, Public Works and BG and E to get the lighting improved. We want to help you improve your sense of security and safety in your neighborhood.”
Continue training for Neighborhood Watch. Since the beginning of the program in the mid 90’s, 7000 citizens have attended Neighborhood Watch training sessions. In the past year, over 1400 citizens have actively participated in the program.
The whole point of Neighborhood Watch is to identify problems, then report them to the police. The citizens are already doing this!
Continue the collaborative process with at risk neighborhoods.
This........
Continue the “Heroes” mentoring program for at-risk youths
....sounds......
Offer more real-world job skills training programs like the Sherwin Williams painting program that offers at-risk adults the chance to learn a marketable skill.
.......vague and without substance. Also, other training programs include the "Maryland State Archives historic preservation program", the "Parole Town Center city council lobbying program", and the "Worst Idea Ever, Al Gore memorial O-27-07 green collar job program".
5.* Develop a new agreement between the City of Annapolis and the Housing Authority on the use of existing dollars for public safety.
(*I don't know what happened to #4, so don't ask.)
HA!! "Developing a new agreement" actually means "figuring out how to justify not paying HACA the $200,000 we already owe them", because that's what's happening. Rumor is another lawsuit may be in the works.
"Since 2004 Annapolis has provided the Housing Authority with $200,000 to employ police officers to work as off duty security," said Mayor Moyer. "This money was to be matched with HACA funds for a $400,000 public safety program. HACA has not utilized all of the City’s contribution. It has also been unsuccessful in recruiting from other law enforcement agencies. We need to clarify accountability for services and define roles and responsibilities.”
No BS: I didn't read this last paragraph before making the "HA" comment--it was just sheer clairvoyance and understanding of the situation. The Mayor is feuding with Eric Brown and is not paying the city's invoices.
Ok, the rest of this you can read on your own--there's not very much more. By now I hope you get the point.
The Mayor proposes that a new and separate agreement of understanding be negotiated to include shared costs and partnership on:
-The use of surveillance cameras
-A sub station program
-Agreement on the assignment of undercover police in the area and enhanced Neighborhood Watch
-Implementation of community service programs for All HACA residents as required by HUD
New initiatives
-Continue working on a revitalization district for Clay and Washington Street
-Install speed cameras on Duke of Gloucester Street
-Propose amendments to the City Code to strengthen the noise ordinance
Request that the City’s Community and Housing Board review successful housing programs in other jurisdictions, research opportunities for home ownership and social service needs and recommend the changes in our federal housing program required to enhance public safety. Some changes may require federal or state legislation.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Mayor Indignant About Resident's Crime Concerns
In case you are vacationing in the Bahamas, and your cruise ship only allows you 2 minutes of internet access each day, and you loyally check only this blog for your news, allow me to update you with regard to citizen outrage over crime.
Eastport residents, upset over being put to sleep buy gun-shot lullabies, have formed a task force leading a fight for real solutions to the problem:
(The person sitting down in the photo is none other than CP, boldly representing the blogging contingency, as your's truly was boldly cheering the UMD women's basketball team in their first home victory over Duke in a decade.)
They showed up in force to protest the city's lack of effectiveness. Their mantra includes the charge that the mayor lives in denial about the problem. In my humble opinion, this has been true twice. She originally denied that there was a problem, explaining that we already had 3 times the number of officers than the national average. She seems now, alternatively, to deny that she has not been adequately addressing the problem.
This is my 5th post today, so I'll let someone else write:
At the January 14th Annapolis City Council meeting, I spoke as a
representative of the “Stop the Gunfire in Eastport Now” Task Force. My
remarks specifically acknowledged that the Council alone does not bear sole
responsibility to address these problems. Further, I offered our help to
come up with a plan and solutions. There were nearly 100 witnesses to my
statements, and I distributed written points in advance that underscored our
recognition that all of us need to work together to solve this
problem.The January 16th edition of the Baltimore Sun reported:
After the meeting, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer criticized the group's strategy,
saying that instead of acting as "problem solvers," they were acting as
"rhetorical bomb throwers." "What I don't get from them is an indication
that they want to partner in any way," she said. "To assert that we're ignoring
the issue is plain folly."The Mayor’s comments reveal one or more of the following: (1) she did not
listen to my remarks or read the written points, (2) she is so defensive that
she was unable to hear our pledge to partner with all stakeholders including
her, or (3) she is trying to spin our efforts in a way that justifies ignoring
this critical situation.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Sister Cities
Apparently I was sabotaged by by a cheeky eggnog recipe over the holidays, because I am just now finding this wealth of blogging material posted on the Mayor's official blog. I know that her blog is official because it displays the official seal, and this blog was once reprimanded by the city for displaying the seal in an unofficial manner.
Why the mayor chose to post about that particular topic at that particular time is anyone's guess--perhaps she is buttering the city council up for massive funding of the sister city program in next year's budget.
Much like the PhD economics program at the University of Maryland, to which I was denied admission, the Sister Cities Program apparently has highly exclusive entry standards:
Can you imagine how easy it must be to find a city with one thing in common with this city? I have to admit, if I was in charge of this program, there would be sister cities in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands (British, of course), St Lucia, Spain, Wisconsin (because I like cheese), and the lost city of Atlantis. And I would visit all the time. Why?:
We must be very well assisted and advised, because the Mayor's blog reports that we have 15 sister cities. This is double the 8 sister cities that I could find!
The mayor called the program "cultural mentoring", sharpening her keen command of misleading phrases.
"I believe that participating in these types of programs are the only way to appear more worldly, and convince foreigners that we are not racist", the mayor failed to say.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Mayor wishes to use the sister city program to strengthen its ties to its fifteen global partners.
The sister city program is being administered with the zeal that should be applied to fighting crime. WHO CARES about sister cites, other than the people we pay to visit these places? Nobody will ever convince me that sister cities have provided us a solution to a city problem that we could not have found on our own. Heck, the highly read pages of this expert blog provide solutions all the time! Having one or two sister cites would be fine, even cute. But fifteen? With plans for more on the way? And continual time being spent by our city staff to travel across the world?
I am unpersuaded.
Why the mayor chose to post about that particular topic at that particular time is anyone's guess--perhaps she is buttering the city council up for massive funding of the sister city program in next year's budget.
Much like the PhD economics program at the University of Maryland, to which I was denied admission, the Sister Cities Program apparently has highly exclusive entry standards:
Sister Cities choose each other on the basis of one or more similar
demographic, characteristic, or historical ties and agree by ordinance to
participate.
Can you imagine how easy it must be to find a city with one thing in common with this city? I have to admit, if I was in charge of this program, there would be sister cities in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands (British, of course), St Lucia, Spain, Wisconsin (because I like cheese), and the lost city of Atlantis. And I would visit all the time. Why?:
They look to each other for assistance and advice on matters including
governance, healthcare, housing, and just about anything else facing a city
today.
We must be very well assisted and advised, because the Mayor's blog reports that we have 15 sister cities. This is double the 8 sister cities that I could find!
The mayor called the program "cultural mentoring", sharpening her keen command of misleading phrases.
"I believe that participating in these types of programs are the only way to appear more worldly, and convince foreigners that we are not racist", the mayor failed to say.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Mayor wishes to use the sister city program to strengthen its ties to its fifteen global partners.
Annapolis will continue to strengthen its ties to its fifteen global partners
through mutual visits, events, and exchanges of ideas and information. Through
these bonds Annapolis will further its Sister City mission of creating a force
for international cooperation and understanding through community involvement
and people-to-people relationships.
The sister city program is being administered with the zeal that should be applied to fighting crime. WHO CARES about sister cites, other than the people we pay to visit these places? Nobody will ever convince me that sister cities have provided us a solution to a city problem that we could not have found on our own. Heck, the highly read pages of this expert blog provide solutions all the time! Having one or two sister cites would be fine, even cute. But fifteen? With plans for more on the way? And continual time being spent by our city staff to travel across the world?
I am unpersuaded.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Mayor Moyer Seeks To Impose New Green Building Requirements
As reported, the mayor is seeking to impose new building requirements based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system:
Folks, this stuff is expensive. First, home prices will go up, as will commercial rents, which we will pay for in the form of higher prices. Also, we will no doubt have to fund another inspector in city government to make sure all of the buildings are meeting the new green code.
Conservatives are wary of all government spending to begin with, but we certainly demand that our taxes are used to actually accomplish the stated goal. In the case of reducing our carbon footprint, there is absolutely no way to enjoy such a guarantee.
There is certainly not consensus about climate warming. The very measurements we use to determine climate patterns may not be reliable, and even given a pattern of warming, the link between human effect on this warming is debated. It takes a great deal of arrogance to accept that a couple of generations of humans can alter the cyclical climate patterns that have been going on for tens of thousands of years. Aren't we still coming out of an ice age? For a great post on this subject, click here.
Liberals, especially Mayor Moyer, disregard any debate on the issue and accept the responsibility of humans to challenge mother nature as their divine birthright. And we pay the price. Think of how many small businesses will shut down because they cannot afford to implement the new designs. Now think of how they will feel in 50 years when it is determined that the LEED designs have no impact on climate change!
Such issues deserve consideration when so much of our money is being thrown at the "problem".
Mayor Ellen O. Moyer introduced a bill to City Council Monday
requiring all new construction and major renovations of any buildings greater
than 10,000 square feet meet green building standards set by the Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system. The move would make Annapolis one of the few areas in the region to demand such requirements.
Single-family homes also are included in the bill, requiring that all new
construction and major modifications to homes within the city meet at least the
lowest LEED standards, as well.
Folks, this stuff is expensive. First, home prices will go up, as will commercial rents, which we will pay for in the form of higher prices. Also, we will no doubt have to fund another inspector in city government to make sure all of the buildings are meeting the new green code.
Conservatives are wary of all government spending to begin with, but we certainly demand that our taxes are used to actually accomplish the stated goal. In the case of reducing our carbon footprint, there is absolutely no way to enjoy such a guarantee.
There is certainly not consensus about climate warming. The very measurements we use to determine climate patterns may not be reliable, and even given a pattern of warming, the link between human effect on this warming is debated. It takes a great deal of arrogance to accept that a couple of generations of humans can alter the cyclical climate patterns that have been going on for tens of thousands of years. Aren't we still coming out of an ice age? For a great post on this subject, click here.
Liberals, especially Mayor Moyer, disregard any debate on the issue and accept the responsibility of humans to challenge mother nature as their divine birthright. And we pay the price. Think of how many small businesses will shut down because they cannot afford to implement the new designs. Now think of how they will feel in 50 years when it is determined that the LEED designs have no impact on climate change!
Such issues deserve consideration when so much of our money is being thrown at the "problem".
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Does Anyone Like What The Administration Is Doing With Crime?
With a record number of homicides in the city this year, and 2 shootings in the past 2 days, you may be wondering what is happening with hiring new officers. The answer is nothing:
Upon returning from a 6 week voyage to Europe to develop Annapolis' sister city program, the mayor made a series of proclamations that were presumably aimed at reducing crime. The glaring omission in the city's crime plan is the refusal to commit the resources necessary to hiring a full compliment of officers.
We are bracing for as many as 6 or 7 retirements at the end of the year. One young officer will have his last day on Dec 9. he has been hired by a small PA dept. Still no hiring to speak of. In spite of what Will Scott said in the newspaper we are now 26Depending on who you ask, the responsibility for hiring police officers lies either with a particular officer in the police department, or with the human resources department. What is clear, is that there is little the city council can do about it.
officers short. Most all officers have been placed back in patrol. The NET unit
is gone, Foot patrol is now gone and Special operations is left with 3 officers.
CID detectives are handling cases at a volume not seen before. Anne Arundel County has a homicide unit with about 10 officers. they have had about 13 homicides. APD does not have a homicide unit and just investigated the 9th homicide.I don't know what is keeping the officers that are still here.
Upon returning from a 6 week voyage to Europe to develop Annapolis' sister city program, the mayor made a series of proclamations that were presumably aimed at reducing crime. The glaring omission in the city's crime plan is the refusal to commit the resources necessary to hiring a full compliment of officers.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Mayor Moyer Sends Message To Shropshire
In what can be described as a political power play, the Mayor is set to destroy months of propaganda and lobbying efforts by Sam Shropshire by passing a bill that supersedes his ban on plastic bags. Such a bill is not yet on the online agenda, but The Capital reports:
The mayor has been rather vigilant, at least on face, with her environmental concerns; Lord knows she's travelled the country and the wide world learning about climate change. But the timing of this is just too perfect. The plastic bag bill was first proposed in the summer, and the mayor waits until now to introduce a bill that would wipe out the ban?!! I refuse to be convinced that the idea just came to the mayor, nor that her motivation is anything but showing Alderman Shropshire that she still has control of the circus.
In this blog's estimation, this is the mayor's second stab at limiting the shock value of Alderman Sam's ban. She previously introduced a R-52-07, a bill that would increase fines for littering. While such an action was probably meant to address the ban, the mayor stumbled upon the proper logic on this issue. Much like liquor licenses cannot urinate on flower pots, plastic bags need human accomplices to do their harm. Memo: DEAL WITH THE PEOPLE!
Politically, this works out well for Alderman Cordle. He can seize the rare opportunity to find common ground with the mayor:
It will be an interesting night, and one with an early start: 6:30 on Monday. As always, anybody wishing to participate in a pre-meeting tailgate in Hillman Garage needs only to email me with what they are going to bring.
The mayor said she will introduce a revised version of the bill on Monday
that would instead establish an environmental review committee to tout the
city's greening efforts and encourage the review of residential and business
practices and policies.
"This is far broader than just the bags," she said. "It enlarges the
scope and is far more environmentally sensitive in a whole host of ways, setting
an example for the public."
If Ms. Moyer's revised version of the bill is approved by the Council on
Monday, it would replace Mr. Shropshire's bill.
The mayor has been rather vigilant, at least on face, with her environmental concerns; Lord knows she's travelled the country and the wide world learning about climate change. But the timing of this is just too perfect. The plastic bag bill was first proposed in the summer, and the mayor waits until now to introduce a bill that would wipe out the ban?!! I refuse to be convinced that the idea just came to the mayor, nor that her motivation is anything but showing Alderman Shropshire that she still has control of the circus.
In this blog's estimation, this is the mayor's second stab at limiting the shock value of Alderman Sam's ban. She previously introduced a R-52-07, a bill that would increase fines for littering. While such an action was probably meant to address the ban, the mayor stumbled upon the proper logic on this issue. Much like liquor licenses cannot urinate on flower pots, plastic bags need human accomplices to do their harm. Memo: DEAL WITH THE PEOPLE!
Politically, this works out well for Alderman Cordle. He can seize the rare opportunity to find common ground with the mayor:
Alderman David H. Cordle, R-Ward 5, said the citywide ban was not right for
Annapolis and he is encouraged by the alternate bill.
"I would support not doing the ban, but promoting education and
voluntary use [of reusable bags] ," he said. "People want the plastic bags. I
have many uses for them, I reuse them and others recycle them, but people want
them."
It will be an interesting night, and one with an early start: 6:30 on Monday. As always, anybody wishing to participate in a pre-meeting tailgate in Hillman Garage needs only to email me with what they are going to bring.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Public Bickering Continues
Mayor Moyer has been somewhat famously uncooperative when it comes to collaboration with other local jurisdictions. While we have have sister cities in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Estonia, Canada, and Brazil-- and a soon to be sister city in England--we have seen little cooperation with the county that surrounds us. Transportation, police, and fire are departments that could easily enjoy economies of scale savings, were they to be combined or partially merged.
Further complicating things, the Mayor is quite happy to nurture or destroy relationships by issuing press releases, although to be fair, she is not the only one that does this.
Most recently, the Mayor has been unsuccessful even to work with a quasi-governmental organization within the city limits: HACA. The Housing Authority's director, Eric Brown, perceived that he had no recourse but to debate the mayor publicly, and offered a rebuttal in a letter to The Capital:
As we see more examples of the Mayor's leadership style, there seems to be little cause for optimism. The mayor seems to be aloof or disinterested in tangible improvements to city life, yet shrewdly calculating in her image and perception of political performance. Hopefully we won't have to wait until 2009 to witness the reverse.
Further complicating things, the Mayor is quite happy to nurture or destroy relationships by issuing press releases, although to be fair, she is not the only one that does this.
Most recently, the Mayor has been unsuccessful even to work with a quasi-governmental organization within the city limits: HACA. The Housing Authority's director, Eric Brown, perceived that he had no recourse but to debate the mayor publicly, and offered a rebuttal in a letter to The Capital:
In a recent radio address as well as a letter to the editor, the mayor
indicated that there is a disagreement between herself and the Housing Authority
and that I, as its executive director, declined to attend a meeting on public
safety.
I do not know the source of the disagreement she referred to. But on
1 p.m. on Sept. 11, at the mayor's request, I met with the city attorney and the
chief of the Annapolis Police Department.
The meeting ended when the attendees agreed that there was no clarity as to
what was to be accomplished. It was further agreed that the city
attorney would take responsibility for consulting with the mayor and getting
clarity on what she expected the three of us to accomplish.
I have repeatedly attempted to get the mayor to chair a meeting of myself,
the police chief and the city attorney. Since July, I have asked the mayor to put aside whatever animosities and disagreements she believes exist between the Housing Authority and the city and chart a new direction based on cooperation and dialogue.
To date, she has refused to convene such a meeting. The mayor is
missing a great opportunity to show true leadership and crate bold new
initiatives that we all can get behind and support.
It's not in my general nature to engage in communication with others
through the media. But recent statements by the mayor grossly
misrepresented facts about me and the Housing Authority and should no longer go
unchallenged.
I will continue to reach out to the mayor and truly hope that we can find
common ground. It is in the best interest of all to do so.
As we see more examples of the Mayor's leadership style, there seems to be little cause for optimism. The mayor seems to be aloof or disinterested in tangible improvements to city life, yet shrewdly calculating in her image and perception of political performance. Hopefully we won't have to wait until 2009 to witness the reverse.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Don't Blame The Crime Data Messenger
Tom Corboy, a fairly active Republican (good thing) and Ward 1 resident (uhh, I think there's a house for sale on my street), wrote a letter to the editor chastising the unprofessionalism associated with the police chief calling Dennis Conti's crime report "crap":
It can only be with the approval of his immediate supervisor, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, that he continues to get away with shooting the messenger instead of dealing with the issues.
Yeah, the Moyer administration is not known for embracing citizen criticism.
But more importantly, why the need to include the mayor's middle initial? It happens all the time, and for what? There are only 2 people that have middle initials important enough to include when saying their name:
-Michael J. Fox
-George W. Bush
Why do they continue to demean those who put forth well-meaning and well-thought-out ideas.
Much like Mrs. Politics when I asked her if she would theoretically prefer a "big ol' engagement ring", I have no answer*.
*(Truth be told, when Mrs. Politics was asked the above question, her response was "certainly not old". Uh-oh.)
Could it be, as the chief suggests, "just politics"--rather than a credible discussion of crime statistics, and the very real impact they represent on the quality of life in Annapolis?
As the writer suggests (believe me: he suggests this--I read the whole letter), the report is not 'political trash'. The claims made are appropriate for a concerned citizen.
Only one modification to Mr. Corboy's letter, with regards to the following statement:
The residents of Annapolis are ready and willing to pay for public safety.
Negative. WE HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR IT! AND WE DON'T HAVE IT! WHY DON'T WE HAVE IT? AND WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?
It can only be with the approval of his immediate supervisor, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, that he continues to get away with shooting the messenger instead of dealing with the issues.
Yeah, the Moyer administration is not known for embracing citizen criticism.
But more importantly, why the need to include the mayor's middle initial? It happens all the time, and for what? There are only 2 people that have middle initials important enough to include when saying their name:
-Michael J. Fox
-George W. Bush
Why do they continue to demean those who put forth well-meaning and well-thought-out ideas.
Much like Mrs. Politics when I asked her if she would theoretically prefer a "big ol' engagement ring", I have no answer*.
*(Truth be told, when Mrs. Politics was asked the above question, her response was "certainly not old". Uh-oh.)
Could it be, as the chief suggests, "just politics"--rather than a credible discussion of crime statistics, and the very real impact they represent on the quality of life in Annapolis?
As the writer suggests (believe me: he suggests this--I read the whole letter), the report is not 'political trash'. The claims made are appropriate for a concerned citizen.
Only one modification to Mr. Corboy's letter, with regards to the following statement:
The residents of Annapolis are ready and willing to pay for public safety.
Negative. WE HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR IT! AND WE DON'T HAVE IT! WHY DON'T WE HAVE IT? AND WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Travel Update: Mayor Moyer
Mayor Ellen is still touring Europe, and has updated her blog with accounts of the two most recent cities she has visited.
The mayor started her blog around the time she went on this trip, and thus far it has mainly served as a travel guide, along with some peculiarities of history regarding her various destinations.
Even so, if this blog failed to comment on the mayor's blog, it would drop to the ranking of, perhaps, only the 200th most popular political blog in Ward 5. Wanting to maintain the popularity of this URL, I have selected 2 items for presentation:
-The mayor of Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales, is named Barry Onions. Barry Onions! I have a long day planned for today, and I expect to be stressed out--albeit ever so slightly. When this happens, I will say "Barry Onions" 10 times to myself, and surely people will be asking why I have a goofy grin on my face. I mean, just listen to this excerpt:
Today there is a bird habitat nearby. Two swans have finally returned to the area. Mayor Onion would like more.
Laugh out loud!! Are we characters in a Harry Potter book?!! I am sort of a weird person, but I can't help but believe that even the more 'normal' of the people amongst us find this amusing.
-The mayor visited Wexford, Ireland, which appears to be the hometown of Naval Commodore John Barry. She had this to say:
The mayor started her blog around the time she went on this trip, and thus far it has mainly served as a travel guide, along with some peculiarities of history regarding her various destinations.
Even so, if this blog failed to comment on the mayor's blog, it would drop to the ranking of, perhaps, only the 200th most popular political blog in Ward 5. Wanting to maintain the popularity of this URL, I have selected 2 items for presentation:
-The mayor of Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales, is named Barry Onions. Barry Onions! I have a long day planned for today, and I expect to be stressed out--albeit ever so slightly. When this happens, I will say "Barry Onions" 10 times to myself, and surely people will be asking why I have a goofy grin on my face. I mean, just listen to this excerpt:
Today there is a bird habitat nearby. Two swans have finally returned to the area. Mayor Onion would like more.
Laugh out loud!! Are we characters in a Harry Potter book?!! I am sort of a weird person, but I can't help but believe that even the more 'normal' of the people amongst us find this amusing.
-The mayor visited Wexford, Ireland, which appears to be the hometown of Naval Commodore John Barry. She had this to say:
The Mayor wonders why Annapolis doesn’t do more to recognize this Naval hero. John Barry served with George Washington in our war for independence and was listed as #1 in the American Navy.
__
First, you may be wondering why the mayor refers to herself in the third person. This actually is not unexpected, as we have learned that the mayor does not actually make her own blog posts. Somebody else likely wrote this, and therefore would refer to the mayor as "the mayor" and not "I".
__
Second, this is how AP interprets the above quote:
__
"The mayor wonders if she can spend money, or create a position in city government, based loosely on John Barry. Early ideas include statues or a museum, but all opportunities are being explored.
__
I wouldn't be surprised if John Barry appeared in the budget for FY 2009.
__
I look forward to her next post!
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Mayor Is Angry!
Mayor Moyer has written a letter to the editor, either by hand-writing a letter and mailing it across the Atlantic or by faxing it to her Annapolis office and having the public information officer send it (which is how she writes her blog.)
The Mayor is, apparently, fired up about 2 things: The Capital's coverage of her proposed salary increases and Dick Israel's contradiction of her on this issue.
Basically, Mr. Israel headed a commission to study aldermen and mayor salaries before he became an alderman. The mayor frequently refers to the findings of this commission in defense of her submitting the bill.
So says she:
Regarding The Capital's so-called salary increases for the City Council:
The mayor is actually correct here: the proposed bill would actually lower the mayor's salary by $5000 and the aldermen salaries by $600 for FY 2007. The problems are:
1. the aldermen would get a $1500 expense account "solely for training", that (i'm pretty sure) they don't have now. this in and of itself is not a terribly huge deal, but it is against city code as well as unconstitutional in the state of maryland to raise compensation of current officials--i.e. for FY 2007...........
Every four years a commission reviews compensation issues for the aldermen and the mayor.
...and 2. her proposed bill would eliminate this commission and automatically tie pay increases to rates of inflation.
Richard Israel chaired a commission in 2004 for the the 2005 council. The commission recommended:
-Increasing the compensation of the mayor and aldermen.
-Providing education money for aldermen to attend conferences.
Additionally, the commission considered providing fringe benefits similar to those received by city employees.
I can all but guarantee that the commission did not recommend the current council making these changes for themselves. I have requested a copy of the commission report from Mr. Israel, so I can make that guarantee.
The 2004 City Council accepted these recommendations and the raises and education money was provided for in 2005-2006.
Excellent. Kudos to them for following the city code.
Attorneys, including Mr. Israel, advised that providing fringe benefits could only be implemented with a change in the City Charter's language. As the mayor charged with carrying out policies recommended by the council, I asked some months ago that appropriate language be drafted to provide for fringe benefits, which does include cost-of-living increases. That is the responsibility of the mayor.
I HATE this...she says this kind of stuff all the time: 'I am just following up on something that started earlier', 'This is what the mayor does', 'This is out of my control', 'This is what has always happened--this is nothing new'. Take your pick. Nothing that goes wrong or is controversial is ever her fault.
And, since when is it written in stone that the mayor must implement the recommendations of any given panel? Here is what I imagine to be the mayor's list of the top 5 things that are written in stone, and therefore must be followed and cannot be changed.
1. The 10 Commandments (I don't know the mayor's religious beliefs, but since the 'written in stone' reference came from this, I decided to give respect where respect is due.)
2. Dick Israel City Compensation Report
3. Cliff Notes: How to Throw a 'Michigan' Party
4. The Communist Manifesto (a little extreme, I know, but I am a little cranky as a result of the humidity)
5. Union Contract with Police
...
...
...
...
123. Annapolis City Code
The bill was introduced in December 2006 and referred to the Rules and City Government Committee, chaired by Mr. Israel, where it languished.
Ooohhh....testy! "Languished"? That was a bit unnecessary. Most committees take time to research their bills, and you and I both know that Mr. Israel is purposely deliberate because he wants to gather ALL the facts. I bet that it was in committee a reasonable amount of time.
This council has determined not to pursue these changes.
Because they do not want to challenge the Constitution of the State of Maryland.
Unbelievable. We can't observe body language or tone of voice, but it seems to me that the mayor is upset about this, in utter disregard (or ignorance) of the Maryland Constitution.
The issue will be left to the next commission, which will be appointed in 2008, to consider.
And what do you think about this? Because your bill would have ended this process. Oops..you forgot that part, didn't you?
Therefore, this is no longer an issue.
Nor was it an issue before you introduced the new bill and made it an issue. Also, that's the beauty of having one of the top 150 political blogs in Ward 5--you can talk about anything you want at any time!
More importantly, if we--the taxpaying citizens--want to talk about this, then it is an issue!! Loyal readers, can you start to see where a lot of us political junkies are coming from? The mayor is too good, too well informed, and too busy to listen to our petty and mundane complaints. "Therefore, this is no longer an issue"....who are you to decide? What arrogance.
Your editorial, however, with anonymous statements fanning the issue, defied the standards you set for yourself regarding letters to the editor. This kind of journalism fosters division on the community and does not serve the public good.
ELLEN MOYER, Mayor, Annapolis
I suppose that the Mayor has the same right as anybody else to write a letter to the editor. But, I tend to think that her whining and grandstanding in this letter do not serve the public good either. I would much prefer if elected officials wrote only informational letters, for example if the newspaper omitted an important fact, etc.
The editorial that the Mayor is talking about (unless there was another editorial that I missed), along with some excellent commentary, can be found on this site by clicking here. If you are only concerned with what the editorial says, read only the bold font. If you are concerned with wit, humor, and overall excellence, read the normal type as well.
I personally could not identify any "anonymous statements fanning the issue"--I actually don't know what that means so I just looked for one of those smiley faces you can write using a cell phone text message, along with any type of fan. Both searches yielded no results.
The point of an editorial is that the editorial board gives their opinion. You know who it is; it's the editorial board at The Capital. Although they appear to have gotten the figures wrong as to the amount of the compensation changes (or maybe they were quoting an earlier version of the bill), the editorial doesn't appear to be the "kind of journalism (that) fosters division on the community and does not serve the public good."
It is my hope that this blog will serve the public good, so keep reading!
The Mayor is, apparently, fired up about 2 things: The Capital's coverage of her proposed salary increases and Dick Israel's contradiction of her on this issue.
Basically, Mr. Israel headed a commission to study aldermen and mayor salaries before he became an alderman. The mayor frequently refers to the findings of this commission in defense of her submitting the bill.
So says she:
Regarding The Capital's so-called salary increases for the City Council:
The mayor is actually correct here: the proposed bill would actually lower the mayor's salary by $5000 and the aldermen salaries by $600 for FY 2007. The problems are:
1. the aldermen would get a $1500 expense account "solely for training", that (i'm pretty sure) they don't have now. this in and of itself is not a terribly huge deal, but it is against city code as well as unconstitutional in the state of maryland to raise compensation of current officials--i.e. for FY 2007...........
Every four years a commission reviews compensation issues for the aldermen and the mayor.
...and 2. her proposed bill would eliminate this commission and automatically tie pay increases to rates of inflation.
Richard Israel chaired a commission in 2004 for the the 2005 council. The commission recommended:
-Increasing the compensation of the mayor and aldermen.
-Providing education money for aldermen to attend conferences.
Additionally, the commission considered providing fringe benefits similar to those received by city employees.
I can all but guarantee that the commission did not recommend the current council making these changes for themselves. I have requested a copy of the commission report from Mr. Israel, so I can make that guarantee.
The 2004 City Council accepted these recommendations and the raises and education money was provided for in 2005-2006.
Excellent. Kudos to them for following the city code.
Attorneys, including Mr. Israel, advised that providing fringe benefits could only be implemented with a change in the City Charter's language. As the mayor charged with carrying out policies recommended by the council, I asked some months ago that appropriate language be drafted to provide for fringe benefits, which does include cost-of-living increases. That is the responsibility of the mayor.
I HATE this...she says this kind of stuff all the time: 'I am just following up on something that started earlier', 'This is what the mayor does', 'This is out of my control', 'This is what has always happened--this is nothing new'. Take your pick. Nothing that goes wrong or is controversial is ever her fault.
And, since when is it written in stone that the mayor must implement the recommendations of any given panel? Here is what I imagine to be the mayor's list of the top 5 things that are written in stone, and therefore must be followed and cannot be changed.
1. The 10 Commandments (I don't know the mayor's religious beliefs, but since the 'written in stone' reference came from this, I decided to give respect where respect is due.)
2. Dick Israel City Compensation Report
3. Cliff Notes: How to Throw a 'Michigan' Party
4. The Communist Manifesto (a little extreme, I know, but I am a little cranky as a result of the humidity)
5. Union Contract with Police
...
...
...
...
123. Annapolis City Code
The bill was introduced in December 2006 and referred to the Rules and City Government Committee, chaired by Mr. Israel, where it languished.
Ooohhh....testy! "Languished"? That was a bit unnecessary. Most committees take time to research their bills, and you and I both know that Mr. Israel is purposely deliberate because he wants to gather ALL the facts. I bet that it was in committee a reasonable amount of time.
This council has determined not to pursue these changes.
Because they do not want to challenge the Constitution of the State of Maryland.
Unbelievable. We can't observe body language or tone of voice, but it seems to me that the mayor is upset about this, in utter disregard (or ignorance) of the Maryland Constitution.
The issue will be left to the next commission, which will be appointed in 2008, to consider.
And what do you think about this? Because your bill would have ended this process. Oops..you forgot that part, didn't you?
Therefore, this is no longer an issue.
Nor was it an issue before you introduced the new bill and made it an issue. Also, that's the beauty of having one of the top 150 political blogs in Ward 5--you can talk about anything you want at any time!
More importantly, if we--the taxpaying citizens--want to talk about this, then it is an issue!! Loyal readers, can you start to see where a lot of us political junkies are coming from? The mayor is too good, too well informed, and too busy to listen to our petty and mundane complaints. "Therefore, this is no longer an issue"....who are you to decide? What arrogance.
Your editorial, however, with anonymous statements fanning the issue, defied the standards you set for yourself regarding letters to the editor. This kind of journalism fosters division on the community and does not serve the public good.
ELLEN MOYER, Mayor, Annapolis
I suppose that the Mayor has the same right as anybody else to write a letter to the editor. But, I tend to think that her whining and grandstanding in this letter do not serve the public good either. I would much prefer if elected officials wrote only informational letters, for example if the newspaper omitted an important fact, etc.
The editorial that the Mayor is talking about (unless there was another editorial that I missed), along with some excellent commentary, can be found on this site by clicking here. If you are only concerned with what the editorial says, read only the bold font. If you are concerned with wit, humor, and overall excellence, read the normal type as well.
I personally could not identify any "anonymous statements fanning the issue"--I actually don't know what that means so I just looked for one of those smiley faces you can write using a cell phone text message, along with any type of fan. Both searches yielded no results.
The point of an editorial is that the editorial board gives their opinion. You know who it is; it's the editorial board at The Capital. Although they appear to have gotten the figures wrong as to the amount of the compensation changes (or maybe they were quoting an earlier version of the bill), the editorial doesn't appear to be the "kind of journalism (that) fosters division on the community and does not serve the public good."
It is my hope that this blog will serve the public good, so keep reading!
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