Skip to main content

Gossip Guys

Yesterday, journalism. Today, the rumor mill. No, not that Rumor Mill. This rumor mill:

Rumor mill -- noun phrase
The source of rumors, especially those that seem to be deliberately passed along.
Wednesday evening a former OMCA board member showed up with the stunning news that Michael McCall had resigned from the Inner Arbor Trust. Oh, and would they like to consider Cy Paumier's plan again?
They declined.
Still, that was pretty troubling news. What could it possibly mean that Michael McCall was leaving the Inner Arbor Trust? By the next day similar stories were swirling around town--Mr. McCall had resigned, Mr. McCall had been fired, and a lot of other things that don't bear repeating.
There's just one thing. Michael McCall hasn't resigned from the Inner Arbor Trust, nor has he been fired or anything else of the sort. But someone, or rather someone(s), wanted the Columbia community to believe that he had. To sow doubt. To create discord.
"Michael McCall has resigned! Now's the time to redo the plan!"
Now who would stand to benefit from that?
By the end of the day, our rumor-mongering had reached fever pitch when a member of the CA Board tried to pass off the same story as truth at their regular board meeting. This same member is on the Inner Arbor Trust Board and is known to oppose the plan.
Hmm...I wonder how this rumor got started.
Could it be there are still grumpy people out there waiting for just the right opportunity to destroy the Inner Arbor Plan for Merriwether Park in Symphony Woods and seize control 'for Rouse, for Columbla Pioneers, and for Cy Paumier?' It seems that there are.
And this week they outed themselves in a big way.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more