Village Green/Town²

Meanwhile, back at the Board of Ed... The numbers are in for the Jump Start program and folks are concerned that it will not reduce overcrowding in a meaningful way. Overcrowding is a serious issue. Parents are right to have concerns. However... I’ve seen quite a bit of online posturing about how the Superintendent and BOE “caved” when it came to making the tough decisions on redistricting. Oh, please. We spent a summer of protest: sign-making, t-shirting wearing anger and rabble-rousing. Post after post dripping with thinly veiled racism. NIMBY-ism at its finest. People waving their property values around. Members of the community impugning the intent of the AAC. In short, our foray into possible redistricting showed a truly ugly side to Howard County that many of us are still trying to shake from our minds. Throughout this entire debacle, the saner voices suggesting we should all pull together and make this transition work for our children (and everyone’s children) were...

This unusual fundraising pitch is making the rounds on Twitter. Is this for real? Could this be any more poorly written? What on earth is going on in this photo? And how did County Executive Allan Kittleman get involved with this bunch? I’m all questions and no answers this morning. Well, maybe one answer. I’m sure that the Montgomery County GOP doesn’t use ScottE because he’d never allow this kind of train wreck to go live on social media. Sheesh. Have something to add? https://www.facebook.com/VillageGreenTownSquared/?ref=bookmarks

Just keep going. Keep finding things to be interested in. Keep being curious. Don’t lose your passion. Don’t take yourself too seriously, though. Keep your sense of humor. Just keep going. Make sure you know the backstory, but don’t get mired in the past. Don’t be afraid to get excited by the new, but take a good hard look at what it means. Just keep going. Listen to people’s stories. Listen to what they’re not saying. Look for the unspoken connections. Figure out what the important questions are. Ask them. Just keep going. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Try to make your community a better place. Don’t forget to have fun. Happy Birthday, Wordbones.

A few things to clear up this morning. So far I have had two responses to my letter to the CA Board the other day. One from CA President Milton Matthews and one from River Hill Rep Chao Wu. I appreciate their prompt replies. As I only received three entries into my “caption this photograph” contest (really, folks?) I’m going to reward all three of them for taking the initiative to enter. Look for more news on that in an upcoming post. Candidate for County Executive Calvin Ball had a meet and greet event yesterday at Club Pooche. If you think candidates are only interested in shaking hands or kissing babies, think again. Pols with pups may be the wave of the future. And possibly fewer germs were being spread during flu season—a win for everyone, I’d say. County Council member Jon Weinstein is running ads on Facebook asking “How Would You Make Howard County Better?” Do you have any suggestions for him? Looking forward and asking for input from constituents is great. It’s also ...

The first Cosmopolitan is the declaration that it is, at long last, Date Night. The second one is an indication that I have lost all good sense and I will feel like hell in the morning.  All righty, then. I want to ask you all a favor this morning. I have received an email from a local student. This year I am taking a journalism class online, and am covering the water main breaks in the city for a news story.  I was directed to your blog by my journalism instructor who thought that you might be able to put me in contact with local business owners or others who have been affected.   I have spoken with some business owners in Baltimore whose businesses shut down because of water main breaks.  If you could point me to a business in Columbia that was affected, that would be best.  I heard from the utilities director in Howard County that the issue here was majorly residential so I am having trouble identifying businesses that were affected.  I do not...

Dear Columbia Association, I’m writing on behalf of funding for pathways in Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods. A lot of people think of the Columbia Association as the pools, parks, and pathways people. But we know it’s so much more. CA means listening to and responding to residents, enhancing quality of life, and connecting people to the best their community has to offer. The last part is so important to me, because I’m from Oakland Mills and, as you may know, our slogan is: we value connections. My CA Rep Ginny Thomas certainly knows how important making connections is. She reached out to her constituents for feedback on the budget, and so here is mine. The last time I came to CA Headquarters was for meeting of the Inner Arbor Trust with the CA Board. Although I was only present for part of the meeting, in the brief time I was there I heard at least three people express support for the park and make the case for improved pathways. They were speaking on behalf ...

This weekend you have the opportunity to see an amazing, one-woman show that is the true story of one woman’s journey through the horrors of the Holocaust. Her name was Helen Lewis. She was a dancer. The play, “A Time To Speak” is an adaptation by Sam McCready of a book by the late Helen Lewis and is performed by actress Joan McCready. Mrs. Lewis spent her postwar life in Northern Ireland. From her obituary in the Belfast Telegraph: Having made a new life in Belfast she became involved in dance teaching, choreography and enjoyed a long association with the Lyric Theatre. It is through the Lyric Theatre that the McCreadys met Mrs. Lewis and became lifelong friends. In 2009, shortly before Lewis’s death, Maryland-based director/actor husband and wife Sam and Joan McCready premiered a dramatisation of  A Time to Speak . It takes the form of an extended monologue, in which the words of the writer are given voice by Joan, adapted and directed by Sam. On many levels, this wa...

I am not a political blogger. I am a community blogger, and, for the most part, I don’t enjoy campaign seasons. There’s too much posturing. It’s hard to tell what is genuine involvement and what is artifice. People who once appeared to be relatively normal now seem to be selling something. Some candidates attend events to be informed, others to be photographed for use on social media. Participation in our political process is incredibly important. But sometimes as I watch it seems to be too much of a charade. There are other bloggers who will do analysis or statistics. You’ll almost always find me covering the odd human interest story buried behind the headlines. For instance, why are so many Democratic candidates wearing green neckties this year? It seems to be a trend. Public service is an honorable calling. “Politics”, when it comes to the long haul of campaigning, can be the ugly side of the process that makes many of us, including the candidates themselves, wonder if it’s wo...

I’m going to blather here for a bit. You can be sure I’ll be writing a more complete post about this in the near future, but this will have to do for now. I’ve been pondering Governor Larry Hogan’s proposal for an Inspector General of Education in Maryland. We have recently gone through some very hard times with our school system where having such an office would have made it much easier to get to the bottom of some long standing problems. And I know some very good people locally who support Governor Hogan’s proposal. And yet. I can’t look at this proposal in a vacuum. It comes from the same Governor who has given credence to school vouchers and school privatization, both of which weaken public education. And this is the very same Governor who called teachers “union thugs”. That’s my husband he’s talking about. My friends. My daughter’s teachers. When I hold this concept of an Inspector General in one hand, all by itself, it appears to have merit. I can see what prompted it. ...

I’ve heard some rumors over the weekend that some of the recently ousted (by popular vote) BOE members may be considering getting into the upcoming race. I must say that I hope this is merely idle gossip. And, should these rumors have any basis in truth, I propose this question: Yes, that’s me, outside the Board of Ed. It’s also me, using a rudimentary photo-editing app. Any former BOE members entering the race should expect this and many other uncomfortable questions to be asked. Considering that not one of them ever answered such questions adequately while in office, I don’t see a way that they would do so now. “By their fruits you shall know them.” When you realize that the actions of our former Board were part of the inspiration for Governor Hogan proposing an Education Inspector General for Maryland Public Schools, the thought that these individuals might be considering a return to public life boggles the mind. Again, this might be nothing but a rumor. I sure hope so. ...

I direct your attention to a post by the River Hill CA Rep, Dr.Chao Wu, about Thursday’s CA Budget Hearing. It’s relatively short. You can find it here . First of all, on the appearance of Cy Paumier and his crowd trying to undo, destroy, start over and think small for Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods: I. Can’t. Even. Enough already. People are already enjoying the park. They are excited about the next phases. Just imagine what you could do with all your spare time if you weren’t dedicated to wrecking the next generation’s dreams. Shame on you. Columbia was always meant to be about dreaming big dreams but you all want to clench it in your fist and put it in your pocket if things don’t go your way. Ahem. Secondly, look at the accompanying photo in the post. Enlarge it if you wish. How many people of color do you see? And specifically, how many African Americans? How many people under the aged of forty? Fifty? Look at this photograph. Look, and don’t look away. What you se...

School System Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano is not happy. And it takes a lot for him to be unhappy. Twenty-two million dollars, to be precise. Look at my budget presentation to the BOE. I am chagrined that I have inherited a budget with a structural shortfall of $22 M. This is WRONG! I will be seeking help to address a problem that many of us did NOT create & one which is hurting our students & employees. #NotHappy When I first read this I thought that perhaps the good doctor had been hacked or that I was looking at a parody account. This doesn’t sound much like the relentlessly positive voice we are used to hearing from the Superintendent. It concerns me. If you followed the BOE campaign, which saw an overwhelming desire for change in leadership, then you are probably well-acquainted with the lack of transparency, responsiveness, and accountability that motivated voters to show up at the polls. And if you listened to campaign statements you are aware of the concern...

I present for your edification this morning a letter to the Howard County Times: Mr. Mercado is incensed that there is a difference between the online article and the print article about pay raises for the County Council and County Executive. He notes that a quote from Allan Kittleman is in the online version, but not included in the print edition. Mr. Mercado feels that this particular quote is key to the understanding of the issue as a whole. The quote: “County Council folks should have jobs outside and not use their Council job as their main source of income, because I think that causes problems,” Kittleman told the Commission. “So I would urge you strongly not to increase anybody’s salaries. I think we’re all doing fine.” Here’s the thing. I don’t think I would have omitted this particular quote, but Mr. Mercado thinks that this was not an oversight or a poor choice in editing. He thinks it was done with malice aforethought. He assures the reader that this was done deli...

Sorry, folks, I’m in the thick of writing student reports and my brain doesn’t have enough space left over to construct a meaningful blog post. I do have several things I am working on, including: HCPSS budget issues Tuesday’s APFO Meeting And, of course, the perennial favorite, why you should run for your village board or as a CA rep. Yes, you. I’m hoping to get something more substantial up tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Scott Ewart of Scott E’s Blog was on a roll yesterday with campaign finance reports, if that’s your thing. You can take a look here .

In what seems like a lifetime ago, I worked for CA’s Department School-aged Services doing aftercare, first at Waterloo Elementary, then, at Longfellow. While at Longfellow I attended a mandatory training on emergency response procedures. It was an entire evening after what was probably a long work day for everyone. It was difficult to wrap our brains around the concept of what we would do if we had to go on lockdown or evacuate the school with children in our care and possibility be in charge of them for several days. I know I just wanted to deny it was even possible. Yes, I knew weather events could be unpredictable. And I knew we lived in a world where things like 9/11could happen. But, as the evening wore on with handouts and power point presentation slides, a part of me began to shut down. Why are we doing this? When are we ever going to use this? After the false alarm in Hawaii this past weekend, a parent asked the following question on Facebook: Does anyone know what the...

This Christmas my sister and brother-in-law received a subscription to Ancestry.com. My sister has been filling me in as she goes deeper and deeper into our family’s past. It has been fascinating. And fun. Until I opened this email: Learned today that we have slave owners on Mother's side.  I found the record that actually listed all of them by name and age.  Also learned that we have a Captain in the Confederate Army in our past.  We found a letter from Mimi that said that we had someone in our past who was there when Lee surrendered at Appomattox.  Maybe that was the same guy.  All the Rylees in the history of the country are all relatives of ours. When we are done, I will send you the entire tree.   My ancestors enslaved and exploited the labor of other human beings. There it was. I couldn’t put the possibility out of my consciousness any longer. I’ve known that a part of my family was from the South. I knew I had ancestors who fought o...

Most of us were probably asleep at 2:30 am on Saturday when the roof collapsed at Merriweather Post Pavillion. The pictures were all over social media yesterday. If you haven’t seen them, here’s a link  to the Merriweather Facebook page. I know there are more out there but, as I didn’t take them myself, I’d rather not share here without the photographer’s permission. A quick Google search will most likely yield a number of images. It’s difficult for me to look at these images without having some kind of emotional response. The stage area looks so naked and helpless. The iconic outline of the structure that has defined so many of our summers is suddenly just—gone. Merriweather isn’t merely a structure in our community. It’s almost like a member of the family, a friend. Seth Hurwitz of I.M.P. was quick to release a statement assuring the public that Merriweather will be rebuilt and ready for the 2018 season. That’s got to be a huge financial commitment on top of what already ha...

I just received a suggestion from Facebook that I spend from twenty to forty dollars promoting this morning’s blog post. Apparently it’s doing better than many similar posts on my page. For just $40 I could reach up to 3800 people! This is the post to which they referred: Good to know, Facebook. My absence of a blogpost might be the next big thing. I could be more well-known for not writing than anything I have actually written. If that isn’t a reason to ponder cultivating a little humility, then I don’t know what is. This entire episode put me in mind of the concept of influence. Who would we say exerts influence over how we think or take action in Columbia/Howard County? Who are our “influencers”? It was certainly interesting to see the County Executive and HCPSS exchange Very Public Letters to one another this week. It seems likely that Mr. Kittleman chose this method of communication not because his telephone was broken or that his office was out of stamps. For some reas...

Several times a week I treat myself on the way to work by stopping in at the Burtonsville Dunkin Donuts. The employees there have come to know me. I pretty much have a standing order. A large coffee, just cream, and a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with just a little bit of cream cheese. In warmer weather it’s iced coffee. These folks are so good that they put my bagel in the toaster when I walk in the door. I smile at them. They smile at me. I tell them how great they are at what they do. I really love that little place. Yesterday I learned something that may just change my morning coffee routine, however. Here’s the news from OMCA Chair Jonathan Edelson:   Now, we are pleased to announce and welcome a new merchant to the Village Center. Oakland Mills will be the home of a Dunkin Donuts in the former Columbia Bank building across from The Other Barn!    This is huge news for the Oakland Mills Village Center. It’s not simply about filling a vacant spac...

Have you seen the video ? You know, that crazy clip where a teacher is pushed to the ground and handcuffed for speaking out at a public meeting? Outrageous, right? It didn’t happen in Howard County, thank goodness. Although I will note that our former Superintendent of Schools increased security protection towards the end of her tenure with the school system. And there was that incident with a Howard County parent speaking out about Common Core at a meeting in Baltimore County... Here’s the deal. I am wondering how much the race of the teacher in the (now viral) video affects how we view it. If she had been a person of color, would white viewers feel the same indignation on her behalf? I think teachers would ‘have her back’ no matter what, because the issue of low teacher pay vs. high administrative costs runs deep in the teaching community. But I wonder if the public response would now be qualified.  “She didn’t do as she was told.” “She didn’t need to be so angry.” “...

Two recommended reads for today: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system totally fails them How ‘Not in My Backyard’ Became ‘Not in My Neighborhood’ The first is from 2015 and rather long, but it still has some lessons for us in car-bound Columbia. If you make it to the end you’ll find that the offer is recommending a service for sensiors that sounds an awful lot like NeighborRide . The second outlines the evolution of how homeowners have come to view a sense of legal ownership of the areas surrounding their homes. I found it both informative and fascinating. See if you can see parallels to how we live in Howard County. In closing, I am going out in a limb and making the assumption that none of my readers were the ones heaping verbal abuse on the school system for declaring a two hour delay yesterday morning. There was plenty of slipping and sliding even with two hours to bring the temperature up. Whether we agree with their decisions or not, I hope we un...

Welcome to “I don’t feel like it” Tuesday. You’d think that a two hour delay would have produced something deep and/or eloquent, but it has not. Meanwhile, I stumbled upon an interesting conversation on Twitter last night that I thought was worth sharing. It started with this statement: Something I wish more people would realise is how alienating it is to be poor/broke when you have financially stable/comfortable friends. Then, the following separate conversation took place: Why you tweet my life like that?      Living in Howard county is all the experience you need for this one. Like sh** though! Friends going to Columbia mall every weekend to shop and go out to eat and the movies and I only had money for the movie. Meanwhile they had their parents credit card.      Smh but you not suppose to worry about that, bullsh**. why wouldn't I worry about me being the only one not having fun. we all running the same race but we don't start in the same...

The director of the high school musical theatre production gave a speech at Saturday’s parent meeting that was worth saving. And sharing. It was about photographs and video recordings during live performances. There is a legal aspect, of course. The school does not have license for any recording or sharing of those recordings. Any school found in violation could be subject to legal action. It could be difficult to get the rights to perform future productions. But her point was far deeper than the legal considerations. She talked about mindfulness and of the joy of live theatre being completely in the moment. The students have worked so long to get to that point, and they are pouring their all into that particular performance. It is our gift to them to be fully present in that moment, and to receive that gift. Holding up electronic devices to “capture” that moment changes and dilutes that gift. It also (negatively) affects the experience of those around you in the theater. There ...

I overslept. I normally wake up around five am and get to work on the blog. I awoke at seven thirty this morning and I seem to have slept right through the window of opportunity that allows my brain to do this crazy thing that I do each morning. Here are a few snippets to think about today. Lisa Markovitz of The People’s Voice notes the following: Hoco locals - take a look at Council Resolution 10 introduced by the new chair, Sigaty. Some procedural changes are good but it eliminates the 5 minute testimony allowance for a group representative.  #hocopolitics Len Foxwell, Chief off Staff for State Comptroller Peter Franchot, has written a piece for the Maryland Daily Record responding to an earlier commentary criticizing Mr. Franchot’s craft beer reform initiative. I’m generally in favor of this initiative, but something about Mr. Foxwell’s piece rubbed me the wrong way. It will surely cause those who are already convinced of the merits of this reform to clap each other on ...

Plans for updating the Hickory Ridge Village Center are back in the news again. Friend and local blogger Harry Schwarz shared his testimony with me and I’m going to share it here to kick off some discussion. I must say that his perspective is not the one that I see most vocally espoused on social media. That doesn’t mean it is without merit, however. He raises some issues that are worth looking into. Testimony to the Howard County Planning Board Hickory Ridge Village Center (ZB1119M) January 4, 2018 My name is Harry Schwarz, from 11668 Dark Fire Way, in the Clary’s Forest Neighborhood of Hickory Ridge. I also blog at HoCoMD.cc. I support the Kimco proposal. The people opposed to it want to keep things as they are, without acknowledging the changing world that we must grow into. They want to allow no growth, even as Howard County added 4,700 residents just last year (according to DPZ). Furthermore, the county is expected to grow by 14% between 2010 and 2035, an increase of about ...

True confession time: I am afraid of the cold. Extreme cold, that is. Not your ordinary, run of the mill, seasonal winter chill. But the thought of going out in bitter cold temperatures actually stirs up feelings of legitimate fear inside me. Today as I contemplate bundling up and going to work, I feel a sense of dread. Most of us have had brushes with serious cold during our lives. For me it was that day in the second grade when we stood at the bus stop in a snowstorm and the bus didn’t come. Or it was late. I can’t remember. I just remember clutching my book bag as I tried not to cry in front of the bigger kids. Then there was the time my dad forgot to pick me up after a rehearsal, that night in New Haven when I couldn’t get a cab to come pick me up, the winter my landlord took his sweet time fixing our broken heating system. The memory of being that cold stays with you. And, perhaps now that I am older, I am more prone to avoidance. I read recommendations on how to wear layers, ...

First of all: Happy New Year! I don’t believe I remembered to pass along my good wishes to you, my loyal readers. May it be a good one, full of love, joy, meaningful work and just enough time to get out there and make “some good trouble” in the community to make our world a better place. I was briefly stunned by the announcement that schools are closed today. Yesterday was my first day back. I didn’t even have time to adjust to the old workday routine! In a way I am grateful, because the brutally cold temperatures make it impossible to get the kind of outdoor play that young children so desperately need. In a perfect world all schools will have large and amply-equipped indoor playgrounds. Just a thought. Happy Four Year Anniversary to Scott E’s Blog ! He combined his affinity for stats and an interest in local politics with a zest for social media and created something new with his Social Media Scorecards for local candidates. I imagine he’s getting pretty excited with the next el...

I’m going to do two things today that I generally try to limit as much as possible. The first is copy and paste. And the second is to ask for money. For your consideration: On the early morning of January 1, 2018, we experienced a New Year that we will never forget. Lawrence Aaron III attended a NYE party in Severn, MD with his friends and was struck in the back by a stray bullet fired from an unidentified party goer. The bullet hit Lawrence in the thoracic spine and has resulted in paralysis from the waist down. Our family is devastated, but truly thankful for God’s mercy on Lawrence’s life. Whether you know him as Lawrence, Larry, L, or Lo – we can all agree that the bravery and strength of this man is unmatched. Lawrence is a 19-year-old from Columbia, MD with an extremely bright future ahead of him. As an Oakland Mills High School graduate, Lawrence was a standout student athlete in football earning him 1st Team All Howard County Honors and 2nd Team All-Metro Honors. He helped le...

On December 24th, County Councilman  (and candidate for County Executive) Calvin Ball posted a photograph of himself with his family with the following message:   From our family to yours . . . May this holiday season be full of love, laughter and hope. This post received 2000 “Likes”, 119 comments,  and 6 shares. On the same day, County Executive Allan Kittleman posted a photograph of himself with his family with this message: From our family to yours, Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2018. This post received 174 “Likes”, 19 comments, and 0 shares. But those aren’t the numbers I’m interested in. The number I care about is 2. Two posts on Dr. Ball’s virtual holiday card were overwhelming negative. Both from the same person, who apparently decided he needed to launch a political attack smack in the middle of holiday wishes. It’s fine that this man holds different opinions than an elected official. Attacking him, even using coarse language to do so, in a pos...

The teen had evening plans; my husband did not have a gig. So there we were, on New Year’s Eve, just the two of us. We dropped off the kids at the movie theater and looked at each other. We’re not big partiers, as you may have suspected. We’re pretty much homebodies in the face of most end of the year social offerings. My husband had an idea. “Why don’t we go to the Double T Diner and have dessert?” he suggested. “You’re always saying we should do that, and we never have.” “Let’s do it!” And so that is how we ended up on Route 40 last night at around seven pm. As we pulled in to the Double T I marveled at the changes to the surrounding landscape. It’s almost as though someone installed a “shopping center in a box” over there. The old diner looks a bit weary in the face of the gleaming lights of all the new eating establishments next door: Glory Days, Café Bene, River House Pizza, Sizzle Kebab, Zen Garden... But, despite looking like the little place that time forgot, the old ...