A Reader's Contribution: More on Meshkin

I've been treating the Board of Education race like the third rail of HoCo politics recently, but a reader sent me the following e-mail that I thought I should share.  I'm going to include it without commentary.

Is He Vested in HoCo?

Some have asked why hasn't Mr. Meshkin bought a home in HoCo if he is so vested in the area? 

45491 Sleepy Hollow Lane, Temecula, CA 92592

http://riverside.blockshopper.com/property/917260063/45491_sleepy_hollow_lane/

Orange Lake Country Club Villas Timeshare (search for Meshkin)

http://www.theapopkachief.com/Legals/lp0820/C2-15.pdf

Terri Lynn Huntington vs. Salugen Inc.

In California, the case Terri Lynn Huntington vs. Salugen Inc., Ms. Huntington performed accounting services for Salugen, Inc.  According to the case file, on 1/9/08 Mr. Meshkin stopped giving her work and also did not pay her wages owed.  She stated that the business was a “virtual business” and that she did work from her home.  Mr. Meshkin would email her information or drop it off at her house. She was owed 142.25 hours at $25.00 an hour.  The Division of Labor Standards ruled in her favor and she was awarded damages, filing fees, interest and wages in the amount of $7962.14.  The judgment has not yet been satisfied.

Lawsuit: Cook County, IL

Mr. Meshkins's legal troubles are not only limited to California, he was sued in Cook County, Illinois by his trademark attorney who represented Salugen and Mr. Meshkin before the USPTO:

TEAS Withdrawl of Attorney:

http://tmportal.uspto.gov/external/portal/tow?SRCH=Y&isSubmitted=true&details=&SELECT=US+Serial+No&TEXT=78862842

Cook County Case Information:

https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/FindDock.asp?NCase=&SearchType=2&Database=1&case_no=&Year=&div=&caseno=&PLtype=2&sname=meshkin&CDate=

(Note: Outstanding judgment for ~ $39,000)

Surfbuzz.com

What really happened with Surfbuzz.com?  Mr. Meshkin claims the company was merged with a public holding company (Linkedin);

http://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmeshkin

His brother (Alex Meshkin) also does not reveal who they sold the company to:

http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/broken_dreams.html

In a Ruling on A Motion to Dismiss in the United States District Court District of Connecticut in Verture Incorporated v. Alex Meshkin the Plaintiff states that he was told that Surfbuzz.com was sold to MyPoints another internet company.  MyPoints has no knowledge of Surfbuzz.net.

http://www.ctd.uscourts.gov/Opinions/042706.PCD.Vertrue.pdf

Missing From His Resume

Mr. Meshkin was a Director of Mezey Howarth Racing Stables, Inc., yet it does not show up on any of his resumes (the company has since been purchased by Forterus, Inc., and Mr. Meshkin is also Director of Forterus, Inc).  Why would he not list his affiliations with these organizations?

http://www.horseracing.com/blog/shareholders-get-more-freedom

http://74.125.65.147/finance?q=PINK:FTER

Forterus, Inc. purchased A Better Tomorrow treatment centers:

http://www.alacrastore.com/company-snapshot/Forterus_Inc-4064582

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/forterus-inc-announces-an-update-on-its-2010-expansion-plans-84067442.html

http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/PeopleFilingResults.aspx?PersonID=4525764&PersonName=BRIAN MESHKIN

-84067442.html

http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyOfficers?symbol=FTER.PK&WTmodLOC=C4-Officers-5

Salugen, Inc. and A Better Tomorrow treatment centers:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1181458/california_drug_and_alcohol_clinic_becomes_the_first_in_the/index.html

Another member of the Mezey Howarth Racing Stables Board of Directors, J. Wade Mezey, an attorney, has been disbarred in NY.  In addition, his company, Mezey & Associates, Inc. has had some legal troubles as well.  Perhaps that is why this company is missing from his resume?

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/attorney/AttorneyDetails?attorneyId=5630634

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/creditors-information/about25438.html

http://dockets.justia.com/docket/ohio/ohndce/1:2007cv02426/145269/

Salugen, Inc.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mPFvzSiHdKMJ:www.genotrim.com/assets/documents/GenoTrimClinicalDossier.pdf+Clinical+Reference+Laboratory+kansas+salugen&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari>

http://myclerk.myorangeclerk.com/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=7227720

Sunday Pre-Election Thoughts (and Links)

I read the two profiles the Sun put together on O'Malley and Ehrlich and was struck by the contrast in personalities that these pieces seem to draw.  Ehrlich is the emotional fiery leader looking to "charge up the hill."  O'Malley is the practical technocrat, seemingly devoid of emotion, who willingly acknowledges past tax raises and the possibility for more.  Interestingly, both pieces end on the black vote (where Sun polls show O'Malley up 88% to 4%) and O'Malley's zero-tolerance crime policy with a record of increase incarceration for young black men.  My own experience is that those that live in communities that are effected by high crime rates want zero-tolerance and long prison sentences.  Look at the Jessamy/Bernstein race!  However, Ehrlich is running on a platform of rehabilitation and clemency.  The advisers in the Ehrlich campaign are much smarter than me, but I wonder if he took the wrong approach on Crime.

Other than that, the picture used in the O'Malley piece shows him sitting in an RV across two seats without a seat belt.  Shame Shame.  It also reflects the methodical, calculated nature of his candidacy.  The article starts with him asking his aides whether they have "Hopes and Dreams"...only to later reveal that he was referring to his campaign song by The Boss.

I'm still holding out hope that Bob can pull this off.  I think he was a good Governor who made tough choices that earned him a single term boot.  Unfortunately, I think his campaign has been rough-shod and disorganized, as indicated by his last minute push on an immigration plank (after O'Malley used the term "New Americans"). But this is a guy who admits he is not campaign minded, and really only enjoys politics when he is executing policy.  I like that.

By the way, taxes are going up under either of these guys.  O'Malley has put our state "on the margin" by borrowing from Sam to pay Mary.  Some will say that he had to do it in order to keep the State afloat, others will say that he did it to mask debt and avoid tough decisions.  But anyone paying attention will acknowledge that it happened.  The biggest difference is whether you have a Governor that says "I have to raise taxes because of the mess the former 'Guv' left me" or a Governor that says "Hard choices require sacrifice" (or a hybrid as shown by O'Malley's opening remarks to the 2007 Special Session).

OTHER LINKS

53 Beers attended the "Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear" and has some interesting thoughts about how it all went down.  I can't help but think, in light of the timing of the rally, that it was political.  I have the whole thing DVR'ed and plan to watch it sometime this week, but even if the candidates were never addressed, you don't hold a rally three days before a critical mid-term election without having some electoral agenda.  Whether it was to charge up the young vote (most attendees were under 40), or to remind some folks of how happy they were after President Obama's inauguration, this was a politically minded event aimed at the Dem voter.  Call me a foil hat, but that is the only conclusion I can reach.

WB suggests that good weather on Tuesday will lead to good results for the Dems...while a commenter suggests that nothing will save the Dems from their impending doom.

Does anyone else get a little freaked out when people chant our President's name?  Is that just me?

If you're interested in poll watching, check out the chart for the MD Gubernatorial (won't miss that word).

That's all for this fine Sunday morning.  I'm going for a long run then settling in for some stress-free football (and wearing my Boldin jersey without fear).  Any door-knocking volunteers that come to my door today are getting candy and/or beer (they just better be ready to answer some questions).

Bias in Blogging

I sometimes hear from people that they think I've been "unfair" or "biased" in my review of one candidate or a particular party.  Most of the time I tell them that they are right.  That is the very nature of blogging.  If you are expecting even-handed news, go to a newspaper (although I can't say that I could point you to an unbiased source).  The root of a blog is the blogger.  You get to know their personality.  If you don't like the blogger, you almost certainly will not like the blog.  If you don't like the blog, there is a pretty decent chance you won't like the blogger (although I've had different experiences in real life).  But if you are going to criticize a blog post, you should probably bring more to the table than "you're biased." 

Saturday Reporting on Sun Reporting: Election Edition

 What a week.  As much as I've enjoyed the banter, I will be very happy when the election season is over.  My heart goes out to all of the candidates and their volunteers for the hard work you put in to make sure that every citizen has an opportunity to make an informed choice on November 2nd.  I have met a number of candidates that are in this "thing" for ego sustenance, but I have been truly inspired by those that are running because they think they can help people.  The cynic in me presumed that such politicians did not exist.  I've since realized that while rare, there are some of you out there that promote the ideals of politics that existed when parents wanted their kids to grow up to be Senator.  So much of that has been spoiled.

The Howard Section starts out with a jarring headline: "Fox and Beams find little that separates them."  Hu-whaaaaaaaaaaat.  The article then goes on to say that both support deer hunting and believe that new development is better fit for Columbia than rural Howard County.  I believe they both also like jelly beans and think helicopters are really really cool.  I don't doubt that this forum did little to reveal the real differences between Dr. Beams and Greg, but the differences are there nonetheless.  The basic philosophy that Dr. Beams espoused at the Chamber forum of using government resources to "trail blaze" social programs is fundamentally at opposite to everything Greg Fox has represented on the Council.  Then again, I think the voters that read the Howard section are already quite aware of that, and will vote accordingly.

The Sun then offers candidate biographies compiled by Larry Carson.  A few notes:

County Executive

• I don't think it is accurate to say Ken Ulman started his political career when he ran for County Council in 2002.  I think it began when he was "one of the first babies born at Howard County General Hospital."  If I hear that one more time, I'm filing a FOIA request.
• Ken and Trent both dodge a question related to the teacher pension shift.  As someone who works in one of the campaigns noted, "If a candidate doesn't want to answer a question, you can ask it 20 times and you still won't get an answer."  In fairness, I think this question was probably only asked about 10 times during the course of the Election cycle, but it is probably the most important issue facing our County for the next four years.  It is much more important than OPEB, since...you know...it is something that actually has to be paid and not an accounting measure.
• Some would be interested to know that Trent believes the county's waste water treatment plants are of sufficient capacity to service the "2,000 General Plan."  I can almost see an editor trying to pick that comma off the page with tweezers.

County Council

• These questions are really good.  Nice job, Larry!
• I didn't even know that this was on the table (and maybe it's not), but one of the questions proffered to the candidates is whether zoning regulation amendment applications should be suspended while the next General Plan is being developed.  
• The most questionable question (in my mind) is a bit of a push poll.  "In 2009, there were 1,353 housing foreclosures and 17,000 eviction filings in the county.  What preventive services can the county offer to the families in these circumstances?"
• Another question is how many Council Members should be added in response to the population growth.
• Finally, the Council candidates are asked about redistricting and how those lines should be drawn.

• Courtney Watson's answers were very technical.  I almost felt like a member of DPZ was responding.  She even cites Section 202(f) of the Howard County Charter for the redistricting question.
• Bob Flanagan made sure that technical questions about Council business was not going to stand in the way of party rhetoric.  With regard to redistricting "The current process was heralded as a 'reform' when implemented but was abused by Democrats in power."  Because Republicans clearly would have passed on the opportunity to set the party up for a decade of dominance.  

• Calvin Ball's answers focused primarily on constituent education and involvement.  You address foreclosures with financial literacy.  You resolve redistricting with citizen panels.  Rather than grow the Council, you increase the manner in which Council-members can be in touch with their constituents.
• Reg Avery's answers reflect a "growing understanding" of Council business.  He says the Council should engage in financial literacy initiatives, which, ironically enough, were started by his opponent quite some time ago.  He also suggests the County should "apply pressure to lending sources" when helping citizens with foreclosures.  I believe his suggestion that redistricting follow major roads and highways in order to avoid the division of communities is a good one. 

• Jen Terrasa gave good answers, but nothing for me to "grab on to."  I think she would be a strong voice on the Council with regard to redistricting due to her background in law...but am just as concerned that her deep blue nature will be the governing force in her advocacy for "legal" boundaries.
• Dennis Schrader's answers look like he sent them from his Blackberry while waiting for a train.   He gave one sentence answers that barely respond to the question.  

• Mary Kay Sigaty's response to the question relating to the suspension of zoning amendments was my favorite.  She basically says "lets not put procedure over people."  All of the current Council-members said this in a round-about way of "we will do what is necessary", but Mary Kay lays it out the best.  The people are what is most important and if a ZRA amendment rises to the level of helping the community, then it will be considered along with the General Plan.  The General Plan has the capability to do the most good for the most amount of people, so it will be the focus.  She also gave the most detailed answers, which is important to voters that are just doing their candidate research at the 11th hour.
• Tom D'Asto gave short efficient answers that fit with his trade as an engineer.  He says that County funds should not be used to offset mortgage obligations, but I don't think anyone was suggesting that.  

• Greg Fox presents the "trailblazing" idea that ZRA amendments during the General Plan process should be limited to those requests that are Council initiated.  I like it!  Maybe Mary Kay and Greg can create a hybrid solution.  He also reminds everyone that he "don't like 'doz Dem-o-crats" by stating there was gerrymandering in the 2000 redistricting.
• Zaneb Beams continues to puzzle me.  She wants to prevent predatory lending through education...and financial reform.  I was not aware that the Council was involved in financial regulation related to mortgage lending.  Also, the reason the districts look like a "crazy quilt" is because of your party, Dr. Beams.  These aren't just wacky districting patterns that were placed by the Creator. 

LINKS

Frank Hecker writes up a long post on Ed Priola.  Considering Ed is running against two Dem ideologues, it would have been interesting to see how Frank would have handled their positions and the practicality of the same.

Looks like Allen Dyer isn't the only one suing our school board. 

The Sun looks at little known GOP opponents to some Dem Goliaths in this year's election.  Two of them happen to cross Howard County borders.  I think this needs to be considered in any talk about big GOP wins in Howard County.  If we had multiple contested state-wide elections, with up-and-coming GOP challengers, I would say there would be a good chance that the GOP wave would hit Howard County shores.  Furthermore, in order to have this kind of "harvest" there needs to be some tending of the fields.  To what extend has the local GOP increased Republican voter registration?  Should I expect to walk out my back door and come back with a bushel of apples if I never got around to planting an apple tree?

That's all for today.  Great chilly weather out there today.  Enjoy it.

HoCo GOP Seeks "New American" Vote

Lissa Rossi of Ellicott City Patch writes that Republicans are targeting the "foreign-born" communities in Howard County:

In recent days, Republicans in Howard County have poured money into full-page newspaper advertising and have also advertised on the Hispanic radio station Viva 900 and in The Korean Times asking citizens to vote, said Joan Becker, chairwoman of the Howard County Republican Central Committee.

"Seventeen percent in Howard County are foreign-born," she said, explaining why Republicans are targeting ads towards minority groups. "That's a big voting bloc. Most are small business owners. The Republican message sells well with that community."

Non-Purple Friday (Links)

Seeing as there is no Ravens game this Sunday, I am saving my Purple shirt(s) for another Friday.  As one of the women at my work said, "Not many men can pull off purple" (and then just stopped).

Pretty sure I'm done with endorsements.  Regardless of what scorned readers may believe, I do put a lot of research into my votes and there really isn't much time to evaluate the other races.  I would encourage others to share where they think there votes are going and enjoy the great game of "Defend Your Vote."  It is so much easier to pick apart the choices of others (and hence the existence of this blog).

Still no idea where I'm going to spend Election Night. 

By the way, I hear the GOP Club meeting last night was very very interesting.  Since I was not there, I'm not going to relay what I heard, but I would welcome anyone that was present (ahem Trevor) to give us the low down.

LINKS

Jessie gives a shout out to local political blogs in a letter to the Columbia Flier. 

Republican Scott Bailey takes a Kamikaze approach to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Race:  "I am going to lose, but before I do so, I would like to make you take a pay cut and enroll in a 401(k)...come on dude, let me save some face."

I was certainly angered by the woman that faked cancer in order to defraud her "friends" out of over $100,000, but the 15 year sentence definitely surprised me.  That certainly makes the recent sentences dolled out for drunk driving deaths (i.e., 10 years, 11 months) all the more suspect.

The Baltimore County Public School System has a real problem.

Further evidence that direct democracy (i.e., referenda), without most of the rules and regulations regarding campaign finance that are applicable to elected representatives, should not be a preferred means of passing legislation.  I'll admit that I bought into the idea of bringing the vote to the people, but after seeing the mess that has gone on with Question A, I would hate to have seen what our election cycle would look like if we had amorphous interests lobbying our citizens with money and favors.

Any story involving a Mercedes pulling up to a food bank can only take place in Howard County.  Please give it a read...and please contribute and/or volunteer.

It appeared to have been "Return of the Jedi" in the letters section for the Flier/Times folks.  Dems flooded the paper with letters supporting Ken Ulman, Courtney Watson, and Jon Weinstein.  Good thing there will be depressed Democrat voter turnout...right?

Can I tell you that I am already excited for the Board of Ed race in 2012?  This BoE election, with all the nastiness that has gone on, is nothing compared to what we can expect when Allen Dyer is on the ballot. 

WB notes that Howard County may want to consider further steps to embrace the Cyber-Security field with initiatives at the high school level.  After spending my evening with a room full of people connected to the cyber-field, I will say one thing: this is a hard group to nail down from a marketing perspective.  Due to the innovative/entrepreneurship angle, many of these businesses are new and don't know what they need.  Those that have been around awhile have normally sold their previous businesses many times over, and don't know if their new efforts will exist long enough to need much of anything.  To the extent our County can create a catalyst of stability or an entry point for our graduates, we will all be better off for it.

Sarah is evaluating the recent home sales in her neighborhood.  My hyper-local housing market is still recovering from the bozo that was had for $50,000 less than market value.  As my neighbor said, "Unless they needed to get 'dead person smell' out of that house, I am pissed."

Trevor believes Shane Pendergrass may be bad for your health...ok, replace "may be" with "certainly is."

That's all I got.  I had originally planned on going up to PA this weekend for a Halloween party, but it looks like I will be working.  The good news is that I probably will get a chance to get over to the Day Center for a little while tomorrow morning.  The bad news is that I love Halloween parties.

Delegate District 9A: Vote for Jon

I had earlier mentioned that I supported Warren Miller for one of the two spots in Delegate District 9A.  My next vote is going to Jon Weinstein.

This very well may knock me off the GOP Christmas Card list.  Not only is this a vote for a Democrat in a Republican stronghold, but many see it as a vote against Warren, since some believe he is the more vulnerable of the Bates/Miller slate (as also indicated by the "contrast" pieces put out by the Maher and Weinstein camps that exclusively target Warren).  But at the end of the day, I get one ballot with two spots to mark.  Warren and Jon are my choices.

So...why Jon? 

I had a chance to sit down with him for coffee a few days ago.  Jon is a local business owner and operates a management consulting firm out of Ellicott City.  By all appearances, Jon's firm has been very successful and has been hired all over the United States.  As Jon explained it, his firm evaluates management structures for efficiency and "best practices."  When an organization's management structure is redundant, ineffective, or otherwise impaired, he will advise the leadership on how to direct their resources to create more efficient and productive systems.

When we talk about government "cuts", I think we need to evaluate what we are cutting.  Is it the service or the manner in which the service is provided?  After speaking with Jon, I am confident that he will be a knowledgeable voice with regard to making sure our government operates efficiently.  I also believe he will not only identify wasteful spending, but offer concrete solutions for reallocating resources in a way that works.

Most importantly, I believe Jon will be effective.  We live in a blue state.  If Jon wins, it will become more blue.  However, a Delegate's party goes a long way in terms of whether their voice is heard.  I appreciate the efforts of our Republican Delegates to "cut wasteful spending", but at the end of the day, those are little more than "efforts."  We need "accomplishments."  As with any challenger, I can't prove what Jon will or won't do.  But by his very nature, by what he does on a day to day basis, I can only project that he will seek out inefficiencies, decrease costs, and improve government. 

On a less theoretical level, Jon supports civic equality and direct shipping.  These issues are important to me.  The delegation from District 9A have been staid opponents to gay marriage (or even civic equality).  I can't, and won't, get behind that.  The way to protect marriage is to take the word off the law books.  Instead, lawmakers have sought to cordon off certain privileges from the LGTB community.  That's not the law I studied in school and goes against the basic notions of fairness that our government is meant to support.

I strongly disagree with the suggestion that Delegate Bates has been "ineffective" and know her to be a strong advocate for her constituents as well as a strong leader in the Republican Party.  I just don't line up with her ideology.  I think Gail is a wonderful woman and I am disappointed that I will not be able to support her, but these issues are important to me.  If that means I'm not a Republican, so be it.

Jon Weinstein for Delegate.

Coffee Talk (Thursday Links)

Indiana Jane doesn't drink coffee, but being the awesome wife that she is, she seeks out new coffees for me to try.  I am a huge coffee guy (despite meeting just about everyone for "beers").  For our wedding, we received this fancy coffee maker that grinds and brews the coffee on a timer (mine goes off at 5:50 every morning and sounds like someone is going through a wood grinder -- I didn't say it was all sunshine and lollipops).  Well most recently I have had some of the best coffee.  It is this Hickory infused medium roast.  I am quite sure you all don't care, but I think the coffee is putting me in a better morning mood thereby helping me put up better morning posts.  I am almost out, so prepare for a decline.

I heard the Beams/Fox debate last night was a gathering of the who's who in HoCo politics.  That strikes me as a bit odd since...well...this is not THE race of the 2010 election.  Republicans would suggest that is in District 1 (word on the street is that internal polls suggest otherwise ~10 point difference).  Dems acknowledge that District 3 is where it's at.  Not District 5.  I am treading carefully because I would hate to insult Dr. Beams, who has seriously worked her butt off over the past four months, but even my Dem friends don't find this race to be in contention.  Some are even voting for Greg.

So I guess my question is, why are non-District 5 folks going to a District 5 debate?  See and be seen?  Democrats want to see what the "Final Frontier" looks like?  Nothing else to do?

LINKS

Larry Carson covers the Courthouse Races.  This is as good of a time as any to say that I will be voting for Jason Reddish for Clerk of the Court.  This is no offense to the incumbent (and I hope I can still get things filed in Circuit Court), but I think Jason will be a forward thinking executive officer that will look for opportunities to make the office more efficient.  Republicans need to be willing to acknowledge that repeat incumbencies create complacency.  This may have been best indicated by the Courthouse debates.  The Clerk does not create policy, but to the extent the Clerk executes policy, we can use a go-getter like Jason in the spot.

This article about campaign finance contributions is beginning to read like The Great Gatsby.  Every time I give it a look over, I come away with something new.  The big take-away on this morning's read was: why didn't District 13 get any love from the GOP "leadership"?  Are they being left to fend for themselves because it is a weak Republican District?  Did they lose a bet?  I'm going to find out more before I get my foot lodged in my mouth, but this surprised me.

The Howard County police are in the news...again.  This time an officer is accused of having pulled a gun on a man while intoxicated (the police officer...not the guy on the other side of the weapon).  (HowChow: This happened at Honey Pig!  Who would have thought such a happy neon location could be the spot for such a thing!)  The commenters at the silly place are going to eat this up.  As for myself, this may have been the final encouragement I need to apply for the Citizen's Police Academy.  I want to get to know some police officers.

Hey politicians and political parties, your robo-calls suck!  Thankfully, the number that I have listed on all those robo-lists is a phone that I haven't used in the past week or so.  I imagine it is full of robo voice-messages that I will robo-delete with a robo-smile on my face.

Eric Wargotz has his munchkins rap for his campaign:


WB is most likely sitting down for his Emerson One breakfast as you read this.  He most likely is not eating much.

HowChow reveals his mystery store from yesterday's post.

Sarah received her next CSA drop and VOTED!

I now know that my jokes will be scrutinized for semantic accuracy by the often imitated, never duplicated Frank Hecker.

HCP discusses the HoCo GOP leadership situation.  I would love to see a follow-up incorporating the information about fundraising disbursements.

Went a little later than I wanted to today.  Big night for me tonight as I market the new ISCR (security clearance) practice group of my firm at a Grand Opening for a local cyber-security firm.  Wish me luck.

That's Mmmmm-O-N-E-Y

The Sun just put out this article about fundraising money and where it has gone amongst the HoCo Candidates.  It is so so good in so so many ways but I have so so little time to write up a full post.  However, I would hate to not link to it.

Top Secret Ehrlich Poll Shows Close Race

The Freestater Blog is reporting that the Ehrlich campaign is reporting...that this is a 3 point race.

Seeing how there is no "raw data", this poll could very well have been the population of a Towson McDonald's at lunch hour.

Are We There Yet? (Wednesday Links)

I love policy discussions.  I hate voter talk.  "If _____ gets the ____ vote, then he/she will certainly win Precinct ____, which went for ____ in 200_.  Combined with Precinct ___, which we presumed he/she would get based on his/her support of Second Cousin marriage, there is no doubt that ____ will win."  Bleh.  That is not as much fun as sticking my finger in the air and saying "Tut tut, looks like rain."

However, it is part of the election season, and some people love it.  I have very few guesses on how these elections play out, but do plan to seek out registration breakdowns for the various Council and Legislative Districts (more specifically 9A, District 1, and District 3).  I think the Dems will, for the most part, be representative of their percentage of the votership.  The balance looks to be in the Independents/Unaffiliated  (Do you get the feeling that Boards of Election went out of their way to give a more passive word like "unaffiliated" as opposed to the affirmative stance of "independent"?  Reminds me of an Orwell essay...).  At least one of my Dem friends filled part of her ballot with Republicans, but she said she tends to always do that (especially for one race in particular [ABL]).  However, I will be voting for a good number of Democrats (as will a number of my Republican friends).  There is no questioning Ox's earlier statement that most registered voters will be voting down the party line, so that makes those couple hundred (thousand?) that pay attention and show some discernment in their votes all the more important.  They can swing an election, particularly for the challengers.

LINKS

The Baltimore Sun chose a select few legislative races to endorse, and it just so happens that we have two of them within our borders: Delegate Warren Miller and Senator Allan Kittleman.  I think this Op/Ed is particularly good in discussing some of Delegate Miller's legislative accomplishments (i.e., WAY more than saying "no") that were under reported by the press.

The Sun continues its pro-slots position and "endorses" Yes for Question A.  My biggest concern for us is that this measure will open the door for our politicians, three or four years down the line, to say "Howard County dollars are being spent in Anne Arundel County casinos."  I don't want slots in HoCo.  Easy money is rarely easy.

I was invited to attend the Juan Williams event downtown last night, but had another obligation.  I agree that NPR used his statements as a pretext to fire him.  However, if this statement was ever so slightly changed to invoke race instead of religion, and it came out of the mouth of O'Reilly instead of Williams, I think Mr. Williams would be calling for someone else to be fired.  Prejudice is prejudice, no matter how you cut the apple.

Looks like, compared to other districts, Howard County may be avoiding the Democrat tsunami that has shown up in early voting.  "...registered Democrats, who make up 56 percent of the Maryland electorate, cast 63 percent of the ballots, according to elections board. Republicans, who make up 26 percent of the electorate, cast 27 percent of the ballots."  You have to wonder how this will play into voter psychology.  Rev up the Republican base that is not willing to give up "their year"?  Depress the Dem base that thinks the election is "being taken care of"?  No effect?  (Very good article, definitely give it a look)

Baltimore City Teacher's Union offer their own contract.  "The agreement also explains why school and union officials cannot outline how educators would be evaluated for the last two years of the contract — a provision that has been the largest source of tension about the new pact."

Columbia Patch reports on the School Board's reaction to Allen Dyer's most recent threats.

HowChow drops the highly anticipated HowChow endorsements!!  I am stunned!

WB is getting antsy over the opening of Emerson One.  When I first met Dennis, we talked about "big mean developers."  One of the things he said, which has stuck with me, is that most small developers end up putting their houses on the line, have trouble sleeping, and work their tail off on the prospect of bringing businesses to their development projects.  That is a much different image than that portrayed by...some.  Best of luck to Dennis.  He's earned it.

Sarah suggests you check your Walkscore.  I don't need any tech-words added to my vocabulary.  Why can't we just stick with "walkability"?

Enjoy your Wednesday.  It is sure to be a rainy one.

The Lawyer, the Priest, and the Funeral Home

The Columbia Flier just put out another piece about the proposed funeral home on Route 108 next to St. Louis Church (and the fifth hearing by the Howard County Hearing Examiner).  Not to be overly harsh, but it reminded me why people hate lawyers.  St. Louis's argument seems to turn on whether the priests' rectory may be considered a "residential development":

“I would suggest to you that it is infinitely clear that it does,” Erskine said in his closing argument, citing the definition of a residence as “a structure ... containing dwelling units.”

However, in a technical staff report recommending the Donaldson proposal be approved, the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning wrote that because the priests’ residence is owned by the church, the rectory is an institutional development, not a residential development.

Due, in part, to the vows that priests are asked to make, rectories are a practical aspect of the Church.  To say that by living on Church property priests are deigned to have waived all protections for residential development appears ludicrous to me and borders on violating equal protection under the law.  Donaldson's lawyer appeared happy enough to buy into this argument:
 
“It’s because of that they do not and they are not entitled to the same protections as any other residential property.”


Parking is a huge issue, as this funeral home will have a 192 seat-chapel and five viewing rooms with only 66 parking spaces.  I'm no math guy, but that doesn't seem to fit capacity unless we are presuming a world of enlightened car-pooling funeral-goers. 
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I smell bias.  During one of the first hearings, the Hearing Examiner said that she wanted to hear from the parishioners last, after hearing from all (presumably secular) neighbors.  Since when are we separating witnesses according to what they do on Sundays?  As an attorney, and as a citizen, I don't like that.  Not one bit. 
 
Here's a very Halloween-ish line to leave you with: From his working in the business and living in Clarksville, Donaldson noted that Clarksville is a “very under-served area.”


Mwa ha ha ha.

Dems Rock the Early Vote: Absentee & Early Voting Numbers

The numbers speak for themselves:

Absentee
Democrat 3,122 (58.1 of the absentee vote)
Republican 1,413 (26.3)
Unaffiliated 800 (14.9)
Other/Unknown 16
Green 12
Libertarian 15

Total 5,378

Early Voting
Democrat 3,934 (58.9 of the Early Vote Total)
Republican 1,904 (28.5)
Unaffiliated 788 (11.8)
Other/Unknown 22
Green 10
Libertarian 19

Total 6,677
 
12,055 Pre-Nov 2 Votes

7,056 Democrat (58.5)
3,316 Republican (27.5)
1,588 Unaffiliated (13.2)

(Thanks to "Anonymous Reader" for the Tip)

There are still a lot of votes to be cast, but if Democrat turnout stays consistent, the GOP is in trouble.

UPDATE: Here are some more numbers to chew on.

And Then There Were Seven (Tuesday LINKS)

One week until the big day.  Some of us politi-geeks are trying to find a good place to set up for the results.  All I want is a good beer (or two), good company to chat over the results, and possibly WiFi to live blog some returns.  Any ideas?

My post over the weekend about the recent Ehrlich polling numbers have indicated some very interesting (however anecdotal) considerations.  Maybe the conservative base is fed up with Ehrlich?  If you look at the comments, two voters who had previously voted for Ehrlich had decided to either "sit it out" or vote for O'Malley.  Republicans may want to ask an informal survey before they "get out the vote" on November 2nd.

LINKS

I am very sad to note that Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John Prevas has died at the age of 63.  I worked with Judge Prevas after my first year of law school.  He is known in legal circles as the judge that had a police officer do ten push-ups in his courtroom for forgetting to bring his police report to trial.  He was known to me as the first Judge I ever met.  When I was a Cub Scout, our Pack Leader took us to Judge Prevas's courtroom to see a trial.  I still remember that the case had something to do with a drug dealer running away from police and being pulled down from a fence as drugs came flying out of his pocket.  People always thought Judge Prevas would "memorize cases" before he made a ruling from the bench, but I can tell you from working with him that he really just had them all in his head to begin with.  I hate to ramble on for all of you non-lawyers, but Judge Prevas was a model jurist and he will be missed.

Kratovil and Harris are dead even, following in line with all of the other polls that originally showed the GOP candidate leading, but now have shifted in the days leading up to the election.  (This article also proves how effective attack ads can be.  A true shame.)

In the past year, Howard County Police have been sued for inappropriate use of force, caught parking in a handicap spot during a campaign to stop improper use of the same, and now have been cited for getting drunk and jumping into golf course water features.  I get the whole "don't let a few bad apples..." thing, but this pattern of behavior is beginning to show a culture of above-the-law attitude that will not sit well with the public.

Another story from the front lines of Howard County's homeless.

Even the Redskins/Ravens split had a spot on the recent polling numbers.  No surprise, Ravens dominated.

Frank Hecker projects likely voters for the 2010 election.  Anyone who wants to have a handle on where this election is headed should read Frank's statistical analyses of past election numbers and the manner in which those number can be projected into November.  What I would really love is a poll of just Independent voters...and or an extraction of the Independent votes from all of the previous polls.  Unless Frank picks this up, I may look into it myself.

Columbia 2.0 (or is it C2.0 now?) wants you to be a part of Columbia's Art Future!  (I hope Richard from EllicottStation is there).

Wordbones posts about the dissenting votes in the Republican party that are supporting Courtney Watson for re-election.  I alluded to this in my endorsement post, but couldn't remember if this was part of the HoCoPoLo stuff that was under wraps.  To the extent this can be termed "dissent" (as opposed to "I don't care what you think about who I support"), its roots reach all the way to the Tea Party.  I think you will find that a good number of the "Republicans for Watson" were disgusted by the local party's wide swing to the right and the manner in which Republican elected officials were pandering to this base.  Most moderate Republican business-people and professionals thought "This party does not care about me or what I believe."  So once it came time for election season, those same people thought to themselves "I don't care what this party thinks about me or what I believe."  There is a complete absence of leadership at the local level and if any Republican thinks he or she can step in and run for Executive in four years, they need to do some major house-cleaning to make sure there is a Republican base worth running on.  Otherwise, Republicans for Watson will be celebrating their four year reunion at exactly the wrong time.

HowChow posts an awesome Trolling recap of Baltimore Beer Week (via Brandon).  I wish I had been able to take advantage of more of these events, but between work, marathon training, and meeting with all of you, I just didn't have time.  Back to pedestrian non-Beer-Week drinking for me.

HoCo Politico wonders what effect the blogging endorsements may have on the General Election.  I was quick to say "none", until I read his analysis...which suggests that on the local level, the smallest butterfly can create a tornado.

That's all I have for today.  Have a great Tuesday and I hope to hear a recap of the Arts brain-storming session from some of you tomorrow.

My Council Votes

Since endorsements are falling like rain around here, I thought I would offer my thoughts on the County Council.  I normally only write about what my ballot is going to look like, but since this blog tends to focus (neurotically) on Council matters, I feel at liberty to talk about races outside of my District.

Council District 1

As someone who spent a lot of time studying Establishment Clause cases in law school, I have to say that District 1 reminds me of Sandra Day O'Connor.  She was the swing vote on almost all of these cases, and Appellate attorneys were instructed to cater their arguments towards Justice O'Connor's view of the Lemon Test.  Since O'Connor has left the bench, the future of the Establishment Clause is sort of up in the air.  She provided balance and fidelity to the case law that was not provided by the other Justices, who were predictable in their voting.

As if you didn't see this coming, I see Courtney Watson as this Council's O'Connor.  When Bob Flanagan called Courtney a "potted plant" and suggested that she votes however she needs to in order to keep her "Democrat membership card," I was offended.  Not because I'm friends with Courtney (we have shared probably 4 minutes worth of conversation total), but because it was embarrassingly wrong.  Courtney has challenged Healthy Howard.  She has bumped heads with Executive Ulman on numerous occasions, often proving to be Greg Fox's only support when he questions the steamrolling of Ulman initiatives.

Courtney is deliberative and considers the concerns of her constituents.  Contrary to whatever back-door dealings Bob Flanagan may have alluded to, Courtney worked to make sure that the Doughoregan approvals would not create a back-log of public works requirements.  You can disagree with the final outcome, but you can't fault the process.

I understand that due to some long-term strategic planning, Republicans that publicly support Courtney have become personas non grata with the GOP leadership...but I don't think I have much to lose in that department.  Courtney Watson for District 1.

Council District 2

Many of you know that I started out this election season working for my friend Anthony Jordan's campaign for County Council against Calvin Ball.  Since Anthony closed shop back in July, I've had a chance to get to know Calvin.  I even donated towards his campaign.  In the next year, the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness will be presented to the Council.  I think Calvin will not only be receptive, but will be a champion for the most under-represented members of our community as the County sets out to find functional responses to a seemingly permanent curse.

I've had a chance to meet Reg Avery and I think he is a stand up guy.  He has been nothing short of impressive for most of the speaking engagements I've seen him at (although "groundswell of anger" may have been a bit of a flub).  I sincerely hope he stays involved in the party and sticks around for the next round of elections.  I just don't want him to win this one.  Calvin Ball for District 2.

Council District 3

If you ever get around to asking a Council-person what their "job" is, they will almost always say the same thing "constituent services."  Curbs, street signs, neighbors, bus stops -- this is Council business.  It is not glamorous.  No lives are being saved.  But it will make someone sleep a little easier.

Jen Terrasa is known for being very good at constituent services.  Unfortunately, as far as I am concerned, she is also known for being a pocket vote for Ken Ulman (who is featured very prominently on her website).  Nonetheless, I would probably be giving her the HCR stamp 'o approval if it weren't for her opponent.

Dennis Schrader is a political rock star.  I've been a little disappointed that he has bought into some of the shennanigans of his Republican brother-in-arms Bob Flanagan (i.e., TPI and "OPEB wants to eat your children"), but now that he has settled into the race, his positions are clear, well thought out, and paired with ideas on how to execute.  I not only think he would bring balance to the Council, but also think he would excel at the position.  Similar to Courtney, Dennis is deliberative.  I've spoken with him on two separate occasions about issues that concerned me and both times he has said "let me think about that" and then written me back.  I can't tell you how many candidates have said "let me think" as an excuse to NOT think about a position.  I think Jen is a great person and may very well ride her Dem base back into the Council Chamber, but if I were in District 3, I would certainly be voting Dennis Schrader for District 3.

Council District 4

Mary Kay Sigaty for District 4.  I disagree with Mary Kay on all the small stuff (i.e., mandatory sprinklers, Healthy Howard), but I think she is very good at what she does as a Council-person.  I would proffer that she may know more about Columbia Redevelopment than any other Council member (and I mean that as no insult to the other members).  Regardless of what her detractors may say, she cares more about her constituents than GGP or any other monied interest.  As one of her constituents, I have confidence that, to borrow a campaign slogan, "She's in it for us."

Council District 5

Greg Fox is captain of the football team.  Ken Ulman is the class president.  They don't like each other, but they respect what the other is doing. 

Greg is the only Council member that absolutely refuses to read the blogs, and I don't blame him.  If it were physically possible, I would give any and all extra hours in my day to Greg Fox.  He is the busiest man I know and still walks around with a smile on his face.  He's provided the "Republican conscience" for this Council, and while he may ramp the rhetoric up every once in a while, he is reasonable in making concessions and explaining why he may refuse to approve a budget over one or two line items that stick in his craw.

Dr. Beams, probably by her own admission, is left of left.  I mean, she was brought into politics via support for the Affordable Health Care law.  Through her statements at forums and throughout this campaign, I can't help but feel that she will be a rubber stamp for Ken's priorities.  On top of that, I just fundamentally disagree with her positions on private property owners and zoning laws (i.e., public interest overrules the interest of private landowners).  I like Dr. Beams, but I'm not going to vote for Dr. Beams.

Greg Fox for District 5.

So that's that.  I doubt there were any surprises in there, but I think my predictability may lend some credence to my positions (or at least I hope so).  Best of luck to everyone and regardless of the outcome, thank you for running.

Board of Education Coverage?

I was having lunch with my Dad this afternoon and he asked me "Have you done a run down of the Board of Education candidates and their positions?"  My response "Sort of."

His question made me realize that for a position that is devoid of party labels, we really should have more resources for voters to help them distinguish the candidates.  Despite trying to "get French and Proudfoot to quit," former candidate David Thalheimer has done an impressive job of compiling footage from the various candidate forums for voters to review.  Nonetheless, in light of his stated objectives, I think you need to be on the look out for some "creative editing" in the manner in which these candidates are presented.

For the most part, I still don't know how I'm going to vote.  I agree with most of WB's picks, but I have not met Aquino (nor will I before the election) and don't know Larry Walker's positions well enough to say "why" I support him (hopefully that will change after meeting with him on Thursday).  After lending all the due diligence a non-parent/non-teacher voter can give to a Board of Education race, I am far more comfortable saying who will not be receiving my vote than those who will be getting a check mark on Election Day.  I also feel that the position itself is being overblown by the candidates and their supporters.  At the end of the day, this Board is important, but the influence it has on our children's education, the budget that is approved, or school policy is limited.  The Howard County Public School System is primarily controlled by the Superintendent and his staff.  The Super serves at the direction of the Board, but I don't think the power structure is arranged so that the Board can micromanage our schools (which may be otherwise suggested by the campaign platforms of some of our candidates).  The Board supervises and approves.  Not necessarily implements.

I am quite certain there will be a great deal of disagreement on this one, but that's my opinion.  I don't have a child in the school system and maybe that colors my view.  However, I can "one-up" most of you by being a product of the Howard County school system (up to middle school) and therefore...I win or something like that.

Mundie Mundie (Links)

Well that game was nothing to write home about.  I earned a Jane head shake when I changed jerseys from my new 81 Anquan Boldin to my old 5 Joe Flacco mid-way through the second quarter (leading to 14 Raven points before the half).  I don't know how I thought I could get away with switching jerseys mid-season, but I learned my lesson (I am very superstitious).

Despite piling up some billables, I had a good weekend.  Yesterday I went for my "long run" in marathon training and did not sustain any injuries, which is a first for me.  I feel like contacting my old Poli Sci professor and asking him if there are any studies with regard to yard signs and votes, and if so, is there a point of diminished returns when each new sign really isn't helping the candidate.  I'm sure it depends on how the signs are spread out, but if yard signs play a large role in our democracy, it would be a shame.

Eight days.

LINKS

A Washington Post poll indicates that about four in ten Ehrlich supporters expect him to win.  That seems about right.  (Oh yeah, and this is the second poll in two days that shows O'Malley with a 14 point lead).

Allen Dyer plans to sue the school board...again.  I am almost at a loss for words...almost.  Allen sued the school board before he joined.  Allen sued the school board as a member.  What level of self-righteousness is necessary to burden our education system, County, and Court system with this nonsense?  Let's not forget that the previous actions were the result of bad lawyering (with a fool for a client) based on frivolous claims.  Allen likes to paint himself, simultaneously, as the martyr and the champion of the parents.  My question is, once suit is brought once, how can that member expect to deliberate with the Board in the future?  How can they expect to be effective on the Board?  A few parents were incensed over the way Allen was treated at a recent Board meeting, but...can you blame the other Board members?  I can't.

Anne Arundel Slots is polled to be split 47% for, 45% against with 8% undecided.  This issue proves that you can not take corporate interests out of development questions.  Period.

I wonder how many more ideas Alonso has in his hat.  Seems like every two years the citizens of Baltimore City are told that there kids are going to have (Insert Smart-sounding Word Here) Schools.  The real changes in lower income education occur when you teach the parents.

HowChow loves foreign sodas.

WB's post about his bike trip through Frederick reminded me of Mama Wordbones pointing to Dennis's camera at the HoCo Bloggers Happy Hour and saying "You take that thing everywhere."

HCP posts that China Chef has received their eviction notice and also makes some endorsements (the comments proving again that the only people who notice are those that aren't endorsed).

Sarah is done with Election 2010, and so am I.  At the end of my long run, I was tired and waiting for the post-run happy feeling (i.e., I was not yet happy).  I saw the back of a sign and thought to myself "I hate yard signs.  Whomever's sign this is, it is improperly placed..."  As I walk up to it, I realized it was a realtor sign.  Those people have been in the yard sign business year round, and probably don't appreciate the politi-signs taking up their...real estate.

That's all for today.  I'm working from the casa.  If anyone feels like meeting up for a sandwich, drop me a line.

Alan Klein Does NOT Like Trent's Book

From the HCCA list serv:

Hi All,

Here’s a politically-related question that’s a bit different.

A few weeks ago, I had Trent Kittleman’s book on cross-gender communication dropped on my doorstep, along with other campaign literature. I assume that others of you had the same experience.

Since gender and other aspects of diversity are my professional specialty, I decided to read the book. I wonder if anyone else did and, if so, what others’ opinions of it are.

My sense of it was that it was an engaging enough read, and would have been a reasonable contribution to the literature if it was written in 1978 or maybe 1988, but since it was written in 2008 it sets back the discussion about 20-30 years.

Basically, as I see it, her thesis is that women in the workplace need to learn to look like, act like, and speak like men in order to succeed. She further stipulates that since men outnumber women in managerial positions and since managers have more workers than workers have managers, male managers have no obligation to learn how to communicate with their female employees, since managers have many employees and each employee only has one manager.

Others?

~Alan Klein

"Our Birds' Heads Are Falling Off"

In the wake of a doomsday poll indicating that O'Malley is leading Ehrlich 52% to 38%, Republicans have to be looking around going "What the heck is going on around here?!?!?"  Even Red Maryland has gone into a 24/7 state of denial ("We want the RAW DATA!").

Let's operate under the assumption that the Baltimore Sun is not engaging in a large scale political conspiracy (along with the Washington Post) that would forever discredit the paper with readers as a source for political prognosticating.  Just pretend for a second.

What went wrong?

The Sun begrudgingly acknowledges, and I think that most Dems will agree, that O'Malley is winning the game of attack ads.  Ehrlich is a lobbyist that caused the Gulf Oil Spill and wants to destroy our public university system.  O'Malley is a guy that fibbed on a jobs report.  I hate negative ads more than anything in politics, but to the extent they are effective, O'Malley has knocked this one out of the park.

The next thought is that the GOP picked the wrong candidate for 2010.  Anti-incumbent fervor does not work for...former incumbents.  Brian Murphy is NOT winning this election, but it never seemed like Ehrlich tapped into that base.  In fact, when traveling through the D.C. suburbs (really!) and Northern Maryland, I still see huge Brian Murphy signs.  Either he has not gotten around to picking those up, or people are in protest.

Finally, the polls are clear that Ehrlich never made inroads with the DC suburbs.  This is why Mary Kane was brought on, who has effectively been a ghost in this election in terms of stirring up the electorate.  She is no Michael Steele.  She is no Anthony Brown.  No one is lining up to see her.  (I hope Charles Lollar at least got a phone call.)

Is it too late to fix? 

I don't think so.  There is a huge gap, but it came out of no where.  Two months ago, we had an election within the margin of error.  Now we have a 14 point gap.  In the next nine days, Ehrlich needs to do what the Dems have so effectively done.  "They say that there is going to be a (insert party here) Tsunami!  Do you feel like another four years under (insert party here) government?"  Dems turned themselves into the underdogs while still in office.  Republicans were more than happy to cooperate, predicting a state-wide round of whup ass that was predicated on low Dem turnout.  That's like predicting you won't get stung by a hornet while kicking the nest.

I think Dems will come out.  Watch this video from Savage-Guilford Patch for the guy that said he made sure he came out to vote "to support my President."  Those Dems that weren't paying attention started to pay attention once Nationwide polls predicted overwhelming GOP wins.  Again, from the video, "Who are they pollin'?  I never seen a poll."

I think that in counties like Howard, Ehrlich can get a lot of Dem votes.  If they were relying on a strategy of overcoming O'Malley votes with Republican turnout, throw that playbook away.  Ehrlich has Dem appeal, which is why he won this blue state to begin with.  For some reason, he ran away from that this election.

My Vote
I'm sorry, but I just can't stand O'Malley.  He fits the model of those electeds that govern via poll.  If the poll says vote yes, he votes yes.  If it says vote no, the same.  That's no way to run a state.  Certainly the civic equality issue needs to be considered, but I've come to the conclusion that Dem politicians use social issues as carrots to "trick" their electorate.  Make your voters feel like freedom fighters and they will rush the polls.  However, once these people make it to office, they sit...and sit...and sit.  Obama ran on civic equality, yet his DoJ is opposing the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  GITMO is still in operation.  I hate to be so cynical, but I don't know how you can see it any other way (especially for a "Poll Governor").


Ehrlich made hard choices about the University of Maryland that probably helped keep it as a state jewel rather than a second class institution.  Tuition freezes are bad policy and don't have the effect that everyone thinks they do.  We had balance in Annapolis, which admittedly led to some ineffectiveness, but at the very least made sure that every piece of legislation received due scrutiny.  Criminal Justice encompassed "justice" and not just sound bites.

Ehrlich for Guv.

Work For Each Other

I spent about an hour at the Route One Day Center this morning.  Most of this time was spent talking with Joe about the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness (which Joe often notes is not the "Ten Year Plan to Talk About Ending Homelessness").  I have not been able to go to the Center as much as I would like recently, mostly due to some work projects that require attention over the weekend, as well as trips up and down the East Coast to visit friends and family.

However, today I saw a woman that I had worked with about two months previous.  When I had met with her, she was fighting to rebuild a relationship with her children who she had not seen for three years.  She was in recovery and had stable housing.  This woman knew she was not in a position to have full custody, but wanted her children back in her life.  About four years previous, her brother had taken custody.  After about a year of weekly visits, the brother refused to let her see the children (for non-abuse related reasons that I will omit) and would not answer her phone calls.  When we spoke, she spent about an hour crying.  I couldn't understand her and had to ask her to calm down so that I could figure out the facts.  However, at about the hour fifteen mark, I realized that she hadn't been able to tell anyone else her story.  The "facts" didn't matter.  She needed empathy.

Our final solution had very little to do with the law.  We decided that the best way to help her see her kids was by writing a letter to her brother, letting him know that she was trying, and that she loved her children.  When I saw her this morning, she was holding the hands of her daughter and son.  It was one of the most emotionally powerful experiences of my life.

Saturday Reporting on Sun Reporting

Eh...I uh...overreacted a little bit.  My apologies to our journalistic overlords.  Looks like HoCo Rising made the Mobbies list and I appreciate whomever it was that nominated the site.  After reading the rules, I was honestly concerned that I had violated The Sun's copyright, either through my Daily Links or Saturday Reporting on Sun Reporting.  Turns out there was just an overload of blogs submitted yesterday afternoon.

As for today's Howard Section, not really too much to sink your teeth into.  I was reminded of Senator Jim Robey's scolding of the Chamber on Tuesday, when he said "I was told I'd ruined Howard County forever, and you were all going to leave the state.  Thank God you didn't."  Put about a three count pause between "state" and "Thank" as Robey realized he has just chastised the business community for being concerned about taxes.  In Maryland, we have a certain brand of politician that thinks "there but for the grace of me goes you."  This attitude is best shown by people like Frank Turner who suggested that he was "business friendly" due to all the state funds he had invested into various business sectors.  As pointed out by one of the challengers (wish I remembered who -- either Jeff or Ed), that thinking misses the point.  The State shouldn't be choosing winners and losers.  The fact that the State has money that it can drop back into the private sector means it is taking too much from the private sector to begin with...unless you are willing to admit that the State purposefully engages in corporate welfare.

The most interesting piece of news in today's section (for me at least) was given the least amount of space:  Ken Ulman, Jen Terrasa, and Calvin Ball have all joined the District 13 slate.  I presume the Schrader camp is bracing for impact, because a lot of this money will be coming to District 3.  Does Team 13 have an initiation?  Synchronized desk slamming team?  Matching bermuda shorts?

Other Links:

NFL star Aaron Maybin, of the Buffalo Bills, went to school in Ellicott City. 

For the next article, I'm just going to quote the first paragraph: "Ken Ulman raised so much more money in the past seven weeks than Trent Kittleman, his rival for Howard County executive, that she burst into laughter Friday night upon hearing the numbers."  $128,353 compared to $6,524.  These numbers can often obfuscate the fact that it is frickin' hard to raise $6,000 in seven weeks.  People aren't cutting $1,000 or even $500 in this economy, especially not for a challenger against a powerful incumbent.  The fact that Ken was able to raise a banker's salary in seven weeks is very impressive...but not as impressive as the article's note that he spent $250,000 in that period.  No wonder things are doing so well.  Ken is subsidizing the Howard County economy!!

Episode 26 of And Then There's That came out yesterday.  The nastiness of sign stealing v. sign removal is addressed in the last segment. 

That's all for now. 

Comment Moderation

After chatting with Jessie X last night, the issue of Anonymous Commenters came up again.  Jessie is a strong advocate for "owning your identity" and quashing what remains of the Anonymi.

Earlier in the evening, I had spoken with a friend who works in the non-profit sector.  She said that she wants to comment on the blogs, but doesn't want to deal with the anonymous snipers that may take any opportunity to knock someone else down, regardless of the topic.  Said otherwise, an open comment policy is dampening free speech, rather than...well...opening it.

I wanted to bring this up to the community at large.  I don't want to moderate comments.  Takes time and, more importantly, it ruins the fun of making fun of anonymous comments.  However, if I am preventing good people, like my friend noted above, from engaging in the conversation because I am letting nasty people ruin it, then I would rather thin the herd.  Call it anti-free speech, but this ain't the public square.  It is a private blog.

Patch Flexes Regional Muscle

I've found the Patch folks to be some of the most friendly, out-going local journalists in town...and that was before David Greisman wrote this glowing op/ed about the local blogosphere and where local news is heading.  (Brandie Jefferson, from Ellicott City Patch, also posted about the blogs.)

It appears that local news may be heading to Patch.  Investigative Voice is reporting that Bryan Sears, a nine year vet of Towson Times, a Patuxent Publishing newspaper, has been hired by Patch as an assistant regional editor for Baltimore County.  An online publication that literally was not here a few months ago is now picking up journalists from the established papers...nine year vets from the established papers.

Very interesting stuff.

Silly Season Whispers

I am hearing a lot of what can best be termed "nonsense" as we head in to the last two weeks.  I thought I would share, while walking the fine line of not slinging mud:

1) There is a sign battle in the Board of Ed race.  Candidate A was noted pulling Candidate B's sign.  The police were called.  Swiper-no-swiping Candidate A said that B's sign was placed without the permission of the property owner and that he was doing Candidate B a favor by pulling it.  Candidate B disagrees and said that permission was granted.  Police shake their head.

2) Similarly, some Board of Ed candidates have taken to filing complaints with the Board of Elections regarding the placement of campaign signs.  Nice to see that everyone is working these issues out with Civility.

3) The current Clerk of Court Margy Rappaport was not at yesterday's courthouse debates.  She had her daughter stand in for her.  Personally, I would have chosen Mr. T or Mike Tyson.

4) I have heard one Council candidate suggest that they would be a better fiscal steward than their opponent...due to their opponent's personal spending habits.

Put the Foil Hat Away

Looks like my conspiracy theories were a little overblown.  While I still don't get the Mobbies thing, HoCo Rising just made the cut on the "Around the Web" panel.

Purple Fricka Fricka Friday (Links)

I had a grea time at last night's Happy Hour at Kloby's.  Jessie did a wonderful job pulling the event together and HowChow knows how to work a room.  (Check out this this Storify post that Jessie collected after the event).

I have to confess that I was not a very good co-host.  About two hours in, Jane wanted to go to Facci down the street for pizza.  To clarify, I love Kloby's.  I love Kloby's so much that it is one of the few places that I will go by myself to eat (which, no offense, I think is very depressing to see and even more so to experience).  This love was heightened when I found out last night that they are one of the few "beer places" to still have Southern Tier Pump King on tap (very rare find).  However, on June 6, 2009, I got married.  And from that day forward, my food choices were no longer left to me alone.  Jane wanted Facci.  She made a valid point that the HoCo Blogs Party had become TOO successful and that there was nowhere else to sit.  So...we went to Facci.

Another interesting point from last night was that three different people told me they had nominated my blog for the Mobbies, but that The Sun had not posted my name.  I found this a bit odd, since when I nominated HowChow, it was posted within the hour.  I'm not sure exactly what is going on, but this may be the last straw with me and our regional paper.  I am one of a handful of my friends (and I think a handful may be an overstatement) that still order the paper edition.  I even ordered a second paper edition to be donated to my local school to help a kid earn scholarship money.  This is not charity, but I do see it as my obligation to support local coverage if I read it.  However, if there is some animosity towards this little website, I can stop my little subscription.  (Especially now that Patch is in town...[see Patch people, which one do I link to?!?!])

LINKS

Police say that the 7-year-old girl that claimed she was sexually assaulted in Oakland Mills has recanted.  Thankfully, there was never a suspect or this could have been a real tragedy.

Interesting piece profiling a Laurel HoCo Police Officer.

The And Then There's That crew must be happy that their monkeys are back in the news.

A member of the Board of Education for Anne Arundel County comments on concerns that David Proudfoot would have a "conflict of interest" due to his position as an assistant principal in Baltimore County. 

Ehrlich and O'Malley debated again...doesn't look like "New Americans" was allowed out of the shed this time.

Frank Hecker gives his run-down of the Kloby's Happy Hour.  Frank was also kind enough to share a piece of the bread pudding he ordered.  Very good.  So good, that it may be destination dessert dining for Jane and I.  Great response to Mona as well.  Posting nasty anonymous comments while failing to start a blog of your own is like criticizing someone's dining room paint color while living in a tent.  I think it easy to criticize the blogs and/or bloggers when one has not endeavored to be a blogger.  I'm not saying we "deserve" any better, but I will say that I can make quick assumptions about those who judge from the sideline and one of the first one's is: they're mad that no one is paying attention to them.

Speaking of blogs, dining rooms, and other non sequitors...Trevor's all moved out of the HoCo Rising motel.  His new blog, HoCo Politico, looks sharp.  I will be adding him to the blogroll today, and probably taking off one of the more latent bloggers.

I finally met Marshmallow Man last night at the Happy Hour.  He has always been my response to the "we need a lefty blogger" complaint, which is always a little tongue-in-cheek since I don't think anyone is so easily categorized (just ask Frank).  I feel a bit trite saying this, since it has been repeated often in reference to the Happy Hour, but it was nice to put a face to a blog.

Whew, an entire link post without linking to The Sun.  That was tough.  Ha ha.

Fridays are normally a good day for me to post, so I will hope to get something else up here today.  The letters over at Explore Howard are plentiful and varied with comments full of piss and vinegar.  Have a great day and go RAVENS!!!  31-10