I came across this speech that Chris Leinberger gave in Vancouver and wanted to share with all of you. It is long and I wouldn't expect you to sit through all 2 hours. If you have five minutes, you should watch/listen from about minute 2 to minute 7 where he talks about the "structural shift of the built environment" and the basic premise of his first book:
I started reading "The Option of Urbanism" this past weekend. Here are a few quotes I pulled from the first quarter of the book:
"New drivable sub-urban housing subdivisions, strip retail, and office parks lead to more traffic, increased pollution, and less open space -- and often result in great opposition to new growth."
"[D]rivable sub-urban development is substantially subsidized through subtle underwriting of infrastructure that costs more per house or commercial building when built at low density than at higher density, yet most times everyone pays about the same, no matter the neighborhood density."
"Anyone walking in commercial drivable sub-urban districts, such as strip retail areas, is actually considered suspicious today."
Every once in a while you read a book that helps you "see" what you've been "seeing" all along. By that, I mean that Mr. Leinberger's book has told me a lot about my hometown without him actually talking about my hometown. He also helps you think about why we got here (car driven development in the 1960's & 70's and Wall Street insistence on uniform real estate developments for REITs in the 1990's).
If you are at all free tomorrow night, I hope you will make it out for this speaker.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Back to Business (Tuesday Links)
I hope everyone had a relaxing, enjoyable, and "appreciative" Memorial Day weekend. I am exhausted. Not the smartest move, but well worth it. Between meetings, events, and, you know, work, I had not seen my college friends for almost eight months. That may not seem unusual to you, but my college group is particularly close and normally tries to get together about once every three months or so. We had a great time catching up, with a lot of explanation about what exactly the "Columbia Association" is.
On Saturday night, Jane and I sold popcorn at The Wine Bin Movie Night to benefit Voices for Children. If you have not been to one of these Movie Nights yet, you are truly missing out on one of the great new "things" on the community event front. Watching Top Gun with 60-70 other folks with a bottle of wine and a nice breeze outside was a blast. I'll be sure to post the remaining schedule once it starts back up in July.
LINKS
Sarah Palin's weird Patriotic-Not-For-President Bus Tour stopped in Baltimore this past weekend.
Middle school students in Dundalk are counting rats. If there is any sign that the government has let down the people, it is when your children take it upon themselves to battle the rodent population.
The growth in the number of single father families surpassed that of single mother families over the past decade.
WB posts a friendly reminder about the true purpose of Memorial Day.
Sarah shares my excitement over Chris Leinberger coming to Columbia. As a follow up to some of the comments, my understanding is that there are only two Board members who are "concerned" over this program, and anyone who knows a bit about the Board could probably guess which two. I don't really think it is constructive to point them out.
There really wasn't much that struck my fancy on this balmy Tuesday morning. Maybe I'll get something up later today. Have a great Tuesday!
On Saturday night, Jane and I sold popcorn at The Wine Bin Movie Night to benefit Voices for Children. If you have not been to one of these Movie Nights yet, you are truly missing out on one of the great new "things" on the community event front. Watching Top Gun with 60-70 other folks with a bottle of wine and a nice breeze outside was a blast. I'll be sure to post the remaining schedule once it starts back up in July.
LINKS
Sarah Palin's weird Patriotic-Not-For-President Bus Tour stopped in Baltimore this past weekend.
Middle school students in Dundalk are counting rats. If there is any sign that the government has let down the people, it is when your children take it upon themselves to battle the rodent population.
The growth in the number of single father families surpassed that of single mother families over the past decade.
WB posts a friendly reminder about the true purpose of Memorial Day.
Sarah shares my excitement over Chris Leinberger coming to Columbia. As a follow up to some of the comments, my understanding is that there are only two Board members who are "concerned" over this program, and anyone who knows a bit about the Board could probably guess which two. I don't really think it is constructive to point them out.
There really wasn't much that struck my fancy on this balmy Tuesday morning. Maybe I'll get something up later today. Have a great Tuesday!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Columbia Questioned
There are a number of Columbia Association Board members who are concerned over the CA's sponsorship of next week's Chris Leinberger presentation. When I first heard of this, I presumed it was due to the co-sponsorship with Howard Hughes Corp, a company that many of the CA Board have "strong feelings" about. That was until I read this article (mostly with mouth agape).
I am really excited to hear Mr. Leinberger speak. Really really excited. One of the things I miss about living in Washington, DC was the ability to pick any given night and go to the local book store/press club to hear an intellectual talk about something "smart" (and make you feel smart by attending). The CA Speaker Series is a fantastic opportunity to help add that "texture" that we want out of our synthetic community.
But...I'm not so sure this will be an entirely civil affair. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Leinberger heard a boo or two...responded to with boisterous applause (similar to whenever the Red Sox or Yankees try to start one of their stupid cheers at an Oriole game). He is going to be saying some very controversial things, potentially including advocacy for a rail line running through our planned community (they did not seem to plan for that). When you read the (very well written) piece in the Sun, there are a number of instances in which Mr. Leinberger says that Jim Rouse may have been wrong or that Columbia may be a borderline failure. This will be difficult for many who would like to maintain the exact height of each blade of grass from the last time Jim Rouse touched it. It may even be difficult for those who feel that Columbia Redevelopment is an evolution of the original plan.
This bit in particular made me squirm:
"What you have now is arrested development; you're in the 'well-done sprawl' phase," he said. "Columbia put a Band-Aid on driveable suburban from a physiological and sociological point-of-view because people moved there consciously to live in a socially inclusive place.
"The good news is that Columbia is doing well-done sprawl better than any other place in the country," but that's also the bad news, he said.
"The question is whether you tear down or repurpose the suburban model," he said. "The beauty of walkable urbanism is it just gets better as you build more."
(emphasis added)
Holy Moley, dude. You want to get us all killed?
I'm not saying Mr. Leinberger is wrong, but I am saying that this isn't going to be like your average TED session. It may be more like going to see Hangover 2 with your parents. Then again, maybe he got it all out of his system in the article.
I am really excited to hear Mr. Leinberger speak. Really really excited. One of the things I miss about living in Washington, DC was the ability to pick any given night and go to the local book store/press club to hear an intellectual talk about something "smart" (and make you feel smart by attending). The CA Speaker Series is a fantastic opportunity to help add that "texture" that we want out of our synthetic community.
But...I'm not so sure this will be an entirely civil affair. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Leinberger heard a boo or two...responded to with boisterous applause (similar to whenever the Red Sox or Yankees try to start one of their stupid cheers at an Oriole game). He is going to be saying some very controversial things, potentially including advocacy for a rail line running through our planned community (they did not seem to plan for that). When you read the (very well written) piece in the Sun, there are a number of instances in which Mr. Leinberger says that Jim Rouse may have been wrong or that Columbia may be a borderline failure. This will be difficult for many who would like to maintain the exact height of each blade of grass from the last time Jim Rouse touched it. It may even be difficult for those who feel that Columbia Redevelopment is an evolution of the original plan.
This bit in particular made me squirm:
"What you have now is arrested development; you're in the 'well-done sprawl' phase," he said. "Columbia put a Band-Aid on driveable suburban from a physiological and sociological point-of-view because people moved there consciously to live in a socially inclusive place.
"The good news is that Columbia is doing well-done sprawl better than any other place in the country," but that's also the bad news, he said.
"The question is whether you tear down or repurpose the suburban model," he said. "The beauty of walkable urbanism is it just gets better as you build more."
(emphasis added)
Holy Moley, dude. You want to get us all killed?
I'm not saying Mr. Leinberger is wrong, but I am saying that this isn't going to be like your average TED session. It may be more like going to see Hangover 2 with your parents. Then again, maybe he got it all out of his system in the article.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuition Omission
There has been a lot of talk about the recent bill passed through the Maryland Legislature that would allow illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition for community college and state schools in Maryland. For many folks, this is an intuitively troublesome bill. For others, it is intuitively awesome, and provides an opportunity for those that never had it before.
I've got news for you. Neither group is right.
I was discussing this legislation with someone this past week who pointed out that on all current community college applications, there is a question asking whether the applicant is an illegal immigrant. It is an optional question (i.e., if the question is not completed, the application is still processed). Up until the recent legislation, an illegal immigrant that checked "yes" was charged out-of-state tuition. An illegal immigrant that left the answer blank, and came from a Maryland high school, received in-state tuition rates. These answers went without confirmation. The honest were punished. The omitters received a benefit.
We need immigration reform in this Country. It is embarassing that we have an entire section of the United States code that is ignored by federal, state, and local governments with such gusto (and tacit approval from those who write our laws). All that said, the new law could be read as an acceptance of the facts on the ground. Illegal immigrants have been afforded in-state tuition for quite some time. The new law just forces these students to prove that they are taking steps to become lawful citizens and stops punishing the ones that are honest.
I've got news for you. Neither group is right.
I was discussing this legislation with someone this past week who pointed out that on all current community college applications, there is a question asking whether the applicant is an illegal immigrant. It is an optional question (i.e., if the question is not completed, the application is still processed). Up until the recent legislation, an illegal immigrant that checked "yes" was charged out-of-state tuition. An illegal immigrant that left the answer blank, and came from a Maryland high school, received in-state tuition rates. These answers went without confirmation. The honest were punished. The omitters received a benefit.
We need immigration reform in this Country. It is embarassing that we have an entire section of the United States code that is ignored by federal, state, and local governments with such gusto (and tacit approval from those who write our laws). All that said, the new law could be read as an acceptance of the facts on the ground. Illegal immigrants have been afforded in-state tuition for quite some time. The new law just forces these students to prove that they are taking steps to become lawful citizens and stops punishing the ones that are honest.
Sports and Business (FRRRRRRIIIIIDAAAAAY LINKS)
Yesterday, my Dad invited me to see Eric DeCosta, Director of Player Personnel for the Ravens, speak at the Maryland Club. Dad has been a member at the Maryland Club for about eight months or so. For anyone who knows me or has been to my house, I am a huge Ravens fan. My basement walls are filled with signed jersey and photographs (in a mature, artful way) and I have limited my Sunday engagements with the specific cognizance that although there may be nothing happening on a Sunday in June, that Sunday will someday have a Ravens game...and I am not willing to forgo my Ravens games.
It wasn't always this way. My wife says that she was "bamboozled." For whatever reason, up until about 21 years of age, I just wasn't that interested. I can't explain it. My interests just turned on a dime.
That's why I am particularly sensitive of the way in which sports creates a uniform connection. Last night, I had a fifteen minute discussion with a stranger about Hall of Fame caliber players that were forced to finish out their careers on teams other than the ones they had "made their star" with. That was after discussing which Yankee players from the 1990's were "definite Hall of Famers" (a very difficult conversation for me to have).
I say all this because I don't know if parents are still having their kids take golf and tennis lessons because "that's where the deals are made," but I would just as strongly encourage some time with the sports pages. I love talking to people. Probably my favorite thing to do. For me, sports is always my in. That's why it is on TV at so many bars. No because everyone cares about Championship League Football. But because if there is a lull in the conversation, a score could pop up that will send two strangers into a long conversation about the Tigers' young pitching or the fall of Lawrence Taylor. That might not be fair. It might not make sense. But it just so happens to be how it is.
LINKS
If you bought bath salts in Frederick County, you may want to read this piece.
Public pools across the nation are expected to open late due to a recall of a particular kind of drain cover. All CA members should be happy to hear that our pools all have multiple drains and are not affected by the recall.
So now that we will officially have a storm-water czar, here's what I think his/her car would look like.
Steny Hoyer was the planned speaker at the HoCo Dem Jefferson Jackson dinner last night (nice turn around, Larry!), but Kathy Hochul, the surprise victor from New York State's special congressional election, had the crowd's ear. If you like red-meat, charge up the troops party rhetoric, I highly recommend this piece. If you're like me, this article may make you a bit queasy.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown was quoted as saying that Howard County "really is sort of a model of what we would like to see throughout the state" with regard to health programs. Oh boy, that is going to be one juicy quote for the ever Ken to whip out at a Primary Debate.
Sarah Toth has a piece in this week's Flier about Ed Coleman and my first few weeks on the CA Board. I had no intention of saying anything controversial, but I am sure the other CA Board members are not too pleased to see that I would like to see all contested elections for the next term. I meant no offense to the current Board, but as one of my favorite elected officials once told me "having someone run against me made me a better public servant." If more people are running for CA Board spots, that means more people care.
Bill Santos wants you to listen to aWMAR WYPR (88.1 FM) segment on community swim teams.
TJ takes slightly too much joy in the misfortune of us Appleobsessives users.
Sarah gets my "post of the week" award (first ever!) for her write-up of our unknown unknowns and the value of perspective. (Her receipt of this award was completely unrelated to the nice words she said about this blog in particular...nothing to see here). But seriously, it is a good read with a neat chart.
That's all for today. Have a great Friday doing what you love...especially if you took today off.
It wasn't always this way. My wife says that she was "bamboozled." For whatever reason, up until about 21 years of age, I just wasn't that interested. I can't explain it. My interests just turned on a dime.
That's why I am particularly sensitive of the way in which sports creates a uniform connection. Last night, I had a fifteen minute discussion with a stranger about Hall of Fame caliber players that were forced to finish out their careers on teams other than the ones they had "made their star" with. That was after discussing which Yankee players from the 1990's were "definite Hall of Famers" (a very difficult conversation for me to have).
I say all this because I don't know if parents are still having their kids take golf and tennis lessons because "that's where the deals are made," but I would just as strongly encourage some time with the sports pages. I love talking to people. Probably my favorite thing to do. For me, sports is always my in. That's why it is on TV at so many bars. No because everyone cares about Championship League Football. But because if there is a lull in the conversation, a score could pop up that will send two strangers into a long conversation about the Tigers' young pitching or the fall of Lawrence Taylor. That might not be fair. It might not make sense. But it just so happens to be how it is.
LINKS
If you bought bath salts in Frederick County, you may want to read this piece.
Public pools across the nation are expected to open late due to a recall of a particular kind of drain cover. All CA members should be happy to hear that our pools all have multiple drains and are not affected by the recall.
So now that we will officially have a storm-water czar, here's what I think his/her car would look like.
Steny Hoyer was the planned speaker at the HoCo Dem Jefferson Jackson dinner last night (nice turn around, Larry!), but Kathy Hochul, the surprise victor from New York State's special congressional election, had the crowd's ear. If you like red-meat, charge up the troops party rhetoric, I highly recommend this piece. If you're like me, this article may make you a bit queasy.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown was quoted as saying that Howard County "really is sort of a model of what we would like to see throughout the state" with regard to health programs. Oh boy, that is going to be one juicy quote for the ever Ken to whip out at a Primary Debate.
Sarah Toth has a piece in this week's Flier about Ed Coleman and my first few weeks on the CA Board. I had no intention of saying anything controversial, but I am sure the other CA Board members are not too pleased to see that I would like to see all contested elections for the next term. I meant no offense to the current Board, but as one of my favorite elected officials once told me "having someone run against me made me a better public servant." If more people are running for CA Board spots, that means more people care.
Bill Santos wants you to listen to a
TJ takes slightly too much joy in the misfortune of us Apple
Sarah gets my "post of the week" award (first ever!) for her write-up of our unknown unknowns and the value of perspective. (Her receipt of this award was completely unrelated to the nice words she said about this blog in particular...nothing to see here). But seriously, it is a good read with a neat chart.
That's all for today. Have a great Friday doing what you love...especially if you took today off.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Ken Beats Up An Imaginary Puppet
Ken Ulman is very excited about Healthy Howard's nomination for a Healthy Innovation award. Like really excited:
You can vote for the Healthy Howard Health Coaching Program here.
(Filed under things I never thought I would write on this blog)
You can vote for the Healthy Howard Health Coaching Program here.
(Filed under things I never thought I would write on this blog)
The Dream World We Live In (Thursday Links)
I oftentimes have to remind myself that the world that I have experienced and the people I have met do not provide me the proper experience to make too many observations on how "the world works." This is part of the reason why I started to focus more on the hyper-local stuff. I feel like I can get my mind around it. It seems like those that make blanket statements about a particular religion, industry, or world opinions are almost always wrong in some significant way.
Anyway, that's all a lead up to this very interesting link that my friend Tim sent me, which shows income levels in relation to percentiles of the population. Howard County folks seem to understand that they live in a bit of a bubble, but charts like that really make you step back and think "Do I know anyone outside of the 60th percentile?" As much as we may complain about the rich exploiting the poor, I think there is also a secondary concern related to the stratification of income classes. You may vote with the "poor in mind," but do you really know the needs of lower income workers? Or are you guessing? Doing what the TV said the poor want? Paternalism?
We'll be restarting The Project in a few weeks. This post wasn't meant to feature Sober Houses, but I keep coming back to them. You see, Sober Houses are not some "neat idea" imposed from on high. They are designed by the people that will be using them to improve their lives. And that, my friends, is a neat idea.
LINKS
Maryland is getting older...and retiring.
I look forward to the day when a horrible senseless shooting of an innocent child actually causes a real plan with new ideas for our City's crime problem.
Speaking of frustrations in Baltimore, $12,000 in security equipment had remained at disgraced former mayor Sheila Dixon's house until November 2010, despite being ejected from office in February.
William Hackerman has offered to finance and build a $900 million arena in conjunction with the rejuvenation of the west side of downtown Baltimore. For those not paying attention, Baltimore city has recently revamped the east side of downtown with Pierpoint and a number of apartment and condo buildings with great success. The new focus is the west side, including Lexington market and the always discussed "Super Block" (of no relation to THE Block). I love Baltimore City with all of its warts. As such, I truly appreciate the risk that Mr. Hackerman is taking here and his significant contribution toward Baltimore's future, especially at 92 years of age.
Superfresh is turning off the lights on 13 of its 25 area stores. According to the piece, the Ellicott City store has been purchased by Supervalu and will be turned into a Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.
The "maintenance of effort" provision of the Thornton Act is getting some push-back from a number of County governments and not the Board of Education has issued a ruling saying "HEY! You can't do that." Education, as a construct, has a significant amount of gravitas as it is, so I really think provisions like "maintenance of effort" are good ideas gone terribly wrong. I have heard some from County government say that it protects the Education department from having to make decisions in conjunction with the true economic picture and instead puts the County, with similarly sacrosanct priorities like public safety, between a rock and a hard place. Nonetheless, the State proscribes the powers of the County, so if Annapolis says "jump"...
A reader pointed this out to me yesterday:
Baltimore Sun: Urgent care push in Howard; emergency room crowds drop
ExploreHoward: Emergency room visits at Howard County General on record pace
WB notes that Wegman's construction continues despite the continued, and varied, threats of litigation.
That's all for today. I will be working from home while my existing windows are torn from the house and new ones are popped in place. Have a great Thursday!
Anyway, that's all a lead up to this very interesting link that my friend Tim sent me, which shows income levels in relation to percentiles of the population. Howard County folks seem to understand that they live in a bit of a bubble, but charts like that really make you step back and think "Do I know anyone outside of the 60th percentile?" As much as we may complain about the rich exploiting the poor, I think there is also a secondary concern related to the stratification of income classes. You may vote with the "poor in mind," but do you really know the needs of lower income workers? Or are you guessing? Doing what the TV said the poor want? Paternalism?
We'll be restarting The Project in a few weeks. This post wasn't meant to feature Sober Houses, but I keep coming back to them. You see, Sober Houses are not some "neat idea" imposed from on high. They are designed by the people that will be using them to improve their lives. And that, my friends, is a neat idea.
LINKS
Maryland is getting older...and retiring.
I look forward to the day when a horrible senseless shooting of an innocent child actually causes a real plan with new ideas for our City's crime problem.
Speaking of frustrations in Baltimore, $12,000 in security equipment had remained at disgraced former mayor Sheila Dixon's house until November 2010, despite being ejected from office in February.
William Hackerman has offered to finance and build a $900 million arena in conjunction with the rejuvenation of the west side of downtown Baltimore. For those not paying attention, Baltimore city has recently revamped the east side of downtown with Pierpoint and a number of apartment and condo buildings with great success. The new focus is the west side, including Lexington market and the always discussed "Super Block" (of no relation to THE Block). I love Baltimore City with all of its warts. As such, I truly appreciate the risk that Mr. Hackerman is taking here and his significant contribution toward Baltimore's future, especially at 92 years of age.
Superfresh is turning off the lights on 13 of its 25 area stores. According to the piece, the Ellicott City store has been purchased by Supervalu and will be turned into a Shoppers Food & Pharmacy.
The "maintenance of effort" provision of the Thornton Act is getting some push-back from a number of County governments and not the Board of Education has issued a ruling saying "HEY! You can't do that." Education, as a construct, has a significant amount of gravitas as it is, so I really think provisions like "maintenance of effort" are good ideas gone terribly wrong. I have heard some from County government say that it protects the Education department from having to make decisions in conjunction with the true economic picture and instead puts the County, with similarly sacrosanct priorities like public safety, between a rock and a hard place. Nonetheless, the State proscribes the powers of the County, so if Annapolis says "jump"...
A reader pointed this out to me yesterday:
Baltimore Sun: Urgent care push in Howard; emergency room crowds drop
ExploreHoward: Emergency room visits at Howard County General on record pace
WB notes that Wegman's construction continues despite the continued, and varied, threats of litigation.
That's all for today. I will be working from home while my existing windows are torn from the house and new ones are popped in place. Have a great Thursday!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Council (Near Unanimously) Passes Ulman Budget
Earlier today, the Council passed County Executive Ken Ulman's proposed $1.56 billion budget, with $179.3 million in capital expenditures.
Here are a few notes from Larry Carson's piece:
1) This Council has placed an emphasis on unanimous votes. You will see in the piece that the Fab Five waited three hours to see if some compromise could be reached to get from passing the budget...to passing the budget with five votes. I have to presume that this makes the Ulman team pull their hair out. I certainly appreciate this effort, but considering the time commitments that the Council already puts on itself to hear testimony, draft amendments, and debate, a three hour consensus building exercise just doesn't make sense to me.
2) Healthy Howard appears to have reached a plateau of relative safety. Even Greg Fox is tired of fighting it. A while back I requested the audit for HHAP and intended to post about it. There's really nothing worth writing about...unless we want to get to the very heart of whether the County should be funding nonprofits to begin with (I am a strong believer that they should). Personally, ever since I heard about the Door to Health, I have put my objections to bed. Will I (always) scoff at "health coaches"? Yes. Would this program work without health coaches? Probably not. The program is a delicate balance of agreements amongst many different health care providers, funding sources, and government agencies. My personal titters mean very little.
3) I am very excited about dressing up like the Storm-water Czar for Halloween.
4) You won't find "OPEB" or "retiree benefits" in Larry's piece. I presume that all the right assurances have been made, but to the extent that a future Executive was in that Council chamber, they may be tying their own hands. Ken Ulman has had a fun tenure of new programs, environmental initiatives, and long-term infrastructure investments. The next executive may have four years of filling the piggy bank, which is just about as unsexy as government gets. I've never been a Chicken Little about OPEB, but I would like to see at least some commitment to carving back the dangers of pay-go for when the Boomers retire...which, by the way, will be very very soon.
Here are a few notes from Larry Carson's piece:
1) This Council has placed an emphasis on unanimous votes. You will see in the piece that the Fab Five waited three hours to see if some compromise could be reached to get from passing the budget...to passing the budget with five votes. I have to presume that this makes the Ulman team pull their hair out. I certainly appreciate this effort, but considering the time commitments that the Council already puts on itself to hear testimony, draft amendments, and debate, a three hour consensus building exercise just doesn't make sense to me.
2) Healthy Howard appears to have reached a plateau of relative safety. Even Greg Fox is tired of fighting it. A while back I requested the audit for HHAP and intended to post about it. There's really nothing worth writing about...unless we want to get to the very heart of whether the County should be funding nonprofits to begin with (I am a strong believer that they should). Personally, ever since I heard about the Door to Health, I have put my objections to bed. Will I (always) scoff at "health coaches"? Yes. Would this program work without health coaches? Probably not. The program is a delicate balance of agreements amongst many different health care providers, funding sources, and government agencies. My personal titters mean very little.
3) I am very excited about dressing up like the Storm-water Czar for Halloween.
4) You won't find "OPEB" or "retiree benefits" in Larry's piece. I presume that all the right assurances have been made, but to the extent that a future Executive was in that Council chamber, they may be tying their own hands. Ken Ulman has had a fun tenure of new programs, environmental initiatives, and long-term infrastructure investments. The next executive may have four years of filling the piggy bank, which is just about as unsexy as government gets. I've never been a Chicken Little about OPEB, but I would like to see at least some commitment to carving back the dangers of pay-go for when the Boomers retire...which, by the way, will be very very soon.
Save Yourself (Wednesday Links)
I've been having an interesting conversation over on my personal Facebook page regarding an article in the WSJ stating that nearly half of the American public could not come up with $2,000 in 30 days. From the homeless men and women I've interacted with, the lack of a personal safety net was often the trap-door that put them into a cycle of homelessness. Those who found themselves on the streets due to substance abuse or mental health problems notwithstanding, there are a significant amount of people "just like you" that are homeless because there was one injury/sickness, one lost job, and one divorce/unexpected cost that combined to take them from relative comfort to a place they never thought they would be.
I say this because the comments on my link to this article have been across the spectrum, with one friend suggesting that it is impossible to save $2,000 when you are already in credit trouble. These conversations are very uncomfortable. I really have no grounds to say "Well, what did you do to get yourself there," but I do think more folks could benefit from asking themselves that question and scrutinizing every excuse that they may offer themselves. That's not to say there aren't financial tidal waves. Trust me when I say that I have heard stories that would make even the most stern financial adviser shrug and say "Well, what are you going to do?" But the ones that become "almost tragic" are the ones in which the person had set themselves up to overcome difficulty.
So, if you think you would be more in the "tragic" than "almost tragic" column, make sure to connect with great nonprofits like the makingChange Center to start to turn the boat around.
LINKS
The slots saga continues. Potential bidders are saying that the terms offered for a Baltimore City slots parlor are so restrictive as to make it impossible to earn a profit. Baltimore City makes an unwelcoming commercial environment and then wonders why people don't want to take advantage of it? That's unpossible.
In Anne Arundel, residents near the proposed $1 billion slots parlor are complaining that the construction is taking away parking for a local recreational facility. Note to residents: you lose credibility when you say that Arundel Mills is a "family friendly" Mall.
Meanwhile, the Anne Arundel County Council is raising taxes, furloughing employees, and making cuts to the community college. You don't have to look far to take pride in the way our County is being run. I presume that saying "OPEB" in a AA County building is like saying "MacBeth" in a theater.
Sarah notes that there have been twelve Howard County pedestrian fatalities in eleven incidents between 2007 and 2009. None in school zones. Check out the post for the observations she makes on this data and what it means for HoCo speed cameras.
A WB reader sent photos of Rapture Warnings from this weekend.
Duane laments the absence of color in downtown Columbia...and wants to get Kodachrome stuck in every one's head today.
There was a CA Committee Meeting last night. I did not go. I am not on the committee and I trust the other Board members to act in the interest of the Board. Frankly, I had a late night at the office and couldn't have attended if I wanted to, BUT I can only hope that this new committee structure is built to last and that other Board members are willing to abdicate some responsibility to the committees without supervision.
Have a great Wednesday. I will traveling down to Annapolis today to meet and congratulate the new members of the Maryland Bar.
I say this because the comments on my link to this article have been across the spectrum, with one friend suggesting that it is impossible to save $2,000 when you are already in credit trouble. These conversations are very uncomfortable. I really have no grounds to say "Well, what did you do to get yourself there," but I do think more folks could benefit from asking themselves that question and scrutinizing every excuse that they may offer themselves. That's not to say there aren't financial tidal waves. Trust me when I say that I have heard stories that would make even the most stern financial adviser shrug and say "Well, what are you going to do?" But the ones that become "almost tragic" are the ones in which the person had set themselves up to overcome difficulty.
So, if you think you would be more in the "tragic" than "almost tragic" column, make sure to connect with great nonprofits like the makingChange Center to start to turn the boat around.
LINKS
The slots saga continues. Potential bidders are saying that the terms offered for a Baltimore City slots parlor are so restrictive as to make it impossible to earn a profit. Baltimore City makes an unwelcoming commercial environment and then wonders why people don't want to take advantage of it? That's unpossible.
In Anne Arundel, residents near the proposed $1 billion slots parlor are complaining that the construction is taking away parking for a local recreational facility. Note to residents: you lose credibility when you say that Arundel Mills is a "family friendly" Mall.
Meanwhile, the Anne Arundel County Council is raising taxes, furloughing employees, and making cuts to the community college. You don't have to look far to take pride in the way our County is being run. I presume that saying "OPEB" in a AA County building is like saying "MacBeth" in a theater.
Sarah notes that there have been twelve Howard County pedestrian fatalities in eleven incidents between 2007 and 2009. None in school zones. Check out the post for the observations she makes on this data and what it means for HoCo speed cameras.
A WB reader sent photos of Rapture Warnings from this weekend.
Duane laments the absence of color in downtown Columbia...and wants to get Kodachrome stuck in every one's head today.
There was a CA Committee Meeting last night. I did not go. I am not on the committee and I trust the other Board members to act in the interest of the Board. Frankly, I had a late night at the office and couldn't have attended if I wanted to, BUT I can only hope that this new committee structure is built to last and that other Board members are willing to abdicate some responsibility to the committees without supervision.
Have a great Wednesday. I will traveling down to Annapolis today to meet and congratulate the new members of the Maryland Bar.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
WITW Hangover (Tuesday Links)
I've seen a number of comments over at the silly place and here relating to the...level of decorum at this past weekend's Wine In The Woods. Admittedly, when I walked past the First Aid Tent at about 2 pm, there was already a young gentleman relinquishing his hard fought festival food into a plastic bag (for the world to see). I thought that was a bit odd for a "wine festival," especially at 2 pm. Late in the afternoon, my brother and I watched an unfortunate young woman spend about three minutes trying to get up off her blanket before a friend came to help (it looked like a very slow game of one-person Twister).
One of the suggestions offered to "fix" this problem is to increase the price of the tickets. While I agree that most attendees would be willing to pay more than $30 a ticket, I also know that those who pickled themselves before noon most likely did not do so via fingers of Chardonnay. They probably bought a bottle...or five. There may be some value in offering some additional policing of the Woods to remove those who have had too much, but due to the sheer mass of people, I don't think that's practical.
As I noted yesterday, I didn't really have any complaints. I would like to see Symphony Woods used more often for events like this; whether it be Shakespeare or Ethnic Festivals. But what we should also realize is that by making something desirable and well-known (like living in Columbia) you don't get to control who comes in.
LINKS
Lady Terps Coach Brenda Frese is the third highest paid state worker in Maryland. In fact, most of the highest paid state workers are employed by the University of Maryland. The discussion of government employee salaries is always an interesting one. Most folks instinctively think that government workers should receive less than they do because of some idea that it is easier work or that government workers do not work as many hours. I will say that there are some federal jobs that allow for "Adjustable Work Schedules," which really means "they work less hours," but I find that to more often be the exception than the rule. Some of the hardest working folks I've met in Howard County work for the County or State governments, and I don't think you will find them on that list. I think we need to have competitive salaries so that these folks can be drawn from the private work-force and into public service.
High school students at St. Paul's are attempting to crack a "cold case" from 1842.
Governor O'Malley has created a Task Force to investigate ways to better assist crime victims. This is an important cause and I look forward to seeing the Task Force's findings.
Federal Investigators just completed a large sting of internet gambling sites that were operating in Maryland. Stories like these normally cause a raised eyebrow or two. We have one of the most violent cities in the United States (if not the world) and we are busting folks that run online poker? I know it is not an either/or proposition, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that we would rather all the money go towards solving violent crime and leave the bookies alone...until they start breaking knee-caps.
Trevor has a very very good time in Wine in the Woods, which sends him into a euphoria that lasts well into Monday when he posted this run-down.
Sarah posts about Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Montgomery County. I really hope their mascot is a little yellow puppet with a black tuft of hair and an orange nose.
Duane posts about Neighbor Ride.
WB notes that Yelp has been compromised by the infiltration of phony reviews. Thankfully, I just use Yelp to find Mexican food in new locales. (He also kicks the Elkridge Intermodal hornet's nest yet again.)
That's all I have for you today. I hope you have a great Tuesday and that this weird rain band does not interfere with your day. I have been pleasantly surprised by the weather's disagreement with the forecasts, which appeared to have shown rain all day every day from Monday to Friday. So far, that dos not appear to be the case.
One of the suggestions offered to "fix" this problem is to increase the price of the tickets. While I agree that most attendees would be willing to pay more than $30 a ticket, I also know that those who pickled themselves before noon most likely did not do so via fingers of Chardonnay. They probably bought a bottle...or five. There may be some value in offering some additional policing of the Woods to remove those who have had too much, but due to the sheer mass of people, I don't think that's practical.
As I noted yesterday, I didn't really have any complaints. I would like to see Symphony Woods used more often for events like this; whether it be Shakespeare or Ethnic Festivals. But what we should also realize is that by making something desirable and well-known (like living in Columbia) you don't get to control who comes in.
LINKS
Lady Terps Coach Brenda Frese is the third highest paid state worker in Maryland. In fact, most of the highest paid state workers are employed by the University of Maryland. The discussion of government employee salaries is always an interesting one. Most folks instinctively think that government workers should receive less than they do because of some idea that it is easier work or that government workers do not work as many hours. I will say that there are some federal jobs that allow for "Adjustable Work Schedules," which really means "they work less hours," but I find that to more often be the exception than the rule. Some of the hardest working folks I've met in Howard County work for the County or State governments, and I don't think you will find them on that list. I think we need to have competitive salaries so that these folks can be drawn from the private work-force and into public service.
High school students at St. Paul's are attempting to crack a "cold case" from 1842.
Governor O'Malley has created a Task Force to investigate ways to better assist crime victims. This is an important cause and I look forward to seeing the Task Force's findings.
Federal Investigators just completed a large sting of internet gambling sites that were operating in Maryland. Stories like these normally cause a raised eyebrow or two. We have one of the most violent cities in the United States (if not the world) and we are busting folks that run online poker? I know it is not an either/or proposition, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that we would rather all the money go towards solving violent crime and leave the bookies alone...until they start breaking knee-caps.
Trevor has a very very good time in Wine in the Woods, which sends him into a euphoria that lasts well into Monday when he posted this run-down.
Sarah posts about Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Montgomery County. I really hope their mascot is a little yellow puppet with a black tuft of hair and an orange nose.
Duane posts about Neighbor Ride.
WB notes that Yelp has been compromised by the infiltration of phony reviews. Thankfully, I just use Yelp to find Mexican food in new locales. (He also kicks the Elkridge Intermodal hornet's nest yet again.)
That's all I have for you today. I hope you have a great Tuesday and that this weird rain band does not interfere with your day. I have been pleasantly surprised by the weather's disagreement with the forecasts, which appeared to have shown rain all day every day from Monday to Friday. So far, that dos not appear to be the case.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wine In the Weekend (Monday Links)
What a weekend! Jane and I decided to go to Wine in the Woods at 1 pm on Saturday. It was packed, but not so bad that you couldn't get in for a sample of "Watermelon Wine" or "Apple Pear Prickly Sunset Sparkling Wine." My experience is that there are three types of tasters at Wine in the Woods (or any other tasting for that matter):
1) All Business Taster: Comes to the table, puts their glass down, points to a bottle, receives pour, leaves.
2) The Inquisitor: Walks to the table with a huge smile, introduces themselves to the volunteer pourer, asks them what their favorite kind is, talks about that wine for five minutes, says that they don't like that kind of wine, asks about another kind of wine, talks about that kind of wine for five minutes, says that that was their Aunt's favorite kind of wine, but that they've never liked it, rinse & repeat. The Inquisitor is the natural enemy of the All Business Taster. They have been known to get into passive aggressive comment fights.
3) The "Camman" Taster: The Camman Taster is there to have too much wine and operates off of the belief that a $30 entrance fee is a fair price for an all-you-can drink wine-a-thon. They do not care what kind of wine they drink, but they want a big pour. Once they receive a pour that they think is unsatisfactory, they will invoke their call signal by saying "Camman, that's not a full pour." These tasters can be easily spotted as they thrust their glass into the pourer's face whenever there is an open bottle in their hand. Cammans are normally asleep on a blanket by 2 pm at most all day wine festivals.
I had a few more Inquisitors for my liking on Saturday, but overall it was a great time. I saw a number of friends and gained some appreciation (however slight) for the inroads that Maryland has made on the wine scene. Bordeleau was the best for my money by far. Now it is just a countdown for the arrival of Black Ankle.
LINKS
The Sun reports that Wine in the Woods had approximately 20,000 people each day. The piece focuses on some of the new laws surrounding wine shipment and alcohol taxes.
Baltimore City Charter Schools are receiving a significantly higher per-pupil funding amount than their public counterparts. This has caused a revisit of the funding scheme set out in 2005 and may lead to decreased funding for what has been one of the better success stories in the Baltimore City education scene.
Baltimore has its own Doctor Death, who admits to having assisted over 300 suicides. The Right to Die debate is certainly a tricky one. I think most folks feel like there should be this kind of option at the end of life, especially when the medical options have narrowed down to nothing. The bigger question is where do you draw the line. In a culture where we pretend that everyone will live forever, this debate is normally shoved under the rug.
Molotov cocktails were found in a UMBC stairwell. While this is concerning, I feel the worst for the nervous parents who are counting down the last months before they send their children off to college. "They found WHAT?"
If you have not been watching already, I strongly suggest tuning in for Terps Lacrosse as they play Duke in next Saturday's Quarterfinal. It is the only sport that Jane and I both enjoy watching.
Baltimore County has a shortage of foster families.
The Maryland Shock Trauma Center has a 97% survival rate. I was one of those who thought that Shock Trauma was normally a precursor to the worst, but this piece lays out a much different story and really is an engaging read.
WB goes back to school for commencement. Pretty interesting subject.
Sarah posits the revolutionary idea of more front porches to foster more neighbor to neighbor communication. I like it. I like it a lot. (Chris also allows the remainder of his name to be included in posts and shrugs off the definitive "C.")
Brian talks about Columbia 2.0 strategies going forward and includes some free advice from a social media consultant.
HowChow laments the limited opportunity for "food discoveries" in Howard County and writes about some of his new favorites from Whole Foods. It seems to me that we would solve about 50% of the complaint in the Columbia (even Howard County) region if we would put a Whole Foods in Wilde Lake. Where is the grocery store wishing well?
That's all for today. Have a great Monday and keep yourself motivated by the three day weekend ahead.
1) All Business Taster: Comes to the table, puts their glass down, points to a bottle, receives pour, leaves.
2) The Inquisitor: Walks to the table with a huge smile, introduces themselves to the volunteer pourer, asks them what their favorite kind is, talks about that wine for five minutes, says that they don't like that kind of wine, asks about another kind of wine, talks about that kind of wine for five minutes, says that that was their Aunt's favorite kind of wine, but that they've never liked it, rinse & repeat. The Inquisitor is the natural enemy of the All Business Taster. They have been known to get into passive aggressive comment fights.
3) The "Camman" Taster: The Camman Taster is there to have too much wine and operates off of the belief that a $30 entrance fee is a fair price for an all-you-can drink wine-a-thon. They do not care what kind of wine they drink, but they want a big pour. Once they receive a pour that they think is unsatisfactory, they will invoke their call signal by saying "Camman, that's not a full pour." These tasters can be easily spotted as they thrust their glass into the pourer's face whenever there is an open bottle in their hand. Cammans are normally asleep on a blanket by 2 pm at most all day wine festivals.
I had a few more Inquisitors for my liking on Saturday, but overall it was a great time. I saw a number of friends and gained some appreciation (however slight) for the inroads that Maryland has made on the wine scene. Bordeleau was the best for my money by far. Now it is just a countdown for the arrival of Black Ankle.
LINKS
The Sun reports that Wine in the Woods had approximately 20,000 people each day. The piece focuses on some of the new laws surrounding wine shipment and alcohol taxes.
Baltimore City Charter Schools are receiving a significantly higher per-pupil funding amount than their public counterparts. This has caused a revisit of the funding scheme set out in 2005 and may lead to decreased funding for what has been one of the better success stories in the Baltimore City education scene.
Baltimore has its own Doctor Death, who admits to having assisted over 300 suicides. The Right to Die debate is certainly a tricky one. I think most folks feel like there should be this kind of option at the end of life, especially when the medical options have narrowed down to nothing. The bigger question is where do you draw the line. In a culture where we pretend that everyone will live forever, this debate is normally shoved under the rug.
Molotov cocktails were found in a UMBC stairwell. While this is concerning, I feel the worst for the nervous parents who are counting down the last months before they send their children off to college. "They found WHAT?"
If you have not been watching already, I strongly suggest tuning in for Terps Lacrosse as they play Duke in next Saturday's Quarterfinal. It is the only sport that Jane and I both enjoy watching.
Baltimore County has a shortage of foster families.
The Maryland Shock Trauma Center has a 97% survival rate. I was one of those who thought that Shock Trauma was normally a precursor to the worst, but this piece lays out a much different story and really is an engaging read.
WB goes back to school for commencement. Pretty interesting subject.
Sarah posits the revolutionary idea of more front porches to foster more neighbor to neighbor communication. I like it. I like it a lot. (Chris also allows the remainder of his name to be included in posts and shrugs off the definitive "C.")
Brian talks about Columbia 2.0 strategies going forward and includes some free advice from a social media consultant.
HowChow laments the limited opportunity for "food discoveries" in Howard County and writes about some of his new favorites from Whole Foods. It seems to me that we would solve about 50% of the complaint in the Columbia (even Howard County) region if we would put a Whole Foods in Wilde Lake. Where is the grocery store wishing well?
That's all for today. Have a great Monday and keep yourself motivated by the three day weekend ahead.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Coming Up Empty (Saturday Stuff)
There really isn't anything new in the paper today for me to cite. The Howard Section is filled with "old news" and the front page of The Sun is...well...lacking.
I will, however, strongly suggest that anyone going to Wine in the Woods this weekend listen to the And Then There's That podcast this week to hear some suggestions on wines to try out, as well as an endorsement for Grilled Cheese (I really don't see how Dennis thinks so little of grilled cheese).
Lest the beer fans feel overshadowed by this bohemoth of wine celebration, there has been a HoCo Revolution on the beer scene with the introduction of "HoCo Summer Session." The Baltimore Beer Guy reports that T-Bonz, Victoria Gastro Pub, and Oliver Ales (in Baltimore City) have teamed up to create a new beer that will be available this weekend at all of our favorite locales. I'm hoping to get over to T-Bonz to try this creation today or tomorrow.
That's all for now. I hope to see a number of you in the Woods today.
I will, however, strongly suggest that anyone going to Wine in the Woods this weekend listen to the And Then There's That podcast this week to hear some suggestions on wines to try out, as well as an endorsement for Grilled Cheese (I really don't see how Dennis thinks so little of grilled cheese).
Lest the beer fans feel overshadowed by this bohemoth of wine celebration, there has been a HoCo Revolution on the beer scene with the introduction of "HoCo Summer Session." The Baltimore Beer Guy reports that T-Bonz, Victoria Gastro Pub, and Oliver Ales (in Baltimore City) have teamed up to create a new beer that will be available this weekend at all of our favorite locales. I'm hoping to get over to T-Bonz to try this creation today or tomorrow.
That's all for now. I hope to see a number of you in the Woods today.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Patch Covers CA Posts
David Greisman's piece about my CA Board blog posts came out today. I think it fairly represents the feedback I've been receiving and the concerns that many Board members have.
Regarding whether this is "healthy for the Board," as Cindy Coyle questions in the article, I really think that begs the question of whether the Board was healthy to begin with. When something "new" is challenged, I think it is proper to go back and challenge the status quo. Keeping Board member comments from the public was not doing anyone any favors. One could argue, and I just might, that the empty seats at our meetings have allowed a sense of intimacy that has bred incivility.
So if we are going to talk about some heavy construct like "trust", we need to have an agreement about what is worth protecting. I will not agree that so long as no one is in the woods, the trees aren't falling.
Regarding whether this is "healthy for the Board," as Cindy Coyle questions in the article, I really think that begs the question of whether the Board was healthy to begin with. When something "new" is challenged, I think it is proper to go back and challenge the status quo. Keeping Board member comments from the public was not doing anyone any favors. One could argue, and I just might, that the empty seats at our meetings have allowed a sense of intimacy that has bred incivility.
So if we are going to talk about some heavy construct like "trust", we need to have an agreement about what is worth protecting. I will not agree that so long as no one is in the woods, the trees aren't falling.
CA Board Recap: May 19, 2011 External Relations Committee
As you all know, I will be dedicating Friday posts after CA meetings to provide recaps of open meetings and the substance of what we are considering. This is an opportunity for you to know more about CA via my perspective as a Board member.
Last night was the External Relations Committee meeting. It started at approximately 7:35 pm and ended at approximately 9:58 pm. In attendance were myself, Andy Stack, Cindy Coyle, and Ed Coleman. Ed is not on the committee, but wanted to sit in to "catch up" on what's going on with the various committees.
Long before the meeting, we had all received via e-mail a "Strategic Matrix," which lays out the President's goals and how each committee (Strategic Planning, Strategic Implementation, and the ERC) can address each item. Personally, I found this matrix to be a little bit distracting and hard to follow, at least from an ERC perspective. Many of the goals of CA fit neatly into the first two groups, with the ERC column being "develop community involvement/buy-in/feedback." This was a work session, so we thought of ways that we can free ourselves from the Matrix, yet still address all of the items that were noted. We have an obligation to provide guidance for the President in meeting his goals, but we do not necessarily have to follow this particular chart.
In response to this, we decided to create larger goals for our committee and "map back" the "on the ground" items that needed to be covered. Three items in particular stuck out: 1) Community Engagement; 2) Marketing Columbia; 3) Providing a Voice for the CA Board. I presume that the last item may be a bit controversial and acknowledge that it was not 100% agreed upon by the Board (none of this was -- again, it was a work session), but I think the general idea of the ERC is that it focuses on the front-line between everything going on inside the Board and everything going on outside.
For Community Engagement, we want to make ourselves more accessible. I learned last night that all CA Meetings are saved to CD and are available at the Columbia Archives. This led me to the obvious question of "Why aren't they uploaded to the internet?" I know you all are dying to get your hands on the first CA Four-Hour Podcast, but this audio file will provide the same sort of "scannability" that I had hoped of the web-casting, yet it has already been approved and just needs to change formats.
As for web-casting, the committee was very receptive. There has been some talk of renovating the Board room, which would provide the perfect opportunity to outfit it with cameras and proper recording equipment. This revamp would also conceivably include screens so that those of you that attend our meetings would be able to see whatever documents we may be reviewing. Very exciting stuff.
We also want to come to you instead of continually asking you to come to us. One of the ideas we discussed was having CA Board members request time at various community and business groups to speak and receive feedback. Hopefully those of you who belong to a Rotary group or the Chamber of Commerce may consider reserving a meeting for us to hear what you expect from CA and what you would like to see in the future.
Finally, we have some bridges to tend to. One of the Board members suggested that we invite representatives from Howard Hughes for an informal cocktail hour to get to know one another. This will be different from the sometimes "trial-like" nature of formal Board meetings. These efforts would also extend to the County Council and other elected officials.
As for Marketing Columbia, we discussed the fact that CA has spent a lot of its focus on tilling the field of current residents without considering the image projected outside of our borders. We would never neglect the current residents, but so long as we are interested in maintaining our property values and presenting the best possible product, we should be cognizant of "outsiders" (Eek!!). On this count, I said that I really like Jane Dembner's speaker series (PDF...ugh) and thought it was a great way to make other people get excited about Columbia and our future. I would like to see this speaker series expanded even outside the boundaries of "urban planning" into any number of cultural, political, and social subjects that can get people involved and thinking about their community.
Finally, as a mouthpiece for the Board...we got some 'splaining to do. CSS, Lake Elkhorn Dredging, Hobbit's Glenn, and Village Assessments are all areas for which we need to dedicate ourselves to proper communication and the reception of feedback. It is absolutely crucial that we do so, or risk having our successes branded as failures.
As a minor aside, I came in to CA thinking that CSS was the biggest mess since the unsinkable ship. But then I met Chuck, CA's new CIO. I hate to put so much pressure on one guy, but I know Chuck is going to get us out of this one. CSS is by no means dead...but nobody is planning its next birthday (if ya know what I mean).
For the other items, the Board needs to build its trust back. There are many things that we just cannot discuss, either because they have not been decided or are subject to litigation. Had there been a long-term build up of trust, we would be able to trade some of that for understanding. Unfortunately, there's not and every "I can't answer that" is interpreted as incompetence or malfeasance. For those reading, I just hope you will bear with us and understand that the ERC has made it an objective to squeeze every last drop of information out of what we know into the public sphere. Confidentiality and "silence" should be the limited exception, not the rule.
So that was our meeting. I was very happy with this session and felt that it was very constructive, despite not voting on much of anything. I would like to remind all of you that every Board and Committee meeting open to the public includes a "resident speak out" session wherein you can educate the Board on where your community stands in relation to the business of the Board. You don't even have to stay for the subsequent hours of meetings (and hopefully will be able to catch them on your iPod in the near future).
Please also feel free to include your feedback in the comment section below. I have so appreciated all of you that have come to me with your ideas on how to make CA a better organization and do great things. The Board has been very receptive and I am nothing but optimistic about the next two years.
Have a great Friday!
Last night was the External Relations Committee meeting. It started at approximately 7:35 pm and ended at approximately 9:58 pm. In attendance were myself, Andy Stack, Cindy Coyle, and Ed Coleman. Ed is not on the committee, but wanted to sit in to "catch up" on what's going on with the various committees.
Long before the meeting, we had all received via e-mail a "Strategic Matrix," which lays out the President's goals and how each committee (Strategic Planning, Strategic Implementation, and the ERC) can address each item. Personally, I found this matrix to be a little bit distracting and hard to follow, at least from an ERC perspective. Many of the goals of CA fit neatly into the first two groups, with the ERC column being "develop community involvement/buy-in/feedback." This was a work session, so we thought of ways that we can free ourselves from the Matrix, yet still address all of the items that were noted. We have an obligation to provide guidance for the President in meeting his goals, but we do not necessarily have to follow this particular chart.
In response to this, we decided to create larger goals for our committee and "map back" the "on the ground" items that needed to be covered. Three items in particular stuck out: 1) Community Engagement; 2) Marketing Columbia; 3) Providing a Voice for the CA Board. I presume that the last item may be a bit controversial and acknowledge that it was not 100% agreed upon by the Board (none of this was -- again, it was a work session), but I think the general idea of the ERC is that it focuses on the front-line between everything going on inside the Board and everything going on outside.
For Community Engagement, we want to make ourselves more accessible. I learned last night that all CA Meetings are saved to CD and are available at the Columbia Archives. This led me to the obvious question of "Why aren't they uploaded to the internet?" I know you all are dying to get your hands on the first CA Four-Hour Podcast, but this audio file will provide the same sort of "scannability" that I had hoped of the web-casting, yet it has already been approved and just needs to change formats.
As for web-casting, the committee was very receptive. There has been some talk of renovating the Board room, which would provide the perfect opportunity to outfit it with cameras and proper recording equipment. This revamp would also conceivably include screens so that those of you that attend our meetings would be able to see whatever documents we may be reviewing. Very exciting stuff.
We also want to come to you instead of continually asking you to come to us. One of the ideas we discussed was having CA Board members request time at various community and business groups to speak and receive feedback. Hopefully those of you who belong to a Rotary group or the Chamber of Commerce may consider reserving a meeting for us to hear what you expect from CA and what you would like to see in the future.
Finally, we have some bridges to tend to. One of the Board members suggested that we invite representatives from Howard Hughes for an informal cocktail hour to get to know one another. This will be different from the sometimes "trial-like" nature of formal Board meetings. These efforts would also extend to the County Council and other elected officials.
As for Marketing Columbia, we discussed the fact that CA has spent a lot of its focus on tilling the field of current residents without considering the image projected outside of our borders. We would never neglect the current residents, but so long as we are interested in maintaining our property values and presenting the best possible product, we should be cognizant of "outsiders" (Eek!!). On this count, I said that I really like Jane Dembner's speaker series (PDF...ugh) and thought it was a great way to make other people get excited about Columbia and our future. I would like to see this speaker series expanded even outside the boundaries of "urban planning" into any number of cultural, political, and social subjects that can get people involved and thinking about their community.
Finally, as a mouthpiece for the Board...we got some 'splaining to do. CSS, Lake Elkhorn Dredging, Hobbit's Glenn, and Village Assessments are all areas for which we need to dedicate ourselves to proper communication and the reception of feedback. It is absolutely crucial that we do so, or risk having our successes branded as failures.
As a minor aside, I came in to CA thinking that CSS was the biggest mess since the unsinkable ship. But then I met Chuck, CA's new CIO. I hate to put so much pressure on one guy, but I know Chuck is going to get us out of this one. CSS is by no means dead...but nobody is planning its next birthday (if ya know what I mean).
For the other items, the Board needs to build its trust back. There are many things that we just cannot discuss, either because they have not been decided or are subject to litigation. Had there been a long-term build up of trust, we would be able to trade some of that for understanding. Unfortunately, there's not and every "I can't answer that" is interpreted as incompetence or malfeasance. For those reading, I just hope you will bear with us and understand that the ERC has made it an objective to squeeze every last drop of information out of what we know into the public sphere. Confidentiality and "silence" should be the limited exception, not the rule.
So that was our meeting. I was very happy with this session and felt that it was very constructive, despite not voting on much of anything. I would like to remind all of you that every Board and Committee meeting open to the public includes a "resident speak out" session wherein you can educate the Board on where your community stands in relation to the business of the Board. You don't even have to stay for the subsequent hours of meetings (and hopefully will be able to catch them on your iPod in the near future).
Please also feel free to include your feedback in the comment section below. I have so appreciated all of you that have come to me with your ideas on how to make CA a better organization and do great things. The Board has been very receptive and I am nothing but optimistic about the next two years.
Have a great Friday!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Turning Tables (Thursday Links)
After posting about the fine tuning of my CA Board posts, I received an e-mail from David Greisman with Columbia Patch asking whether I would be interested in talking with him about these posts and what I hoped to accomplish. David and I have become friends over the past five months or so, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to look at this "issue" from an objective angle. What I did not appreciate was that this was going to lead to two things: 1) Most of the other Board members receiving phone calls from David; 2) A good portion of those Board members calling me.
This was a valuable experience for me. I was able to feel the same out-of-control helplessness that I am sure many of my fellow Board members may feel when they think about the idea of me posting about our meetings. "What are they going to say?" "Which things are they going to focus on?" "Are they mad?" Some things just don't come into consideration until after the experience. The phone calls/e-mails I received were mostly positive, with a few "What the heck is going on?" and "I could not care less" statements thrown in. As I told David later, I think this will certainly make sure the issue is fully digested by the time we have our next Board meeting, which (surprisingly) is not until early June (I do have an External Relations Committee meeting tonight after the Well & Wise Party -- which is open to the public and you all are welcome).
Overall, I think this is a good thing, but that's obvious. If it blows up and ends up being "bad," it will primarily hurt me and hang every pejorative "gossipy blogger" title around my neck for all of time (or until May 21). If it ends up being good, it will primarily help CA by driving up interest and community input. So to my dear Board members who are now reading, hang in there with me. You may not like my methods. I may not have hit perfect pitch on the first try. But I think this is important.
LINKS
Julia has a very interesting post contrasting my methods to those of Allen Dyer. I appreciate the positive view and acknowledge that I have to be vigilant not to fall into those practices that will distance me from the Board.
Columbia Patch also notes the innovative new programs that CA is offering to get more residents to our pools and less pressure on our more popular pools. In related new, CA is seeking members (PDF) for the Columbia Aquatics Master Plan Task Force. That title makes it seem like you may need some military training to apply, but I assure you that you do not.
There may be little redeeming value to the horse racing industry, (hmm, that may get some comments) but it is impossible to ignore the bump in tourist dollars we get from the Preakness. In a slightly related note, I know at least 30 people that are going to Wine in the Woods this weekend. I know one person (not named Kegasus) that is going to the Preakness. That should give you some insight into my frame of reference.
Maryland's 9/11 Memorial will receive very prominent placement in Downtown Baltimore in front of the World Trade Center. This memorial is projected to cost $2 million. Although I have an admittedly poor understanding of art or its methods, I have a hard time understanding how or why this memorial is going to cost $2 million, but also appreciate that once you attach the word "Memorial" to a piece of art, it becomes more expensive.
Maryland will be the first state to pass a law requiring "Keolis, a Paris-based company whose majority owner is Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francaise (SNCF)" to disclose " the railway's role in transporting Holocaust victims to Nazi death camps." If you read the piece, this admission will have absolutely no affect on the railways ability to solicit and retain Maryland contracts.
Mayoral Candidate Otis Rolley is proudly taking on the mantle of "reform candidate" in his race against incumbent Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. When introducing plans like this, one runs the risk of turning over their playbook. In most cases, this ends up being good for everyone, as the opponent incorporates the good ideas into their own platform, and we all end up with better government at the end. Either way, if there is any government in need of reform, it is Baltimore city's.
Ok, maybe PG County too.
Definitely check out Frank Hecker's post about whether the charity dollars of one of America's richest counties are best spent locally. This one will definitely get the blood flowing to your brain on this damp Thursday morning. I really don't have much of a "response" to the contention that our money may create more "good" or be more efficient in less wealthy areas of the world. However, it has been my own experience that due to our wealth, our social ills do not get the same attention as those areas that have better identified the problem. There are dozens of resource centers for the Homeless of Baltimore City. There is one and a half such locations in Howard County, leaving a good number of people sleeping in the woods. I would proffer that living in the woods in Howard County is not much different than living in the woods in a less wealthy country. Overall, great post by Frank and a very important thought to consider when thinking of where to invest your charity dollars.
53 Beers takes umbrage (that's right umbrage) at the process by which toll increases were decided.
Sarah's husband: "Does it usually take you an hour and a half to blog?" Must be good! (Although I must confess that the use of the word "blog" as a verb hits me the wrong way. That's not to say it is not correct grammar, but I just don't like it.)
WB takes a look at one of Howard Hughes VP John DeWolf's previous projects in Easton Town Center. On a related note, when people ask me why they should care about what CA does, I ask them whether they care what Howard Hughes does. For those that don't reply with some reference to Leonardo Di Caprio, I say that if you care about what HH does with its property, you darn well better care what CA does with its land, because they both will play significant roles in shaping how Columbia looks and how our residents view their city.
HowChow offers a recipe from "Kyle" for stuffed ham.
That's all I have for you today. I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the happy hour tonight. Have a great Thursday!
This was a valuable experience for me. I was able to feel the same out-of-control helplessness that I am sure many of my fellow Board members may feel when they think about the idea of me posting about our meetings. "What are they going to say?" "Which things are they going to focus on?" "Are they mad?" Some things just don't come into consideration until after the experience. The phone calls/e-mails I received were mostly positive, with a few "What the heck is going on?" and "I could not care less" statements thrown in. As I told David later, I think this will certainly make sure the issue is fully digested by the time we have our next Board meeting, which (surprisingly) is not until early June (I do have an External Relations Committee meeting tonight after the Well & Wise Party -- which is open to the public and you all are welcome).
Overall, I think this is a good thing, but that's obvious. If it blows up and ends up being "bad," it will primarily hurt me and hang every pejorative "gossipy blogger" title around my neck for all of time (or until May 21). If it ends up being good, it will primarily help CA by driving up interest and community input. So to my dear Board members who are now reading, hang in there with me. You may not like my methods. I may not have hit perfect pitch on the first try. But I think this is important.
LINKS
Julia has a very interesting post contrasting my methods to those of Allen Dyer. I appreciate the positive view and acknowledge that I have to be vigilant not to fall into those practices that will distance me from the Board.
Columbia Patch also notes the innovative new programs that CA is offering to get more residents to our pools and less pressure on our more popular pools. In related new, CA is seeking members (PDF) for the Columbia Aquatics Master Plan Task Force. That title makes it seem like you may need some military training to apply, but I assure you that you do not.
There may be little redeeming value to the horse racing industry, (hmm, that may get some comments) but it is impossible to ignore the bump in tourist dollars we get from the Preakness. In a slightly related note, I know at least 30 people that are going to Wine in the Woods this weekend. I know one person (not named Kegasus) that is going to the Preakness. That should give you some insight into my frame of reference.
Maryland's 9/11 Memorial will receive very prominent placement in Downtown Baltimore in front of the World Trade Center. This memorial is projected to cost $2 million. Although I have an admittedly poor understanding of art or its methods, I have a hard time understanding how or why this memorial is going to cost $2 million, but also appreciate that once you attach the word "Memorial" to a piece of art, it becomes more expensive.
Maryland will be the first state to pass a law requiring "Keolis, a Paris-based company whose majority owner is Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francaise (SNCF)" to disclose " the railway's role in transporting Holocaust victims to Nazi death camps." If you read the piece, this admission will have absolutely no affect on the railways ability to solicit and retain Maryland contracts.
Mayoral Candidate Otis Rolley is proudly taking on the mantle of "reform candidate" in his race against incumbent Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. When introducing plans like this, one runs the risk of turning over their playbook. In most cases, this ends up being good for everyone, as the opponent incorporates the good ideas into their own platform, and we all end up with better government at the end. Either way, if there is any government in need of reform, it is Baltimore city's.
Ok, maybe PG County too.
Definitely check out Frank Hecker's post about whether the charity dollars of one of America's richest counties are best spent locally. This one will definitely get the blood flowing to your brain on this damp Thursday morning. I really don't have much of a "response" to the contention that our money may create more "good" or be more efficient in less wealthy areas of the world. However, it has been my own experience that due to our wealth, our social ills do not get the same attention as those areas that have better identified the problem. There are dozens of resource centers for the Homeless of Baltimore City. There is one and a half such locations in Howard County, leaving a good number of people sleeping in the woods. I would proffer that living in the woods in Howard County is not much different than living in the woods in a less wealthy country. Overall, great post by Frank and a very important thought to consider when thinking of where to invest your charity dollars.
53 Beers takes umbrage (that's right umbrage) at the process by which toll increases were decided.
Sarah's husband: "Does it usually take you an hour and a half to blog?" Must be good! (Although I must confess that the use of the word "blog" as a verb hits me the wrong way. That's not to say it is not correct grammar, but I just don't like it.)
WB takes a look at one of Howard Hughes VP John DeWolf's previous projects in Easton Town Center. On a related note, when people ask me why they should care about what CA does, I ask them whether they care what Howard Hughes does. For those that don't reply with some reference to Leonardo Di Caprio, I say that if you care about what HH does with its property, you darn well better care what CA does with its land, because they both will play significant roles in shaping how Columbia looks and how our residents view their city.
HowChow offers a recipe from "Kyle" for stuffed ham.
That's all I have for you today. I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the happy hour tonight. Have a great Thursday!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
I Can Fix That: Episode 8
The newest episode of I Can Fix That is available hot off the interwebs and can be found here. I probably have said this for every podcast, but this one especially is a must listen. I think Jodi and I had our most spirited disagreement regarding the manner in which public officials should feel comfortable discussing their thought processes, including disagreements with fellow members. This, of course, was related to my own defense of the ability to post openly about a public meeting of the CA Board of Directors.
The recent reminder that I am a strong (27/30) extrovert, and this "preference" means I like to think out loud, explains why I learn so much about what I think by a vigorous debate. Jodi provides some very good reasons for why I should think twice before posting about CA meetings. Although I disagree, I certainly don't think the argument is without merit and really think it depends heavily on context.
We then get into another set of subjects that have been hot on the blogs recently: Community Involvement and Activism (read: Village Boards and Elkridge Intermodal).
Enjoy!
The recent reminder that I am a strong (27/30) extrovert, and this "preference" means I like to think out loud, explains why I learn so much about what I think by a vigorous debate. Jodi provides some very good reasons for why I should think twice before posting about CA meetings. Although I disagree, I certainly don't think the argument is without merit and really think it depends heavily on context.
We then get into another set of subjects that have been hot on the blogs recently: Community Involvement and Activism (read: Village Boards and Elkridge Intermodal).
Enjoy!
How Do You Work This Thing? (Wednesday Links)
Yesterday was an interesting day. I received an e-mail from a Board member saying they wanted to speak to me about "something." Despite the obvious, I actually thought that they were interested in talking about web-casting CA meetings or continuing some of the political jockeying that had been going on via e-mail. That was dumb of me. Sure enough, about three minutes in, "I wanted to talk to you about your blog."
To summarize, the impression of this Board member was that my recap of last Thursday's Board meeting had breached the "trust" of the Board. I was in trouble. Now, I did not take this criticism as well as I could have, should have, or would have, had I not had a late night at the office on Monday. Nonetheless, I was very frustrated. We finished our conversation and I spent the rest of the day alternating between this "frustration" and wondering whether I was "doing something wrong." I had actually thought about that way before hearing any criticism of what I wrote. Is this "positive" or am I just writing for the sake of giving people something to read? Am I engaging people, or just entertaining them? Most importantly, if I can't write these posts with the perfect tone and with an unimpeachable set of facts, should I be writing it at all?
This issue was further explored on the I Can Fix That podcast last night. As you will hear, Jodi was less than supportive of having me provide my account of CA Board meetings on this blog or, more specifically, of having me report what anyone else said at those meetings. I am less than receptive of this criticism, but that's what makes it a good podcast. My fervent disagreement on this point may come from my frustration with figuring out exactly how "this" is going to work. I had made some ground rules for myself: 1) Only post about open meetings; 2) Be fair; 3) Just the facts. It now seems that even those ground rules are not sufficient. The problem is that the more you trim, the less there is. As I noted last night, I am continuously concerned of "sterilizing" the contents of these posts to the point that you are just reading Board minutes. That's not engagement. It's placating. I want to engage you and give you ownership in what we do. Maybe that's just not practical.
I think I just need some more fine tuning. I genuinely believe that it is important to provide an access point for all of you into what the Board is doing and the circumstances of our meetings, which has been a point of consternation for years. Nonetheless, I also genuinely do not want to go through my term on the CA Board like a bull in a china shop, giving little regard to whatever damage I might cause or whether I am able to be effective.
Its been two years and I still don't think I have figured out how to work this "blog thing."
LINKS
Victoria Gastro Pub was in the Sun yesterday regarding the MICROS tablet program that allows you to order from their 50 page beer menu without going through 50 pages. I spoke with Gus about the "Beer-Pad" and have a quote tucked in at the end. In unrelated news, I have officially "quit" using the words "incredible" (ongoing struggle) and "neat."
Gov. O'Malley vows to support the passage of legislation protecting transgender people in the wake of last month's well-publicized assault at a McDonald's in Rosedale. I'm curious if anyone would be interested in making the argument that transgender protection legislation would have prevented this attack? Personally, I am not so sure I support this legislation, but it has nothing to do with what happens in Rosedale. Maybe I'm insensitive or "on the wrong side of history," but I am uncomfortable with the effect this law would have on small businesses who are concerned that the person who greets their customers may be the one that turns them away. I would like to think that everyone is as open-minded as the brilliant folks that spend their mornings reading here, but they aren't.
The Baltimore County Council played nice with County Exec Kamenetz and only cut $258K from his $1.6 billion proposed budget.
If you flushed your carpet down the toilet in Baltimore City: 1) Congratulations, that must have been very hard. 2) The Baltimore City Department of Public Works would like to speak with you. (Ok, fine. The carpet was pushed down a manhole, but wouldn't it be more funny if they flushed it down the toilet?)
O'Malley is totally copy-catting our County Executive with his waste-to-energy bill.
Larry Carson quotes Guy Guzzone to say "I have not made a decision what I'm going to run for, but county executive is high on the list of possibilities." The article then goes on to include the passive-aggressive "suggestions" that a Democrat primary may not be necessary and that they can "work out something that's agreeable." Doesn't that sound like the guy in a cowboy movie that has a gun pulled on him?
Larry's piece goes on to note that Liz Bobo found herself on the wrong kind of list when the Sun was looking into lump sum donations as a loophole to the campaign finance law. Liz disagrees that it is a loophole. Here's a definition for those who were curious: an ambiguity or omission in the text through which the intent of a statute, contract, or obligation may be evaded. Hmm.
Sarah offers a contrarian view to the "greatness of Portland."
WB announces a new development along the Rte 1 corridor.
Trevor notes the Top 20 "Maryland Influencers" and which ones have HoCo ties, with a vague allusion to changing party colors should folks like Senator Kittleman not get more Republican support.
And I'm out of time. Have a great Wednesday.
To summarize, the impression of this Board member was that my recap of last Thursday's Board meeting had breached the "trust" of the Board. I was in trouble. Now, I did not take this criticism as well as I could have, should have, or would have, had I not had a late night at the office on Monday. Nonetheless, I was very frustrated. We finished our conversation and I spent the rest of the day alternating between this "frustration" and wondering whether I was "doing something wrong." I had actually thought about that way before hearing any criticism of what I wrote. Is this "positive" or am I just writing for the sake of giving people something to read? Am I engaging people, or just entertaining them? Most importantly, if I can't write these posts with the perfect tone and with an unimpeachable set of facts, should I be writing it at all?
This issue was further explored on the I Can Fix That podcast last night. As you will hear, Jodi was less than supportive of having me provide my account of CA Board meetings on this blog or, more specifically, of having me report what anyone else said at those meetings. I am less than receptive of this criticism, but that's what makes it a good podcast. My fervent disagreement on this point may come from my frustration with figuring out exactly how "this" is going to work. I had made some ground rules for myself: 1) Only post about open meetings; 2) Be fair; 3) Just the facts. It now seems that even those ground rules are not sufficient. The problem is that the more you trim, the less there is. As I noted last night, I am continuously concerned of "sterilizing" the contents of these posts to the point that you are just reading Board minutes. That's not engagement. It's placating. I want to engage you and give you ownership in what we do. Maybe that's just not practical.
I think I just need some more fine tuning. I genuinely believe that it is important to provide an access point for all of you into what the Board is doing and the circumstances of our meetings, which has been a point of consternation for years. Nonetheless, I also genuinely do not want to go through my term on the CA Board like a bull in a china shop, giving little regard to whatever damage I might cause or whether I am able to be effective.
Its been two years and I still don't think I have figured out how to work this "blog thing."
LINKS
Victoria Gastro Pub was in the Sun yesterday regarding the MICROS tablet program that allows you to order from their 50 page beer menu without going through 50 pages. I spoke with Gus about the "Beer-Pad" and have a quote tucked in at the end. In unrelated news, I have officially "quit" using the words "incredible" (ongoing struggle) and "neat."
Gov. O'Malley vows to support the passage of legislation protecting transgender people in the wake of last month's well-publicized assault at a McDonald's in Rosedale. I'm curious if anyone would be interested in making the argument that transgender protection legislation would have prevented this attack? Personally, I am not so sure I support this legislation, but it has nothing to do with what happens in Rosedale. Maybe I'm insensitive or "on the wrong side of history," but I am uncomfortable with the effect this law would have on small businesses who are concerned that the person who greets their customers may be the one that turns them away. I would like to think that everyone is as open-minded as the brilliant folks that spend their mornings reading here, but they aren't.
The Baltimore County Council played nice with County Exec Kamenetz and only cut $258K from his $1.6 billion proposed budget.
If you flushed your carpet down the toilet in Baltimore City: 1) Congratulations, that must have been very hard. 2) The Baltimore City Department of Public Works would like to speak with you. (Ok, fine. The carpet was pushed down a manhole, but wouldn't it be more funny if they flushed it down the toilet?)
O'Malley is totally copy-catting our County Executive with his waste-to-energy bill.
Larry Carson quotes Guy Guzzone to say "I have not made a decision what I'm going to run for, but county executive is high on the list of possibilities." The article then goes on to include the passive-aggressive "suggestions" that a Democrat primary may not be necessary and that they can "work out something that's agreeable." Doesn't that sound like the guy in a cowboy movie that has a gun pulled on him?
Larry's piece goes on to note that Liz Bobo found herself on the wrong kind of list when the Sun was looking into lump sum donations as a loophole to the campaign finance law. Liz disagrees that it is a loophole. Here's a definition for those who were curious: an ambiguity or omission in the text through which the intent of a statute, contract, or obligation may be evaded. Hmm.
Sarah offers a contrarian view to the "greatness of Portland."
WB announces a new development along the Rte 1 corridor.
Trevor notes the Top 20 "Maryland Influencers" and which ones have HoCo ties, with a vague allusion to changing party colors should folks like Senator Kittleman not get more Republican support.
And I'm out of time. Have a great Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
True Political Civility
In a post from election day last November, I had expressed my own personal hope that the election "victors" (i.e., "Successful Candidates") would consider nominating their opponents for one of the many citizen commissions that help advise our Council and the Executive. It had been my personal experience that participation in these citizen boards was somewhat (read: very) partisan, which prevented challenger candidates from building up much of anything in the way of experience before running for office. However, those that spend the thankless (some may say "humiliating") hours waving to cars on the side of the road do so because they have a desire to serve, which is a resource we would be smart not to squander.
I'm very happy to note that Calvin Ball has nominated Reg Avery, his 2010 opponent in District 2, for the newly formed Veteran's Commission. This is given "by the way" treatment in the article, but I think it is rather significant. Reg and Calvin ran their campaigns in such a way that this kind of partnership is possible. Reg may decide to run against Calvin again in 2014, and there is nothing in this appointment that would prevent him from doing so. From that perspective, it says a lot about Calvin that he was willing to put Reg in the position to serve a constituency that he clearly cares a lot about at the risk of adding to his opponent's resume.
Congrats to Reg and Calvin. This is what we like to see from our public servants.
UPDATE: A reader was kind enough to point out that Ken Ulman also nominated Chris Merdon to the Revenue Authority Board of Directors in 2007.
I'm very happy to note that Calvin Ball has nominated Reg Avery, his 2010 opponent in District 2, for the newly formed Veteran's Commission. This is given "by the way" treatment in the article, but I think it is rather significant. Reg and Calvin ran their campaigns in such a way that this kind of partnership is possible. Reg may decide to run against Calvin again in 2014, and there is nothing in this appointment that would prevent him from doing so. From that perspective, it says a lot about Calvin that he was willing to put Reg in the position to serve a constituency that he clearly cares a lot about at the risk of adding to his opponent's resume.
Congrats to Reg and Calvin. This is what we like to see from our public servants.
UPDATE: A reader was kind enough to point out that Ken Ulman also nominated Chris Merdon to the Revenue Authority Board of Directors in 2007.
Yawn (No Link Tuesday)
Late late night at work. After listening to a story on NPR telling me I need at least 7 hours of sleep (ok fine, they said 8, but I know I read somewhere that we can get by on 7), I decided to catch up on some sleep debt. I'll hope to get something up later today.
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Change Is Gonna Come (Monday Links)
I received word last night that Mike Cornell, as Board Chair, would like to change the way the Board has been doing business. Rather than maintain the "Supervised Committee system" where each committee meets in front of the Board as a whole, with only the three committee members being able to speak, he wanted to trust the committees and have them meet separately. This is a small efficiency measure that I am hoping will enable the Board to do great things. Ideally, the committee serves a very different function than the Board. It allows for more digging, evaluating, and planning in a less formal setting. Proposals can and should be developed at the committee level and "brought up" to the Board level for a decision. This is a process that can be used to restrain an unwieldy Board (ahem) and create focused intentional action (ahem ahem).
I cannot overstate the hope that this small change gives me.
LINKS
Richard Gorelick destroys the Rumor Mill in his Sun review. Jane and I took personal offense, especially at the suggestion that the bread pudding was "too dense." I will acknowledge that the one bit of feedback I have heard often is that the food is inconsistent, but this review was a little off the mark for me.
I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jessie at the Columbia Festival of the Arts function, and she was telling me about her own personal efforts to bring more people out for the movies at the Lakefront. I agreed with her that this is a neat feature of our community and that it does not have to be limited to "families of four or more." The schedule has been released and I am looking forward to getting out for a good number of these films.
PATH is teaming up with Executive Ulman (again) to create summer jobs for Howard County youth focused on multiple environmental initiatives that Ken has pushed for in his budget. Looking at this from another angle, this is a way to get some of the cheapest labor available to do some very important work that will help the Chesapeake Bay. It also has the added benefit of employing a temporary workforce in temporary jobs. These students would otherwise be taking jobs that could be available for long term employment. (I may be looking to far into this...in fact, I know I am).
Michael Dresser announces the end of cheap tolls in Maryland, and provides a micro-story about how us Howard Countians may get to keep our "free ride" due to the lack of tolls between us and where we work.
Dinosaur Mom tells her kids that Columbia is not a ghetto.
Kellie Woodhouse reports that Howard County will offer its first "three-legged stool" housing complex, which will be affordable, green housing that is accessible to people with disabilities. I don't know what it is about the term, but "three-legged stool" makes it sound unsafe. Why couldn't they call it the "triangle of progressive housing" or the "Triceratops of Shelter"?
This post by Bill Santos makes me happy for two reasons: 1) Bill is one of the great thinkers in our community. If he says something, it is always worth listening to. 2) Jane Dembner commented on the post. She is one of the many reasons that you all should be excited about what CA is doing in the community.
WB finds a lot to like in a post about the noises within an Elkridge household and how the CSX intermodal facility may not be such a change after all.
HowChow gives a preview of Pita & Rye in Fulton/Maple Lawn (what am I supposed to call it?). I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that this is one of the more anticipated new additions to the HoCo food scene, but with that comes great expectations. I can't fill one hand with places to go for a good deli sandwich. We tend to grill the begeezus out of just about every sandwich that is worth writing home about. Help us, Pita and Rye, you're our only hope.
That's all I have for you today. I anticipate this will be a busy one. Have a great Monday doing what you love.
I cannot overstate the hope that this small change gives me.
LINKS
Richard Gorelick destroys the Rumor Mill in his Sun review. Jane and I took personal offense, especially at the suggestion that the bread pudding was "too dense." I will acknowledge that the one bit of feedback I have heard often is that the food is inconsistent, but this review was a little off the mark for me.
I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jessie at the Columbia Festival of the Arts function, and she was telling me about her own personal efforts to bring more people out for the movies at the Lakefront. I agreed with her that this is a neat feature of our community and that it does not have to be limited to "families of four or more." The schedule has been released and I am looking forward to getting out for a good number of these films.
PATH is teaming up with Executive Ulman (again) to create summer jobs for Howard County youth focused on multiple environmental initiatives that Ken has pushed for in his budget. Looking at this from another angle, this is a way to get some of the cheapest labor available to do some very important work that will help the Chesapeake Bay. It also has the added benefit of employing a temporary workforce in temporary jobs. These students would otherwise be taking jobs that could be available for long term employment. (I may be looking to far into this...in fact, I know I am).
Michael Dresser announces the end of cheap tolls in Maryland, and provides a micro-story about how us Howard Countians may get to keep our "free ride" due to the lack of tolls between us and where we work.
Dinosaur Mom tells her kids that Columbia is not a ghetto.
Kellie Woodhouse reports that Howard County will offer its first "three-legged stool" housing complex, which will be affordable, green housing that is accessible to people with disabilities. I don't know what it is about the term, but "three-legged stool" makes it sound unsafe. Why couldn't they call it the "triangle of progressive housing" or the "Triceratops of Shelter"?
This post by Bill Santos makes me happy for two reasons: 1) Bill is one of the great thinkers in our community. If he says something, it is always worth listening to. 2) Jane Dembner commented on the post. She is one of the many reasons that you all should be excited about what CA is doing in the community.
WB finds a lot to like in a post about the noises within an Elkridge household and how the CSX intermodal facility may not be such a change after all.
HowChow gives a preview of Pita & Rye in Fulton/Maple Lawn (what am I supposed to call it?). I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that this is one of the more anticipated new additions to the HoCo food scene, but with that comes great expectations. I can't fill one hand with places to go for a good deli sandwich. We tend to grill the begeezus out of just about every sandwich that is worth writing home about. Help us, Pita and Rye, you're our only hope.
That's all I have for you today. I anticipate this will be a busy one. Have a great Monday doing what you love.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
About Yesterday (Sunday Announcements)
Yesterday included another encounter with the not so subtle command: "Do not write about this."
I am certainly empathetic to this concern and take some pride in discretion. I will write about things that people don't want written, but only after considering whether there is a legitimate objection to keeping it from the public. This is not some crusade of mine that is to be hoisted upon anyone I interact with. It is just a part of me and how I communicate. Rather than whisper over stiff drinks and finger foods, I type over coffee and granola. I am bound by and responsible for what I say and that in itself is a very significant limitation that most people don't consider when they suggest that they don't want me to write about something. If you think I can't be trusted, I lose my ability to operate and be effective. It also is a limitation that you whisperers would do well to incorporate into your hushed deliberations. The number of people involved in a conversation does not necessarily limit its impact.
As I noted before, yesterday was focused on CA Board team building. It was a very good session and I feel much more in touch with the great folks that I will have the opportunity to work with over the next two years. To the extent all of you have concerns about the Board, those problems have been identified (over and over and over again). What will continue to be a challenge is the way in which problems are fixed, for which there is very little in the way of concurrence.
The Wine Bin Spring Wine Festival was a lot of fun, despite only being able to spend about an hour there. I then went on to the Columbia Festival of the Arts Black Tie Gala and laughed my butt off. My face still hurts a little.
I have a few community announcements for you all. The first is from friend-of-the-blog Chris Maynard:
As changes in the Health Care Reform Act continue to evolve, join County Executive Ken Ulman and keynote speaker Howard County Health Officer, Dr. Peter Beilenson as he discusses key factors every Howard County business should know regarding the new Health Care Reform Act and the impact it will have on employees and businesses as a whole. Businesses from all over Howard County and the local region will be attending this informative and enlightening discussion.
When: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Time: 7:30 AM Continental Breakfast
8:00-9:30 AM Presentation, Discussion, Q&A
Where: Howard County Health Dept
7178 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, MD
This is a FREE event. Please register at momlor@howardcountymd.gov or call 410-988-3737 ext 40 by June 8, 2011.
The next is from another friend-of-the-blog Tara Boyle regarding a new summer camp at the Cradlerock Children's Center:
It's called Camp Explore and will include field trips, soccer, swimming, arts and crafts, nature hikes, and more. Each week will have a theme, include space, animals, and "under the sea."
The camp will run for six weeks starting on July 5, and parents can reserve space for one, several, or all six weeks. The price is $295 per week, and lunch and two snacks are included in that price. In addition, the camp is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate the schedules of working parents.
The Cradlerock Children's Center recently received an honorable mention for "Best Day Care" from Howard Magazine, so we're really excited to be expanding our offerings to include a high-quality summer camp for local kids. Parents who are interested can contact Ms. Helen at 410-381-0906 or by visiting CCC's website at http://www.cradlerockcenter.
And that's all I have for you today. I have nothing scheduled today and Jane says the grass is too wet to mow (WHOOO HOO!). Oddly, I feel a bit lonely. Ha ha. Have a great Sunday!
I am certainly empathetic to this concern and take some pride in discretion. I will write about things that people don't want written, but only after considering whether there is a legitimate objection to keeping it from the public. This is not some crusade of mine that is to be hoisted upon anyone I interact with. It is just a part of me and how I communicate. Rather than whisper over stiff drinks and finger foods, I type over coffee and granola. I am bound by and responsible for what I say and that in itself is a very significant limitation that most people don't consider when they suggest that they don't want me to write about something. If you think I can't be trusted, I lose my ability to operate and be effective. It also is a limitation that you whisperers would do well to incorporate into your hushed deliberations. The number of people involved in a conversation does not necessarily limit its impact.
As I noted before, yesterday was focused on CA Board team building. It was a very good session and I feel much more in touch with the great folks that I will have the opportunity to work with over the next two years. To the extent all of you have concerns about the Board, those problems have been identified (over and over and over again). What will continue to be a challenge is the way in which problems are fixed, for which there is very little in the way of concurrence.
The Wine Bin Spring Wine Festival was a lot of fun, despite only being able to spend about an hour there. I then went on to the Columbia Festival of the Arts Black Tie Gala and laughed my butt off. My face still hurts a little.
I have a few community announcements for you all. The first is from friend-of-the-blog Chris Maynard:
Howard County Health Dept Presents
When: Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Time: 7:30 AM Continental Breakfast
8:00-9:30 AM Presentation, Discussion, Q&A
Where: Howard County Health Dept
7178 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, MD
This is a FREE event. Please register at momlor@howardcountymd.gov or call 410-988-3737 ext 40 by June 8, 2011.
The next is from another friend-of-the-blog Tara Boyle regarding a new summer camp at the Cradlerock Children's Center:
It's called Camp Explore and will include field trips, soccer, swimming, arts and crafts, nature hikes, and more. Each week will have a theme, include space, animals, and "under the sea."
The camp will run for six weeks starting on July 5, and parents can reserve space for one, several, or all six weeks. The price is $295 per week, and lunch and two snacks are included in that price. In addition, the camp is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate the schedules of working parents.
The Cradlerock Children's Center recently received an honorable mention for "Best Day Care" from Howard Magazine, so we're really excited to be expanding our offerings to include a high-quality summer camp for local kids. Parents who are interested can contact Ms. Helen at 410-381-0906 or by visiting CCC's website at http://www.cradlerockcenter.
And that's all I have for you today. I have nothing scheduled today and Jane says the grass is too wet to mow (WHOOO HOO!). Oddly, I feel a bit lonely. Ha ha. Have a great Sunday!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday Morning Stuff
Last night ended up being an introduction of the team building concept for Ed and I, rather than a meeting for the entire Board. We will have a retreat today for the Board as a whole, where we will find out our Myers-Briggs classification and how to work better as a team. One of the concerns that I raised to the consultant was that many of our problems, as I see them, are system based and have nothing to do with the Board's ability to work as a team (or work "intentionally" as the consultant put it). If we're working together towards a goal, but that goal is the wrong objective, team-building means very little. Furthermore, so much of what is "wrong" has to do with these ingrained ways of doing things that have taken on the weight of constitutional authority. When the parameters of the operation are set (and from my perspective "mis-set"), the most efficient working group in the world is not going to be able to improve on the final product.
What was most helpful for me is to hear Phil Nelson give his impressions about CA and how he would like to see interactions between the staff and the Board. When expressing his frustrations, a lesser man may have let his voice break a few times. One of his objectives is finding ways to get more of you involved and interested in what CA does. This is part of the reason CA has brought on great folks like Jessie Newburn. Believe it or not, he wants to hear what we are doing wrong and wants to provide any possible forum to hear that. At the same time, we as a Board need to be better at not being ruled by the minority. Due to the whole client-resident-constituent confusion that I mentioned yesterday, CA Policy has been directed with the attention span of golden retriever. If five people testify at Resident Speak Out: "well, that's what the residents think." Not: "that's what five residents think."
Which brings me to my first reading recommendation (courtesy of Sarah): Please please read this fantastic piece by David Motzenbecker about Community Engagement titled "An Infusion of Commons Thinking Can Transform the Future of our Communities." It provides very practical examples of how various communities have been engaged in creating the future of their environment. The idea of implementing a wiki to foster collaboration seems ingenious...while also dangerous. The vague reference to "the public" and allowing "the public" to create policy comes with it a tremendous amount of authority that is not held by any one elected official. Nonetheless, tapping into that resource introduces a potential that is not offered by any one elected official (or the "experts" that they hire to consult with).
One thing Phil said last night really stuck with me. To paraphrase: "We live in an area filled with PhD's and other folks at the pinnacle of their line of work. Why aren't we tapping into this resource to solve the problems that CA has?" Now, unfortunately, we do not live in the Matrix (or at least I think we don't) and we can't just say "I would like two inputs from Laurence Fishburne and a half input from Keanu...you know what, can I get my Keanu on the side?" BUT, what may be a surprise to people is that CA has no problem filling its committees. There are five applications for one spot on the Audit Committee, some of which are corporate officers from well known corporations in and around Columbia.
The real need, from where I sit, is to plug this talent into new areas of CA, which must first be abdicated by the Board...and then left alone. It is completely ridiculous and unprofessional to have Board members sitting in at every committee meeting. This was an efficiency measure that was developed after Board members refused to trust and delegate tasks to the committees, and instead re-incorporated the business of the committee into the Board as a whole. During these "supervised committee meetings" the entire Board sits, but only the three members on the committee speak. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard?!? For the involvement and collaboration with the public to work, the Board needs to allow more faith in their committee system. A jack of all trades is a master of none. Ideally, policy initiatives would be created at the committee level, brought up to the Board, and voted up, down, or back to committee. Is modeling an organizational structure after Congress a bad idea? Sure is. But honestly I think those folks are doing a better job than we are.
And that's all I have to say about that. For now.
Reporting on Sun Reporting:
The front page of the Howard Section includes an article about the "Well & Wise" Blog AND the HoCo Blogger party this Thursday. I have not really commented on this new entrant to the local blogging scene, but I am interested to see how it goes. Blogs are so dependent on the voice of their author. I've met so many people who have asked me to post about something, but then follow up with "say this" or "don't say that," at which point I will direct them to www.blogger.com and go along my happy blogger way. I'm not saying W&W has to be "edgy" or "controversial," but they do need to have an unique voice that readers will be attracted to and drawn back to over and over again. Here are some unsolicited ideas for how to add that "voice"/"voices":
1) Book reviews from local politicos/well known Howard Countians;
2) Race recaps from local runners;
3) Healthy Recipes from well-known local chefs;
4) HHAP "Healthy Restaurant" reviews;
These are the types of things that will draw people and and keep them coming. Mary Poppins had it right: "A spoonful of sugar helps the information go down" (that's what she said right?). If this blog is to be effective in getting its message out, it needs to add some "flava." And it looks like they have taken off to a great start.
Joe Burris takes on the Dyer legal fees issue, and notes that since Mr. Dyer was elected to the Board, the County has spent approximately $70,000 in legal fees and document retention costs responding to his lawsuits. The bulk of the $443,860 number that was quoted earlier was in response to a pre-Dyer-election lawsuit filed in 2001, which cost the county $372,755. Those who may have been heartened at the idea that this $443K may bring voters to the "Anybody-but-Dyer" ticket will do well to note that litigation costs leading up to the last election were available for public consumption prior to the electorate's first "Big Mistake." Hopefully we can prevent a second.
That's all I have for you today. Today is a true marathon day. From 9 am to 4 pm, I will be at the CA Board Retreat. From 4 pm to 6 pm, I will be attending the Wine Bin Spring Wine Tasting. From 7 pm to whenever, I will be at the Columbia Festival of the Arts Black Tie Gala. Pretty excited.
What was most helpful for me is to hear Phil Nelson give his impressions about CA and how he would like to see interactions between the staff and the Board. When expressing his frustrations, a lesser man may have let his voice break a few times. One of his objectives is finding ways to get more of you involved and interested in what CA does. This is part of the reason CA has brought on great folks like Jessie Newburn. Believe it or not, he wants to hear what we are doing wrong and wants to provide any possible forum to hear that. At the same time, we as a Board need to be better at not being ruled by the minority. Due to the whole client-resident-constituent confusion that I mentioned yesterday, CA Policy has been directed with the attention span of golden retriever. If five people testify at Resident Speak Out: "well, that's what the residents think." Not: "that's what five residents think."
Which brings me to my first reading recommendation (courtesy of Sarah): Please please read this fantastic piece by David Motzenbecker about Community Engagement titled "An Infusion of Commons Thinking Can Transform the Future of our Communities." It provides very practical examples of how various communities have been engaged in creating the future of their environment. The idea of implementing a wiki to foster collaboration seems ingenious...while also dangerous. The vague reference to "the public" and allowing "the public" to create policy comes with it a tremendous amount of authority that is not held by any one elected official. Nonetheless, tapping into that resource introduces a potential that is not offered by any one elected official (or the "experts" that they hire to consult with).
One thing Phil said last night really stuck with me. To paraphrase: "We live in an area filled with PhD's and other folks at the pinnacle of their line of work. Why aren't we tapping into this resource to solve the problems that CA has?" Now, unfortunately, we do not live in the Matrix (or at least I think we don't) and we can't just say "I would like two inputs from Laurence Fishburne and a half input from Keanu...you know what, can I get my Keanu on the side?" BUT, what may be a surprise to people is that CA has no problem filling its committees. There are five applications for one spot on the Audit Committee, some of which are corporate officers from well known corporations in and around Columbia.
The real need, from where I sit, is to plug this talent into new areas of CA, which must first be abdicated by the Board...and then left alone. It is completely ridiculous and unprofessional to have Board members sitting in at every committee meeting. This was an efficiency measure that was developed after Board members refused to trust and delegate tasks to the committees, and instead re-incorporated the business of the committee into the Board as a whole. During these "supervised committee meetings" the entire Board sits, but only the three members on the committee speak. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard?!? For the involvement and collaboration with the public to work, the Board needs to allow more faith in their committee system. A jack of all trades is a master of none. Ideally, policy initiatives would be created at the committee level, brought up to the Board, and voted up, down, or back to committee. Is modeling an organizational structure after Congress a bad idea? Sure is. But honestly I think those folks are doing a better job than we are.
And that's all I have to say about that. For now.
Reporting on Sun Reporting:
The front page of the Howard Section includes an article about the "Well & Wise" Blog AND the HoCo Blogger party this Thursday. I have not really commented on this new entrant to the local blogging scene, but I am interested to see how it goes. Blogs are so dependent on the voice of their author. I've met so many people who have asked me to post about something, but then follow up with "say this" or "don't say that," at which point I will direct them to www.blogger.com and go along my happy blogger way. I'm not saying W&W has to be "edgy" or "controversial," but they do need to have an unique voice that readers will be attracted to and drawn back to over and over again. Here are some unsolicited ideas for how to add that "voice"/"voices":
1) Book reviews from local politicos/well known Howard Countians;
2) Race recaps from local runners;
3) Healthy Recipes from well-known local chefs;
4) HHAP "Healthy Restaurant" reviews;
These are the types of things that will draw people and and keep them coming. Mary Poppins had it right: "A spoonful of sugar helps the information go down" (that's what she said right?). If this blog is to be effective in getting its message out, it needs to add some "flava." And it looks like they have taken off to a great start.
Joe Burris takes on the Dyer legal fees issue, and notes that since Mr. Dyer was elected to the Board, the County has spent approximately $70,000 in legal fees and document retention costs responding to his lawsuits. The bulk of the $443,860 number that was quoted earlier was in response to a pre-Dyer-election lawsuit filed in 2001, which cost the county $372,755. Those who may have been heartened at the idea that this $443K may bring voters to the "Anybody-but-Dyer" ticket will do well to note that litigation costs leading up to the last election were available for public consumption prior to the electorate's first "Big Mistake." Hopefully we can prevent a second.
That's all I have for you today. Today is a true marathon day. From 9 am to 4 pm, I will be at the CA Board Retreat. From 4 pm to 6 pm, I will be attending the Wine Bin Spring Wine Tasting. From 7 pm to whenever, I will be at the Columbia Festival of the Arts Black Tie Gala. Pretty excited.
Friday, May 13, 2011
CA Board Recap: A New Board
I plan to dedicate my Friday morning posts to recapping the Columbia Association Board meetings from the previous evening. (This would have been posted this am, but Blogger had a whoopsie-daisy that took it offline -- and ate yesterday's posts). I think it is important for all of you to know what is going on with CA, what the Board is considering, and how things are progressing. Please understand that this is a very delicate tight-rope that I will need to walk in considering the interests of the other Board members and my ability to “get things done” as a representative from Dorsey’s Search. I will be giving my account from my perspective, so you shouldn't expect this to be "neutral." But, as always, I will try to be fair.
Last night’s meeting was held for the purpose of electing officers of the Board. When I sat down I was told “this will be the shortest meeting of the year.” It was still about an hour and forty-five minutes. The two candidates for Board Chair were Cindy Coyle, the past chair, and Michael Cornell, who had served on the Board in a number of different capacities over the years, and had challenged Cindy for Board chair last year. Early discussion was very cordial, with both candidates saying that the other would do a great job and that their work as a Board member would not change if they were not elected. But then…Gregg Schwind spoke.
It was clear that Gregg was frustrated with the manner in which the Board meetings had been run over the past year. He passed around a document that included the meeting lengths for the past twelve months. It was hard to look at. Most meetings began around 7:30 pm and ended sometime after 11:00 pm, with an average length of around 3.5 hours. Gregg went on to note that Board agendas were too ambitious and that the really important matters were normally cut off or rushed because they were left for the end. Other Board members came to Cindy’s defense, noting that the length of the meetings have improved (formerly going until “1 or 2 in the morning”) and that to the extent they are still too long, it was not her fault.
Anyhow, Greg’s concerns certainly took on the color of accusations, and it was clear that Cindy took offense. While he was speaking, she whispered “he hates me,” and leaned over to Mike to say “this is your supporter,” suggesting that Mike should disassociate himself from such comments. Finding myself sitting in between Cindy and Gregg, I realized why the prime seats at both ends of the horseshoe filled up first.
After about twenty minutes of awkwardness, we went to a vote. Mike Cornell won 6-4. (Honestly, I think the vote was going to be 6-4 for Mike before we even sat down.) We then went on to electing Vice Chair which was such a mess that I would rather give it to you in as brief a description as possible. Suzanne and Alex were going to run as co-Vice-chairs...until Shari Zaret was nominated to be Vice Chair, leaving two half-vice-chairs and one whole vice-chair. As we were about to go to a vote, Suzanne asked if she could drop Alex and run independently. This was news to Alex. Nonetheless, he agreed to run separately, but due to the manner of nominations, we now had four candidates. Alex, Suzanne, Ale-zanne, and Shari. I have to confess that I started laughing in the midst of this discussion, but thankfully I was not alone. Shari Zaret was elected Vice Chair 7-3 (can’t remember the distribution of the 3 votes).
So we have a whole new officer corps. We then went on to choose committees, which seem to be at the heart of a lot of the Board’s problems. The three committees are Planning and Strategy, Strategic Implementation, and External Relations. Being the only committee with a clear mission, I chose the External Relations Committee.
Overall, I think this Board would do well to consider forming a CA Board Reform Committee. A lot of the criticisms that were lodged at Cindy last night were clearly ills of the Board as a whole. The vague titles of the committees, and a clear uncertainty as to the domain of each, is a huge problem.
I also plan to strongly advocate for the web-casting and online archiving of Board meetings. I think we could use some more eyes on these meetings. Maybe it will make them more civil. Maybe it will provide a platform for more histrionics. Either way, you all have a right to know what we do without sitting through four-hour meetings.
We have a team building meeting tonight with Myers-Briggs and "don't say 'you', say 'I feel'" and all that stuff. I am optimistic that there may be some revelations here, but it is clear that those who have objections about how the Board is being run feel that it is an individual Board member's fault, rather than a fault of the group as a whole.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Hive Mind Hope: Comments Turned Blog Post
I really liked some of the questions/challenges TJ presented in the comments from this morning's post, so I thought I would move them up to make it a post all its own.
TJ writes:
On voting in the villages: Here's, as an outsider, what I heard in the last comment thread on this:
People are too complacent to vote.
People are complacent because they think (know?) everything is fine. Why bother?
We need people to get involved!
To begin with, I'm a big believer in community involvement. However, if the hoi polloi are satisfied, and things do indeed seem to be going swimmingly, why do they need to be involved? A commenter mentioned the 80/20 rule, which in this case is probably better approximated as the 95/5 rule. If that 5% is happily donating their time and, in doing so, keeping the other 95% well-fed, the possibility is strong that increased involvement will not led to increased performance, and may in fact decrease efficiency.
If your desire for increased involvement driven by a sense of fairness? ("We all share the load.") Nostalgia for the glory days of Columbia? (Which may or may not be accurate. What was voter participation in the seventies?) True belief that increased participation will lead to increased performance? (The "Anti-Too Many Cooks Theory").
Perhaps Colombia has become a test case for an Ayn Randian world where a small, select few perform as the engines of society.
(Note: Devil's advocate alert!)
My Response:
Great stuff! (Although I normally interpret "Devil's Advocate" to mean "I would like to abandon this position at some later point. Consider this a warning.")
We are a growing community that will absolutely require innovation to maintain our current way of life. From my perspective, that means we need more people at the table to brain storm and represent unique perspectives from the community. Village Boards were partly created to be a counter-balancing voice to those driven solely by profit. If that voice weakens, it is no longer relevant.
We have some brilliant folks in this community (and I mean that literally). The mundane tasks of village governance are not my concern. My concern are the opportunities to do more and innovate. Fostering community for the sake of community. Not because X needs to be improved.
TJ responds:
First, on advocacy for the devil: it's my way of (hopefully) avoiding lesser rebuttals like "but voting is important!" and focus more on things like your response. If someone comes out of the woodwork with a "you elitist!" comment, I can retreat under the cover of the DA qualifier. (Not that such a thing would ever happen in this forum, of course.)
I like your response. I'm hereby shorthand it the "Hive Mind Hope." Given the known high level of education and ability of our citizenry, we should be able to squeeze some bleeding edge innovation out of them- if we can get them to the table. The Maryland broadband plan, headed by HoCo, seems like an example of this. Our community can more easily be convinced of the potential of such a plan, and serve as a model for others.
Or HHAP, for that matter.
And once you say "counter-balancing voice to those drive solely by profit," I'm sold.
With that, I agree that getting someone like your Anon A. Mouse friend on the Village Board is at the core of the Hive Mind Hope. However, if we're dealing with a choice between two five per-centers in an election, what difference does it make? Get them both on the board! In fact, your hand-selection of such a person trends even more towards the Atlas Shrugged model, as John Galt taps each worthy individual on the shoulder for inclusion in the brave new world. In this construct, participation by those not in the "brilliant" category is unnecessary, if not damaging.
Perhaps Village Boards should go from generally elected positions to appointed by standing selection committees? (And only gold should be used for currency, of course.)
My thoughts:
I think the idea of appointment instead of election has existed since the invention of democracy. Appointment breeds despots. Democracy cannot distinguish ability from popularity. Furthermore, in terms of Village Boards, you would definitely create a "Ruling Clique" that would be very difficult for any new entrant to overcome. (Some have said that this is what went wrong with the CA Board). The neat thing about democracy, especially when you have two comparatively equal 5 percenters, is that they need to distinguish themselves with ideas. While that may be true for those applying for appointment, I trust the Hive to pay more attention to the value of the ideas than the buddy-buddy appointment system, but that is admittedly idealistic and not necessarily representative for how Village elections go down.
Overall, I have to go with democracy...mostly because of that trite Churchill quote.
TJ writes:
On voting in the villages: Here's, as an outsider, what I heard in the last comment thread on this:
People are too complacent to vote.
People are complacent because they think (know?) everything is fine. Why bother?
We need people to get involved!
To begin with, I'm a big believer in community involvement. However, if the hoi polloi are satisfied, and things do indeed seem to be going swimmingly, why do they need to be involved? A commenter mentioned the 80/20 rule, which in this case is probably better approximated as the 95/5 rule. If that 5% is happily donating their time and, in doing so, keeping the other 95% well-fed, the possibility is strong that increased involvement will not led to increased performance, and may in fact decrease efficiency.
If your desire for increased involvement driven by a sense of fairness? ("We all share the load.") Nostalgia for the glory days of Columbia? (Which may or may not be accurate. What was voter participation in the seventies?) True belief that increased participation will lead to increased performance? (The "Anti-Too Many Cooks Theory").
Perhaps Colombia has become a test case for an Ayn Randian world where a small, select few perform as the engines of society.
(Note: Devil's advocate alert!)
My Response:
Great stuff! (Although I normally interpret "Devil's Advocate" to mean "I would like to abandon this position at some later point. Consider this a warning.")
We are a growing community that will absolutely require innovation to maintain our current way of life. From my perspective, that means we need more people at the table to brain storm and represent unique perspectives from the community. Village Boards were partly created to be a counter-balancing voice to those driven solely by profit. If that voice weakens, it is no longer relevant.
We have some brilliant folks in this community (and I mean that literally). The mundane tasks of village governance are not my concern. My concern are the opportunities to do more and innovate. Fostering community for the sake of community. Not because X needs to be improved.
TJ responds:
First, on advocacy for the devil: it's my way of (hopefully) avoiding lesser rebuttals like "but voting is important!" and focus more on things like your response. If someone comes out of the woodwork with a "you elitist!" comment, I can retreat under the cover of the DA qualifier. (Not that such a thing would ever happen in this forum, of course.)
I like your response. I'm hereby shorthand it the "Hive Mind Hope." Given the known high level of education and ability of our citizenry, we should be able to squeeze some bleeding edge innovation out of them- if we can get them to the table. The Maryland broadband plan, headed by HoCo, seems like an example of this. Our community can more easily be convinced of the potential of such a plan, and serve as a model for others.
Or HHAP, for that matter.
And once you say "counter-balancing voice to those drive solely by profit," I'm sold.
With that, I agree that getting someone like your Anon A. Mouse friend on the Village Board is at the core of the Hive Mind Hope. However, if we're dealing with a choice between two five per-centers in an election, what difference does it make? Get them both on the board! In fact, your hand-selection of such a person trends even more towards the Atlas Shrugged model, as John Galt taps each worthy individual on the shoulder for inclusion in the brave new world. In this construct, participation by those not in the "brilliant" category is unnecessary, if not damaging.
Perhaps Village Boards should go from generally elected positions to appointed by standing selection committees? (And only gold should be used for currency, of course.)
My thoughts:
I think the idea of appointment instead of election has existed since the invention of democracy. Appointment breeds despots. Democracy cannot distinguish ability from popularity. Furthermore, in terms of Village Boards, you would definitely create a "Ruling Clique" that would be very difficult for any new entrant to overcome. (Some have said that this is what went wrong with the CA Board). The neat thing about democracy, especially when you have two comparatively equal 5 percenters, is that they need to distinguish themselves with ideas. While that may be true for those applying for appointment, I trust the Hive to pay more attention to the value of the ideas than the buddy-buddy appointment system, but that is admittedly idealistic and not necessarily representative for how Village elections go down.
Overall, I have to go with democracy...mostly because of that trite Churchill quote.
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