53 beers on tap

GGP-- oh, the spin we're in!

That General Growth Properties has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 shouldn't shock anyone.  And the fact that the Columbia properties GGP owns aren't included in the filing, also shouldn't shock anyone.

Now that the other show has dropped, the spin machine on all sides of the downtown Columbia debate is at full blast.  Proponents of development are talking about how the filing doesn't change the process, reassuring the public and other stakeholders that GGP will go on, business as usual, etc.  Opponents of the development are talking about how the filing simply validates what they've been saying all along, that GGP is an unfit and undeserving owner of Columbia, how they can never follow through on any plan to redevelop Columbia, etc.  There doesn't seem to be any middle ground emerging, at least not yet.  This is still in the very early stages.

The key thing for citizens to do is to ignore all the spin.  I think everyone can agree that GGP probably screwed up when it incurred huge debt to purchase Rouse's assets-- the inability to restructure that debt is a big reason why GGP had to file bankruptcy protection.  However, GGP also realizes that it has a very valuable asset in Columbia, and I don't think there's any way on earth they're going to either let go or give up.  At least not given the current state of the economy; if things even get worse, all bets may be off.

What this does highlight, however, is the need for the redevelopment plan for Columbia to be separable from GGP.  It is looked on as "GGP's plan", which is not entirely true.  Yes, GGP has put a lot of labor into the ZRA113 petition; however, there are large portions of that petition which are consistent with community-based processes to date (the downtown charette, the county's blueprint, etc.)

What we need to enact, therefore, is a redveelopment plan for Columbia that the community can be proud of, regardless of who the developer(s) may be.  To the extent that this may require changes to ZRA 113, so be it.  Given the tenuous state of GGP's finances, and due to GGP's desire to hold on to Columbia, they may very well be in a position to negotiate on the points which appear to cause the most community distress.  Will any negotiated revised petition be acceptable to everyone?  Of course not?  But would it be a better petition?  Most assuredly so.

See how they (don't) run

Well, it's spring.  And hope springs eternal-- the air smells sweeter, lawnmowers again crank to life, landscape bursts in color, lots of orange can be seen around Oriole Park and lots of red around Nationals Park-- and CA holds it's annual village elections.  And, as has been too often a spring ritual, Columbia activists wonder why the annual elections aren't more contested-- village boards with fewer candidates than  available spaces, unopposed CA Board members who (in the view of some) should be opposed, etc.

Why these activists' mouths are agape, frankly, shouldn't be too surprising.  I have reasons why:

1. Columbia board membership is too time consuming.  CA folks will tell you that with the new committee structure, that CA board membership isn't a large commitment.  Nonsense.  Besides at least two meetings to attend per month, there are board retreats, special meetings, community events, two village board meetings per month, readings-- it is a lot of work.  Village board membership is less of a time commitment, but it is not small.  A solution to this problem?

2. Board membership doesn't pay.  Maybe it's time that it should.  CA Board and village board members have all the headaches of local elected officials, none of the legilative authority, and put in long hours and sacrifice to volunteer for their community.  Across Maryland, there are literally dozens of municipalities of towns smaller than Columbia, whose councils/mayors are all paid staff.  In order to make people want to work for Columbia's betterment, in order to bring out the best candidates, Columbia board membership should pay.  I'm not proposing a princely sum for these people-- $2500-$5000 for a CA Board member and $500-$1000 for a village board member-- and maybe the salary could be given back to CA or the village association as a donation if the member so chose.  But it would be good to make the service have more benefit than just the warm feeling of serving one's community.  Which leads me to...

3. Service to Columbia is thankless.  In my years on the OM village board I've made many friends and met people I wouldn't have gotten to know otherwise.  And it was great to see things I worked hard to achieve pay off.  But there is always an element of the community who are critical, who wonder why you don't go farther, who want to tell you what your job is.  (Curiosly, these turkeys never ever run for office themselves!).  I can think of a case where my entire board was attacked in a letter to the editor for our inactivity on an issue which the resident had never even contacted us about!  To be honest, it takes a thick skin to absorb it sometimes.  Which gets me to...

4. There are other ways people can serve Columbia.  A lot of people who would be great CA or village board members choose to serve in other ways, for a variety of reasons, including any of the above.  Plus, they may feel that their service works best in a more targeted fashion-- say, helping a village on a particular project or planning a particular event.  Whereas these activists' self-interests are certainly well-served, is the community's interests as well served?  I would say not.  But that's me-- I know of others who feel differently.  Which points me towards...

5. Columbia's community associations aren't relevant.  In this time, activists can form what are essentially virtual networks and affiliations towards a common purpose that appear, vanish, and transform very quickly.  By comparison, the CA board and village boards are "old school"-- plodding, bound by by-laws, mired in bureaucracy.  Sadly for the "new school", this is still how things get done, at least in terms of how local policy is made.

What are solutions to any of the above?  Are there other items I've left out?