53 beers on tap

The Westies are at it again!

Hmm, hoping for something a little bit more juicy for my 600th post to this blog, but this article will have to do.

So, a couple in Woodbine want to use their farm to hold events that would include up to as 150 people.  Which would be, in this day and age, a fairly modest-sized wedding or a kind of large bar or bat mitzvah.  Doesn't sound like anything with a major impact on the surroundings.  This is, after all, Woodbine we're talking about, not Running Brook.

Ah, but leave it to the people of western Howard County to get their stuff in a bunch.  Naturally, there are people complaining about noise, traffic, and (gasp!) the SORT OF PEOPLE who would be attracted to events at this facility.

Really?  Are you kidding me?

The Board of Appeals needs to rule in favor of this Woodbine family now.  We're talking about a 145-acre farm, for crying out loud.  So 150 people would average just pver 1 person per acre.  Somehow, I think the Rural West can handle the hordes.

Symphony Park moves forward

Looks as if finally, Symphony Park is moving forward.  This article tells us that the CA Board has authorized the design and construction of the first phase of the new Symphony Park.  Of course the county has to approve as well before shovels can hit dirt.

I applaud the CA Board for moving forward on this.  It's wonderful to think that by the end of next year, Symphony Woods can become an amenity that Columbia residents can enjoy year-round, again!  I, of course, am of the vintage that can remember Symphony Woods being quite the local destination... especially during Who, Dead and Buffet concerts! : )

The bigger symbol of the Symphony Park rebuild, of course, is that "Howard County's Central Park" will also stand as the first significant project in the redevelopment of downtown Columbia.  Which is quite fitting, actually.  Besides the lakefront, Symphony Woods is Columbia's largest place for residents to convene and enjoy life, so it makes sense that Symphony Woods puts on a new face.

School Board bill = half a loaf

Sometimes I actually think someone reads this blog.  Witness this article about Delegate Frank Turner's bill, which would how the School Board be elected by district, in staggered elections (wow!  whoever thought of THAT idea???).  Additionally, two members of the seven-member board would be appointed by the County Executive for single, four-year terms.  The appointed members would be intended to allow for the board to be more representative of the gerographic and ethnic diversity of Howard County.

I kind of like this bill, but at the same time, it concerns me a bit. To wit:

I am totally down with the staggered elections by district deal.  Sure, I'd love to see the Council grow by two members and have seven districts for both Council and board, but I'll take what I can get!

I am, however, not down at this point with the concept of the two appointed mebers.  Of course these members would be appointed by the Executive and confirmed by the Council, which SHOULD create a natural check and balance in the system.  But what if it doesn't?  Could the Executive not use those appointments as political tools, to ensure that at the very least, 29% of the board would agree with the Executive's policies and politics?  Should only two of the remaining five board members be of the same ideology, which is almost a certainly, this would virtually ensure that in perpetuity, the Executive could control the ideology of the School Board.  I don't think such is the point of having an elected School Board in the first place, is it?

This bill is going to be fascinating to watch.  The first opportunity to hear public comment should occur in November at the delegation's local hearing for prefiled legislation.  Should be fun!

And still...Allen remains

You know, for a while I felt bad about not writing a post for 10 days.  Looking at the issues and topics of interest to the county, I really found that I had covered them all.  Board member election by district, the charter review commission's axamination of the make-up of the County Council, the recent bad weather (which, still sucks-- welcome to Scotland!)  To be honest, there really hasn't been much out there that's interested me recently.

Hello, this article.  Hello, Allen Dyer.

So, good ol' Allen had his day in court.  Kinda.  He appeared Tuesday at the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings to have his attorney argue why the state Board of Elections should not proceed to act to remove him following the Howard board's 5-2 vote to remove him.  The administrative law judge will consider the request to dismiss the case and will rule within a month.  However, in the event the case moves forward, there will be additional hearings in May.

OK, I'm guessing the administrative law judge will not act to have the case dismissed.  So that means another seven months of Allen Dyer foolishness in Howard County.  And I thought it was hard to get rid of a bad employee when I worked for the Federal government!!!

Is it just me, or does it not make sense that in a county with charter government, a body of publicly elected officials has to rely upon the State to remove a member from office?  That's a little weirdness in state law that ought to be examined.  Looking at YOU, State Delegates and Senators!

Meanwhile, The Greatest Show on Route 108 will continue, certainly through the primary election in March.  And Allen Dyer will suck the air out of the local school board race, so much so that more well-qualified candidates will have difficulty getting their messages out.

The HoCo-- deadliest place in Maryland!

Two murders in Howard County this week.  And both in Columbia.

Despite my typically smart-ass title to this post, this isn't something to make light about.  Two people have died.

This isn't something to overreact to, either.

I know there are some out there who think that suddenly, Howard County has become a more dangerous place.  That these two incidents suggest that the coming of all the social ills of Baltimore or Washington have come to Howard County.

I think that's an incredible overreaction.

Howard County is just as dangerous- and just as safe-- as it was a week ago.  Yes, apparently the week has revealed that there are some bad people who live in Howard County who are capable of doing some bad things.  And, guess what?  There are a lot more within our borders where they came from.

But also do not forget: we possess fine public safety agencies, a strong educational system and a capable social net to ensure that as few people fall through the cracks-- and are thus more prone to vioment crime as a way of life-- as possible.

The other thing?  Random stuff happens.  From the details I've seen this early into each case, neither of these murders appears premeditated and cold-blooded.  They're not accidents, either.  They seem to be outcomes of personal situations that got too far out of hand, too fast.

I am not subscribing to the notion that Howard County needs to beef up its public safety agencies as a response to these murders.  Rather, I suggest we stay the course.

Two more Council members? Sure, why not???

This article demonstrates that Marshmallow Man's blueprint for the future of Howard County's elections continues to move inexporably forward.  In this case, the county's Charter Review Commission is studying whether or not the County Council should expand to seven members, and whether the new members should be elected by district or by the county at-large.

For those of you who may remember, I proposed a seven-district county where each district elects a council member and board of education member, but on different schedules.  I will try to not pat myself on the back too hard, but its a damn good idea and it ought to happen.

I support the seven-member council.  As to how to elect them, by district makes the most sense.  With a seven-member council, each council member would go from representing about 60,000 people to about 43,000.  That shaves the size of districts by about 25%, which means a lot in terms of constituent support and responsiveness.  It helps keep county government close to the people.  And, as with the school board districts, it helps ensure geographic diversity on the council.

Yes, it costs a bit more to operate a seven-member council.  But so what?  Frankly I think the benefits are well worh the costs.  But--- what do YOU think???

BOE opposes EOD

This article discusses the Howard County Board of Education's decision not to support any effort to have its membners elected by district, in an effort to bring racial and/or geographic diversity to the board.

I understand the decision, and I respect the decision; however I disagree with it.

I am not all that sure that election by district is a cureall for racial diversity on the board.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it's not.  I would much rather see the best people elected to the board regardless of race, rather than have a certain group represented by electing a member of the board who simply is neither prepared nor qualified to serve in that office.

However, the issue of geographic diversity on the board is a very real one.  A quick search of board of education election results over the past twenty years reveals a very clear tendency towards electing candidates who reside in Columbia and Ellicott City.  Western Howard County is kind of represented; the Savage/North Laurel area, and the Hanover/Elkridge area, not really.  Those areas do bring forth candidates, and good ones; however, they simply don't win.  The voter-rich areas of the county-- Columbia for left-leaning voters and Ellicott City for right-leaning voters-- crowd them out.

And so I support board member election by district on these grounds.  I have long said that Howard County has more than enough talent within its borders to fill its elected and appointed positions several times over.  I certainly think the same can be said of members of the school board.

 

MM's peerless NFL picks!

So two years ago I very correctly predicted that the New Orleans Saints would reach the Super Bowl.  Alas, I did not pick that they would win it.  I had intended to provide NFL picks last year, but, well... I just wound up too damn lame to do it.  Therefore, I present to you now, Marshmallow Man's NFL prognostications for the 2011 NFL season.  Here are your playoff teams:

AFC:

East: New England

North: Pittsburgh (boo, hiss!)

South: Houston

West: San Diego

Wild Card: Baltimore (hooray!), NY Jets

 

NFC:

East: Dallas (eat it, Skins fans!)

North: Green Bay

South: Atlanta

West: St. Louis (only because someone has to win that division!)

Wild Cards: New Orleans, Philadelphia (barely over Tampa Bay and, drum roll... Detroit!)

AFC Championship: wow, so hard for me not to be a homer here, but Jets over Ravens (however, the Ravens will beat the Steelers at Pittsburgh in the divisional round)

NFC Championship: New Orleans over Atlanta (I really like the Falcons team, but Atlanta is such a corn-laden turd of a sports city), and this is after an epic divisional playoff game where the Saints upset the Packers

Super Bowl: New Orleans over the Jets

So I'm saying "Geaux Saints!" again... Drew Brees and Co., don't let me down!

This rain is F'ed up! And F stands for FLOOD!!!

So, we're into our third straight day of light rain occurring between periods of very moderate rain, broken up by stretches of heavy rain, interrupted by the occasional violent thunderstorm with torrential rain!  Coming so soon after Hurricane Irene, the ground is more than saturated, and the water table has had all it can stand.

So, where is all that rain going to go?  Well, how about...

here?

and here?

and how about here?

 

This, as they say, is not good.  In fact it's really dangerous.  Schools have cancelled activities for tonight due to the road conditions that could result from all this rain, and frankly, I'm starting to wonder what will await the HoCo Thursday morning.  For tonight, there will be more rain, which always brings the possibility of more havoc being wrought to the area!

Oh, and Thursday's forecast calls for a 60% chance of rain.  Just thought I'd say that to cheer everyone up!  At a time like this, I could not be happier that my home has no basement.

Books a Million to the rescue!

Huzzah!  Huzzah!  A million times, HUZZAH!!!

This article tells us that Books-A-Million has bought out the lease of the soon-to-be former Borders bookstore at Columbia Crossing.  This is agood stuff.  Books-A-Million is a serious chain with over 200 stores nationwide, and this means that Barnes and Noble doesn't get a monopoly on the bookstore market in the HoCo.

I have to say, I don't know a bloody thing about Books-A-Million, but this is cool news.  The Borders in Columbia always did bang-up business and it doen't surprise me that the location is one of only 14 former Borders locations that BAM is snarfing up.