The 53

Wegman's! No beer, wine or liquor for you!!!

Once in a great while, my dark, cold, hard heart is warmed.  And last night's Alcohol Beverage Hearing Board meeting was one of those occasions.  For the board voted unanimously to reject the petition for a license to operate a liquor store on the Wegman's property.  Lindsey McPherson brings you all the civic goodness in this article.

I attended this hearing for a little bit last night-- enough to hear the first cross-examining attorney question proposed store owner (and husband of the president of Wegman's) Christopher O'Donnell, who, I gotta admit, answered the questions more in the way I would expect of former Delaware US Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, plus 85 IQ points.  Of course, no, absolutely, were in any way shape for form the liquor store and the Wegman's the same entity.

But this is what I get for not staying around until 10pm or so, when the hearing ended.  More cross-examination and commentary from the board members about the same issues I have mentioned previously.  Such as, the fact that the proposed store and Wegman's are in the same building.  They're not next door, not in the same strip mall, they are in the same blinking building. And especially interesting is the fact that there was only one person to testify at the hearing last night in support of the proposed store?  Really?  Said potential proprietor, Mr. O'Donnell, and his cast of thousands didn't scour the county looking for sympathetic voices?  Or at least, distribute flyers in front of the store.

Well, the county's existing liquor stores certainly did their homework.  They were out in force.

So what's next for the proposed liquor store, that's not really part of Wegman's, but in a way, kinda, sorta is???

I am sure this is not the end.  That space isn't going to be re-purposed into a 10,000 square-foot ice cream and soda pop store.  (BUT WHAT IF IT WAS????) 

My guess is that there will be some store renovations which will wall off the Wegman's cafe from the liquor store site, some roundiong up of community support, and then a resubmission of the license.  That space is too valuable and the potential business too lucrative to allow for nothing to happen for very long.

Special Session #2 is on!!!

OK, so the O'Malley Administration is getting its way, and the special session of the General Assembly to discuss gambling is on-- set for August 9.  This will be the second straight post I am offering without a link to any news article-- I feel so liberated in doing so!  :  )

So it looks like the casino proposal in National Harbor is on, as well as the proposal to bring table games to all Maryland casino locations.  Moreover, it looks right now as if this proposal will pass the State Senate.  As with the original proposal with slots several years ago, the House of Delegates (featuring Howard County's own "Mr. Casino", Delegate Frank Turner) will be where the legislation will face tougher footing.  It's passage is far from assured.

With Governor O'Malley very recently opening up a Federal PAC, starting that long, inexorable road towards a 2016 Presidential candidacy, everything he does is going to be under a microscope.  He can not afford a misstep here with this gambling special session.  The stakes of this session are quite high, in a number of ways.

Wheeee! Whole Foods! Wheeeeeee!!!!!!

So Whole Foods is coming to Columbia, to the lakefront, specifically.  Yahoo.

Don't get me wrong, I am really happy that Whole Foods is coming to Columbia.  It portends a whole lot of other things coming down the pike, I feel sooner rather than later.  More on that below.

But I have to say that the amount and tone of social media traffic I received on this from Wednessday around 5pm through Thursday morning were...well... unprecedented.  The volume was quite large.  And I realize why that is; I'm more plugged in than most, so I would expect to get a multiple of the average tweets that Joe HoCo receives from their elected officials, community groups, etc.

But, what was truly barfmaking was the level of self-congratulatory aggrandizement experienced throughout this entire endeavor.  John DeWolf was basically sticking his middle finger  up the noses of our County Council very recently; how, as Jesse Jackson would say, he's all smiles and profiles.  Would I have rather he ripped his shirt off and challenge all comers to a Taipei Death Match?  Yes, actually, I would have preferred that.

So the impromptu meeting of the Howard County Chapter of the International Society of Ass Kissers leads me to one conclusion.  This Whole Foods announcement is a platform to something greater.  There are other deals in the works to enhance retail in particular, and development in general, at the lakefront.  I don't know what, who, where or when, but I'm going to guess we'll have more announcements of this type over the next 6 months or so.

And this being the case, it's important to potential business partners to see all involved in Columbia's redevelopment at their smiley, backslapping best.  Makes sense to me, even if it isn't wholly genuine.

Superfoose!!!

Well, Dr. Renee Foose isn't wasting any time in making her mark as the new Superintendent of Schools in Howard F'ing County!  As this article by Sara Toth wonderfully, some would even say elegantly, attests.

It looks like Superfoose is wasting no time in modernizing the organizational structure of the HCPSS.  Creating a director of digital education is a smart move.  And it is VERY smart of her to establish an accountability office, headed by a Chief Accountability Officer.  Back in the day, we would call such a person an "Ombudsman."  However, since all the ombuds have been wiped out, we go with the moniker, "Chief Accountability Officer."  Aren't you glad for modern-day science?  ;  )

So you will notice that I have referred to our new superintendent as "Superfoose".    That is certainly NOT intended to be a smart-alec comment.  It is, of course, a tad satirical.  For Dr. Foose is going to have to be superhuman not to get soundly criticized for making some decision about something by someone.  Typically, someone who is a moron.  But sometimes not.

Reading the "Meeting of the Minds" episode (oh, for God's sake, OK, look here to understand that reference) that is howardpubliced, the townfolk of HFC should have it's pitchforks and torches out to take care of all denizens of the building lovingly known as "Club 108."  And the new superintendent is essentially a knuckle-dragging simpleton.  Hrm.  And we wonder why more people don't aspire to public service?

May Superfoose prove faster than a dumbass typing an e-mail, stronger than a redistricting protest, and able to leap the spires of bureaucracy in a single bound!

Want to get drunk in Wegman's garage? Attend on July 30!

I have yet to write my post on my first Wegman's experience (it was a good one, honest!) but I feel compelled to post on this article by Lindsey McPherson.

So for those of you who want to buy a bottle of Wolfschmidt vodka at a Wegman's liquor store and get hammered while driving out of the parking garage, you get your chance!  The hearing on whether or not to allow the liquor license for the so-called "independent" liquor store on the Wegman's property will occur this coming Monday at 6pm at the George Howard Building.  This will be a Marshmallow Man personal appearance.  I am NOT going to miss what promises to be flimsy applications of Maryland State Law, as well as numerous miscarriages of justice!

To call this proposal shady is an insult to all things, people, and places that are indeed, shady.  Unless the ownership of this store changes-- and I mean, changes so that no one who even owns Wegman's stock is involved in its ownership-- and unless a separate entrance is established so one doesn't have to go through Wegman's to get into the stupid store, this application ought to be voted down with extreme prejudice.

But, why do I predict that somehow, this Wegman's liquor store will go through.  Couldn't be the cynic in me, could it???

(Not So) Automatic (Ann) For (Really, Against) The People

Wowza!  This humble blog posts some comments from howardpubliced about the HCPSS, food service, and Allen Dyer (among other things) and it turns into a hotbed of activity!  I love it!

So I offer comments upon the comments, as a separate posts. 

I'm thinking that we're actually a little bit past the days of union "thugs", but I understand Corey Andrews's point.  And I can't help but agree.  Ann DeLacy's talk in public forums (and I've been to two, and watched a third one on TV) and her online comments are those of a bully.  Pure and simple.

She has made choices in her campaign.  I thank her for her choices, for they reveal her true personality.  She could have run (could still, really) campaign on the high road.  She could tout her experience and champion a positive future for the HCPSS.

Instead, after a summer break, as she returns to her campaign it's right back to the "Gang of Four" rhetoric and talking about she knows where all the bodies are buried.  Hasn't this county, really, isn't this county, suffering through a several-year-long flight of folly with a current Board of Education member, who also has a penchant for lobbing grenades and taking swings at whatever target suits them?  Haven't we all had to endure that embarrassment?  And what have we learned?

I suppose, the answer to that question will come in November.  Because if Ann DeLacy is elected to the School Board, we will have learned nothing.

I am going to try to move my posts on the School Board election away from this person and towards the candidates who, if elected, I feel could maintain and enhance the quality of education received by Howard County's children.  Including mine!!!

Psst! Hey, Buddy.... Need A Diner??

OK, so what do you do with a spare diner?  Why, move it, of course!!!  But to where? 

So that's the conundrum facing those who still care about the old Forest Diner.  The building still has use, but what shall become of it?  Ah, that's quite the sticky wicket!  And when your wicket gets sticky, you're in trouble!  You can read more about it here.

So, I have a solution that maybe kills multiple birds with the same stone.

Siting the diner on the site of Clark's Elioak Farm makes sense.  I suggest another possible location.  How about at the site of the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension facility in Laurel?

Regardless of where the building winds up, how about making the diner a place where, in conjunction with the HCPSS and/or Howard Community College, the diner can be a place for students to learn about the food service industry?  Putting the diner at the co-op would allow for, shall we say, a more vetically integrated experience to occur, what with the farm and the diner at the same place?

Makes sense.  A lot of it!  Probably why it'll never happen.

Congratulations to HC Drug Free!!!

The Maryland Daily Record has annoucned their "Most Admired CEOs" for 2012, and the list can be found here.  The list has a slight Howard County flavor.

Congrats are in order for Mary Ann Scully, CEO of Howard Bank, who is an honoree in the category of "Public Companies with More Than $500 Million in Revenue".  That's terrific stuff.  But really impressive, and in fact a bit amazing, is the honor being bestowed upon Joan Webb Scornaienchi, CEO of HC Drug Free, in the category of "Non Profits with Less than $10M in Annual Revenue".  How come I get the feeling that the threshold for this award could have been "below $150,000, including salaries", and Ms. Scornaienchi still would have won this award?

If you want to learn more about HC Drug Free, go no durther than their web page here.  Their mission is to steer teens away from and educate parents about drug abuse, including the abuse of alcohol.

Addiction is a particularly nondiscriminating disease and even though HC Drug Free's audience are typically teens, all Howard Countians should be aware of this group and of the great work that they do.  And it certainly can't hurt for people to expose themselves to information on addiction.

Congrats to Ms. Scornaienchi and her staff!  This is an honor that is well deserved.  I am going to see if I can attend the awards presentation on September 13.

The Dark Knight Rises...and the HoCo PoPo Chill out

So I saw "The Dark Knight Rises" on Saturday.  Fortunately, there was not a Howard County police officer around.

You may be aware of this article, where, in response and reaction to the horrible events in Aurora, Colorado early Friday morning, it was decided that Howard County's finest would be dispatched to the local theaters where the movie was being shown, just in case.

I can understand this reaction, to an extent.  I guess it was possible that it could've been thought that perhaps the shooting in Aurora was a terrorist act.  Also, I guess maybe it was a good idea for the HCPD to be aware of possible copycat shooters.

I did not notice any sort of enchanced security on Saturday, either at the theater or around the mall or lakefront area.  So I am hoping that the enhanced security measures described in the article were called off when it was determined that the Colorado shooting was a random, albeit premeditated act.  And that 24 hours passed without a similar event occurring in Howard County or anywhere.

I enjoy being safe, and no, being shot isn't high on my list of things to do, but I also would not enjoy having a couple of HoCo's finest in uniform outside my local theater.  It's nice to take appropriate actions; I just hope that this doesn't become a precedent that finds itself on a slippery slope.

Symphony Woods moves forward

Slowly, inexorably, Columbia's redevelopment is happening.  Sometimes even despite itself.

This article by Lindsey McPherson describes the Howard County Planning Board's approving the final development plan of the first phase of Symphony Woods' redevelopment.  I know that sounds very, very qualified.  And it sounds like a lot.  But it is progress and it's something everyone who cares about a progressive, forward-thinking Columbia should really care about.

The Planning Board meeting even offered a glimpse into the future of the Symphony Woods redevlopment-- a future that includes a lot of trees.  Recommendations were made at the meeting for meandering pathways in the property, which would allow for more trees to be saved.

Saving trees, especially the mature Columbia type, is a good thing and so this is a sensible suggestion.  Especially, since it's practical.  So I say, bravo!