Never Too Early
Dear Readers,
Is it too early to start tracking progress on campaign promises?
It’s NEVER to early!
“Proactive on development!” That’s what Mayor Porter promised to be, a pledge echoed by Ward Three council member Bruce Williams in his swearing-in speech two weeks ago. Each council member had some variation on this theme in her or her campaign.
So far, other than a brief report by council member Joy Austin-Lane on the Metro development site, no proactivity has been in evidence, not at council meetings, anyway. No indications of what is meant by “proaction,” either. Also, no word on the charette-type forum on city development that the mayor proposed.
“Finish the gym!” Mayor Porter, Bruce Williams, and Marc Elrich all promised this.
Plans to review sites for the gym have been discussed. At some point in the near future the council will meet outdoors and bore (for soil samples). OK, I drove that one into the ground, so to speak, last week. Enough.
Overseeing taxes/services, review TASDI recommendations. Take a more political approach rather than rely on persuasion. This was the mayor’s promise, and all the other candidates included it in their campaign priorities. But, TASDI has had no or very little mention so far in council meetings. Newest member Colleen Clay obviously has cost oversight in mind, however.
Terry Seamen’s promise to propose legislative initiatives soon has so far not materialized. Perhaps he’s been distracted by the death of his mother-in-law. He was not at the most recent meeting, also.
Colleen Clay has not yet mentioned the series of forums she proposed on city issues.
Marc Elrich promised to slow traffic on Sligo Creek Parkway . No news on that, yet.
Of course, there may be all kinds of action happening on these proposals, pledges, and initiatives outside of council meetings.
Speaking of which, the mayor said the next meeting of the council will be an informal supper gathering at the home of one of the council members. She said this was in order for the council to get to know the newest member, Colleen Clay, and to discuss ways to make meetings more efficient (one of Seth Grime’s issues).
Now, this sound reasonable on the face of it, but is it legal? I thought all meetings had to be open to the public. Does that mean anyone can attend? More importantly, does that mean anyone can get supper? MOST importantly, will the food be vegan and gluten-free?
It’s easy to see what the problem is with efficiency. At this week’s meeting, the council was still discussing in agonizing detail the construction change orders for the community center at 9:30 pm, two hours after the meeting started. It was the second item on the agenda. A change order, for those of us who haven’t built an addition, is an unanticipated problem a building contractor or tradesperson runs into that incurs additional time, labor, or parts. For instance, the community center contractor discovered a slab of concrete that nobody remembered was part of the old municipal building. Tearing it out took more time and labor and tools than anticipated - or budgeted. It had to be done to accomplish the job, of course, so more money had to be found.
This sort of thing is common in construction jobs of all sizes, and the community center is no exception. When it happens during the building of a home addition, the homeowners discuss what to do: scrimp on another part of the job, suck it up, find a cheaper solution, find fault with the builder, or negotiate the extra costs. This is tough enough for a couple of homeowners, but when it is the seven council members, the city manager, and various other city staff, and each one has questions and suggestions, complaints, and comments . . . perhaps it becomes clear why the city council meetings are so inefficient!
In its effort to make up for being blind-sided by cost overruns and design changes last year, the council has chained itself to the practice of spending a large portion of its meeting time sifting the minutia of the community center building. Surely, this is something that can be delegated to a smaller committee.
It should be said that the item preceding the weekly community center report was the lengthy 2005 audit report. That report similarly focused on minutia, but that sort of city-budget minutia is more within the job description of the council .
On other business, the council voted to proceed with the purchase of equipment/software for internet streaming and archiving of city council meetings. One advantage of this over watching the cable rebroadcasts is that the sessions with be in segments, so one can download and view a short portion of interest, rather than watch the whole meeting. Won’t THAT be fun, readers? I’ll bet you can’t wait.
I wonder how they would label the segment that soured the end of the meeting? “Cinderella,” perhaps. Joy Austin-Lane butted heads with Mayor Porter, and particularly with Marc Elrich when Austin-Lane wanted the city to “send her” (pay for her $100 ticket) to the Montgomery County Executive's Ball for the Arts and Humanities. She wanted to be sent as a representative of Takoma Park, she said, to be present when city businessman David Eisner of the Institute of Musical Traditions is given an award. Joy said she and Marc Elrich were sent to this event two years ago when another Takoma Park businessperson was given an award.
Elrich scoffed that the ball is well known to be the “political function of the season.” Joy thanked him for this “edification.”As far as she knew, she said, the function of the ball was to raise money for arts grants. The mayor, Elrich, and Bruce Williams outlined the council policy, which is that the city pays only for events held by groups that the city has membership in such as the League of Cities, and Council of Governments. Colleen Clay came out on Joy’s side, saying that it was important to network with county politicians, and advocating that funds be set aside for such events to be used at the council person’s discrection. Mayor Porter ducked that one in her usual way, saying that as meritous as that idea might be it would require an official policy change, wording, discussion, and funding of which would have to be put off until the next city budget round. Porter would not accept that a precident had been set two years ago when then City Manager Rick Finn allowed funding for two council members’ tickets to the same ball. She ended magnanimously, saying that any council member was “free to go to the ball,” meaning that any council member was free to pay out of pocket for her or his ticket.
This may be related to the current political game of musical chairs. The host of the ball, County Executive Doug Duncan, is running for governor. Joy has just announced her candidacy for the state legislative delegate seat soon to be vacated by Takoma Park’s Peter Franchot. Franchot is running for the state comptroller seat. Heather Mizeur, former Ward Two councilmember is also running for Franchot’s seat. Perhaps Joy was imagining her rival Heather at the ball, buttonholing potential supporters and contributors, dancing with the Prince, dropping her glass slipper. . . . Joy, the mayor is not going to be your fairy godmother - spring for the ticket, get in there and buttonhole!
More musical chairs - according to Julie Scharper in the Takoma Voice, Seth Grimes is thinking of running for Joy’s city council seat if Joy wins the November 2006 election. If she does win (and I hope she does), there will most likely be a special city election, as the vacancy will occur more than the requisite 240 days prior to the regular city election. That is unless Joy somehow delays resigning her city council seat until March, 2007 in which case the council would appoint a replacement.
Individual council members get to have their say on any subject in the Council Comments segment early in the meeting. Newest council member Colleen Clay of Ward Two took the opportunity to show she’s jumping into her new job with both feet. She conveyed constituent complaints about the bad potholes on Ethan Allen Ave which she said must be fixed
Mayor Porter asked gently but pointedly if she had made an official request to the city. “Try it at staff level,” she suggested.
Clay then reported on a meeting she had had with Jere Stocks, president of Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH). Out of that meeting she brought what she thought were a couple of important items to the council. First, she said they had come up with ideas to deal with the heavy employee traffic, one being a letter to hospital staff showing alternative routes. Again Porter’s response was somewhat deflating, asking her if she had taken the idea to the city staff to ask them to take a look at it. Er, no, she hadn't.
Clay soldiered on to her last bit of news, which was that the hospital would be willing to engage in joint planning with the city for the hospital site if the hospital decides to move. Again, Porter let the air out of Clay’s balloon saying that, yes, President Stocks had expressed the same willingness at a previous meeting, but it is “a good thing to affirm.”
Either this is a case of Colleen needing to learn the ropes a bit better - for which she hardly deserves a public deflation like that - or the Mayor feels that Clay is stepping on her toes, getting into WAH negotiations on her own.
This was the last official meeting of the year.
- Gilbert
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posted by William L. Brown @ 1:54 PM
12 Comments:
I mapped out an alternative plan for the Metro site development, based on comments and expressed values at the public hearing at the council meeting. Marc Elrich has it, and is supposed to be circulating it.
Let me try to explain my idea since I don'tknow how to post an electronic sketch of the Metro development.
1. There seems to be consensus that the first priority is to maintain and enhance transit service. Hard to disagree. Mark (?) Friedman suggested that all transit funtions (Metrobus, Rideon, passenger drop-off, etc. be kept immediately adjacent to the tracks. Makes sense. I suggest that bus bays, etc, be strung out from Carroll Street to Eastern Avenue through what is now the Kiss and Ride drop off and parking lot.
2. At least one person commented that the parking lot can be scary because it is located in the "back" of the site in a rather unobservable area. True. It also is what the residents on Eastern have to look at and which dictates the need for a substantial green barrier.
(a)My suggestion is to move parking to the corner of Carroll and Cedar Streets (across from the 7-11).
(b) I suggest it be designed similarly to the Montgomery County garage on Roeder Road in Silver Spring. Main features to imitate: brick facade, street facing retail on ground level.
(c) In order to provide enough parking spaces AND green space it may be necessary to build a 2- or 3-story structure. That's something to work through if the concept is accepted.
(d) Locating the garage on the "front" side of the site allows community friendly retail (which is an endorsed goal) to be located directly on Carroll St., increases the safety of parking (located near activity, rather than isolated), removes an eyesore from view of the Eastern Avenue neighbors, and diminishes the need for a 50'green barrier between the site and the residential neighborhood. It also makes parking convenient for patrons of Carroll Avenue retail.
(e) Marc Elrich has suggested that DC funding for parking/retail may be available. If the cost is removed from EYA's side of the equation, they may be more likely to reduce the number of units they wish to build. Someone needs to educate me more on this issue.
3. The remainder of the site is then available for open space and housing units. Again, if the concept is accepted the number of housing units and amount of green space can be worked through.
Comments, criticisms and improvements welcomed.
How does turning the parkland on the corner of Tulip and Carroll accross from 7/11 into a parking garage preserve green space?
Ahem, there already is a significant part of the site which is devoted to parking, my suggestion is to move it to a more useful location. Depending on any number of factors the new parking arrangement could net more, less or the same amount of surface and green space.
Have you looked at what that location would do to traffic flow, Tom? One advantage to the current parking location is that it diverts parkng traffic over to Eastern Street, away from that busy intersection of Carroll and Cedar (not Tulip).
Also, a parking garage there would sort of block the view of the "green" park vista for people approaching Metro along Carroll. How visible will the greenland be if it is tucked into the corner now occupied by the parking lot?
- Gilbert
What about a taxi stand? And somehow encouraging cabs to actually be there.
Gilbert, for an alt spin on Clay vs Porter
Kathy Porter's reprisal of her condesending, 'I know everything and you know nothing' behavior of the mayoral debate, this time directed at Clay, was just as ugly as it was when used against Grimes. (remember 'well Seth, I know you don't know anything about {fill in the blank}, so let me educate you).
But Clay was the winner here. She has forged sorely needed positive relationships with WAH only two weeks into her term. Porter is obviously threatened, and has to try to claim credit ('thanks for reaffirming that the hospital is interested in joint planning'), or take control ('we should discuss the hospital sending a letter to its staff asking them to avoid cutting through neighborhoods - IN FULL COUNCIL!?!').
Porter looks petty, mean, foolish and lacks credibility. If the hospital and the city already had a joint planning agreement, the council would not have been broadsided by the announcement the hospital is leaving. A full council session on an internal memo from the hospital president to staff asking them to stop cutting through the neighborhood? Geez Mayor Porter, how desperate to grab credit are you. And from the council novice? Shame. It makes Porter look weak, not strong. A mayor coming from a position of strength would be positive and encouraging to newbies, and thus get points for mentorship. (expect that role to go to Bruce Williams now)
As to the 'why don't you start with the staff quip' re East West Hwy, the staff have already been asked. Clay seemed to be challenging Porter on her campaign claims of great relations with other entities, in this case the State. Porter blew it, and revealed that she is bankrupt of ideas, clout and class. She could have recognized the opportunity that Clay was offering "Hey, this is your thing, show us your stuff", but Porter missed the tip of the hat, even if delivered with a little bit of a challenge. She seemed to indicate she has no intention of assisting, thus alienating her core voters as well. In doing so she showed that at her core, she lacks leadership, and places her own ego above service to her community.
I don't expect Clay to respond to Porter in public - yet, but Porter should be careful making an early enemy of Clay. She could be a great asset to the city, and Porter as mayor would get mileage from that, but not if they are seen by the voters as enemies.
Clay has already made points with responsive constituent services, and the staff seem to really like her. I wouldn't count on Clay keeping quiet about the nasty mayoral treatment forever. (or the voters, nobody likes an ineffective bitchy politician {are you taking notes Joy?}) I'm sure Clay will find her sea legs soon!
Dear Anonymous Cathy-Whacker,
I don't know where you are getting your Porter quotes from - certainly not from MY post:
"Porter is obviously threatened, and has to try to claim credit ('thanks for reaffirming that the hospital is interested in joint planning'), or take control ('we should discuss the hospital sending a letter to its staff asking them to avoid cutting through neighborhoods - IN FULL COUNCIL!?!')."
I didn't hear the Mayor say that the hospital letter should be taken up in full council, I heard her say that Clay should take it to the city staff. Unless you took those quotes from another (accurate) source, your criticism is based on a misquote.
I stand by my take on the interactions during the Council Comments between Clay and Porter. Seems to me that Clay, being new, was being a tad over-enthusiastic but inexperienced, and that Porter was understanding, but mildly annoyed that Clay wasn't using established proccedure.
The informal council dinner meeting for the purpose of getting to know the new council member may result in Clay becoming more of a team-player, and there won't be any more of this sort of thing. I hope you won't be too disapointed, Mr (or Ms) Cathy-Whacker.
If Clay doesn't become more of a team player, if she is, as you say, challenging the Mayor and pushing her own proactive agenda, that could lead to tension at city council meetings, for sure.
Would that be productive?
- Gilbert
As for moving the parking at the Metro site, there are two premises from which underly my suggestion:
(1) there are no "perfect solutions" to the Metro development and life in general; and (2) every proposal has pluses and minuses.
As for traffic flow:
1. I don't know how traffic impacts would change exactly, but the parking area would probably be accessed from a new street/driveway built perpendicular to Cedar Street. It would not be accessed directly from Carroll because the front would be entirely local, community-oriented retail.
2. Access could still be from solely from Eastern -- From Eastern turn right on Cedar and turn right into the parking garage.
3. Whether it is better to prohibit access to traffic coming from Carroll Street or not needs to be evaluated.
View of green space:
None of us can have our cake and eat it, too. Obviously, some current green space becomes a parking area (maybe some of the old parking area is recovered as green space). You can "soften" the visual impact of the garage by leaving a green area (shrubbery, small tree(s), grass) at the corner itself.
All of these details need to be explored, evaluated and decided upon. Time is wasting.
Anonymous Colleen Wacker (aka Gilbert)
The quotes are representations of Kathy statements from the council meeting you claim to have reviewed, not Gilbert statements. Review the meeting tape. Kathy stated that the hospital letter would need to be discussed in full council. The staff review statement was regarding Ethan Allen.
I'll tell you what's not productive, a blogger who just wants to stir the pot of disharmony. It is a little early to leap to the conclusion that Colleen is not a team player. Likewise, it is a little early to attack Marc about Sligo traffic, and Bruce, Terry, Kathy and Joy as well.
Signing off in search of a more constructive and issue oriented venue.
OK, bye!
It's a bit disingenious to first bash the Mayor, then get on your high horse and say the blog stirs the pot of disharmony.
To clarify, the quotes I cited in my original post were actual quotes as heard in council meetings. There may be some error due to note-taking haste, but if they are not exact, they are pretty close. They are not "representations" of what was said, which is how Anonymous explains the materila he/she puts in quotes.
I could have missed it, but my notes do not show Cathy Porter saying that the letter should be take up by the full council. They do show her asking if she had brought it to city staff.
I don't have time to go back and check the video tapes, but if anyone else does, I'd be interested to know who has the more accurate version.
I hope nobody else thinks I'm bashing council member Clay. That is not my intent. I find her situation as the only new council member interesting. I think the fact that the council is having a special informal dinner so Clay and the rest of the council can get better acquainted is a strong indication that Clay is not yet a "team player," in the same sense that Anonymous says she doesn't have her "sea legs" yet.
Also, my intent was not to attack the various council members on not fullfilling their campaign promises. My intent was to remind the citizens of what those promises were.
As for constructive discussions - bring them on! Mr. Gagliardo is setting a good example. Let's have more such offerings while the council is on break!
- Gilbert
Gilbert said:
"Now, this sound[s] reasonable on the face of it, but is it legal?"
Maryland's Open Meetings Act requires public access to meetings during which a quorum of the Council discusses public policy. We will restrict Monday's discussion to topics other than public policy.
On another of your points...
Although I agree with attempting to streamline Council meetings, I think the frequent City Manager updates on the Community Center project are important. Early in the project the Council relied on staff and a committee of residents. I believe the current approach has greatly reduced surprises, enhanced financial control, and improved project management.
I think there are much better opportunities for trimming our discussions.
Terry Seamens
Ward 4
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