Last night at a seemingly mundane CA Board Operations Committee meeting, a group of approximately 25 residents showed up to let their voices be heard.
Why such a large turnout for a simple committee meeting?
CA staff had prepared a confidential memo for the board regarding their recent discussions with GGP about Town Center redevelopment plans. Rob Goldman, who was serving as Acting CA president in Maggie Browns place, suggested that the board convene a closed session to discuss the issues raised in the memo before airing it in public.
It appears that CoFoDoCo had been given a heads up about this supposedly “confidential” memo. The larger than usual turnout was a result of them mobilizing their members. They came loaded for bear.
It is not difficult to figure out where CoFoDoCo got its “heads up.” Council members Cindy Coyle (Harpers Choice), Alex Hekimian (Oakland Mills), Evan Coren (Kings Contrivance) and Phil Kirsch (Wilde Lake) were all pushing for an open discussion of the staff memo clearly pandering to their assembled supporters.
Council members Miles Coffman (Hickory Ridge), Tom O’Connor (Dorsey’s Search), Pearl Atkinson (Owen Brown) and Suzanne Waller (Town Center) wanted to have a closed session first. There is actually a legal question as to whether they were required to hold a private session first. This was a “confidential” staff memo after all.
Council members Hank Dagenais (Long Reach) and Michael Cornell (River Hill) were absent.
With four members wanting a premature open meeting and four members wanting a closed meeting, the issue hit an impasse. Chaos apparently then ruled the night.
I say apparently because, in the interest of full disclosure here, I was not in attendance. I received a report on the proceedings this morning from someone who was. Judging from the report I got it was another highly charged evening on Wincopin Circle. If anyone who attended had a different take, please feel free to comment.
In the end, the memo was not discussed in open session last night.
Daily
14 hours ago
13 comments:
Are planned communities doomed to fail?
Yes, the HOA laws are passed that a Board cannot even talk with its staff in private.
Maybe CoFoCoDo should stop claiming "almost 500 members" and start claiming, "on every given night, we can get 25 people to show up" I am under whelmed and unimpressed.
Bill, Bill, Bill. Why is it that you constantly attack and denigrade the COFODOCO? Hmmm. It wouldn't possibly be because they have taken an opposing viewpoint to yours?
Why are the CA members who wanted an open discussion "pandering", in your clearly biased and worthless opinion?
Is that any more pandering than, oh, lets say, certain Councilpersons, Planning Board members, or certain CE staff, who openly support the redevelopment plan?
Is COFODOCO "rallying" their base to attend certain meetings any different from the redevelopment supporters, or GGP's supporters, rallying to attend certain meetings, including all the way back to when the charette meetings were happening?
Your credibility is slipping down into Hayduke territory.
I see a big double standard, but that's par for the course with you on this issue.
You're much too critical PZGURU. Were you drinking or simply coming off a bad day when you blasted Bill?
Then you do seem to be a little too tightly wound.
I think it may because you feel that you have been unjustly treated. I told you before you should try a counselor. It's amazing what they can do with persecution and self esteem. I am not critizing. I simply want the best for you.
HH
Wordbones
I hear that the Columbia Citizens Advisory Committee has extended its search for interested residents to October 3. I believe you would be a real asset to sit on the committee and could make a significant contribution.
Why not sign up?
HH
pzguru,
what do you expect from a "passive agressive elitist propogandist?"
I am trying to live up to my reputation. Hayduke set such a high hurdle after all.
HH,
You flatter me. I love you. Let's do lunch.
-wb
PZ,
Let us collectively take a deep breath here. Yes, I try to hold CoFoCoDo to at least some modicum of standards, just as they impose standards on others.
What I have seen is the same two dozen people show up here and there, and claim hundreds of followers. I thought it important to mention this.
I suppose one person's holding to standards is another's attack, but maybe this is quibbling. To be certain, one voice in the vast internet ocean against "hundreds" seems like the wrong place for an "attack."
With regard to pandering, I don't have anything in my comment regarding pandering. Pandering never crossed my mind. Maybe I should dust off the laptop and post something to that effect on my blog.
In the meantime, the weather has been beautiful lately, take off your shoes, walk in the grass, enjoy.
HH: Your problem is that you are guilty of precisely what you’re throwing at PZ. AND you don’t make logical sense.
WB: (choke, gag)
PZ has a good point. When someone opposes Bill’s opinion, he starts with the petty crap rather than focusing on anything substantive. He thinks blog readers are falling for his self-righteous indignation.
Newsflash: We’re not as stupid as you think.
Bill - my opening comment was actually meant for Dennis (the blog poster). Sorry for the slip up on that. I'm not sure how I got my wires crossed on who I was speaking to.
I think that there is grandstanding on both sides of the aisle, as far as strength of support. My point was that Dennis has no sense of balance. He says the other side panders, while those who support redevelopment are intellectual geniuses who are above reproach. Anyone who opposes redevelopment (or more accurately wants to scale back the scope of the redevelopment plans) are called NIMBY's. Hayduke has used that term on a number of occasions. It's not right.
Frankly it doesn't matter if COFODOCO only has 2 supporters. If they are right in their position, then they are right. Here's an analogy: suppose ten million people think it's ok to deal drugs, and just 2 people think that's not ok. Who is right?
I realize redevelopment of TC is not a moral issue, and it's not as much of a legal issue as whether it's ok or not to deal drugs.
Maybe a better analogy is the one that most people's parents have used at some point in their lives. If all your friends jump off a bridge, are you going to do the same thing? An idea might be "popular" but that does not automatically equate to it being a good idea or the right thing to do.
Dear HH,
Thank you for your feigned concern. I have never said that I was persecuted, and my self esteem is just fine.
You took one past experience that I conveyed and are stretching that out to some illogical deduction. I could care less about little ms feldmark, or ken ulman, or ian kennedy and what they think of me. The point of my story, which you obviously missed, was to convey the disdain and hateful manor in which ulman and his assistant treat County employees, and step on employees when they want to. That's not a good way to operate.
And you can't say that I'm the only one. There are other employees who left work because they were being threatened with personal lawsuits by certain crooked developers and lawyers if the employees wouldn't roll over and give them everything they demanded (ie: breaking the rules and not enforcing regulations). The County Administration never defended or backed up those employees; the employees were hung out to dry. There are so many unhappy employees up there - they are literally counting down the days until they can retire.
Maybe you could refer a therapist to Ulman to cure him of his delusional mentality that he is above the law, that he's the emperor of the universe, and fix his ethical shortcomings.
See people - that's what happens in the face of monumental injustice.
People that support these land developers (who've broken law upon law) are even worse than the perpetrators.
Dennis - I expect nothing less of you! Well done!
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