Local blogger, Evan Coren is speaking as a panelist on a Session entitled “Local Blogs: Covering City and County Government and Empowering Activism” at the Netroots Nation convention in Pittsburgh this afternoon.
Here is his bio from the website:
"Evan grew up in Columbia, MD, a planned community built by Jim Rouse in the 1960s to be socio-economically mixed, preserve greenspace, and guarantee the infrastructure promotes a high quality of life. When a development company proposed adding 5500 residential units into the downtown in a way that violated the Rouse vision Evan started the Howard County Blog to raise awareness of the proposed plan. The blog played a major role in shaping the debate. Transitioning from blog-activism to grassroots Evan was elected to the city council by doubling turnout in a typically low turnout election, winning by 21 votes."
Wow, I didn’t realize that General Growth Properties “violated” Rouse’s vision.
Evan’s blog played a “major role” in shaping the debate?
Columbia has a city council?
Truly amazing stuff.
Holiday-ish
13 hours ago
10 comments:
So you believe everything written on a blog is 100% true???
Literary license baby.
I like how Netroots Nation is sponsored mostly by a bunch of labor unions.
5500??? Yikes. I can't imagine that much more being squeezed in there without drastically changing Columbia and causing a lot of problems.
Amazing "stuff"? Well, if you say so.
Stuff, v. fill tightly. block.
Synonyms: shove, squeeze, jam, congest, back up
Who came up with that high a number? Has the County determined that could work or is even needed? Doesn't Columbia have plenty of existing development potential? If so, how much is left and what area does it cover?
Wasn't the County supposed to come up with a 30-year master plan? What happened to that?
Anon, all good questions. Wb, not so much. Who doesn't know that Columbia Council is what they meant while communicating to masses that wouldn't know what a Columbia Council is.
I ended that sentence with a preposition on purpose to hopefully irritate the blog host into ceasing to end statements with a question mark.
One thing is clear, by embellishing/inflating his role and accomplishments, Evan will never be able to be elected in this county again.
Anon 12:44:
??
Didn't opposition claim Ulman inflated his resume? He obviously won the exec seat, top position in the county.
5500? Is that all? We need at least that to sustain the vibrant, sustainable community most of us want for Downtown Columbia.
Here's the skinny. A very small but vocal minority, led by Liz Bobo is trying to stall real progress by a constantly complaining about too many residential units, too much traffic, building height, etc. Evan is simply a faithful follower of Bobo and should be seen as such.
Thanks Anonymous about the Bobo remark. Liz does seem to be adept at pulling strings. I guess that might make Evan a puppet. I have never met him to the best of my knowledge. I guess I didn't vote in the election he swept the polls.
HH
That "small but vocal minority" is actually the majority. Delegate Bobo is doing a wonderful service to the community by helping us to keep the Rouse vision alive.
And Columbia does have a city council, otherwise known as the Columbia Council, which is also the CA Board.
Anon 1:02 PM,
The Columbia Council is the the board of directors of a homeowners association...nothing more, and just what do you think that "vision" is?
-wb
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