The big news out of last nights CA board meeting with GGP is not that it was well attended but that the mood was generally positive. The reports I have received so far from those who were in attendence is that, for the most part, GGP’s plans, specifically the plans for Symphony Woods, were received with “cautious optimism.”
That’s a far cry from an earlier meeting in which GGP’s Symphony Woods plans were discussed.
The bigger surprise of yesterday though was that GGP’s long anticipated zoning regulations amendment was actually sponsored by Councilperson Mary Kay Sigaty. This is the zoning amendment that would clear the way for GGP’s Town Center redevelopment program that proposes up to 5,500 new residential units in the Town Center area. This is the same Mary Kay Sigaty that sponsored that ill conceived legislation directed at stopping the proposed Plaza Residences after they had already secured a building permit. This is the same Mary Kay Sigaty that I have previously accused of being Delegate Liz Bobo’s hand puppet.
It looks like I had her all wrong. Apparently Liz and Mary Kay no longer see eye to eye on all things Town Center.
And what about Liz?
She was there last night with her husband, Lloyd Knowles but they didn’t stay to the end. Perhaps it wasn’t acrimonious enough for them. That didn’t stop The Washington Post from seeking her out for a quote for this article in the morning’s paper though.
I don’t quite get why she was quoted and not Mary Kay. As the story pointed out, Liz is a former county councilperson. She will not have a vote on this zoning regulation amendment, Mary Kay, the current county councilperson representing Town Center will.
Liz says she wants “to be very sure this planned out and planned out well, and I just can’t tell yet how it’s going to work.”
Huh?
How much more plan does she need? This thing has gone through over two years of planning and public meetings where it has been tweaked and refined. At some point you need to stop planning and start doing.
Anyway, other notable no shows last night were Columbia Councilman Alex Hekimian (Oakland Mills) and CoFoDoCo spokesperson, Alan Klein.
I’ll post some more observations from last nights meeting later today
Without question Mary Kay was elected on one platform and is clearly working a 180.
ReplyDeleteAppearances can be deceiving. Sometimes it's better to jump in front of the parade so that you can lead it into the streets that you want than to follow and have little control over the direction.
ReplyDeletePoliticians and the media have proven that they will do anything to advance their own agendas. Strategy 1 is change the message to reflect the ratings. Strategy 2 is create the ratings by beating everyone to the punch. Strategy 3 is to outright lie and know that anyone checking history will never be able to undo the damage and reach the entire population. Forgive my cynicism. It must be an election year. Oh, by the way when does Mary Kay run for office again?
Could her support from Liz be waining and she is looking for a broader based constituency?
Could she see that Liz's days in Annapolis are numbered because all of her constituents are moving away? Perhaps Liz has told her that she is heir apparent in Annapolis when she becomes the President of the Columbia Association.
Whatever the reason, it does sound like she has made a 180. I don't believe it a second.
HH