Reminder--Next Envisioning Annapolis Talk

Where are the Workers in a Gentrified Annapolis?

That's a good question! This will be the topic of conversation in the next Envisioning Annapolis talk. Here are the details:

Migrating Opportunity: Where are the Workers in a Gentrified Annapolis?
7:00 p.m. Tuesday, 22 January, 2008
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
Roberto Suro, Annenberg School, University of Southern California

"Hispanic In-Migration in the American City?"
Annapolis success has meant skyrocketing real estate values, pricing middle-class and working-class families out of the market. This session will explore the disappearing middle class in American cities with Roberto Suro discussing the impact Hispanic in-migration will have on American cities in the future.

For more information, visit:
//www.envisioningannapolis.net/index.html

Just One Year of Bush Left...but two more of our local leader

There is just one more year of Bush unless he creates some panic and declares martial law, suspends elections, dissolves Congress or maybe just declares himself Grand Exalted Poobah For Life. See the counter to the upper left as we count down the days. As of this writing, there is actually a year and a day left, but I was so excited, I had to share this, if even a bit prematurely.
Let us see, with whom should replace this guy? Somebody as different than Bush as is possible. Someone who is honest and trustworthy. A person who has actually earned his own success and has real accomplishments. Someone who can articulate his thoughts and communicate. A person who understands the issues and subtleties of life in the modern world. Someone who cares about all Americans, and not just rich, white men.
The more I think about it, the more I really like the guy we had before him. That would be Bill of course, although he was deficient in the honest category. His wife,the carpet-bagging Senator from New York via Arkansas is another story. If she got elected, that would be three decades of the same two families in the White House and that is scary. Right now, John Edwards is looking better all the time. At least he understands the power of, and is not afraid to stand up to corporate America. Or so it would appear. And he has a nice smile and a nice haircut. Or so it would appear.

Message from Doug Smith, President of Ward One Association

The following has been generously provided by Doug Smith, president of the Ward One Association. CP invites comments and postings from other community activists and civic leaders.:

On January 14, I presented a petition to City Council requesting monthly updates on police force staffing. A number of people have contacted me for more information and to explain why I have suggested this approach. My total objective is to get the crime issue front and center on the city council agenda. As I'm sure you know, our form of government puts about 99% of the power with the Mayor and we need to engage her power in causing change. Only the mayor can set goals and tell department heads what she wants to see happen. Also the Mayor can focus attention on a project that requires cooperation between two departments – in this case, cooperation between APD and the City HR department.

I have attended almost every city council meeting for 2007. I do not recall one conversation about crime or discussion of new actions being taken. Maybe these discussions take place in other meetings, but city council is the main event in city government, and that's where I think most citizens would like to hear about actions and results. If there is more visibility to the positive actions taking place, then I feel citizens and business owners would feel more confident that pro-active measures are underway. In addition, if discussed before City Council, the Aldermen and Alderwoman have a chance to ask questions of the process. How are we doing relative to recruiting? in what towns are we recruiting? If people are turning us down, WHY?; Are we calling candidates to keep them interested rather than lose them to other jurisdictions?, etc.

Secondly, I have proposed that there be goals for hiring. I am a business person, and goals are the way you run a business. Someone will immediately say “ Annapolis is not a business”. But in this case, I believe borrowing ideas from business can be very useful. We have a lot of very talented people, experienced business people across the entire city. You set goals so you can measure progress. If you don’t meet your goals, you look into the problem and take corrective action. We now have about 19 vacant slots in the police force. To fill those slots takes a lot of work. Say you start with 179 applicants. You invite them in for testing... and only 65 show up. After the test, only 36 pass the test. You do background checks and interviews on those folks, and find that 17 make it through the 21 screening steps in the background check. Some of the 17 find other jobs or decide not to join APD, but you successfully hire 7 new officers. (the number of new officers hired in 2007.)

Now relate that to the 19 open slots we have today. if you work that back up the line, we need approx. 400 applicants to start the process. The Chief tells me recruiting is the job of the Annapolis HR department. APD does selection and training. So now it makes sense to ask the HR department to take us through the actions they are taking to attract another 400+ applicants, with the goal to see if some of our smart marketing and executive search people can help the HR department generate more good candidates.

The goal is to give more visibility to the hiring process. We need more police officers. I think the citizens of Annapolis can help with this process if given a chance. To apply our talents, however, we need to know where the problems are, and that requires open communication.

Doug Smith
Pres. Ward One Association.

PART TWO: Which Local Company Not To Hire To Design Your Web Site

Thanks to the readers who figured out the identity of the local web design company which CP featured in an earlier post because of the multitude of errors on its own site. So, here it is for all to see:

Workable Web Solutions www.workableweb.com

I've found even more mistakes, such as "It's fundemental flaw soon becomes apparent." (Actually that's two errors in one sentence! I keep giving them this free editing advice while they are seeking clients to hire them to write. I must be a masochist))

It's amazing to me that a company whose own web site is replete with layout, language errors and misspellings could actually survive in this highly competitive business. I just had to do it. This company is designing sites for other local businesses and the irony of it all was deserving of a broader audience. Originally CP kept its identity a secret, but after I wrote them an email offering to show them some errors on their site and they never replied, I just figured, oh go with it.

The original post may be found here on January 14th and is titled, "Who Not to Hire to Do Your Web-site."

A Great Start to the New Year--Double Homicide and Big Coke Bust

It's all over the news by now, so I'm just amplifying the broadcast. If it had been but two weeks ago, this would have made eleven murders for the year instead of the record nine, but since it's mid-January, that makes two for the month which might mean 24 for the year. There was not much in the news report, apparently due to the timing, but it happened in an apartment in Bens Drive. That is not a HACA facility, but it is a privately owned, subsidized housing community. The big coke discovery, reportedly with a street value of $37,000 occurred only a block or two from HACA headquarters.

CP just learned that the slain woman was the mother of a student at nearby Georgetown East Elementary School. This was told to me by a staff-person at the school this evening.

We are sliding into violent lawlessness and our mayor and police chief seem unable to act.

Why Routine Traffic and Parking Violations Are So Serious

CP has repeatedly written and spoken out about the seriousness of supposedly "routine" or "non-moving" traffic violations. Unless you are confronted by a gunman, the biggest ongoing threat to our public safety comes directly from the operation and illegal parking of motor vehicles. The more you walk or ride a bike, the more you are aware of the seriousness. People who scoff at traffic and parking laws demonstrate anti-social behavior and a lack of respect for lawfulness--and this is widespread. Police are well aware of how "routine" violations often lead to the discovery of more serious crime. I wish to thank our police department for its work and for bringing these to our attention. See below from today's Annapolis PD Crime Watch Report--and think about what you can do next time you see someone parking on a sidewalk, rolling through a stop sign, speeding on a small street etc. TAKE ACTION--these people who think nothing about the privilege of driving are criminals and they threaten us and our families and friends.

10. BAD DRIVERS:

1/16 3:51 PM Randall & Dock - a traffic stop was made due to a driver
turning left from Randall onto Dock in violation of No Left Turn sign.
The driver was identified as Josiah Damilola Arawole, 21, of Beltsville.
A check revealed that his license was suspended. He was arrested and
charged with Driving on a Suspended License and cited for the No Left
Turn Violation. (08-000369)

1/17 10:32 PM Admiral & Croll - traffic stop was made due to car being
operated with its headlights out. . The driver was identified as
Catherine Ann Britner, 36, of Odenton. A check revealed that her license
was suspended, and that the tags on the car were expired. She was
arrested and charged with Driving on a Suspended License and cited for
the Registration Violation. (08-000369)

1/17 11:14 PM Thom & Forest - a traffic stop was made due to a driver
turning right on red from Tyler onto Bay Ridge in violation of No Turn
On Red sign. The driver was identified as Cormelo Vicente Ramirez, 22,
of Silopanna Ct. A check revealed that he does not have a license. He
was arrested and charged with Driving Without a License and issued a
warning for the No Turn on Red Violation. (08-000369)

1/18 12:29 AM 100 blk. of Obery Ct. - Alfred Williams, 38, of Obery Ct.,
was seen driving a car by an officer on patrol. The officer had prior
knowledge that Mr. William*s license was suspended. this was
confirmed, and he was arrested and charged with Driving on a Suspended
License. (08-000372)

An Example of State Action on Global Warming

CP could have used a little global warming when he and two other Eastporters mounted our bikes and pedaled to the recent rally calling for action on global warming at Lawyer's Mall in front of the Capitol. As soon as we began our trek, it started snowing and the ride back was even more fun. Maybe it would have been easier to get there and even better attended had we had last week's near tropical temperatures, but it was all to join with hundreds of other Marylanders to make our voices heard.

CP ran into Mike Malinoff, director of the city's Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Protection who suggested that I take a closer look at some of the activities of our state government. He provided CP with this link to the Climate Commission's Residential, Commercial & Industrial Technical Work Group now looking at greenhouse gas emissions at www.mdclimatechange.us/ewebeditpro/items/O40F14654.pdf.

Although CP has become even more cynical about the ability of government to do much about anything these days, I remain open-minded. The pdf link to the work group's latest meeting starts off with 8 pages about process and meetings. It then gets down to five more pages of....business. Or at least to have more meetings. Two of the pages are blank. However, some of the goals being discussed look aggressive. Visit the pdf and see for yourself.

When I got home from the rally, I was so frozen from the low-carbon footprint bike ride that I decided that since I did not drive, I could innocently indulge in a warm bath to thaw my frozen limbs. But, I did keep the water in the tub to slowly release heat into the house rather than dissipate it to the sewer lines. In the warmer months I recycle bath water to the lawn and garden. I wonder if the city will lower my bills since I create less sewage and also send all my kitchen scraps to the compost pile?

Woman Drinks and Drives Over Boyfriend's Leg, Gets Two Years....

From the Wonderful World of Schadenfreude, comes this tidbit. Today's Capital reports on a drunken woman who rammed her boyfriend with an SUV. Apparently, after arguing with her husband all day, resulting in police visits, she got into her SUV, as just any ordinary steel and chrome vehicle would not do, and drives into her boyfriend. He loses his leg but says, "Until she took my leg, I loved this woman" (...so now he just "likes" her?). It's a legacy he'll have to live with.

It sounds like something from Jerry Springer. Jerry! Jerry! JERRY!

I won't print the photo of the woman here because, well, we're a family blog and have aesthetic standards to which we must adhere. If you want to see her beaming mug, go to www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/01_17-37/TOP
We warn you, go see at your own risk.

Oh, in case you're wondering, she'll get two years incarceration and then five on probation. Their issue now goes on to the civil courts. I guess the man's case has a leg to stand on.

DUHH!!!!

From time to time, CP gleans news items from the Annapolis Police Beat which may be of interest to readers. Here is one:

1/10 to 1/14 unit blk. of Cathedral St. - about $11,000.00 worth of personal belongings were taken from the victim*s car (editor's note-probably a Lexus or Porsche). The means of entry could no be determined, but he says he knows he left it locked.
Stolen items include golf clubs a Charola 18k bracelet, bulova watch and jewelry. (08-000298)

Yeah--good one. The owner knows he left it locked--or so he said. And he must also know he left a fancy watch, golf clubs and a bracelet in his car--FOR FOUR DAYS!!!!! How many times have we read of such crimes? How many times have our police warned and reminded and warned us about leaving valuables in our cars--locked or unlocked? He'll probably get insurance to cover it. The clubs have already been pawned, and the jewelry has already been fenced.
Pssst! Hey mister. You wanna nice gold chain? 18 karat! I'll prove it to you. We'll go to your car and use the battery acid.....I know. I've been approached by them before. I asked the perps how they got these things, they smiled and said "sleight of hand..." They might have even taken them from one of my stores!

Mayor Continues to Vent. When Will the Top Blow?

Today's Baltimore Sun reports on the turnout of dozens of Eastport residents to complain about gun violence at Monday's City Council meeting. I have been covering this in detail before the meeting and after the meeting, which I attended. All of these people are CP's neighbors and I have heard gunshots for many years. I had a long conversation with the young mother who spoke at the meeting. Many of the comments were hurled clearly at the Mayor, who CP reminds, once represented Eastport and still lives here. The operative "theme" of the massive turnout was that "We live in fear, but some live in denial". Today's Baltimore Sun is instructive, if only for the quotes from the Mayor which bear repeating here:

After the meeting, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer criticized the group's strategy, saying that instead of acting as "problem solvers," they were acting as "rhetorical bomb throwers."

"What I don't get from them is an indication that they want to partner in any way," she said. "To assert that we're ignoring the issue is plain folly."

This is not the last CP will be posting about this ever worsening story. See the Sun at: www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.council16jan16,0,4276230.story

Huckabee Wins Our Poll? How Did This Happen?

In our most popular poll ever, 85 voters cast their ballots and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee got a whopping 29 votes or 34 percent of the total. We can only attribute this to a concerted effort on the part of conservative bloggers to flock to CP to vote (I called this a vast right wing conspiracy and a "moderate Republican" wrote in to say he was offended). All other previous surveys have generally been more "balanced", that is to say more nearly equally divided. However, we also had a lot of fake or silly answers such as Gandalf the Great who got 4 votes. If we subtract the "silly" votes, the percentages are different, and Huckabee clearly wins an even higher percentage.

Then came Obama (15 votes), Clinton (10), McCain and Edwards tied with 6, and Paul, Thompson and Giuliani falling way behind with Richardson and "none of the above" each getting 1 vote. Of course, what most voters did not know was than when we said, "Paul" we meant Paul, as in CP, as in yours truly, so thanks for the 4 votes. Does this mean I qualify for federal election funds now? I should at least get Secret Service protection...

Let me remind everyone that this poll is about as scientific as the mind of George Bush or that of Mike Huckabee. This poll neither evolved nor was it created. It appeared out of cyberspace, as if it were parthenogenesis. Sounds Greek to me, and it is. Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls.

Thanks for voting! 82 votes is an impressive total and no doubt was related to having our biggest week ever, with January 15th bringing in over 200 hits! Not bad for a one-year old political blog in a small city. Thank you.

OUR NEW POLL is on our personal economic outlook and is up and running. Please vote.

A Comment from Bob McWilliams of Eastport

(In response to a previous post about the change in police shifts)

I talked to a police officer today, and he liked the way it changes their shift work. But, he said it wouldn't do anything to help compensate for the lack of police officers.

If Moyer continues to think that we have enough police officers, then why doesn't she just eliminate 24 positions in the next budget. Way back when she was Alderman, she ran on filling the vacant positions (we were only 13 officers short then). Since it's been 12 years or so now (and we're now 24 positions short), it would appear that filling those positions is nothing more than something Moyer promises to get herself elected.

Bob McWilliams

Eastporters Turn Out in Force to Say "We Live in Fear"

At last night's City Council hearing, some forty Eastport residents descended upon City Council to voice widespread concern about gunfire and gun violence in the Ward 8 neighborhood. "We live in fear, but some live in denial" one speaker said, in a direct slap to Mayor Moyer and Police Chief Johnson. They stood up holding green signs proclaiming "We live in fear" and wore stickers with a pistol covered by a red slash. There is no doubt about it. Citizens are sick and tired of violence and apparent lack of response or inability or unwillingness to properly respond on the part of City government and police.

Who Not to Hire to Do Your Web-site

Here are just a couple of interesting items lifted from the web-site of a local company that designs web-sites, many of them for local companies and organizations.:

"Resesigns Existing Websites"

"the graphic layout and appearance will professionally designed."

"If the thousands of books in the library were all put on shelves at random, it would be take forever to find the books or subjects you were looking for."

"So they can do what they want to do. Without wasting time or getting confused."

Call ___ ____ ____ in Annapolis, Maryland at 410-xxx xxxx or by E-mail when you are ready for:

* Fresh ideas,
* Clear communication and a
* Better way to engage your audience online.
(note-are these supposed to be bullet items or a sentence just formatted as such?

And finally, they tell us to:
"Call ____ _____ _____ when you need fresh ideas, clear communication, a sense of purpose and a sense of humor."

I'm not sure I understand their sense of humor, but I'll let them call me when they need clear communication. Meanwhile, should I publish the name of the company or just let them continue to make themselves look silly? They are based in Annapolis...(NOTE: I changed my mind on the last paragraph, but am keeping here because, well it would be insincere to delete it at this point)

Mayor Takes Market House Lawsuit Personally

From the files of "All the more reasons why we need a city manager form of government" comes this latest story. According to today's Capital, Mayor Moyer is saying the lawsuit filed against the City for the Market House debacle is a personal matter:

But Ms. Moyer also sees much of the lawsuit as a personal attack on her.

"My staff has bent over backwards to address every concern Site Realty has had," she said. "No one wants to see the market more successful than us. I'm sorry, but I understand the game they are playing and I will not stand by as they dump on the city. It's only one person they are dumping on, and that's me.

Okay. Enough already! Our Mayor takes everything personally. Our City is now in the middle of two, perhaps three major litigations. Of course there are two sides to every issue. Day one of law school teaches there is no such thing as an open and shut case, but does the mayor really think that Site Realty has nothing better to do than pay its lawyers to file suit because they do not like her? Is it possible, just maybe, that they believe they have a colorable case?

This tells us a lot of things about our mayor. It also tells us a lot about how our government is being managed, or mismanaged. www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/01_14-08/TOP

Scientists Create Beating Rat Heart from Rat Cells; Signals New Hope for Vice President's Condition

Laboratory scientists in Minnesota created a rat heart from other rat cells and managed to get it beating, according to an article in the journal Nature Medicine. Today's Baltimore Sun reports the "experiment suggests potential for treating future human patients." I am just wondering if they plan to try it on Dick Cheney? Oh--I think he already has one.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.heart14jan14,0,7640138.story

Charter Amendment on City Administrator: A Very Bad Idea

This is going to be a very long post. On Monday night, January 14, an amendment to the city charter is being introduced by Alderman Israel. This would give extra powers to an already underpaid and under-qualified city administrator and with this set-up, we'll never find a qualified person to fill that position. CP has worked under a handful of city administrators under two mayors. Only one or possibly two were adequate in their managerial or leadership skills. The City Administrator position has not worked in Annapolis. It will not work. What we need is a City Manager form of government. Below is a letter I sent to all Aldermen and I plan to testify on Monday bight by reading this as well. It is followed by a link to a table I created on this issue and then by articles published in The Sun and The Capital:

As a longtime resident, former city employee and longtime observer of our government and politics, I voice strong opposition to CA-01-08 . I also come here to support creating a city manager form of government. It pains me to speak out against Alderman Israel as I know he invests great time and consideration into the deliberative process of being an Alderman, but it is wrong.

I worked as a professional staffer for nearly eight years under two mayors and I know that not one of the handful of city administrators hat have come and gone had any idea what went on in my department, nor did any of them seem to know what was going on in most city departments. When I ran for alderman last year, one of my top three goals was to create a city manager form of government. Although this was against the advice of my closest supporters who believed it was politically naïve to do so, I believed then, and continue to believe, that professional management that is likely to be found only through hiring a competent and certified City Manager, is crucial to running our 70$ + million bureaucracy and our 600 or so employees. The current system of an underpaid city administrator appointed by an overpaid elected mayor has proven to be unworkable for too long.

I’d like to think that my short-lived candidacy helped spur this issue on, and I am pleased that Alderman Arnett, the man who did win that election, has since become a supporter of a city manager form of government. I believe more citizens are behind this idea as well.

The current structure of government makes the mayor CEO and Board Chair. There is no separation of powers. This is a major problem. This bill does not change that. Would we consent to having County Executive John Leopold also serve as chairman of the county council? I think not. Would we consent to have Governor O’Malley serve as Speaker of the House or Senate president? I think not. Why then do we allow out mayors to also serve as City Council chairs? Would we tell Mr. Leopold or Mr. O’Malley that they could not direct the departmental secretaries that they appoint? This bill keeps our mayor as CEO and board chair and then tells the mayor not to run the departments headed by the people he or she has chosen. Even worse, it says that dismissal of the City Administrator will requires a majority of City Council including the mayor. This makes no sense. It completely muddles up who hires who for what purpose to tell who to do what and makes it harder to get rid of someone who is not performing well.

At present, the city administrator serves at the pleasure of the mayor, yet is paid less than any of the department heads he is supposed to supervise, even though they serve at the pleasure of the mayor. Now we are asking to codify that person’s job with yet more authority and still pay him less than those department heads. This bill tells Mayor Moyer, or her successor to stay out of the business of the department heads who she hired and who serve at her pleasure, giving the city administrator clear authority to supervise them without the authority to hire or fire them. So--does it really change anything since it still leaves real executive power with an elected mayor--a person who may not have the leadership or managerial skills to do this? Oddly, at the same time, it tells the mayor to not run city business. This bill will make things much worse while ignoring the real problem.

Now imagine this. You are a city department head hired by the mayor, serving at her or his pleasure. The city administrator ostensibly supervises you, although you make a lot more money than he does, and you know that he cannot fire you because only the mayor can do that. You might be incompetent and you might make the city administrator look even more incompetent because he has no authority to really control you, and as long as you are a friend or political ally of the mayor, you keep your job. Does this sound familiar? I have learned from long experience in business and government never to accept a position where you are given responsibility without authority. Never. This bill asks an underpaid city administrator to do just that.

When the time comes to find a new city administrator, how we will find a qualified person willing to take on this job at this low pay? If we are going to tell the mayor not to get involved with department heads jobs, then why allow them to serve at the pleasure of the mayor? Would we tell the CEO of any corporation not to direct his or her Chief Financial Officer or Chief Information Officer in his or her daily tasks? Of course not. Only a CEO should be able to dismiss the CAO. Boards should weigh in but never have the authority to make such decisions.

We should not pass this bill. What we should be doing is acknowledging that our city is a large and complex enterprise that requires the managerial expertise of a qualified and appropriately paid City Manager. We must admit how unlikely it is to find the right person to oversee the multifaceted challenges of complex, multi-million dollar contracts for renovating police stations, Market House and pensions for fire department retirees from among our own residents is small indeed. That is further constrained by paying them under $100,ooo dollars per year when the going rate for such a person is more like $150,000 dollars to $200,000 per year. Is it any wonder, that with the unusually low pay we have for the city administrator position, that we have had such difficulty finding a qualified person?

We must revisit the charter review commission from 1996 whose report said another review would be needed in ten years. That was two years ago.

To see a table I created when I ran for Alderman that laid out the differences our current form and an envisioned form of government, please go to:
www.willgetitdone.com/paulfoerward8/ and then click on "Issues" and go to "Ensure professionalism and transparency in our government" (sorry but this is the only way I could do it)

This is Alderman Israel's opinion in support of his amendment:
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.column13jan13,0,3964714.story

This is the Sun's article:
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.administrator13jan13,0,5183499.story

This is the Capital's article:
www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/01_10-19/TOP

The Capital's editorial board weighs in but shows a rather remarkable lack of understanding of this issue.
www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/01_13-38/OPN

Please Vote in Our Current Poll!!! Don't let Huckabee Win.

Results so far are scary--unless you are a Christian Evangelist. Huckabee is winning so far. I think that Capital Punishment is being infiltrated by right-wing crazies just to pump up these votes (I always cautioned that these polls are not scientific--nor should they be creationist). Now we need Democrats, lefties and other crazies to get on over and vote for people other than Huckabee. There's just a few days left. Please vote--we cannot let Huckabee win or we'll all be on our knees and nuking gay whales for Jesus.