CP to Address Parole Rotary Club on Transportation Challenges

"Dangerous Curves Ahead" will be the title of CP's speech before the Parole Rotary Club on Tuesday, December 29. CP will talk about the impending regional and national transportation crisis and how personal transportation choices can be political statements. CP has been an invited guest speaker or trainer on transportation topics at conferences and classes in 16 states and the District of Columbia and is always interested in talking to local and regional groups.

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CP Wants to Know What You The Readers Want In The New Year!

It's the end of our second year and we're pleased with growing readership that has broken records recently. We really want to know what you the readers think about CP. We invite you to take the time with the new year upon us to write in and tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what changes you'd like to see. Please keep in mind that Capital Punishment is a public service. We do this to improve communication and involvement in our community. Our goal is to make Annapolis a better place where we as citizens can be better informed and therefore take a more meaningful role in our governance and in shaping our future.

We need your support! We welcome your input and we welcome your advertising. We do this virtually for free. We ask you to support our advertisers. Tell your friends about CP. Write posts and comments. But for now, please just take a few minutes and send in your thoughts--what you like and what you would like to see on the pages.

It's tough writing these stories and columns day after day and while it's hard enough to do it without expectation of compensation, we are gratified when readers write in. And please, rather than sending an anonymous letter, please let the world know who you are. After all, we do that here every day and because of that, suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

Thanks,

Paul Foer

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City Attorney Kling Has Been Re-Certified

According to news reports, disgraced Acting City Attorney Stephen Kling has been re-certified after having lost his certification to practice law over two years.  Kling claims it was an oversight and that he was unaware of having been de-certified. Capital Punishment broke this story a week ago thanks to an anonymous tipster. Something tells me this is not the last we are ever going to hear of this.


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Recreating The Most Important Thing Ever to Happen in Annapolis.....Where Was Ellen?

The most important thing ever to happen in Annapolis was not the Whitbread/Volvo Race or even the so-called Mid-East Peace Summit. It was when George Washington resigned his commission as commander in chief on this day in 1783. I just went to the re-enactment in the old senate chambers, but unfortunately, was disappointed. I have always thought the story of the resignation of this giant among men was a momentous and profound occasion but the guy who played the general was not even tall! Washington was tall but this dude was of average height and of average acting abilities, and that's putting it politely--he even messed up reading part of the speech.

According to former Governor McKeldin who wrote a book about the event called "Washington Bowed", the resignation was a planned, formal affair done specifically to show how the triumphant general literally and figuratively bowed to the Continental Congress, at least the nine of the thirteen colonies represented. He, representing military power, formally showed his subservience to the people, their representatives and to representative government.

Worst of all, at today's event, "George" made his own editorial comments after he read the historic speech, mainly talking about how the US Constitution was a gift from God and talking about Jesus Christ and some such I don't know what! I told "George" that I thought his comments at the end were inappropriate. Who put this on? Who hired this guy? Who let him say whatever the heck he wanted to say in MY senate chambers?

While I spied former Mayor Dick Hillman at the event which underscored the checks and balances between the executive branch and the legislative branch, the only sign of chief executive and chief legislator Mayor Ellen O. Moyer was in her SUV in Eastport, heading in the opposite direction.......


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Josh Cohen Says No To A City Manager

Former alderman and now County Councilman Josh Cohen, who may possibly be a candidate for mayor, is an opponent of the city manager style of government. While readers know this blog strongly supports Alderman Arnett's and Israel's charter amendment to create such a government for Annapolis, I am pleased to have Cohen's say on the matter published here. I offer a few comments at the end, and two in the body of his text:

Paul:

I think that the one elected official who is on the ballot citywide, who answers to and is accountable to every voter citywide, the one who is the recognized leader of the city, the one whom voters will hold accountable for the city's performance regardless of what form of government we have, should be the one with the authority to assemble his or her leadership team.

Your point about the mayor having too much power because the mayor also chairs the council is a valid one. Unlike Ellen who describes the current system as a "weak mayor" system, I think Annapolis' mayor is actually stronger than the typical "strong executive." In my view it is a stronger position to chair the council and to have one of nine votes than to have a veto but be excluded from the legislative process as is the case in a typical "strong executive" system. Pip [former Mayor Pip Moyer] always said that the mayor's position in Annapolis was like serving as governor and speaker of the house at the same time.

If people think the mayor's position holds too much power as you seem to, I think a more constructive dialog would be over whether to separate the mayor from the legislative branch and create a typical "strong" executive system. But frankly I think the current system we have is fine. For all of the concern people express that the current system leaves the aldermen powerless over the administration of the city, the reality is that all of these exempt positions starting with the city administrator require council approval. Have any of the aldermen ever exercised the authority they already have to deny an appointment and vote "no?"

In a pure council/manager system, where does the buck stop? If every council member is in charge of appointing the CAO, then no one is in charge. Everyone can point fingers and say "Well I'm just one of five votes; I don't have the ability to appoint the CAO myself." Even when voters elect a new mayor, the new mayor would still be powerless to fix any management problems at City Hall if the entrenched manager could still rely on five other votes to retain him or her.

Ironically, although I'm a proud Democrat, I am concerned that this scenario could easily happen the next time Annapolis elects a Republican mayor. We have had three GOP mayors going back to the 1970s, but the City Council has been and will continue to be Democratic for the foreseeable future. [You can foresee the future?] It would be easy to envision a scenario in which Annapolis elects a GOP mayor, but five Democratic aldermen want to show who is boss and appoint a city manager over the objections of the mayor. That would just create havoc.

It's bad enough when the mayor does not get along with the rest of the council; imagine how dysfunctional it would be if the mayor were at odds with the CAO occupying the office right next door. That would serve no one well, least of all the citizens.

Instead of doing a 180 and shifting to a pure council/manager form of government, I think a more prudent step would be to strengthen and clarify the role and authority of the city administrator's position. While I think the mayor should retain the power to appoint the CAO, I think the charter should be clear that the mayor is not the day-to-day, hands-on manager of the city. That individual should be a seasoned, professional manager. The charter should give him or her the clear authority to exercise management of the department heads. This concept is along the lines of the original charter amendment that Dick Israel proposed. To me that is a reasonable compromise to enhance day-to-day management of the city while still keeping a clear line of accountability from the CAO to the mayor to the voters.

Josh

Dear Josh:

Of course there are valid reasons to support or oppose any style of government--just ask your friendly neighborhood anarchist. But seriously, this form of government works in thousands of cities with tens if not hundreds of millions of residents. Can it be that bad? You of all people must know the sense of frustration and powerlessness that can occur on city council--with any mayor--so would it not be nice to be equal more or less with the mayor and together have authority over the manager? How would you like it if Mr. Leopold also chaired your council? A city manager will even the field, de-politicize the daily operations of government, return powers to city council, separate the powers of executive and legislative and for gosh sakes--bring in someone who understands administration and finance and budgets! Have we ever had a mayor who truly had the managerial skills needed? Do you know how to manage such a complex bureaucracy and budget? There is a difference between leading and managing and being elected to lead but also having to manage.

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Minority Business Officer Sues City For Racial Discrimination

By Arundel Muckraker and Annapolis Capital Punishment

A city employee in charge of helping minority-owned businesses get on their feet wants $1 million from Annapolis for racial discrimination. Ruby Singleton Blakeney, Annapolis’ director of Small and Minority Business Enterprise Development, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and her boss, Mike Miron. In papers filed with the U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Nov. 4, Blakeney complained about "racial harassment and disparate treatment by my superior, Mike Miron Director of the Office of Economic Development.” The official title has since been changed to the Office of Economic Affairs.


The events took place between July 2003 and the present, she claims. She is also asking for costs and attorney's fees. Blakeney wouldn’t comment when reached by Capital Punishment nor would she divulge her lawyer's name. The City of Annapolis has not yet been served with the lawsuit, according to the City's Public Information Officer Rhonda Wardlaw. The county NAACP did not respond to email and phone messages for comment.

Blakeney filed paperwork with the Maryland Commission on Human Relations in December last year, detailing the alleged discrimination. "I am Black and have been subjected to ongoing harassment from the Director of Economic Development, Mike Miron,” she wrote. “Mr. Miron has made my working conditions intolerable, treated white employees more favorably and made inappropriate and racially insensitive comments to me and about me. I have made numerous complaints about my interactions with Mr. Miron, but the harassment has continued."

The federal complaint, which was hand-written, was stamped "At Baltimore Clerk US District Court District of Maryland, Night Drop Box" on Nov. 04. That would appear to be just after the deadline stated in a "Notice of Right to Sue Within 90 Day" letter sent by certified mail on July 31, 2008 to Blakeney by the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Blakeney apparently either waited until the last minute or actually missed the deadline, even though her complaint with Maryland was filed almost one year prior.

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