Annapolis Capital Punishment

"Make it a New Year's Resolution to read the Duden Commission Report. In 1996, long before Ellen Moyer was Mayor, Dick Israel decided to run for Alderman or Ross Arnett moved to Eastport, Democrat Mayor Al Hopkins and his Council asked lawyer (now Judge) Dick Duden to form a Commission to study the issues related to local governance -- including hiring a City Manager. "

So says Chuck Weikel, a Democratic activist and FOE who has been opposed (as are most FOE's) to creating a city manager form of government, recently posted this on his "Democrats for Chuck" web-site. He adds:

"The Capital, local bloggers and some elected officials don't want you to see or know their conclusions. But the report, titled "Report of the Annapolis Governmental Structure and Charter Revision Commission," dated September 9, 1996, has been posted on the City of Annapolis website. Read it by clicking here. Its conclusions will surprise you. Know your facts. Save our 1708 City Charter."

What most upsets me is that Chuck did not mention me by name when he referred to "local bloggers." Yet again, this member of the Democratic Central Committee calls for civil discourse and Democratic unity while attacking two Democratic elected officials (he mentions three, but never attacks Ellen O.) What makes Chuck think anyone is suppressing this? Are we also suppressing Hammurabi's Code, the Talmud, Bhagavad Gita and the Magna Carta because we don't publish them? They're just not that relevant here, but if he insists.....I could link to the Tibetan Book of the Dead next week....

Long before he started making noise in Annapolis (not counting his Academy days), The Duden Report made a number of recommendations, but its relevance today is relative but the report also said the issue should be revisited--which is what we are doing. Ellen O. posts this report on the city web-site, and if you think the Duden Report is so great, why does he not come to city council and testify as such?

Just to disprove his point, this "local blogger" will link again to The Duden Report in case you missed the link above: duden-commission-1996

Rather than excerpt portions, just read the report for yourself. Draw your own conclusions and don't believe anyone who tells you this report is being suppressed. The report recommended removing term limitations for the mayor and discussed making our elections nonpartisan. What say ye to that, Ellen and Chuck, ye highly partisan Democrats? What has Ellen or Chuck done to advance all the other recommendations in the report that have not been adopted? I don't know, but they repeatedly use this same report to bolster their fight against the one change in it we really need--it's just not the change they want.


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