Your Chance to Learn About The Annapolis Human Relations Commission

CONCERNED ABOUT EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND HUMAN RELATIONS IN ANNAPOLIS?

You are invited to an OPEN HOUSE sponsored by the Annapolis Human Relations Commission to learn about the programs, services and initiatives of the Commission, the City’s longest existing board.

When:  Wednesday, April 15, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Where:  City Council Chambers, 160 Duke of Gloucester Street

Mayor Ellen Moyer and Commission Chair Michael Keller will deliver brief remarks. You will have the chance to talk personally with members of the Commission and other citizens working to improve life in Annapolis. Light refreshments will be served.

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Oh Nine On Line for Friday, April 10

This will warm your heart...and you can learn how Ward Three Aldermanic Candidate Scott Bowling is related to The Exorcist..... His web-site is active and readers can learn about Scott by clicking on his ad (does not affect revenue). Scott says he was "inspired his mother, Anna, to take action on the opportunities that she perceived in Cottage City by prodding and coaxing her to seek office as a Cottage City Commissioner, representing Ward 1. He served as her de facto campaign manager and chief political advisor. Her success in winning and preserving the growth and vitality of the town, lead her to hold the seat for more than 16 years. According to Wikipedia, Cottage City is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The story that was the basis for the 1971 novel and 1973 movie The Exorcist has its roots in Cottage City...Mayoral Candidate Sam Shrophire has a lot of detailed and perhaps even visionary ideas presented on his web-site which has been recently updated. I recommend you visit by clicking on the ad on this page (it does not affect revenue). However, in one of his commitments, he lays out a pretty remarkable and no doubt controversial series of proposals, which he calls commitments:

COMMITMENT 4: We must immediately address, even prior to the election, the loss of businesses within Annapolis. As of April 6, 2009, thirty businesses have closed their doors. I'm working to bring together, property owners, business owners, managers, employees, and the city government to address these issues. If the above stakeholders will all agree to make the sacrifices listed below, we should be able to stop business closures and revive the downtown areas.

1. Business property owners should reduce rents to allow business operators some flexibility in cash flow.
2. Business owners/managers should reduce prices on products and services to encourage a renewed flow of business into the city.
3. Employees should agree to either work one or two hours a week without compensation (i.e., get paid for 38 hours but work 40) to add further cash flow to the business owners.
4. The city government should consider property tax reduction for business property owners; establishing a marketing strategy to appeal to shoppers in other local markets to 'come to downtown Annapolis.'

I am not sure how these ideas would fly, but I can guess.   THUD.  However, much of what Sam suggests and discusses on his web-site is worth pondering and discussing.

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Oh Nine On Line for Thursday, April 9

Devin Heritage of Ward Six attended Wayne Taylor's meeting the other night along with 7 or 8 others and here is his report....We welcome your reactions and thoughts about the candidates:

Wayne covered his "5 points of life" platform for about 30 minutes then opened it up for discussion/questions. Most of the questions and discussion started with the Market House but then turned toward Public Housing and Crime. Wayne did a good job of skirting direct and specific questions, claiming that the Market House will "work itself out in the next 6 months".

He made a point to say that public housing (brick and mortar) is not the problem but a few people are at the root of the problem. He does not believe more police are the answer, but getting in front of the people at the root of the issues are the problem (seems awfully Utopian). I stated that if the system hasn't worked since 1930 then why not move toward privatization of public housing and change the system? He just said it is worth "looking into." I also asked what is the "path out of public housing." I brought up that many of the residents of public housing did not appear in a good light at the public hearing about Obery Ct. I told him that I would love for someone to come in and remodel my house for free. I also stated that if it is housing and land owned by the government, why can't we have constant police and camera presence at all times? I rhetorically said that it seems that we are giving residents of public housing all the say, and not the public that is paying for it--and this coming from a Democrat.

He said he supports more police camera's and equipping police cars with license plate scanners (to be used at "hot spots"), claiming it would also be a revenue generator for the city. Lastly he stated he supports a strong City Administrator but not a City Manger that is appointed by the council.

Wayne's biggest asset is his demeanor. He has a good personality that seems open and comforting. However, he did not seem to address specific problems with specific solutions as much as I would have liked to have heard.

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Sip N' Blogs for Ahh, Coffee!

Our regular watering hole is operating under new management and we will continue to meet there every Thursday from 8-9 am. Just in case you missed the lineup:

April 9 On the go...with Gil Renaut
April 16 Local business renewal.....with Craig Sewell
April 23 It'll be flowin' ...with Josh Cohen
April 30 See you there...Zina Pierre
May At this point, who's to say?

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Lawyer, Blogger Judd Legum To Run For State Delegate District 30

Legum is also an active supporter of mayoral candidate Josh Cohen and was on the staff of Hillary Clinton's campaign for president. Along with mayoral candidate Zina Pierre, Legum is the second local candidate for office with close ties to the Clintons.

Visit his blog, Legum's New Line, to learn more at www.juddlegum.com.

Please send comments, subscribe, share with your friends, and support our sponsors. Join us every Thursday morning from 8-9 am for our Sip N' Blogs usually held at Ahh, Coffee! in Eastport.

Oh Nine On Line for April 8

Bowling for Dollars?...Scott Bowling's Campaign Kickoff Fundraiser for Ward 3 alderman, will be at Paul’s Homewood Café, 919 West Street. Wine, Beer, and Hors d’oeuvres--suggested contributions: $50 per ticket / $80 per couple … $200 host and $400. Click on the ad on this site for more information..... I missed Wayne Taylor's gathering last night, but was told that about a dozen attended. His next community meeting is 7 p.m., April 9th, Bywater Boys and Girls Club, 1903 Copeland St. .....Sam Shropshire in the news for his remarks at the recent Historic Annapolis Fdn. event with Ed Begley (which I'll report on soon based on my interview with Mr. Begley). Sam stood up at the end of Begley's lecture Monday night and told the crowd about a program available to city residents offering low-interest loans to those who install energy-saving devices in their homes. I hate to make it seem as if every time Sam does or says anything, that I think it is for political reasons, but experience and observation inform me that alas, it is often true. For example, remember the recent meeting at City Hall about the comprehensive plan?? That was a doozie when he asked for and got a special opportunity to speak at the beginning of the meeting--and then ran off elsewhere.


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Zina Pierre Is In The Race...You Read It Here First

The plot thickens...What did CP tell you? Yesterday I published in "Oh Nine On Line" that "I heard from a reliable source that Zina Pierre will announce her candidacy for mayor on April 24th...stay tuned."

Today, you can verify this on her web-site www.zinapierre.com . She'll make her announcement at Eastport Elementary at 5:30 and then hold a reception at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Both of these locations are state-sponsored institutions. Her campaign theme is "One Vision, One Annapolis".

With an impressive background in the Washington power structure, this former Clinton appointee and Annapolis native adds some excitement to this election year, further diluting the emerging leads and power bases.....All the more reason why you need to keep reading Capital Punishment.

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Oh Nine On Line for April 7

Sam Shropshire is holding a bicycle forum yet he has invited someone who has never played a role in improving bicycling in Annapolis to be the featured presenter. Furthermore, how has Sam advanced bicycling while on city council? The invited, Jane Shey who also happens to be listed as one of Sam's volunteer transportation consultants on his web-site, will be speaking in city hall. I appreciate Sam for being interested in these issues, but where has he been on this and where has Ms Shey been? Thursday April 30 at 7 p.m. in city council chambers.....Wayne Taylor is holding another of his Town Hall meetings tonight at the Eastport Fire Hall. A young man knocked on CP's door to give out a flyer about the meeting . Too bad Taylor was not the one doing the knocking. The flyer was a simple printed sheet that gave little more than the date, place and time. Not surprisingly, there was no mention of his web-site. Why would he mention it? The only thing on his site is a photo and the date and place (but no time) for his town meetings. Let's hope he gets more than the five who showed up last week at Taylor Avenue---three of whom live within walking distance of the Eastport station...Here is Sam Shropshire's fund-raising progress. "We're 4 days into our drive and we have raised $550. Thank you to all who have contributed - your donations are essential to our campaign. We still have $1,450 to go before we reach our goal." At least he above all candidates, is giving me a lot to write about...and I appreciate that, good and bad...but never show your weakness. There is plenty of time to file the first campaign finance reports.

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Sip and Blogs For April....Renaut, Sewell, Cohen and Pierre Line Up

Our April 9 blogger's round-table has been postponed and instead we will host Democratic mayoral candidate Gil Renaut. On April 16, we will feature Craig Sewell of The Annapolis Sustainable Business Alliance. On April 23 we will welcome Democratic mayoral candidate and county councilman Josh Cohen and the following week, mayoral candidate Zina Pierre. It's an all-star lineup!

We meet at Ahh, Coffee! in Eastport unless you read here of an alternate location.

Please send comments, subscribe, share with your friends, and support our sponsors. Join us every Thursday morning from 8-9 am for our Sip N' Blogs usually held at Ahh, Coffee! in Eastport.

Oh Nine On Line for April 6

I have heard from a reliable source that Zina Pierre will announce her candidacy for mayor on April 24th...stay tuned...Gil Renaut, reportedly recovering from surgery, has updated his website, including a passionate piece about the need for competent government management. There is a photo of him with the ocean at this back (Maine? Canada?), and a photo of his grandchild... . Displaying family photos at the exclusion of more relevant photos or information seems to be a theme this campaign. Maybe I'll call it the refrigerator magnet school of political campaigning. What's next--diaper changing and bathing? An ancestor's immigration forms from Ellis Island?...In response to questions about the news release in which he criticized city council for not cleaning up our waterways, Sam Shropshire wrote "Josh was the one individual on the County Council who responded to my letter, but felt if he introduced the legislation it would fail for lack of support. 'Our councilmen don’t like to tell people what to do.”' Well, sometime we need to try and fail. It’s still leadership. What was it Dr. King used to say? 'On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ And Vanity comes along and asks the question, ‘Is it popular’ But Conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.' ”....CP asks if this means that Sam thinks of himself as being like Martin Luther King Jr. Sam believes of course that his letter was based on him being conscientious and right and that he never does anything because it is expedient, political, safe, cowardly or popular....

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