Thursday, January 29, 2015

CITIZENS: WHO KNEW WHAT, WHEN ABOUT MOCO TRANSIT AUTHORITY PROPOSAL? (PHOTOS)

Document as reuploaded January 28, 2015
A Powerpoint presentation reportedly delivered by Montgomery County officials to as-yet-unidentified groups - prior to public announcement of legislation that would permit creation of an unelected Transit Authority with taxing powers last Friday - has been taken down, and reuploaded to the County website with a January 2015 date added.

While there is nothing necessarily nefarious about the change, it certainly plays into the existing controversy over the timeline of to whom the plan was disclosed to and when, prior to last Friday. There is a dispute between County officials, and citizens who oppose the plan, as to whether development interests had more notice of the plan details than residents. The latter only got their first look at the specifics of the proposal 6 days ago.

The change was reported by the Stop the Backroom Montco Transit Authority Deal Facebook page, operated by citizens organizing to fight the proposed new transit agency and taxing authority.

Previously, the document was dated "December 2014," a date prior to the January 23, 2015 public announcement of the Independent Transit Authority legislation and details.
Original date stamp
Patrick Lacefield, Montgomery County Director of Public Information responded to the blog prior to yesterday's date stamp change. He asserted that the Powerpoint presentation had been delivered to "a whole range of community organizations" since County Executive Ike Leggett's Inaugural Address December 1, 2014.

The County has not yet published a list of the "community organizations" to which the presentation was made. If your civic association, organization or business group received the presentation, please comment below or confidentially via email. I personally never heard any public announcement of a presentation that could either be attended, or requested to be delivered to a civic association or group, during the time period in question.

A public hearing on the state legislation that would permit creation of the Transit Authority will be held Friday, January 30, at 6:00 PM in the 3rd Floor hearing room of the County Council building at 100 Maryland Avenue. Those interested in testifying can sign up online by 12 PM on Friday.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

So did Dyer ever figure out what the term "deductible" actually means, in the context of health insurance?

Robert Dyer said...

deductible: noun (in an insurance policy) a specified amount of money that the insured must pay before an insurance company will pay a claim.

Anonymous said...

You need to get off your soap box, you lost in the election-get over it.

Robert Dyer said...

6:42: We should ignore illegal activity and corruption by elected officials because they were elected? Rod Blagojevich would like your style, man.

Anonymous said...

Dyer is just getting started, get used to it.

The guy is involved in the community... doesn't just pop up for an election and disappear for 4 years.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

@ 6:35 AM - Still woefully ignorant.

I'll give you just two little hints to steer you in the right direction - "network" and "co-pay".

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

6:55 AM: plans differ quite a bit. my united plan has negotiated lower rates for in network doctors, but the days of small co-pays covering visits are over. That's the incentive to stay well and fit.

Tides said...

Nurse Ratchett Wannabe Alert at 6:58 AM. (You might wish to examine the holes in your own head before trying to drill some into anyone else's.)

I've been gone a month, and here's ol' Ruprecht in the corner, same place as before, STILL babbling insipidly about how Robert's supposed to be the lunatic. (Psst: Your bib is still slipping.) Someone fling a Stouffer's Turkey Tetrazzini in 6:58's general direction. Don't forget to shove a cork on the fork.

As far as the deductible topic, isn't it simply a matter of which type of insurance a person has? I know more than one individual that does have a $500 deductible to pay before insurance kicks in.

Anonymous said...

what did they do that is illegal?

Anonymous said...

"The guy is involved in the community."

How? Ranting from behind a keyboard? More importantly how can he be that involved if he constantly criticizes the people and structures that are involved? Ive never seen him at a citizens advisory board for instance and I'd guess that he probably dislikes it because its sponsored by the county government.

Anonymous said...

8:33 AM Dyer is out testifying at hearings, talks with elected leaders, is involved with the community plans, gives speeches, writes articles, etc.

Dyer is hardly hiding behind a keyboard anonymously.



Robert Dyer said...

8:33: If you're saying I never give public testimony in the County, you have hours of viewing ahead of you in the County Council and Planning Board archives.

Anonymous said...

These dumb comments are a waste of time, what does insurance have to do with the topic? Some people are just seeking attention on here by posting dumb things. Also, it is clear that 8:33 is clueless.

Robert Dyer said...

8:12: For starters, 6 days notice for a bill nobody has seen before? No public input on the creation of a Transit Authority? Sunshine laws are in effect. You don't just come out with something this big without public input first. Filing the bill late, and scheduling a public hearing for a Friday night (!!) at 6:00 when people will be stuck in traffic trying to get there from work? Sham of the century.

Robert Dyer said...

6:53: Nice ad. *Delete*

Anonymous said...

If you're saying I never give public testimony in the County,

That's not what I was saying, but okay sure.

Robert Dyer said...

6:55: Wrong. Can't you and Mitt Romney and Hans Riemer and Mitch Rales share your gold-plated healthcare with the other 99% of us? Can you spread the health around? Don't tell me, "Health insurance corporations ARE people, my friend!", right? You have no idea what it's like in the real world where the 99% have garbage insurance plans with high deductibles, and can't get doctor visits. It was in the newspapers! And you claim you're an expert on politics and current events? Delusion.

Robert Dyer said...

9:35: You said I only rant behind a keyboard. The public record shows I have been active for years at the County level.

Anonymous said...

8:12: For starters, 6 days notice for a bill nobody has seen before? No public input on the creation of a Transit Authority? Sunshine laws are in effect. You don't just come out with something this big without public input first. Filing the bill late, and scheduling a public hearing for a Friday night (!!) at 6:00 when people will be stuck in traffic trying to get there from work? Sham of the century.

and I assume you are going to cite the law that claim they are breaking............

Anonymous said...

I agree with 9:31am...stay on topic. Apparently some anonymous guy is lonely and wants attention from Dyer, so he posts crazy comments.

This Transit Authority is a big enough disaster in the making to focus on that alone here.

Our blue state just had an election and Marylanders from across the political spectrum voted decisively for a lower tax burden. Hard to believe Ike is so politically tone deaf on this.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

@ 10:00 AM - Except that any new taxes would be at the county level, not the state level, and the Democrats carried Montgomery County in the last election.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

2:23 You are really embarrassing yourself making these dumb comments on this blog. Get a life. Obviously you have no friends if you're just hanging out on the Internet trying to get attention by making insults and making up lies.

Anonymous said...

4:24 PM doth protest too much.

Anonymous said...

Seriously. Just wait until Dyer reveals who this anonymous nut harassing him is.

Anonymous said...

5:07 is a fool

Anonymous said...

The hand-wringing over "date stamp change" is funny, given that Dyer can't even figure out how to put the time stamp for his own blog in the correct time zone.