Wednesday, May 24, 2017

MoCo's epic recycling pick-up fail in Bethesda continues

The Montgomery County Council has spent much of its time on bizarre issues like teenage tanning beds, pesticides, Styrofoam, "healthy vending machines," and divesting from energy investments. But based on our jammed and pothole-ridden roads, declining schools and 911 system failures, they are utterly inept at providing the basic services citizens expect when paying their outrageously high taxes. The latest Council humiliation? The streets of Bethesda, lined with recycling bins and yard waste, week after week. That embarrassment continues this week.

On Tuesday, the recycling trucks didn't bother to show up again in Bethesda. As night fell, recycling bins in neighborhoods counted their 24th hours at the curb, where residents placed them the night before. Naturally, those residents assumed the bins and earth-saving yard trim collections would be, you know, picked up on Trash Day.

Wrong!

Ironically, the County had done a lot of talking about recycling pickup on Tuesday, just very little actual picking up. They apparently forgot that 80% of success in life is showing up. As they say, "you had one job."

As recycling bins cluttered the roads, the County was talking. And talking. New contractors! Effective May 30! Just for Silver Spring!

But they weren't collecting.

Their efforts were mainly an attempt to look busy. Who wrote the contract for recycling collection? Does it have no penalties for simply not bothering to provide service? How many firms bid on this work, given that there have been issues with this contractor going back several years, such as labor disputes?

Why is the Council impotent on this issue, as they are on so many other critical issues? Will residents' trash and recycling fees be partially refunded for the unacceptable service? How does this keep going on, week after week?

Recycling contractor Potomac Disposal has made campaign contributions to councilmembers Nancy Floreen and George Leventhal, according to the Maryland Campaign Finance database. It's unclear if those donations also get them a free pass for frequently dropping and smashing glass bottles they were supposed to pick up, and then driving away, leaving broken glass shards to puncture taxpayers' tires.

I particularly like how the official announcement yesterday said that, if your recycling isn't picked up, "leave your material at the curb. The contractor will collect missed items as soon as possible."

Don't call us, we'll call you.

It's time for the County Council to be put out at the curb, for quick pickup on Election Day 2018.

#ThrowTheBumsOut
#LockThemUp

61 comments:

The Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

Dyer, your meme game sucks. I suggest going on your insta account and looking for actually dank memes to use.

Anonymous said...

"24th hours"

Wut???

Anonymous said...

"The Montgomery County Council has spent much of its time on bizarre issues like teenage tanning beds, pesticides, Styrofoam, "healthy vending machines," and divesting from energy investments."

Dyer, it's really strange that you don't feel that the Councilmembers not need to concern themselves with matters relating to health or the environment. You are badly out of step with the residents of our County.

Anonymous said...

Delete redundant "don't".

Anonymous said...

@7:46 I see Dyer's point. Trash pickup, like police, is a basic service you expect from every local government.

The Council has been wasting their time on things like dictating to County employees and retirees how their own retirement money should be invested, even if it will result in a lower return. How about letting the fundholders (employees and retirees) decide that instead of meddling?

Anonymous said...

"County Changes Trash Hauler in Silver Spring after Pickup Problems

Over the past month contractor also has missed recycling and yard waste pickups in Bethesda

BY ANDREW METCALF

Published May 23, 2017 9:47 AM EDT"

24 hours, 25 minutes.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Anonymous said...

"The Council has been wasting their time on things like dictating to County employees and retirees how their own retirement money should be invested..."

You don't have the slightest idea of how public employee pension funds work, do you?

Robert Dyer said...

7:54: Totally different stories, moron. The small and slightly-failing magazine put out yesterday's County press release with a favorable spin.

If you actually read my article above, you'll know it's about what happened after yesterday's news - the press release - was put out.

The recycling was not picked up. NOWHERE in their article does it report the massive failure to pick up recycling yesterday in Bethesda.

#scooped

Robert Dyer said...

7:46: Last time I checked, picking up the damn recycling helps the environment, hobo.

Anonymous said...

Good stuff, RD. This is exactly how things should work. When the government isn't doing its job, the people should complain and speak up. Thanks for expressing my frustration.

Roald said...

Remember when MoCo services were the gold standard?

Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

Dyer is a perfect example of recycling! Keeps recycling old memes, old photos and old news and spits it out as a campaign propaganda.

Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

Robert, was your dick out last year? #NotMyCouncilMember #ActuallyNotMyCouncilMember

Anonymous said...

Take a hike Ike.

Anonymous said...

only way dyer dreams at having a shot at council is if everyone who was ever interested gets barred by term limits

Anonymous said...

Recycled article about recycling. LOL

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

but 9:16 the ravens!

Anonymous said...

Roald-
Remember when you didn't take the trash cans to the curb?
Remember how people got ticked off when that ended? "What? *I* have to take the cans to the street?"

Anonymous said...

If Potomac Disposal is in breach of its contract, it should be replaced.

Anonymous said...

I like how Dyer blames the county instead of the private vendor that's actually at fault.

Robert Dyer said...

12:04: Apparently, English isn't your first language. I not only mention the private vendor, but also the money they donated to the Council. The County Council has ultimate oversight authority in this situation, meaning, yes, it is the Council's fault. Period.

Anonymous said...

When Dyer is on the Council, will he blame himself for everything that goes wrong in our County?

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the insult, Robert. That was very mature of you. Anyways, that's like saying if I bid out a project, hire a licensed/bonded contractor, and then they screw me over in some way then it's my fault. Yes, I have "ultimate authority" over the situation, but that doesn't mean it's my fault that the private company screwed me.

Anonymous said...

Hobo. Moron. Insulting someone's grasp of the English language. Nice. Way to take constructive criticism, Dyer. You've had exactly three comments, all of which you criticized someone. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar (same probably could be said for winning elections).

Anonymous said...

Robert: Why did you remove the comment linking to the WTOP articles discussing the actions the county, I mean cartel, has taken against the contractor; as well as the solution they've reached? Is it because this information doesn't fit your narrative of corruption and incompetence? Do you want your readers to only know half the story -- the half you choose to tell?

Robert Dyer said...

1:23: Exactly the opposite - the County put out fake news yesterday, claiming they'd solved the problem. Meanwhile, the recycling once again was not collected!

So I'm "choosing to tell" the truth. As of this hour, there is no solution, trash collection has officially broken down in Montgomery County, and our County Council is utterly impotent and incapable of solving the problem. We need a new Council - FAST.

Anonymous said...

Our streets are overflowing with garbage. Where is the Council?

Anonymous said...

Your dislike of the county's solution doesn't make it "fake news." That term refers specifically to manufactured stories with no basis in fact. That is absolutely not the case here.

The problem is, apparently, that the existing contractor does not have adequate labor to do the work of collecting recycling, yard waste, etc. So, the county is adding another contractor to take over some the existing contractor's work.

Now we can argue the merits of this approach and whether it makes sense. But simply hiding from reality is just plain pathetic.

Anonymous said...

1:23 PM

Robert removes every link in his comments, not realizing links help him with SEO. He is technologically illiterate and still uses pacific time for his "news".

He can't figure out why Google won't accept him as a news site, most likely because of how poorly it is set up to be a news site. It is a campaign blog, not a news site when push comes to shove as well.

Anonymous said...

1:58 PM I could barely get out of my neighborhood this morning, with all of the refuse piling up and filling the streets. And you are arguing about SEO? Where are your priorities?

Anonymous said...

Surely you're making a joke, 2:04. We're talking about delayed recycling pick-up. Keep up if you're going to troll.

Robert Dyer said...

1:52: It is fake news when the reality is, the "solution" didn't work. Recycling is not being collected. The vendor has failed to fulfill its contracted duties, and the County has failed to deliver the services residents have PAID for.

The recycling contract should provide monetary damages to the County, unless the Council was dumb enough to sign one that leaves us high-and-dry. The contract should also be terminated.

You actually can't "argue the merits" of the County Council failing to deliver the most basic of government services. It's going to be a career-ender for them.

Robert Dyer said...

1:58: Google won't accept me in Google News because I won't pay them the extortion fees secretly required to get in. I am THE NEWS SITE in Bethesda. Everybody is desperately trying to copy my success, with massive angel investors funding them, but money can't replace investigative reporting on our corrupt County government and officials. Hence they fail, and I continue to amass readers.

Robert Dyer said...

2:12: This has been going on for weeks. It's no longer just a "delayed pickup."

Anonymous said...

Who are these 350+pound dead investors? Can't you find some for yourself?

Robert Dyer said...

3:50: That's just it - we don't know. It's dark money, and they don't have reveal where it's coming from. Some can be clearly inferred from the coverage; one development firm, and one businessman stand out in what reads like sponsored content from their own press shops. The former firm is also clearly the key investor in the little network of part-time sites which are allied with and promoted by the small and slightly-failing magazine, because the sites pop up when and where they have major pending development projects.

Find some for myself? I hate to break it to you, but there aren't many criminal enterprises out there ready to hand over money to a website crusading on behalf of the community, truth, justice and the American Way. Same reason the most honest candidates for office always have the smallest campaign accounts. Doing the right thing is rarely a profitable enterprise, especially in a corrupt jurisdiction like Montgomery County.

Robert Dyer said...

5:36: There's nothing to reveal. I've never spent a dime on my websites, other than the cost of a domain name and hosting for one. The small and slighty-failing magazine, by comparison, is somehow paying multiple full-time reporters who have high living expenses living in this area, and paying Google, Facebook and Twitter. Where's the money coming from?

This is not a topic you want to bring up, my friend, because there's so much to talk about regarding my competitors.

The Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

But what about gas, parking fees? Also, do you not have to make car payments on your "business" car and the insurance to accompany it? What about the cost of the laptop and your cellphone? How do you pay for the internet to use for this blog, let alone your YouTube account? Do you pay for the rent and utilities of your office space? Or do you really have an angel investor aka your family's wealth that keeps you afloat.

Robert Dyer said...

6:09: Please. You make it sound like I have no income, and yet the minimal expenses of publishing these websites pale in comparison to the massive sums being spent by the small and slightly-failing magazine. Where are those astronomical amounts coming from, and how does it relate to the editorial bias there?

The Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

I don't care about your "competitors". I am concerned you have zero business acumen which as a council member, you would need a slight amount. I highly doubt you have ever made a profit, which is fine, many business's don't right away, but you say so many inaccuracies about taxes, contractors and just seeing your inability to differentiate a business expense from a personal expense, makes me reaffirm my belief that you are not competent for office.

Anna Van Horn said...

First of all. Every employer in this area is "paying people who have high expenses living in this area." Fact of this area. The restaurant owners, store owners, service business owners, etc don't tailor what they pay to employees based on their living expenses. Moot point #1. (or mute point, if you're one of those people)

Why should you know all the details of their business? They aren't a public company. Since you don't run a like-kind business (you are a one-man operation) do you honestly think you can discern a business' income/expenses by counting ads they run? Moot point #2

I'm happy to bring up the subject. I'll do the back and forth with you and your opinions. I've yet to see proof of a single nefarious thing against them.

But most importantly, your trashing of another person's business out of envy is unnerving.


North Korea holds elections every 5 years, in which the ballots list only one candidate.

Anonymous said...

The solution is a new contract that starts May 30. Is it May 30 yet?

Robert Dyer said...

6:35: You sound straitjacket-ready. I've been running my own business for two decades. I have actual, real-world business experience - budgets, hiring and firing employees, etc. So I have way more than "a slight amount" of business acumen.

In contrast, no one other than Sid Katz on the Council has ANY business experience.

How am I unqualified, again?

George Leventhal had a bachelor's degree, and was elected to a Central Committee. That was his resume, which (along with massive developer funds) got him elected in 2002. I have a bachelor's degree, and was elected to a Central Committee. AND, I have business experience, and far more knowledge about transportation and responsible urban planning than Leventhal.

I absolutely am competent for office. The bar established by the current Council is pretty damn low, so I'm actually grossly overqualified at this point. They can't even collect the trash for Pete's sake! LOL!

Robert Dyer said...

6:56: That's for Silver Spring only. The wheels have come off at Montgomery County Government.

6:55: No "envy." I'm defending myself against attacks from people like you, who like the small and slightly-failing magazine, are part of the MoCo political cartel. I don't envy anyone who is part of that sad and amoral enterprise.

The Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

If you have been running a business with the amount of knowledge you have as you claim, you sure do not demonstrate it ever with your comments. When have you hired and fired people? Your massively failing metal rockband, you fired the band members? Or your administrative assistant job in 2006? What is this other business that nobody knows about that you run on the side making tons of money? Let the world know Robert all the great things you have done and actually show us voters a decent resume.

Also, I have never seen an article or anything attacking you other than the comment section here, meanwhile I have seen you launch attack ads on council members and constantly attack them personally on here. Yet they are civil enough to not do this to you. I have no relation to the council, I am just someone who has read this blog and has become extremely fed up with all the inaccuracies on your campaign blog.

This name is based on your inflated ego, since you seem to think of yourself as the 2nd most important in this area! Trump being number 1, Robert being his right hand man.

Anna Van Horn said...

Here we go again...I'm not part of anything. You know it, I know it, everyone reading knows it.

Keep deluding yourself. Makes things fun.


Spiked dog collars were invented in Ancient Greece to protect dogs throats from wolves!

Anonymous said...

"Starting May 30, Goode Companies Inc. will pick up trash, yard trim, scrap metal and bulk items in the parts of Silver Spring currently served by Potomac Disposal."

Goode takes over Potomac Disposal's SS routes so that Potomac has more resources to devote to Bethesda. See how this works?

Anonymous said...

What were your accomplishments when you served on the Central Committee?

Also, as I recall, in the year in which you were elected to the Central Committee, the number of candidates was the same as the number of seats.

Robert Dyer said...

7:33: No, because the County website says they hope to find a similar solution for Bethesda soon, as well. So they are admitting they haven't solved the problem, but got puff headlines claiming, "Problem solved!" They won't on this website. Remember "Parking problem fixed at Bethesda post office" headlines? Total BS.

7:38: Just the kind I'd bring to the Council or any other organization. Line by line review of the budget, and reducing that budget. But there are so many other areas I can take action in on the Council, compared to a central committee.

Your memory has failed you; there were at least 4 candidates for the 2 District 16 seats, and I finished first against 3 well-known GOP activists in the race.

7:11: I've hired and fired band members over many years. You know nothing about my jobs, businesses or sources of income, yet here you are babbling on and on. In contrast, no one ever investigated the resumes of ACTUAL ELECTED MEMBERS of the Council, and you have no problem with that. Interesting.

The Council would attack, if they had anything to attack me on. Having executed legal and illegal background checks on me, you know their frustration quite well. I honestly would prefer not to attack, and let the local media expose the Council's failures and misdeeds while I talk positively about what I would do if elected. Unfortunately, the media doesn't do their job, and I'm forced to aggressively do the media's job for them. Sad!

Anonymous said...

Is Robert Dyer counting the Green Giraffe at Montgomery Mall as one of his "employees"?

Anonymous said...

Mic dropped, perhaps. Those are some legitimate accomplishments. What say you, Robert?

Elon Musk of Bethesda said...

And deleted again...you really are trying to rewrite the comments to match your objectives. You are not going to do well in a public position trying to answer questions.

Anonymous said...

Delete, delete, delete.

What is he keeping from his readers?

You said "I'm forced to aggressively do the media's job for them."
I thought you WERE the media.

Like hiring and firing musicians the same as hiring and firing for other businesses. It's not like you were Pantera with a national promoter or label.

Anonymous said...

(55) Back to this.

The Elon Musk of Bethesda said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

If Dyer actually fired any employees, it was probably because they offered him constructive criticism.

Anonymous said...

Damn Dyer, you really are getting it handed to you today by an "anonymous" troll. Every week a different account just goes off on you and you end up deleting everything they write and pretend like it doesn't exist. Elon Musk of Bethesda is the newest, Anna Van Horn was the last person to go off on you and watch everything get deleted. Who is next?

Robert Dyer said...

10:17: Total BS. I made the changes, and still wasn't allowed in Google News. Meanwhile, sites that clearly violate the terms of Google News, and have only existed a few days, get accepted immediately. The difference? They pay Google massive amounts of money. I refuse to give into extortion.

Anonymous said...

When you are Robert Dyer, this is how you approach life.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=emb9LK9W4Tg

Roald's Multiple Personalities said...

Dyer and I are going to kick the lone trolls ass. It's amazing how he posts in every article. It's almost like its not a lone troll and everyone is annoyed with this campaign blogger