In fact, Leventhal has been on a Rodney Dangerfield-esque return to college since 2007, by his own admission. He has been on the Council since 2002. Surely, his ever-increasing taxpayer-funded salary over the last decade has afforded him the ability to pad his thin resume with degree after degree, an advantage not available to many of the constituents paying his salary.
Council observers have known for some time that members have too much free time on their hands. New Council President Hans Riemer recently spent a day on Capitol Hill, trailed by taxpayer-funded County government TV crews to capture it all. Alas, things went awry when Riemer found himself being arrested by police in Washington, D.C. later that day. It's believed he is the first Montgomery County Councilmember to be arrested while in office.
Montgomery County celebrity Matthew Lesko has been selling books on how to get free money from Uncle Sam to earn a "GED, or a PhD!!!" on TV for years. Winning a County Council seat could actually be a smarter move at this point. Sit on a padded leather chair for four hours a week, and the rest of the time, earn a law or medical degree at taxpayer expense using your amped up Council salary. Maybe even hit up a few frat house parties in-between.
The Bell, California Council jacked up their own salaries, too, raising taxes massively to cover the costs. Sound familiar? Bell's Council is currently in prison. Montgomery's is on campus. What's wrong with this picture?
Robert - give it a rest. Just because you only have a bachelor’s degree and apparently zero initiative and/or career goals, doesn’t mean others shouldn’t pursue higher education. This rant makes you look like a fool.
ReplyDeleteThis is rich: a guy that apparently lives in his mother’s basement is criticizing Council members despite having no idea as to the time and finances they are putting forth to their education.
ReplyDeleteMost of the people I know who have received Masters' Degrees, and nearly all I know who have received Ph.D.s, obtained them while they were working full-time. And I've never heard anyone other than you argue that "taxpayers" should control how government employees' salaries are spent.
ReplyDeleteYou really need to focus on your own failings and how to remedy them, rather than blaming Riemer and Leventhal for everything that has gone wrong in your life.
So true. It’s laghable that Dyer is so fixated on Leventhal and Reimer. Jealousy because they’re successful while Robert has a blog that can’t even compete with a school newspaper. Move-on, Robert. Save yourself the embarrassment.
DeleteDyer is no longer even writing new #ArgleBargle #FractallyWrong articles. He's just rehashing stuff that he wrote back in October.
ReplyDeletehttp://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2017/10/community-closes-in-bethesda-to-be.html
#PhoningItIn
#LaziestJournalistEver
If you want to pick a bone with the Council, do it on pre-paying 2018 property taxes. Both DC and Howard County were able to get their act together and allow this just a day or two after the new tax bill was passed. MoCo was unable to -- Riemer said it would be too complicated.
ReplyDeleteHow is that not incompetence? DC and Howard can do it, but not MoCo?
I was pregnant while raising my toddler (daycare during the day) and working full time 40 hours a week while going to grad school for my masters at the same time. I dare you to tell me I did not have a full time job?
ReplyDelete"The Bell, California Council jacked up their own salaries, too, raising taxes massively to cover the costs."
ReplyDeleteIgnoring, for a moment, the idiotic reference to Bell, California, the total increase in Council salaries was from $104,000 to $136,000, an increase of $32,000 for each Councilmember; a total increase of $280,000 for all.
Montgomery County's operating budget for FY 2018 is $5.4 billion. The $280,000 for higher Council salaries represents 0.005% of that sum. You are an innumerate birdbrain.
I’m trying to help you out here, Mr. Dyer. I’m going to try and make this reallt, really simple so you can understand. When you write junk like this, people make fun of you. Your credibility is next to nothing because of your rants. Your incessant babble ceased being journalism quite some time ago. If you want to maintain this blog, write about things that aren’t so fantastical. You look like a fool when you post idiotic things like this. Who are you to judge how someone should spend their time and money?
ReplyDeleteWhile Dyer argles and bargles, Bethesda's source of news reports more exciting Fortune 500 news!
ReplyDelete8:01: I understand your boss is upset about our Bell-esque Council being exposed once again. Unfortunately, what you're referring to is an existing Bethesda Fortune 500 company moving from Rockledge to downtown. Just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Not a new Fortune 500. #FakeNews
DeleteWhen will Dyer run for County Council?
ReplyDeleteDyer, to put it in terms you understand - if you pay a property tax bill of $5,000 a year, that means that your share of the Council salary increase is 25 cents.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, haven’t people said that this site generates $.50 per day? An extra $.25 may be significant to Robert based on what some forecast he earns.
DeleteWell, at least Robert has given up on saying outlandish things like “I am the news.” Even Robert is starting to realize that people come to this site for a laugh and don’t expect to see anything newsworthy.
ReplyDelete"Well, at least Robert has given up on saying outlandish things like 'I am the news.'"
ReplyDeleteThat's cuz now he's saying "I now know that I am Jesus Christ" instead.
I’m ok with rearranging the deck chairs if more customers are served, the business does better, it’s more efficient and cost effective, etcetera. In fact I encourage everyone to do it more often!
ReplyDeleteDo you disagree, mister Dyer?
I argued the Bell CA thing with you over and over and over again. I've posted links, and shot down EVERY one of your claims. It wasn't just me disagreeing, wasn't just me debunking your scurrilous claims. This isn't the 1980's and $137,000 is not an unreasonable salary for a county like ours. Hell, it may even be low.
ReplyDeleteSo no, not at all like Bell CA. I know it, we all know it.
Keep it up though. You're doing a bang-up job of looking like an uninformed boob.
"Exposed: 'Suburban News Network' Is Not A 'Full-Time Job'"
ReplyDeleteYou can just call it a blog, this isn’t exactly a news conglomerate. Lol.
DeleteIs MoCo the next Bell, California? Recent developments: Massive revenue shortfall, councilman arrested.
ReplyDeleteWe've had a former high ranking official in MoCo government involved in election dirty tricks against Robert Dyer (misusing Randolph Civic Association funds to go after political enemies).
"Is MoCo the next Bell, California? Recent developments: councilman arrested."
ReplyDeleteWow, you are really stuck on stupid, Dyer. Do you know how many times Walter Fauntroy has been arrested in protests?
Robert Dyer previously on the "Randolph Hills Flyer". A laugh riot for those who love laughing at crazy persons.
ReplyDeleteUsing civic association funds to go after political enemies was inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of scandals with this group, but no one is looking or reporting on them. I know, it's hard work. You might lose favored status with a councilman. He might not retweet you. He may take you off his Christmas card list.
It's not a reporters job to just regurgitate Reamer's press briefings with no context, analysis or push back.
Both my wife and I got our graduate degrees while being employed full-time. In fact, most of my classmates were also employed full-time. How do you not know this is a common situation?
ReplyDeleteI don't like Leventhal AT ALL, but this is not the thing to go after him for.
It’s Dyer. Routed in jealousy, not fact.
DeleteReally, "Tim", do tell. What are all these alleged scandals?
ReplyDeleteUnless you work for them, you'd have no idea how other media run their organizations. Do you work for them? Did you?
Readers, everyone can see that we're dealing with a paid sheepshill here. Posting and posting against another local business, that quite honestly, no one but Robert Dyer has an issue with. Only someone being paid, or a raving lunatic, would have the time to post this many derogatory comments day after day.
11:06 AM I said nothing about a local business, so no idea what you're getting at.
ReplyDeleteThe Post has cut back local news coverage, the Gazette doesn't exist anymore, Patch is on autopilot and has no staff in the county. Dyer is putting the work in, doing his part to cover this county.
Meanwhile, WTOP's coverage of a recent county executive debate focused on praising Mr. Leventhal's colorful socks. We have a massive revenue shortfall under this man's "leadership". I hope we'll eventually get to meaningful discussion of the challenges before us.
Who were you referring to here if not a local business?
ReplyDelete" I know, it's hard work. You might lose favored status with a councilman. He might not retweet you. He may take you off his Christmas card list.
It's not a reporters job to just regurgitate Reamer's press briefings with no context, analysis or push back."
But "Tim" you completely sidestepped telling us about the alleged scandals!
ReplyDeletePlease, fill us in!
Aha! You outed yourself by not dispelling the paid sheepshill part blah, blah, something insulting about belt size
(I'm joking on this part...mirroring Dyer's hyperbole)
It's just idiotic to reduce the job of Montgomery County Councilperson, one of nine persons legislating on behalf of one million County residents, to "sit[ting] on a padded leather chair for four hours a week".
ReplyDeleteDo you really think that is all there is to it? Is this the real reason you want to be on the Council, because you think it's an "easy" job?
Merry Christmas to everyone other than Robert Dyer.
ReplyDeleteAnna- you go girl!
I hope Dan Hoffman sues Dyer for libel, for the false claims that Dyer and proxies make regarding the supposed "Randolph Hills Civic Association flyer". Hoffman would have an excellent case against Dyer.
ReplyDelete"Tim" said:
ReplyDelete"The Post has cut back local news coverage, the Gazette doesn't exist anymore, Patch is on autopilot and has no staff in the county. Dyer is putting the work in, doing his part to cover this county."
Bethesda Magazine is the Elephant in "Tim's" Room. LOL
"Meanwhile, WTOP's coverage of a recent county executive debate focused on praising Mr. Leventhal's colorful socks."
I can't find this on WTOP.com. Perhaps you could link it here?
"Bell's Council is currently in prison."
ReplyDeleteActually you would be wrong. Only one member of the 2011 Bell City Council is in prison. I wish more of them were in prison, but that doesn't change the fact that your statement is inaccurate.
Regarding the excessive pay for the members of the Bell City Council, the highest salary was $787,637 for one member, on a council representing a city of only 40,000. That isn't in any way comparable for Montgomery County, where Councilmembers are paid a salary of $136,000 to represent a county with a population of one million.
The pay is almost 6 times higher, for a jurisdiction that is 25 times smaller. In proportion to the populations of the two jurisdictions, the salaries of the Bell councilpersons were as much as 150 times that for Montgomery County councilpersons.
Hi Robert, do you believe a person can hold a full time job and still go to school? Yes or no?
ReplyDeleteI think the bigger scandal is that someone would admit George Leventhal to a phd program. He's pretty dumb.
ReplyDeleteI have no issue with a councilperson using their income to pursue education; and I won't put an oar into the swamp of trolls that have nothing better to do than assail Dyer. Just disregard sites that you don't care for, folks, and make some kind of contribution to public discourse.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think the evidence is abundant that council is overpaid based on the quality of their work. The full-time planning director upzoned a school-bus facility without bothering to think about where the buses will go. I'm sure there are other debacles like the tax increase for homeowners, and the increased discounts for developers, in the pipeline. The Westbard debacle, etc. etc. These people don't seem to study any issue seriously before acting; perhaps they're bucking for a Trump nomination to agencies he believes need vivisection.
"I think the evidence is abundant that council is overpaid based on the quality of their work. The full-time planning director upzoned a school-bus facility without bothering to think about where the buses will go."
ReplyDeleteAre you under the impression that "the full-time planning director" is a member of the Council and receives the same salary as the Councilmembers do?
The planning director is not a member of the council, but isn't she paid even more than the council members are?
ReplyDelete12:36: LOL. He did say he voted for the Carver Bus Depot plan without reading the legislation first, so he does kind of set himself up for that joke.
ReplyDelete8:48: So how do you explain Arlington County's equivalent of the Council only gets $59,000 a year? One of the wealthiest counties in the area, yet making only a fraction of our Councilmembers' salary.
ReplyDeleteArlington County: Population - 229,164 (2015 estimated); 5-person County Board - one Board member per every 45,833 County residents. Board member salary - $59,000.
ReplyDeleteMontgomery County, Maryland: Population - 1,043,863 (2016 estimated); 9-person County Council - one Council member per every 115,985 residents. Council member salary: $136,000.
Thus, Montgomery County has 2.53 times as many residents per Council member as Arlington County has per Board member. Multiplying $59.000 times 2.53 = $149,270. That is a 10% premium over what Montgomery County Council members are paid. I'd say we're getting a bargain.
@12:43 AM: Getting a bargain or getting what we pay for? Maybe we should have 3 times as many council members but at a lower per council member cost. Expanding the council would get us some more diversity.
ReplyDelete10:17 AM - May I ask what kind of "diversity" you seek in the Council? The distribution of race/ethnicity among the Councilmembers is pretty close to that of the County's population.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe you have the insane fantasy that the voters of our County will become suddenly brain-damaged and elect a Republican?
10:34: Try to control your hate. You seem to forget that the County's economic decline and structural budget deficit started after the few Republicans on the Council were forced out of office by gerrymandered Council districts in the previous decade. Having one party control all 9 seats only led to late stage cancer eating away at the civic bones of Montgomery County. In short, it's been a complete disaster.
ReplyDelete12:43: Your formula doesn't seem to consider that Bell, California's population is only 35,477. Setting salaries by population is an insane way to determine compensation. Not everyone is as wealthy as you, and not everyone doesn't mind being worked over by 9 crooks who can raise their own salaries by 20-30% a pop.
How come you are ignoring the questions about whether you believe someone can work full time and still go to school?
ReplyDeleteBell was undeniable, excess greed and corruption.
ReplyDeletePaying themselves 20x the going rate for their area. Other jurisdictions paid $5,000 a year.
Bell had a median household income of $35,985, with 30.2% of its residents living below the federal poverty line.
All but one of the members of the city council were receiving $100,000 for their part-time work. By comparison, council members in CA cities similar to Bell in size make an average of $4,800 a year, prosecutors have noted.
The City manager, received $787,637 a year, almost double the salary of the President of the United States. Including benefits, he had received $1.5 million in the last year. His assistant was earning $376,288 a year, more than the top administrator for Los Angeles County.
The MOCO council is a failure. Leventhal and the rest of those liberals voted 100% in favor of Westbard overdevelopment. Follow the money trail..
ReplyDelete#makemontgomerygreatagain