More video from Sunday's Ice Cream Social to benefit the Children's Waiting Area at the new Montgomery County Family Justice (a.k.a. Domestic Violence) Center...

You've seen the "celebrity scoopers" introduced in yesterday's episode; now watch them in action. Plus a tour of all the desserts that were laid out for fundraiser attendees.

Switch your computer or phone over to the Robert Dyer Channel now at www.RobertDyer.net to screen this new video - and there is more to come!

Yesterday, I attended a fundraiser to furnish the children's waiting area at the new Montgomery County Family Justice Center in Rockville - which officially opens this morning. This event was organized by the Montgomery Alliance for Community Giving.

It collected donations of books, stuffed animals, and money to furnish the children's waiting area at the new Montgomery County Family Justice Center. This center houses services for victims of domestic violence in one location, including the ability to transmit video to the Courthouse via Verizon-donated equipment.

The fundraiser was held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Kensington, who donated the use of the room. The St. Paul's Methodist Men's Club also donated $200 to the cause.

"Celebrity Scoopers," who served ice cream at the event, included Republican former Maryland Secretary of State Mary Kane, Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger, Montgomery County NAACP President Henry Hailstock, AFI Silver Theater Director Ray Barry, UFCW Local 1994 President Gino Renne, Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman, Montgomery County First Lady Catherine Leggett, and Stewart Edelstein of the University of Maryland at Shady Grove.

There weren't many people there at the beginning, but many arrived as the afternoon went on. Before the crowds arrived, I talked briefly with Chief Manger, Mary Kane, and Mr. Hailstock about my project to get more Republicans involved in the cause of domestic violence. I also discussed the latest on the police disability retirement issue (in which some of our elected officials are trying to deny retirement benefits to disabled police officers, if you are new to this blog) with Gino Renne. Two of the biggest proponents of that shameful effort were in attendance, Council President Phil Andrews, and Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg. Later, I spoke with Kensington Town Councilmember John Thompson, who also attended.

I got some photos and video, which I will be uploading this week, starting this morning. There was a great magician, Alain Nu, who performed for free for this cause. I think he made State's Attorney John McCarthy disappear, because he was absent from the event despite being billed as a "celebrity scooper." Maybe the "fire truck display," too, because I don't recall there being a fire truck outside, as promised. But there were some pretty good door prizes, and lots of ice cream (vanilla or chocolate), cookies, etc. Also, plenty of hand wipes for these swine flu times we live in.

The great part about the donations, is that each child who waits for a parent at the Family Justice Center will receive one of these stuffed animals or books to take home with him or her.

The first video should be up this morning on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net and there will be more in the next few days.

In conclusion, this was a great day for a great cause.

ALL ABOARD

I have uploaded 2 new photos of the two C&O Railroad cabooses attached to Western Maryland train 202 at the Hagerstown Railroad Museum. You can see them at www.RobertDyer.net right now.

COUNTY COUNCIL

JUST RAISED YOUR

WATER BILL

AT LEAST

$9

A MONTH

In the worst of economic times, with families struggling to make ends meet, the Montgomery County Council voted to increase your water bill by a whopping $9 a month.

Instead of holding accountable the WSSC leadership past and present, who took your money and spent it on other things besides maintaining the water system, our county council decided to make YOU pay for the incompetence of the WSSC brass and their own failed leadership.

It's outrageous.

At least their Democrat friends on the WSSC board will have more money to spend to posh evenings out on the town - and you'll pick up the tab.

Speaking of water, you might want to watch the new videos I uploaded from the lake at City Park in downtown Hagerstown, Maryland, at www.RobertDyer.net

CCM ABUSES

TAXPAYER FUNDS

AGAIN WITH

PRO-AMBULANCE FEE

INFOMERCIAL

Office of the Executive Uses Taxpayer Funds to

Advance a Legislative Proposal That is Not Current Law

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!

Ike Leggett's Public Information office has done it again. County Cable Montgomery is currently airing a one-sided pro-Ambulance Fee infomercial produced at taxpayer expense. The dangerous Ambulance Fee has not even been passed into law by the County Council yet!

But here is a program touting all the phony baloney talking points for a fee that targets senior citizens and our volunteer fire departments countywide.

Just like the fancy brochures I brought to your attention last year, this program is simply propaganda for a legislative initiative.

Let's say I'm on the council or am county executive. I have a crazy idea that everyone in the county should have to wear a purple shirt on Tuesdays. It has no popularity among the public. Would it be ethical or legal for me to use county taxpayer revenue to produce fancy brochures and TV commercials touting my arguments for purple shirts? I dare say, No.

Even worse, Leggett is using unlimited taxpayer funds to tell his side of the story, while our volunteer fire departments are being forced to use their valuable funds to inform the public about the dangers of this Ambulance Fee!

It's outrageous!

And, as usual, you heard about it here first, not in the Washington Post or other local media!

Visit www.RobertDyer.net to see the new photos of the 1912 Western Maryland steam locomotive 202 from my trip to the Hagerstown Railroad Museum. And on the Robert Dyer Channel, you will find new videos posted over the weekend - including a vintage steam engine and a new episode of the Damascus series, featuring the world-famous Jimmie Cone.

BE CAREFUL

WHAT YOU

WISH FOR

Elected Officials' Scheme to Deny

Disabled Officers Retirement Benefits

May Result in New Take-Home Vehicle Plan

...And Those Same Politicians

Are Complaining About That, Too!

Some of our county elected officials are complaining that the new, expanded police department take-home vehicle plan defeats the purpose of the original concept. Namely that police cruisers parked in residential driveways make neighborhoods safer. (I personally have always felt that a take-home vehicle was also simply an appropriate benefit that every officer should be allowed to have - regardless of their place of residence). Now some of those vehicles might improve safety in other counties, as the new plan allows officers to live and/or drive within 15 miles of the county line.

To some extent they are correct. However, the new plan resulted from the reopened collective bargaining between the executive and the police union. Had the executive and council simply honored the original labor agreement, the take-home vehicle program would have remained unchanged.

My response to those councilmembers who are complaining is:

First, you got yourself into this mess, as I explained above.

Second, the 15-mile plan does have a different safety benefit in that some officers who already live in Frederick County - for example - will now be able to respond to emergencies immediately upon crossing the county line. Currently, they may have to drive their own vehicle to a county parking lot where their police cruiser is parked. The new plan would reduce response times and the inconvenience of having to shift all of their equipment from one vehicle to another.

Finally, instead of complaining that officers will leave the county... ...why not make it more affordable to live in Montgomery County by reducing the massive, draconian tax burden? And the cost of living created by fees, parking costs, etc.?

I don't think any officer prefers to have a longer commute from out of the county. If everything was equal, they would obviously want to live here. So our elected officials need to examine our county's immoral property and income tax rates, and oversized Big Government regulations and interference in every aspect of our lives.

GREAT MINDS

THINK ALIKE

It turns out that Elvis shared (or shares, if you believe he's still alive) my fondness for John Deere tractors...

http://www.elvis.com/news/full_story.asp?id=1790

For some of my own photos of John Deere tractors, visit my website at www.RobertDyer.net and the April 19, 2009 entry on this blog.

WSSC

MISMANAGEMENT

AND FAILURE TO

MAINTAIN SYSTEM

CONFIRMED

I hate to say I told you so, but I and Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson have been vindicated. It turns out that the WSSC did have the money to upgrade its system, but chose not to spend it on that. This was confirmed in yesterday's Washington Post.

Our Montgomery County Executive and Council have insisted that we must pay more - up to $20 a month more on water bills. Instead, it is time that the top brass is finally held accountable at the WSSC. Mismanagement at a monopoly utility, willfully ignored by our elected officials who have served as enablers for incompetence (all the while fighting their counterparts on the Prince George's Council, who have advocated on behalf of citizens in this mess), is not the fault of the taxpayer and water customer.

Meanwhile.......

I have two new videos for you on the Robert Dyer Channel: one is of a 1912 Western Maryland steam locomotive, and the other is of the Weis Markets store (both mentioned in the previous blog about my trip to Hagerstown). Watch them right now at www.RobertDyer.net!

Technical Difficulties

The weather appears to have affected internet service; I have been unable to upload new videos and photos over the last 2 days.

Please keep checking back, as they will be up as soon as possible on www.RobertDyer.net

In the meantime, have you watched the Groundhog video yet?

Yesterday, I was at our Maryland Republican Party Spring Convention in Hagerstown, representing the Republican voters who elected me to our county Central Committee.

It only took about an hour to get there on I-70, being very early on a Saturday morning. For all of the talk from our Planning Board, my trip only reinforced my perception that the view from 270 and 70 is far more beautiful in Frederick County than here in Montgomery County. Granted, a small part of that is that Frederick is more mountainous. But only a small part.

You know you're reaching a higher elevation when your ears close, like what happens on an airplane. Then it is all silent for a while. The Maryland rest stop is CLOSED! Heck of a job, O'Malley!! The helpful sign tells you there's another rest stop in 41 miles. I guess if you're falling asleep, the Governor recommends you turn up the radio, open the window, and repeatedly slap yourself in the face for the next 41 miles. Have a nice day.

You also know you're in the real America when there are signs for Waffle House and Cracker Barrel on the side of the highway.

I finally arrived at the Clarion Hotel, and what did I find is directly across the street? A Weis Markets store! The grocery store is a different design from the one in Damascus. I will upload a video of the exterior to the Robert Dyer Channel soon.

Our convention took a surprise twist when my Central Committee colleague, Pat Fenati, introduced an amendment to table the controversial "regional chairs" amendment. This resulted in a series of votes which tabled all of the smaller counties' proposals to weaken the larger ones until after the 2010 elections. Finally, we can actually do the people's business at the remaining two conventions of my term of office.

We also elected Kelly Schulz of Frederick County as our new 3rd Vice Chair, finally ending the all-white-male hold on executive officer positions in our state party.

Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold spoke as well.

After the convention and lunch, I went to City Park where there is a railroad museum. I took plenty of photos, and one is already up - you can find it by going to www.RobertDyer.net. There are real train tracks next to the museum, but I only managed to see one Norfolk Southern freight on the overhead tracks. And of course, by the time I ran over with my camera, the two locomotives had already passed out of range. The one great thing at the museum is the preserved 1912 Western Maryland steam locomotive 202, which serviced Hagerstown and now is there on permanent display. That is the first picture I've uploaded.

Around the historic Hager House, there was a French and Indian War encampment set up. (Don't worry, I've got photos of that, too). This was really interesting because I have an ancestor who fought in that war.

There was also a beautiful lake with ducks and swans, and a fountain out in the middle. If only there were more trains going past... I'm not aware of a park like this, with trains running through it, around here in the Washington area.

Most of downtown Hagerstown is a bit rougher than you'd expect.

After having little success catching any real trains on film passing by, it was time to head back to Montgomery County. Stay tuned for videos and photos from my trip.

Speaking of videos, I have just uploaded a new one starring a groundhog. Yes, a real groundhog. Go watch it now on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net

BREAKING NEWS:

FOAM IN

LITTLE FALLS CREEK

According to an email from a member of the Little Falls Watershed Alliance, there are currently bubbles and foam in the creek, as well as in Willetts Branch. (Willetts Branch, of course, runs behind the Westbard industrial zone). A test will be conducted by the county department of the environment. The cause may be natural, or it may not. More information as it becomes available.

Were you wondering what that machine was approaching out of the distance in "Ultimate Tractor Video - Part 1?" Now see it up close on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net in another exclusive video from the 2009 Montgomery County Gas & Steam Engine show.

SHOCKER:

WAYNE GOLDSTEIN,

MONTGOMERY ACTIVIST,

DIES SUDDENLY

This was a real surprise to hear. Wayne Goldstein was a significant figure in county politics on everything from development to speed bumps over the last two decades. The rest of us are going to have to fill the vacuum, to speak for the citizen over the developers and special interests.

Enjoy a video of the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park on the Robert Dyer Channel this morning at www.RobertDyer.net There are also more tractor photos if you missed them over the weekend.

HOW DID THIS

HAPPEN?

Westbard Circle Street Sign is Knocked Down

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

I was walking on Westbard around 7:00 PM Friday afternoon, and saw the Westbard Circle street sign laying flat on the grass between the sidewalk and the street.

Was it hit by a car or truck coming out of the shopping center?

IT'S AMAZING

WHAT OUR

COUNTY CAN AND

CANNOT AFFORD

Budget Priorities Out of Left Field and

Out of Touch with Reality

Our County Executive and Council have presided over a $500+ million shortfall.

We've been told that library hours will be reduced. Police stations will close overnight, endangering citizens and costing several department employees their jobs. Police, firefighters, and teachers have lost cost-of-living increases that were in their legally-binding labor agreements (signed off on by this same executive and council). Disabled police officers have been threatened with the loss of retirement benefits. I'm sure Ike Leggett will again try to take away overnight career ambulances away from the Glen Echo, Hyattstown, and Laytonsville VFDs. (Consider the vast Upcounty losing two overnight ambulances - it is a downright reckless proposal). RideOn bus service has been slashed or eliminated. Senior citizens are having their dentures taken away (I am absolutely serious about this - it is 100% true!) and forced to make risky decisions on dialing 911 due to the promised Ambulance Fee. This at a time when many retirement accounts have been devastated by the convenient economic "crisis" that occured after John McCain was ahead in the polls.

But at the same time, we're told that the county mysteriously has $162 million to buy the Webb Tract. Several million to cover the cost of Big Government entering the private housing market in Germantown. Additional funds to power Big Government in the form of increased "code enforcement." How can this possibly add up?

Much like the state budget, gimmicks, Federal Democrat bailouts, and political free passes from Democrat allies will substitute for the needed county budget overhaul. Mark my words. That means that structural budget issues will continue to plague the county for years to come.

And the budget calculations above mean that our executive and council have redefined "new math."

Unfortunately, that new math is adding up to a dangerous reduction in public safety.

There's a new video from the Montgomery County Gas & Steam Engine Show on the Robert Dyer Channel. And more new tractor photos from the show. Go to www.RobertDyer.net and enjoy.

TRACTOR MANIA

CONTINUES!

This has been a great week if you like tractors. I have a new video for you on the Robert Dyer channel which has the 1924 Fordson tractor and a tractor-pulled hayride. And another photo of the Fordson. All of this is from last Saturday's Montgomery County Gas & Steam Engine show, and you can find it at www.RobertDyer.net

And there is more to come!

WESTBARD SECTOR

PLAN ALTERNATIVE IS

CAPITAL PROPERTIES-LITE

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!

Last night at the meeting of our Springfield Civic Association, handouts containing a few pages of the Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights' alternative Westbard Sector Plan were distributed.

My initial reaction was surprise, in that the blueprint (in the robertdyer.net exclusive image displayed above) looked like what Capital Properties would propose, not what the neighborhood would want. When it was made clear that this was in fact the CCFH counterproposal, I was a bit flabbergasted. I think the title at the top of the page says it all: "Westwood Village." How does a shopping center become a village - and benefit the neighborhood in the process?

The CCFH plan, designed by graduate students at Catholic University, does contain 2 positive elements in my initial examination of it:

1. It obviously offers lower building heights than CP's 12-story towers, and presumably less density than the 1500 units proposed behind closed doors with the CCFH (not the residents).

2. It eliminates the wacky new road CP wants that would run from River Road to Westbard on the current American Plant property.

Unfortunately, in most respects, the CCFH plan does not reflect the interests of the neighborhood. Anyone familiar with the tactics of the negotiation process in any situation would know that you should start with a position most advantageous to you. That gives you room to move toward the opposing side in an inevitable compromise. Under the CCFH plan, we would already have compromised significantly before negotiations have even begun. That weakens our hand.

I'm quite troubled by the 2 new roads(!) in the CCFH plan; I had not even imagined roads within the Westwood Shopping Center property under the CP plan. I'm equally troubled by the significant 4-story garage parking. It's being revealed in Rockville Town Center and Clarksburg that garage parking is an utter failure in the suburban setting, and scares away grocery chains and other retailers who know their customers are uncomfortable with garage parking.

At last week's Rockville council meeting, councilmembers and Town Center business tenants alike proclaimed the town center as failing in part due to the poor overall design, and garage parking. And like Rockville, the CCFH plan is still proposing condos and townhouses for which there is no demand. In fact, the failed Town Center (which I predicted) is the albatross now for Royce Hanson (Dr. Yes) and his right-hand man, Rollin Stanley and their strange concept of future development in Montgomery County. RTC is quintessential Hanson-Stanley down to the dungeonesque garages. If you build it, they won't come, ladies and gentlemen. Let's stop this failed experiment now; enough environmental and economic damage has been done already.

When I stressed the fact that Westbard is a neighborhood shopping area, and that the CCFH plan looks like Bethesda Row, the CCFH representative stated that they are trying to offer a realistic plan. And that there will be 1.5 million county residents in a few decades.

Well, I would say, let them move in to all those vacant mixed-use condo buildings in Rockville, Bethesda, and North Bethesda!

Speaking of grocery stores, it is absurd to think that Giant would move across the parking lot. Giant has a 90-something year lease, and just finished renovating the store. There is no way they will tear that down. And I believe Giant has made that clear already, and they are entirely correct and justified in taking that position. We like Giant right where it is.

Here's another problem, and I've addressed this in the past: The CCFH does not speak for our neighborhood. Period. The Planning Department better accept that soon, and Capital Properties needs to recognize that as well. The CCFH covers a huge area. Frankly, people in Friendship Heights or Glen Cove may like or dislike a plan, but it's the people in Springfield, Westbard Mews, Kenwood Place, and Kenwood who'll have to live with it. That's why any advisory board is going to have to be weighted with extra residents of each of those neighborhoods.

Instead, the process continues to unfold behind closed doors. Some kind of meeting is happening between the CCFH and somebody (at the Planning Dept.?) tonight, and the CCFH has discouraged our association from telling us where it is. The explanation is that the room is small, and it will be packed. Our association president suggested the meeting be moved to the site where our SCA meetings are held, so that all interested residents would be able to attend. His suggestion was rebuffed, and the meeting stays - for all intents and purposes - closed tonight.

We, the citizens, need to be involved in this process soon, or we are going to push back in the political arena. Make no mistake, CP is restricted by current zoning from building that same-old mixed-use-Dr. Yes-Rollin Stanley development. CP knew that when they acquired the properties. If they want to change the zoning, they have to work with the neighborhood.

A plan like this CCFH proposal just doesn't reflect popular opinion. I mean, just examine the map. "H = Coffee Shop?" Ever heard of Starbucks? We have two Starbucks in the shopping center right now.

Don't misunderstand me. We are at the beginning of this process, and everything is subject to change. And I've said before, CP could go a long way towards getting the neighborhood on board by proposing something bold, unique, and architecturally-appealing. The CCFH plan is simply a hodgepodge of every mixed-use project in contemporary Montgomery County. Mixed-use is a failure throughout the county, as the many empty apartments and boarded-up storefronts attest. Wake up! The exclusive zoning concept made sense for a reason, and it ought to stay that way, with all due respect to Dr. Yes and Mr. Stanley. (In fact, Rollin Stanley himself has acknowledged the pathetic cookie-cutter architecture going up every week in the county).

One clear source of the CCFH plan's blundering is the list the designers supplied in the glossy book passed around at last night's meeting. (Which we were supposed to digest in a few minutes, while trying to listen to the CCFH speaker simultaneously). They used as their touchstones a number of failed mixed-use projects around the area.

Why weren't the succesful ones used as models instead? They include the Shops at Sumner Place (a.k.a. Little Falls Mall), the Collection at Chevy Chase/Chevy Chase Giant shopping center redevelopment, and the Damascus Centre. You might even include the Fallsgrove center on that list. These are all 2-story centers zoned as commercial. They are well-designed. They have ample surface parking. And they work.

Mark my words, as they have done everywhere from King Farm to Clarksburg to Twinbrook, the developers will mysteriously "win over" a handful of residents. Those lucky few will shuffle zombie-like to charette microphones, and speak forcefully, using developer-supplied talking points. "This is a win-win." "It's inevitable." "That big parking lot is terrible for the environment." (And putting buildings in the same spot is an improvement?) "Our shopping center is dilapidated and outdated; this will be upscale." Etc., etc.

Remember when I told you that the chambers of commerce and boards of trade really run things around here? Well, rumor at last night's meeting has it that the "COG" - Council of Governments - wants to turn Westbard into a "transit hub." This could involve a bus station or a Purple Line extension to Northern Virginia. The plot thickens.

The rest of us are going to have to stand up and say "no" to the same-old overdevelopment scheme. If you were unable to attend last night's meeting, I've posted a photo of the document above - you should be able to zoom in on it.

Better yet, I've posted a video on the Robert Dyer Channel. I and my power finger tell you everything you need to know about what's wrong with the CCFH plan in one minute and 28 seconds. You won't find this exclusive Westbard coverage in the Washington Post or Gazette. Only www.RobertDyer.net has the Robert Dyer Channel exclusive series, "Westbard: The Last Stand." Watch the newest episode, filmed last evening, right now!

NEW TRACTOR VIDEO

UPLOADED

As promised, Part 2 of the Ultimate Tractor Video is now available on the Robert Dyer Channel. It contains more exclusive video from last Saturday's Montgomery County Gas & Steam Engine Show.

Just go to the main menu at www.RobertDyer.net and click on the Robert Dyer Channel link.

My photos from the show are starting to go online, and there will soon be a link at robertdyer.net to the entire collection.

Here is the pink tractor photo I promised... by popular demand.

It's a pink 1948 Farmall tractor. Zoom in on the plaques to read that the owner has a sense of humor. This was taken Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the Gas & Steam Engine Show.

The tractor show is over. But even as you are reading this, some of those machines are back at work on farms in Montgomery County.

Yesterday, I went to the Gas and Steam Engine Show at the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park. Farmers and tractor collectors from Poolesville to Mount Airy, and from Damascus to Etchison, converged on the park to show their prized machines. The weather was beautiful, it was sunny and warm, and a great day to be outdoors on a farm. And tractors. And funnel cakes. Was this a great day, or what?

It's a long drive from the 270 exit, and you pass by the Road to Konterra (a.k.a. the ICC) site on the way there. They are working furiously on that there and on I-95. If you've been up that way recently, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I went up the winding road into the park and followed the signs up a grassy hill where I parked. The first thing I saw was a small number of classic cars. To the left was the information booth where they had a map of all the displays. Suddenly there was a loud blast from a steam engine. Not a locomotive, but one that runs like a truck on wheels.

Beyond that was a set of stalls where you could buy funnel cakes and french fries. Every so often, some piece of equipment roars by and sends up a cloud of gravel dust. That is just life on the farm.

There were some vendors selling farm-related merchandise. But I came to see the tractors. Going down a dusty gravel road, the machines finally came into view. The first one on the end got my attention: a gray and red 1924 Fordson. The owner said he is in the process of restoring it.

Farmalls were well-represented. Lots of red ones. One that really stood out was the pink one. That's right, a pink tractor. A pink 1948 Farmall tractor, to be exact. You'd probably not be surprised to find out that this tractor belongs to a woman. I got pictures of this and many other tractors, so you'll be able to examine them for yourself.

There were also some of my personal favorite, John Deere. Of all sizes and types. Some of the tractors were operating while I was there, and I've got all of this on video. So if you weren't able to go to the Show, you'll still be able to enjoy all the best parts right on your computer/cell phone. Except the funnel cakes.

Just go to http://www.robertdyer.net/ and click on "Watch the Robert Dyer Channel." The first pictures will be here, and I'll direct you to others as I upload them.

While examining the tractors, occasionally a guy would blast by on some kind of motorbike. There were also hayrides going on. I got all of that on tape, too.

Across from the tractors was an engine-powered water pump that was on display, and operating. The ad for the show said something about "kiddie tractor pulls," which turned out to be a guy on some kind of tractor pulling kids along in little train cars. I don't remember very well. Mainly I was just trying to avoid getting run over.

So it was a great day on the farm. This is what America is all about. I hope you enjoy the photos and videos, and there are more to come.

COUNCILMEMBER

COMPARES DISABLED

POLICE OFFICERS

TO

CRIMINALS

2 Former County Officers are

Cleared of All Charges in Retirement Probe

After already disparaging our county police department with repeated (and clearly disproven) accusations, Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg has gone one step further.

Quoted in the Washington Post (in another anonymous editorial on disability retirement "reform" [has the Post ever been more invested in an issue??]), Trachtenberg said the following:

"[Having any new retirement system only apply to
officers joining the force after July 1 would be] giving [disabled officers] a
get out of jail free card."

- Duchy Trachtenberg

Consider what that statement is implying: It is equating a disabled police officer attempting to collect retirement benefits to a criminal in jail. And that allowing him or her to collect those benefits (negotiated in a legally-binding labor agreement) is the equivalent of letting that officer "out of jail free."

It's outrageous.

Not only did the Washington Post's own investigation reveal that not one single officer has improperly received benefits, but now even the federal investigation is over. And both former county police officers were cleared of every charge by federal investigators. Period.

The police union, like the fire and teacher's unions, is under absolutely no legal obligation to renegotiate the terms of a legally-binding labor agreement.

I am not sure what the end result of these absurd and unnecessary negotiations will be, but the county executive and council have done irreparable damage to the county's future ability to negotiate with labor. Nothing the county says in future negotiations will have any credibility, thanks to the actions of our current elected officials. That is because just about every labor agreement has been illegally put in the trash can by Ike Leggett and members of the council.

This illegal attempt to ignore negotiated benefits for disabled police officers should conclude in a legal fashion: in court or by arbitration.

Should the county succeed in its efforts to deny disabled officers the benefits they have every legal right to, it means that labor agreements would now be worthless in Montgomery County.

Remember, a deal is a deal; there is no legal authority for the council to break the existing agreement.

That's right: You've got to pay close attention here, ladies and gentlemen. It doesn't matter if a new system is 2 tiers, 3 tiers, or 150 tiers; the whole point of a new system is that some officers currently eligible for benefits are going to be denied those benefits. Despite having a lifelong injury suffered in the line of duty, protecting the citizens of Montgomery County. And where would those officers' money go? Right into the hands of the developers and special interests.

Our elected officials need money to reward those benefactors who get them elected. Just one problem! For purely political reasons, they can't raise taxes this year (even though your property taxes quietly went up anyway). Where to get the money? Ah, county employees.

Make no mistake, every single one of these eligible officers - past, present, and future - is suffering physical pain each day as a result of his or her injur(ies). Each one has limitations on what employment and leisure activities he or she can pursue for the rest of their life. Denying benefits to any one of these officers would be a moral outrage.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO!

WESTBARD SNARLED

AT MASSACHUSETTS AVE.

BY WSSC IMPROVEMENTS

DURING RUSH HOUR

Intersections of Westbard/Mass. Ave,

Little Falls Parkway/Mass. Ave. Backed Up

A www.RobertDyer.net EXCLUSIVE!

A WSSC contractor is continuing work on the water line under Massachusetts Avenue, and is currently working at the intersection of Westbard and Mass. Ave.

It would be best to avoid this intersection during rush hour, until repairs are completed.

This project has been ongoing since late last summer. Despite the traffic problems - this should not be done during rush hour - this is probably a positive development. The WSSC actually maintaining its system would be a welcome improvement. So it is difficult to complain.

One driver told me that it took over 30 minutes to get from River Road to Mass. Ave on Little Falls Parkway because of the traffic jam.

From my crow's nest high above the intersection, I captured some exclusive video for your enjoyment.



Watch this, and more exclusive video, on the Robert Dyer Channel at http://www.robertdyer.net/ and click on the Robert Dyer Channel link on the Main Menu.

TEA PARTY

TODAY, MORE

TAXES

TOMORROW

If you live in Montgomery County or in the state of Maryland, you are an expert on high taxes. Here we have the 5th highest taxes in America to start with, and then the county takes even more.

It's about to get a lot worse. President Obama and the Democratic Congress are preparing to raise taxes to historic levels. Our state and county have raised fees, and want to add $9-20 a month to your WSSC bill. Comcast and PEPCO bills are at an all-time high.

Despite the Washington Post's Democrat Protection Program coverage of county government, the truth is that most homeowners are being hit with a property tax increase this year. That's right, an increase. On top of our already immoral, draconian property taxes after years of one-party, Democrat-monopoly rule.

Here are some more taxes in the works, and it's likely you're not even aware of them:

Parking Tax - Councilmember Nancy Floreen's $250(!!) "Parking Tax" is back in the form of a proposal to increase parking costs to $1 an hour. Councilmember Floreen can't think of a better way to help business owners in Bethesda, than to increase parking costs to Orwellian heights. But just watch as the local chambers of commerce support Ms. Floreen in the 2010 election. Why? Because those local chambers are currently tools of the Democratic Party.

Richard Madeleno Internet Sales Tax - Temporarily on hold in Annapolis, but you should know that Sen. Madeleno attempted to charge you a sales tax (6%) on many internet purchases you currently receive tax-free.

Our elected officials never met a tax-increase they didn't like. I can hear the wallet vacuums firing up as I type.

Don't be confused by the ideological madness pushed by the liberal media: you've heard people like Michael Kinsley and E.J. Dionne claim that wealth is mysteriously just produced by America. And that that wealth needs to be distributed more equitably.

The truth is that individuals create that wealth. If you shut down their businesses and discourage free enterprise, you reduce the amount of wealth created - and the jobs that result. Government rules don't create wealth or jobs; Americans do.

The socialist model has been discredited everywhere in the world.

What will get this economy going again is more money in the hands of the citizen, not government.

I'll leave you with perhaps the greatest quote about taxes since the Revolutionary War:

"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it."
- President Ronald Reagan

NEW TACTIC BY

WASHINGTON POST,

DEVELOPERS, AND

ASSORTED SPECIAL

INTERESTS:

PUSH MASSIVE

OVERDEVELOPMENT

AS AN

ECONOMIC ISSUE

I'll have to tell you about the brief interruption to this blog over the weekend later. Interesting story.

Right now, we need to get out in front of this new tactic being pushed by developers and special interests in the District 4 County Council special election: Namely that overdevelopment is good for you. And that slowed development (caused by the economy, certainly not the county's pro-developer policies) is causing the local economic crisis - not the county executive and council's failed fiscal policies and mismanagement.

The failing Washington Post has come out swinging on behalf of this bizarro-world talking point. Besides further damaging its collapsing ethical standards by declining to endorse a candidate in the Republican primary(!!!) - the most childish action I've witnessed from a major metropolitan media outlet in some time - it used overdramatic language to redefine politics in Montgomery County:

The Post said that those who oppose the status quo (overdevelopment on the mixed-use Bethesda Row/Rockville Town Center model, excessive spending and taxation, incompetent leadership, no solutions to transportation gridlock, constructing buildings to help the environment[?!]) are "anti-development zealots" (!!) who are therefore to be barred entirely from elected office. (By the way, did anyone else catch that line where the Post's anonymous editors said that Lou August and Andrew Padula had no experience in county government? Strange, because the developer they endorsed - Ben Kramer - has no experience in county government either!! So what is the point of that statement?)

Furthermore, no experience is required to hold elected office. Read the rules, Washington Post!

I'm sure the various boards of trade and chambers of commerce that really run things around here enjoyed the editorial.

But those of us trying to live in this county, and who have different priorities such as safer neighborhoods, fiscal responsibility, and a cleaner environment, are simply bewildered by Stone Age economics, environmental hypocrisy, and 1960s transportation plans.

FULL "DISCLOSURE:"

WASHINGTON POST

EDITORIAL ON

TRANSMISSION LINES

FAILS TO DISCLOSE

POST COMPANY

FINANCIAL INTEREST

Post Co. Director Buffett Has Ownership in Utilities;

Would Profit from Success by Dominion Power, etc.

Another www.RobertDyer.net EXCLUSIVE!!

Once again, the Washington Post has failed to disclose its financial interests, and has published another editorial which serves the financial interest of its director, Warren Buffett.

Yesterday's editorial - from the self-proclaimed "green" Washington Post - supported Dominion Power and other utilities' plans to build new transmission lines. No matter what the environmental or public health cost, the Post said. No matter how many historic Civil War sites are disrupted, the Post said.

Why this passion and fervor? Longtime readers of this blog know the answer, as I have uncovered the secret long ago on this website. Ladies and gentlemen, did you know that if Dominion, et al get their way, that Mr. Buffett's other American utilities will also get to build new transmission lines and nuclear facilities?

Journalism is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, as liberal newspapers crumble away across the lower 48 states. Americans increasingly turn to blogs like this one for the real story, which you can't find in papers like the Post anymore.

Senator Ben Cardin (who, I have it on good authority, actually read for the part of Tom Willis on The Jeffersons back in the '70s) is calling for the government to operate failing Democrat house organ newspapers nationwide, using your taxpayer money! Unreal! Heck of a job, Cardy!

I wonder how the Post reporters would cover Democratic politicians who would pay their salaries. (About the same as they do now, probably - the coverage of Montgomery County and Maryland Democrats is positively worshipful [worshipful!!], no matter how big the budget deficit gets, or how incompetent or reckless their leadership style is).

The best part is, when the Post ceases publication, the Washington Times will become the only daily newspaper in town.

The Post continues to destroy itself by slowly eliminating the very things its older readership still subscribes for - stock listings, comics, Book World.

But mostly it is destroying itself through the constant lowering of ethical standards. Its continuous failure to disclose financial conflicts of interest is at the top of that list.

GUN CONTROL

GOVERNOR

"More Progress for More Prisoners,"

No Progress for Victims of Domestic Violence

Another session is winding down in Annapolis, and once again, Governor Martin O'Malley and his cronies in the General Assembly have failed to do anything about domestic violence. The only "domestic violence" bills that passed were 2 thinly-disguised gun control bills which will actually set back the cause when O'Malley signs them into law.

Allow me to put politics and hyperbole aside for a moment (unlike our elected officials) to explain.

The theory of a law to remove guns from the hands of violent domestic abusers was a credible one. And such a law could have been passed without violating the second amendment rights of innocent gun owners.

Instead, O'Malley & his gang decided to push two in-your-face, old fashioned gun control bills through the House and Senate.

Here's the 2-part problem. What I and other advocates for victims of domestic violence would like is to change the standard for issuing a protective order from "clear and convincing evidence" to "a preponderance of the evidence." The reason is that judges should err on the side of caution. And if a suspected abuser must only stay away from his alleged victim for the duration of the order, his Constitutional rights have not been violated. So if it turns out he was falsely accused, his legal injury is minimal.

Now, to justify the new gun control bills, advocates stress that orders require "clear and convincing evidence." So apparently, those advocates have abandoned the quest for easier-to-obtain protective orders at the altar of Gun Control. This is a huge mistake. It could well have doomed the chances of changing the standard. I don't even believe that victims will have a "false sense of security." Because they know that any abuser willing to hurt or kill won't have any trouble finding a different weapon - or an illegal gun - where a criminal usually gets them. And trust me, that's not at a gun store.

This is what happens when partisan politics and secondary agendas are injected into the domestic violence debate. It seems that some want to use the issue to further ideological goals rather than the health and welfare of victims.

Witness the defeat of a bill which would have given victims of domestic violence the ability to carry a concealed weapon.

And then, surprise surprise, O'Malley investing valuable time fighting the proposed law allowing D.C. residents to buy guns in Maryland.

It's the usual story in O'Malley's Maryland: keep power in the hands of violent criminals, and out of the hands of the innocent. Courtesy of your Gun Control Governor.

The other day, O'Malley said Maryland wouldn't be Maryland without the Preakness.

So I ask you, what is Maryland without the U.S. Constitution?

WASHINGTON POST

DISGRACE:

NEWSPAPER SAYS

DISABLED COPS

"DON'T DESERVE"

BENEFITS

Anonymous Editorial Writers Continue to

Attack County Police, Press Special Interest Agenda

Can anyone remember an issue on which the Washington Post has expended so much time, energy, and ink as it has on the police disability retirement issue in Montgomery County?

We know the Post's, Ike Leggett's, and the County Council's agenda: create a fake scandal, make disabled police officers scapegoats for the county's self-inflicted budget crisis, and steal the retirement money from disabled cops to give to the developers and other special interests.

Now the Post hits a new low, with yesterday's editorial in which it stated that disabled police officers "don't deserve" disability retirement benefits.

This hit newsstands shortly after several horrific incidents around the nation, in which many police officers were killed in the line of duty.

Such tragic events remind most civilized people of the dangers and realities that our police officers face each day. But twisted minds such as those of the editorial board at the Post are inspired to respond in a more disgusting and despicable manner: by telling the world - again - that our police are somehow "ripping off" the taxpayer, when there is no evidence to back up that claim. And now adding that disabled cops "don't deserve" benefits.

It's outrageous.

The story continues to be entirely one-sided, so let's review a few facts:

1. The current disability system works, and was agreed to without complaint by Ike Leggett and every member of the County Council. No one, including the Post, complained at the time.

2. The Post's own investigation revealed that not one single officer has committed a fraud or improperly received benefits. All officers had a genuine disability.

3. That means that the proposed "reform" of the system is now guaranteed to deny retirement benefits to some, or even a majority of, disabled police officers.

The union should not concede anything on this, as there is a legally binding agreement. No officer should be denied benefits. A vote is now scheduled for April 28, unless the union caves in to the executive and council's illegal refusal to honor a labor contract.

I believe the elected officials who have disparaged our police should step down immediately. And that the Washington Post's unsigned editorials "don't deserve" to be taken seriously.

EPA DECLINES TO

MONITOR AIR

POLLUTION OF

SCHOOLS IN

VICINITY OF

WESTBARD

INDUSTRIAL ZONE

Update on a www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

USA Today reports that the EPA - which is going to monitor air quality around several dozen schools across the nation - will not be testing the air at schools around the Westbard industrial zone.

Readers of this blog will recall that - after I brought to light several environmental incidents in the industrial zone that surrounding neighborhoods were not notified of - USA Today gave support to those concerns, when it revealed that nearby schools have far worse air quality than any other Montgomery County school.

And that the airborne pollution was consistent not only with some of the substances involved in the zone incidents, but also with the buried World War I munitions near Spring Valley.

WE'LL HONOR THAT

LABOR CONTRACT.

(IF WE FEEL LIKE IT)

Leggett and Council Governing in an

Alternate Universe Without Rules,

As They Tear Up Binding Agreements with

Public Safety Personnel

Sunday's Washington Post had one of those statements from County Executive Ike Leggett's office that makes you wonder if there are any rules or standards left in our government.

A Leggett representative spoke in reaction to an arbitrator's ruling that the executive could - unbelievably - simply leave contractual COLAs for firefighters out of the budget. The arbitrator went on to say that Leggett's office gives him the right to shrug his shoulders about any financial obligation in the name of balanced budgets. The Leggett spokesperson said something to the effect that "we usually honor our labor agreements, but not in this case."

When can a binding agreement be broken by one party without consequence?

This is the same issue in the police disability retirement "reform." The executive and council agreed to the current system; they could have raised objections at that time. Now that money is tight, and they still need to fund the special interests that got them elected, they plan to get the cash by taking it from disabled police officers.

The good news is that none of the many attempts by our elected officials to raid the compensation packages of public safety personnel are a done deal yet. The county council still must agree to fund the provisions of any budget submitted by Leggett - and that includes all compensation and retirement issues. And don't forget about the Ambulance Fee...

So now is the time to turn up the heat on our greedy elected officials. Citizens need to make their voices - and their support of our police, and career and volunteer firefighters - heard.

Here is another domestic violence article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032003012.html

LT. GOV.

ANTHONY BROWN

"VERY PLEASED"

THAT VICTIMS OF

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

WILL NOT HAVE THE

RIGHT TO DEFEND

THEMSELVES

Maryland #2 Praises Defeat of Women's

Right Under Amendment #2

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown was "very pleased" to learn that victims of domestic violence would be unable to qualify for concealed carry permits. These State Police-issued permits would have given special preference to women who had protective orders against their abusers to carry a concealed firearm for their protection.

Once again, a Democrat has placed politics ahead of public safety, and the health and welfare of women and children across the state of Maryland. And what a peculiar comment from the Lt. Governor's office... he is "very pleased?" What an insensitive way to respond to a serious (but entirely expected) defeat for victims of domestic violence. I guess he is "very pleased" that we will continue to have a society where only the abusers and violent thugs have unlimited access to firearms.

It's outrageous.

Fortunately, "help is on the way."

My domestic violence proposal will give every woman the right to carry a concealed firearm for protection from domestic abusers and violent criminals.

Why not turn the page on the past, and join me in the future where we will offer a proactive agenda to knock out domestic violence in our county and state.

Here is an article from USA Today about the Chris Brown-Rihanna domestic violence controversy.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-09-rihanna-brown-violence_N.htm

When I warned a few weeks ago that young people would receive a message through the outcome of this case, I referred to the criminal justice system and the media.

The shocking part is that the horrible message and example were given not by those entities, but by the victim herself, when she chose to go back to her abuser in the most public fashion. It also appears that career considerations are being placed above mental, emotional, and physical health concerns. And that should never be the case, whether one is rich and famous or living in poverty.

This is a sad but textbook case of the destructive cycle of violence in many abusive relationships.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

HAS ITS OWN

SCOOTER LIBBY

"County Sources" Leak Confidential

Personnel and Medical

Record Details of Disabled Police Officers to

Washington Post Reporters

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

Yesterday's Washington Post featured another slanted article on our elected officials' attempt to deny retirement benefits to disabled Montgomery County police officers.

One breakthrough has vindicated the position of those of us who support our county police officers:

According to the Post itself:

"The Post's review of county and state documents and interviews with current and retired officers did not uncover deception."

So what is the problem? As we all know, the problem is really that our elected officials want to make disabled police officers scapegoats for their fiscal mismanagement.

And that the Washington Post and those officials would like the money currently going to disabled officers to be redirected to developers and the special interests that control the decisions made in Rockville.

But the real breaking news in the Post was not even recognized by the Post! So you'll have to turn here to get the real story.

First, read this quote from the article:

"County officials declined to disclose the names of officers on disability, saying such information is private."

No kidding!

But wait a minute... Further ahead in the article, you find this:

"Kevin Strange, 38, also was awarded disability payments, according to county sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the program."

The "county sources" go on to reveal confidential details of Officer Strange's disability status and medical history.

How did the Post not recognize this unethical release of private information?

IT'S NOT EASY

BEING GREEN...

WITH

CHAMPAGNE

WISHES AND

CAVIAR DREAMS

Montgomery Executive Tools Around

Town in Chauffered 2008 Suburban

How do you follow up the construction of a $77,000 Luxury Master Bath Suite in your office, at taxpayer expense?

If you're Ike Leggett, you trade up to a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban SUV with chauffer, again at taxpayer expense.

While the Washington Post is giving its dear friend Leggett a free pass on his recent misuse of taxpayer-funded County Cable Montgomery for partisan campaign activity, its reporters and columnists also have declined to point out the executive's sheer environmental hypocrisy.

Now, let me be clear. I have said many times that - while we have gravely serious issues regarding pollution, carcinogens, and toxic waste here and around the world - the idea of "global warming caused by human activity" is the greatest hoax of our time.

And, therefore, I have no issue with someone driving a Chevy Suburban. In fact, I would recommend such a vehicle highly.

But I'm not Ike Leggett. And Mr. Leggett has joined his Democratic allies in preaching the gospel of global warming and touting the high-cost corporate "solutions" that will drain all of our wallets if enacted.

Therefore, if you believe global warming is real - and you believe Mr. Leggett practices what he preaches - then you will be shocked, horrified, stunned, and in utter stupefied disbelief to find that he is being driven around the county in one of the largest SUVs available today.

The same kind of SUVs always being criticized by Mr. Leggett and his allies.

Do as I say, not as I do. Indeed.

And about the chauffer...

If Sarah Palin - a governor - can drive herself around Alaska, why can't Mr. Leggett drive his personal vehicle himself? How much did/is this plush ride cost/costing the taxpayer, during what is becoming a veritable depression?

There are too many questions. And with a free pass from The Washington Post, don't expect any answers.

WASHINGTON POST

DEMOCRAT PROTECTION

PLAN IN EFFECT

FOR

IKE LEGGETT

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

Despite my making Washington Post reporters aware of County Executive Ike Leggett's improper use of taxpayer-funded County Cable Montgomery to engage in partisan campaign activity (read previous entry below), the Post has yet to print a word about it.

There is no accountability for our elected officials when the local press actively protects the interests of Democratic politicians.

FULL "DISCLOSURE:"

WASHINGTON POST

UNDERARMOUR

HIT PIECE

MOTIVATED BY

POST COMPANY

FINANCIAL INTEREST

IN NIKE

Post Co. Director Buffett Owns Over

7.5 Million Shares of Nike Stock,

Valued at $448 Million; Son Peter

Operates Nike Charitable Foundation

Another www.RobertDyer.net EXCLUSIVE!

Holy conflict of interest, Batman! You might have seen the "expose" hit piece on Maryland athletic apparel company UnderArmour in the Washington Post Sports section recently.

In this piece of "journalism," the reporter tried to create the impression that UnderArmour was engaged in inappropriate recruiting activity on behalf of the University of Maryland. And failed to make a strong case to verify that accusation. It also included a vulgar quote suggesting that the UnderArmour shoe in question was low in quality.

At the same time, it presented one of the warmest, most favorable impressions of sweatshop giant Nike that I have ever read. It stated, for example, that Nike would never engage in this sort of activity. And that Nike would never allow a high school athlete to tour its Oregon factory.

There's just one problem.

Washington Post Company Director Warren Buffett just happens to own massive amounts of Nike stock. Furthermore, he has pledged $1 billion in Berkshire Hathaway Stock to a Nike charitable foundation that just happens to be operated by his son, Peter.

Most importantly, the Post article failed to disclose this incredible conflict of interest.

And what a conflict of interest it is, ladies and gentlemen! Any athletic apparel analyst knows that UnderArmour is one of the fastest growing companies in the field. It is now moving into the shoe market, currently dominated by... Nike. So this article, potentially directed by Buffett himself(?), cast a shadow on the integrity of upstart UnderArmour. It cast an extremely favorable light on Nike. And it went so far as to - conveniently - trash a shoe line that is a potential threat to Nike.

It's outrageous.

Of course, we know that failure to disclose conflicts of interest is simply operating procedure at The Washington Post. But once again, the Post has embarrassed itself and made clear that it operates under the lowest of journalistic standards.

When it comes to using the Post as a weapon for his business interests, Warren Buffett has one message for his newsroom:

Just do it.

COUNTY CABLE

MONTGOMERY

USED FOR

PARTISAN

POLITICAL PURPOSES...

AGAIN!

Leggett Attacks District 4 Special Election

Candidate Robin Ficker on Taxpayer-funded

Cable Program

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!

Last evening, County Executive Ike Leggett used his taxpayer-funded program, "One on One," to attack and mock Republican County Council candidate Robin Ficker. Host Holly Woerner stated that Ficker had moved from Damascus (wrong - he lived in Boyds) to Silver Spring so he could run for the District 4 special election. Woerner asked Leggett what his reaction was to that.

Leggett replied that Ficker would now show he can lose in every part of the county. Just one problem - under county and state campaign finance and ethics regulations, Mr. Leggett is not allowed to make that type of partisan campaign remark on County Cable Montgomery.

Readers of this blog well remember how I exposed a previous incident of partisan use of County Cable Montgomery. CCM was airing promotional segments on Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. In essence, our taxpayer-funded channel was being used to promote statewide candidates on behalf of the Maryland Democratic Party.

That was wrong, and so was last night's broadcast. The offending statements should be removed from any rebroadcast of "One on One," and the county owes the taxpayers an explanation for this partisan electioneering on behalf of Democratic council candidates.

BUT WAIT,

THERE'S MORE!!!

Hold the phone... Ike Leggett and the council are also buying the Webb Tract, according to The Gazette.

It's going to be more than $120 million in taxpayer dollars. So, that brings the Shady Grove boondoggle to a whopping $182 million dollars - and counting!

That is about a third of the whole budget shortfall! Have our elected officials truly lost their minds?

The Webb Tract is owned by developer Miller and Smith. Can somebody run that in the campaign finance database, and find out if Miller and Smith donated to anyone who votes for this debacle?

Once again, the Upcounty gets the second-class citizen treatment from the executive and council, who just obliterated the Upcounty Ride-On schedule.

Let me leave the last words to an actual taxpayer and resident of Montgomery Village, as quoted in the Gazette:

"Now the county thinks that the Webb tract is a perfect dumping ground for all the trash that they don't want… because we put up the least resistance of anybody," East Village resident Brian Benhaim told the board after the county's presentation, echoing the comments of several residents. "This is ridiculous; this does nothing good for the community. This will devastate the community … that whole area will get wiped out in value. Please fight this; this makes no sense."

It's outrageous.

COUNTY COUNCIL

SPENDS $62 MILLION

ON PROPERTIES DESPITE

$500 MILLION

BUDGET SHORTFALL

Public Safety Employees Losing Pay,

Benefits, While Big-Spending Council

Acquires Properties for Shady Grove

"Smart Growth" Boondoggle

Unbelievable. Just weeks after I testified a second time against the council's effort to deny retirement benefits for disabled police officers - and told the council to save money by cancelling the so-called "Smart Growth Initiative" - what has happened?

The council - in league with executive Ike Leggett and their dear friends at the Washington Post editorial board - is still making police officers and firefighters scapegoats for their fiscal mismanagement. And, after a very public fake-out, have gone ahead with the Shady Grove dumb growth boondoggle to satisfy the needs of the developers and special interests who elected them.

In other words, the complete opposite of what I suggested in my testimony.

Please tell me where the council found $72 million dollars for 2 completely unnecessary land purchases? Who did they buy them from, and which politicians did the owners contribute campaign funds to?

The Post just attacked our career firefighters (I guess the Post needed a break from their attacks on our volunteer firefighters) and said that the union's concessions would only save $7 million. Let's do the math... $7 million vs. $72 million... uh, let's see...

We have the most irresponsible, incapable, and incompetent council in Montgomery County history, and this land purchase proves it.

You can't spend money you don't have.

How about that $900,000 the council gave to good friends at Centro Familia, which the Inspector General says is entirely unaccounted for?

No problem, said Councilmember George Leventhal in the Post.

Okay, almost 1 million dollars missing and no one on the council is doing anything about it? Do they realize how much money that is? Unaccounted for? Usually people go to jail when this kind of thing happens. The organization is now claiming the money is accounted for, but no evidence has been provided to the public so far. And the spokeswoman is no longer speaking to reporters.

And now we hear that the county economic development department gave $25,000 to a company run by the son of a Leggett appointee.

The council seems to have money for everything except public safety.

It's outrageous.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

BOWLING TEAM

BOOTED FROM

SHADY GROVE 300?

Here's a troubling story from The Gazette. Apparently, the county Special Olympics bowling team was told their time was up when AMF reopened its Shady Grove bowling alley.

Now called "300," the new clientele is supposed to be more upscale. (This is pretty much a clone of Strike Bethesda). That's why I find it disturbing that the team was suddenly unable to be accommodated - how convenient.

The good news is that the Special Olympics team has found a new home at Bowl America on Clopper Road. Still, why shouldn't the team be able to enjoy the fancy new facilities at 300 like any other resident?

According to the article, AMF insists it is a chaperone issue. However, the article goes on to add that only 2 of the facility's past bowling leagues re-signed contracts with 300.

Debbie Fickenscher, who is both a team coordinator and a team member's mom, according to the Gazette, was quoted as saying that the team did in fact appreciate the new alley before they got the boot:

"For the time we were there, it was wonderful, and it was not lost on the
athletes that they were in a brand new thing," she said.

I'm not sure if this is a violation of the ADA yet, but at best, it is a public relations disaster for 300.

DR. YES

FUELS

DEVELOPERS'

STEAMROLLER

TO TURN

NEIGHBORHOOD

STRIP MALLS

INTO

FOOL'S GOLD

Westwood Shopping Center Plans

Revealed in Planning Board Document

The draft of the Montgomery County Planning Board's new growth policy argues for the demise of the strip mall countywide. In its place, developers will be permitted to profit from building vacant luxury apartments and empty retail storefronts, as they have done in recent years.

But as we know, that money is fool's gold for the taxpayer. Developers make money, but no economic activity is generated by largely vacant housing and failing boutiques. Politicians direct taxpayer funds to developers and pro-developer master plans. A portion of developer profits is then returned to the politician in campaign contributions. Politician is reelected, and here we go again.

I've already covered the issue of why strip malls are indeed appropriate in neighborhoods and along Rockville Pike. We've already had a preview of the concrete canyon proposed for Rockville Pike. Only in the fantasy world of Dr. Yes and his developer buddies does replacing a parking lot with a building improve our environment. Exactly who wants to dine at an outdoor table on the curb of a major state highway? Can you smell the exhaust? I feel like I'm in Paris already.

The open environment of the Pike should be retained. 355 should be widened not only for traffic, but also for bus and bike lanes. Small areas of the heavily-used - and therefore much needed - surface lots can be modifed to improve drainage and add green space. Surface lots are not only essential for shopping, but are also safer than garages. Garages are not green - just check out how many lights are burning away inside of the nearly-vacant garages in Rockville's town center. I'd like to hear a conversation in which Dr. Yes and Mr. Stanley from our planning department tell Pierre Charles L'Enfant about the virtues of concrete canyon design.

And we already know that the current plans for the Westwood Shopping Center and Westbard Sector are simply too large in scale and unacceptable. Once again, I offer the Shops at Sumner Place as the ideal model for how a neighborhood shopping center should be redeveloped. It has what the residents need, but does not draw heavy traffic from outside the neighborhood. And it doesn't have vacant apartments above it. What is does have is open space, well-lighted surface parking, and doesn't tower over the neighborhood.

Here's the exact quote, to give you an idea of what planners and developers have in store for your neighborhood:

"Every strip mall in the county, or large surface parking lot, should be considered a potential site for mixed-use development."

- Montgomery County Planning Board Growth Policy Draft Report, 2009

Says who? It's time to restore a citizen-driven process, where residents are making decisions. All the Planning Board is giving us are commands, orders, and "here's how it's going to be, whether you like it or not." Remember, we pay their salaries and we - the residents - are the boss. Not Dr. Yes, and not the developers. But it is increasingly hard to tell that is the case.

NEW DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE BROCHURES

AVAILABLE FOR

DOWNLOAD

The Montgomery County Commission for Women has published a new brochure designed to help victims of domestic violence. Titled, Let's Talk About Violence in Relationships, it explains how to recognize - and hopefully prevent - violent and abusive relationships.

You can read the brochure online in six languages at:

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfwtmpl.asp?url=/content/cfw/index.asp

It is in a box in the left center of the website homepage.

CHRIS BROWN:

SHOULD DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE BE A

COSTLY ACTION

FOR THE

RICH AND FAMOUS?

YES!

The news that recording artist Chris Brown has been arrested and charged with felony domestic violence - and that the victim is allegedly his equally-famous girlfriend, Rihanna - shows once again that domestic violence affects people at all levels of society. But it also raises the question of whether the public will be outraged enough to stop buying the products of a man who is - allegedly - coldly capable of beating a woman and putting her in the hospital.

This is certainly not the first case of celebrity domestic violence. Nor will it be the last. But if today's movies are going to continue to glorify violence against women, the real world needs to at least maintain what is left of its moral compass.

And this is certainly a case of sheer stupidity on Mr. Brown's part, as he could not have chosen a worse moment to perpetrate - allegedly - such heinous acts.

Criminal acts should have consequences. And much like our local politicians who have been convicted of drunk driving, the rich and famous require consequences that also take into account their influential status in society. Children will get a message out of this. Hollywood, the media, and the criminal justice system should ensure they get the right one.