Happy New Year

Mummers
Originally uploaded by toby.gearhart

Every New Year since colonial times the Mummers have paraded through the streets of Philadelphia. Originally, they went door to door dressed like "wenches" and "asking" for drinks. By the 1890s the sequin and feather clad string bands were added and you have the show pretty much as it is today.

Of course, in 1995 yours truly and his better half marched with the Goodtimers and even won the 10th prize for best couple.

It's the oldest urban folk tradition in America and an all day party on Broad St. from South Philly to Center City. Be there! Happy New Year. (Click on the photo to see more of the Mummers.)

Planning And Zoning Blues II

The new scaled back plans for Ridgely Park presented to the planning commission raise a big question.

We are told that the plan reflects today's economic realities. We are also told no one is going to build anything for a while because of the state of the economy. In other words, nothing is going to get built until things get better.

The cutbacks in the plan presented Wednesday would require us to change many time tested town ordinances. If nothing is going to get built until prosperity returns, why should the developer plan represent today's recession reality? In other words, our ordinances should remain the same because if anything does get built it will be built in a time of returning prosperity. The developer will be able to afford to adhere to ordinances that are now deemed to be too expensive. Let's keep Ridgely, Ridgely!

Planning And Zoning Blues

At our planning and zoning meeting last night it was made clear that Ridgely Park won't be happening any time soon. Even if the project could start by February, it would not be desirable to do so because of the state of the economy.

We are over such a barrel because of the loan for the waste water treatment plant that there are those who say we should take whatever we can get. We are probably protected from this threat because nothing of either a good or sorry calibre is going to get financing for years to come.

Last night the scaled down project that was presented was very different from what we had previously approved. We would have to change both ordinances and our comprehensive plan to accommodate it. This isn't something to be undertaken lightly, since these laws are the means by which Ridgley has maintained its enviable quality of life over the years.

There are financial questions as well. We would still get the regular fees per house such as parks and recreation, public safety, and water/sewer. However, because of the reduction in scale, we no longer have the leverage to negotiate for money for streets and the extra $1 million which was to cover the new water tower and other necessities.

This project has been controversial. The burden of new development and the traffic and use of services it brings, were offset by an excellent plan and amenities. Now, that is no longer the case.

Elm Street, Ridgley Park's developer was invited back to present more complete plans. One thing we now all have is time, and we should not waste it by gutting our comprehensive plan and ordinances that have kept Ridgely such a fine small town. When good times return, we don't want a pack of rapacious developers to come here to take advantage of watered down planning and zoning ordinances.

Carraige House Moved, Budget Amended; Charter Change Needed

Photo by Candy Schwardon

(L- R: J.O.K. Walsh, President Caroline County Historical Society; Nancy Gearhart, Ridgely Historical Society; Mickey McCrea, builder and move director; Mike Peter, Mike's Custom Homes (handing check for the move); Ridgely Commissioner Kathy Smith and William Tarbutton, contractor)

Persistence pays off. Despite many hurdles Buck Herzog's carriage house has been moved to safety. Mike Peter the developer of Ridgeway estates has paid for the project. Despite the best efforts of our town administration to derail its preservation, dedicated residents simply wouldn't give up, and were able to at NO COST to the Ridgely taxpayers, save this piece of town history.

Other town issues don't present such a happy picture. The amended emergency budget for Ridgley spreads the pain all around. From the town manager's office, to the police department, and the public works department, there are now four fewer employees in Ridgely. This measure is meant to address the town budget deficit that has been growing over the last two years. Next fiscal year will be even more difficult when the effects of the global financial meltdown visits town. The only possible bright spot on the town's fiscal front, is the possibility that a scaled down Ridgely Park may be built. The new proposals will be presented at the town planning and zoning meeting this Wednesday at 6:00 PM.

Until Ridgely addresses the problem of its inadequate charter, we can expect a never ending round of problems that will lead to the need for emergency budgets. Our three commissioner system has not able to manage our unelected town managers. It has taken an extraordinary effort on behalf of the commissioners and citizens to reign in the budget. Arguably this effort would not have been needed if the town finances had been managed properly to start with. Remember, our elected commissioners passed balanced budgets which simply weren't adhered to.

I've been involved in Ridgely in many ways over the past 12 years and am in a position to pass judgement on whether or not our system works. And, it doesn't work very well. We need a system that provides for proper representation of all parts of town as well as a clear line of command that puts the Ridgely citizen's and their elected officials in charge all the time. The same common sense checks and balances that our federal system is based on are absent in Ridgely. In fact, the town manager isn't even mentioned in our 1937 charter. Our charter needs a 2008 reality check.

We need a strong mayor commission form of government and we need a ward system of representation. To devise such a system certain ground rules are needed. Communities or neighborhoods shouldn't be split up. Lister Estates is a neighborhood and Central Avenue is also a neighborhood. These citizens should be included in their respective ward as one group.

A fair ward system would establish a first ward in the old town (between 480 and the Railroad Park ) which includes all of Central Avenue east to the town boundary. In addition, the small area north of the Railroad Park including North Central, North Maple and North Maryland would be part of this ward. A second ward with all of Maryland Avenue west to the town border. The third ward would be Lister Estates and the fourth ward would be Oak View and Greenridge. These wards are equal in population with cohesive communities and each would have their own commissioner, who must live in the ward they are to represent. A fifth commissioner or mayor would be elected at large, representing the whole town. The mayor's vote would be the tie breaker on this five person commission arrangement. The town manager, or more affordably, the various consultants needed for the position, would be specifically included under the charter as positions under the supervision of the mayor and council.

Elected representatives, particularly the mayor, need to be paid for their effort. This isn't a high school beauty contest. I've known commissioners who put in over 40 hours a week. I also have known commissioners who are clueless, and can't wait for the commission meeting to adjourn. The discussion recently about the commissioners giving up their salaries, only reinforces how much of a token they have become with regards to the town manager (who is paid quite well). Only the current crisis has served to wake up our commissioners to again use their dormant powers. We the voters need to be vigilant and make sure the clueless variety of commissioner faces opposition at election time.

Finally, terms of office should be increased to four years with some of the commissioners up for election every two years. Yearly elections politicize too many issues here. The mayors term should be six years. And, there should be no term limits, since the only way the elected officials can counterbalance unelected administrative officials, is through their continuity in office.

To change the charter, a plan like the one outlined above needs to be submitted to the residents of Ridgely for a vote. The commissioners of Ridgely would have to authorize any vote and any group of citizens may head up such an effort.

The above suggestions are a practical way to introduce time tested American methods of good government into our town polity. Success will mean that a workable government will return to Ridgely, and an end to "emergency" budgets and other "seat of the pants" methods of administration.

Merry Christmas!

Photo by Candy Schwardon

Our 5th live Ridgley Nativity has brought the Christmas spirit to town. Merry Christmas from all the actors, calves, and Danny the Donkey. The not pictured musicians, choir; pastors, Denzil Cheek, Norman Carroll, Woody Woodworth, Carolyn Bunting; director, Nancy Gearhart, and the all around production supporters, the Jake Thomas family, also wish you a Merry Christmas.

Ideology Meets Reality

There might have been a lot of better ways to solve the American automakers potential collapse. However, the collapse cannot be allowed to occur. In our imperfect world, ideology must sometimes be jettisoned. We face a Depression or worse if something isn't done. The following, just in from Politico, reports what may be the President's most important contribution to stopping this financial fiasco:

Politico - Mike Allen - 12/12/08 9:36AM

Facing the potential bankruptcy of iconic American firms, President Bush on Friday abandoned his longstanding objection to using using the Wall Street bailout fund to help save G.M., Ford and Chrysler.

A frustrated Republican congressional official said: "If only they had said this last week, we could have saved ourselves a full week."

Ten hours after the Senate rejected a separate lifeline for the automakers, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said in a statement it would be "irresponsible" to let the companies crash. So she said Bush will "consider other options," including the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program that Congress created for the Treasury Department in October.

"Under normal economic conditions we would prefer that markets determine the ultimate fate of private firms," Perino said in a statement. "However, given the current weakened state of the U.S. economy, we will consider other options if necessary – including use of the TARP program — to prevent a collapse of troubled automakers. A precipitous collapse of this industry would have a severe impact on our economy, and it would be irresponsible to further weaken and destabilize our economy at this time."

A Republican senator told Politico that Vice President Cheney had told senator Thursday that it could be "Herbert Hoover" time if the bailout failed, which it did several hours later.

Democratic congressional leaders had urged Bush to take that step, but Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and other administration officials insisted the original bailout was limited to the financial sector. The beginning of Perino's statement was: "It is disappointing that while appropriate and effective legislation to assist and restructure troubled automakers received majority support in both houses, Congress nevertheless failed to pass final legislation. The approach in that legislation provided an opportunity to use funds already appropriated for automakers, and presented the best chance to avoid a disorderly bankruptcy while ensuring taxpayer funds go only to firms whose stakeholders were prepared to make the difficult decisions to become viable, competitive firms in the future."

Perino ended by saying: "While the federal government may need to step in to prevent an immediate failure, the auto companies, their labor unions, and all other stakeholders must be prepared to make the meaningful concessions necessary to become viable."

Ford has said it can operate without federal money for now, but analysts said General Motors and Chrysler might not make it to Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Farming On Town Lots

Not too long ago a suggestion about amending our town's very restrictive animal ordinance (passed in 1967 and bans about everything) was the subject of ridicule. The subject came up at a town planning meeting when a member of the commission (me) found nothing wrong with vegetable gardens in front yards. "The next thing you know people will want chickens in their yard too" came the response from one of our public servants. Well, yes; that too. In the meantime, we have put a garden in our 4th st. front yard, and would seriously entertain the possibility of chickens, and even a goat. In fact, the goat ranks higher with me, as a very affordable lawn mower.

We live in an agricultural zone. Small animals are cleaner that dogs (Ridgely allows kennels) and not only appropriate, but increasingly a means to cut costs of burgeoning food budgets. No one is advocating pigstys. (However, pet pot bellied pigs should be given a reprive.)

Anyhow, action on animal restrictions is now happening around America. One of the places where I spent a number of years, Greensboro, N.C. (population 238,000), has caught up with its citizens and amended its ordinances. Can Ridgely be far behind?


Credit: Robert Franklin / News & Record
URBAN FARMING
The Greensboro City Council's newly adopted poultry and bee ordinance:* prohibits adult roosters* requires chickens to be penned* requires poultry to be kept in backyards* establishes a 25-foot setback requirement for lots between 7,000 and 12,000 square feet and odd-shaped lots that cannot meet a 50-foot setback, as long as chickens are housed 50 feet from a neighboring residence* limits residences that use the 25-foot setback to one hen per 3,000 square feet and one bee colony per 2,000 square feet* bans poultry or bee keeping on lots smaller than 7,000 square feet

GREENSBORO - Chicken lovers are in cluck.
The Greensboro City Council voted to loosen the rules and allow chickens and bees on small residential lots.

The unanimous vote also will provide a little peace for neighbors of the urban farmers. The new ordinance bans noisy adult roosters and limits the number of chickens and bee colonies on any one lot.

Chicken owner and Lindley Park resident Brian Talbert worked with city staff to amend the poultry and beekeeping ordinance after he learned that his lot did not meet the city's 50-foot setback requirements.

Talbert's backyard coop became a problem after his rooster, Elvis, rattled neighbor Sherry O'Neal with a 4:15 a.m. wakeup call.

On Tuesday night, Greensboro's chicken owners said they keep the poultry for the eggs, but they consider them pets.

Billy Jones, who spoke on behalf of the amendment, has four hens and one rooster named Gus. He said his neighbors enjoy the eggs, but he promised that if the rooster bugged them, he would take care of it.

"I promised them, if we did have a problem with the rooster, I would fry it," Jones said.
O'Neal, who spoke against the amendment, said she was concerned about the noise and the farm smells in her neighborhood, where the lots are small and residences are close together.

Under the newly amended ordinance, residents can keep bees and chickens on lots as small as 7,000 square feet, as long as they are housed at least 50 feet from any neighboring homes. The new rules also limit urban farmers to one bee colony per 2,000 square feet and one hen per 3,000 square feet of property for lots that don't meet the setback requirement.
"I think that is a reasonable request, particularly if we limit the number of hives," Talbert said. "We limit the number of hens."

The City Council requested that city staff give some consideration for roosters that already live in neighborhoods but will soon be banned.

"We don't want to get Gus fried," Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small said.

Behold The Gift

Our 5th Live Nativity Pageant, “Behold the Gift”, will be this Saturday at 7:30, on the Carroll lot next to Ridgely Town Hall.

Come on out and enjoy a Scripture based ecumenical Nativity play with actors and animals and live music provided by guitarists and a choir. After the show there is a reception with hot chocolate and cookies for all in Town Hall. It’s a good idea for those in the audience to bring a lawn chair and a flash light to see the song sheets which will be provided.

Come on out and take the time out to celebrate the TRUE meaning of Christmas!

A New Police Chief For Ridgely

Chief Merl Evans resigned December 1st. He was a dedicated public servant and I wish him well with his future endeavors.

In the past, Ridgely has formed search committees composed of citizens to select new police chiefs as well as a new town manager. It is important that this tradition be returned to. The current police chief was chosen by the town manager, and whether you like the job he did or not, the process by which he was appointed, undermined Ridgely's democratic traditions. The commissioners found out about the appointment in the newspaper. This should never happen again. With the still unresolved budget problems, we certainly need to carefully pick a new chief who will be able to provide our community the most for our increasingly limited tax dollars.

There are also town residents who have criticisms of our town police and now is the time for their voices to be heard. The list of critics starts with two of our town commissioners, Chuck Hunter, and Kathy Smith. I call upon our town commission to once again appoint a cross section of citizens to select a new police chief.

Budget Update And Happy Thanksgiving

Nothing was finalized out Monday night as far as the Ridgely Budget is concerned. The difficult decisions on salary cuts, layoffs, and tax and fee increases, were deferred. The next town meeting is in town hall on Monday, December 1st, at 7:00 PM.

This year with financial uncertainty everywhere, let's take the time this Thanksgiving to be with family and friends, and be grateful for the abundance we still enjoy.

The dancing chicken two posts ago is a hard act to follow, but check this turkey out. Happy Thanksgiving!

.

Nah..No Deep Meaning, Just Tired Of The Bull

A fowl act which will be hard to follow.

Ridgely Must Get Its Finances In Order

*** MEETING CANCELLED -- RESCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK, SAME TIME, SAME PLACE ***
*** RIDGELY TOWN HALL, NEXT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2008 AT 7:OO PM ***

The Ridgely COMMISSIONERS WILL MEET THIS MONDAY AT 7:00 in the Ridgely House to discuss the emergency changes to the existing budget. This meeting is open to the public as meetings of the Commissioners should be. Spending is way off the mark, and the deficit has been growing LONG BEFORE the global financial crisis. It's important to get our house IN ORDER BEFORE we are hit by the consequences of the global financial fiasco. It is also important that the Commissioners do what is right and fair on behalf of the Ridgely taxpayers. We should not be made to bear the burden of cleaning up a mess that is not of our making. With the already high assessments on our homes, a tax increase, a water sewer increase, and even higher town fees would be unconscionable. The cuts to fix the budget must be made in house, in Town Hall. AND, this doesn't mean long term, and loyal employees, should be made to pay by those who presided over fiscal foolishness.

Remember, the Commissioners passed balanced budgets which were not adhered to. We need all the Commissioners to step up to the plate, and once again, manage those responsible for the situation. Do you all remember when we had the united and hands on Commission of Jare Wallace, Dale Mumford and Lou Hayes? They managed the town as the Charter requires. Look at what our fellow citizens accomplished: the Ridgely House reconstruction, attracting a new bank, attracting the first new construction on Central Ave. in 50 years, saving the Waste Water Treatment Plant, saving the run down homes on Central Ave., and starting a regular schedule of street and sidewalk maintenance. The town was not in debt.

We haven't had such unity and hands ON management since death took Jare from us. Try as they might, individual Commissioners since then have not been able to, for any length of time, put the Commissioners back in charge. And, a divided or hands OFF Commission has meant that the Town Manager has usually run the show. We the taxpayers certainly ARE NOT better off, and the focus of the town government has been on the staff which grows more and more expensive each year without providing additional services to our citizens. We are now deeply in debt.

It's time that we the residents of Ridgely come first again. New and additional fees are being considered for existing services. The Town Hall Administration should be making the needed sacrifices instead. Concerned citizens should attend the town meeting on Monday the 17th at 7:00 PM, or write a letter or email to the Commissioners that can be read into the minutes.

***11/17/08 - 10:05AM -- Commissioner Emergency Budget Meeting CANCELLED -- Rescheduled For Monday, November 24, 2008 at 7:00 PM ***

Where Left And Right Unite

Nationally, and locally, there are de facto, new emerging voter coalitions. The Obama victory was not a victory of ideology, but a victory of both disgust with the Bush administration, and the charismatic appeal of Obama's personality. Our political landscape is very much in flux, and the uncomfortable coalitions within the Republican and Democrat parties are stretched to the breaking point. The most publicized and uncomfortable coalition crack is within the Republican party. On one side are the paleo, populist or traditional conservatives. On the other, the neo-conservatives and the Wall street conservatives. It's Pat Buchanan and Sarah Palin vs. "W" and his fellow travellers. To read the American Conservative magazine these days, is to read articles that find common cause with the left on a number of issues from the war in Iraq to globalization. Even though each each side travels a very different route of logic to get to their mutual destinations, they still arrive at the same operative point of view. So contrary to the neo-con weltanschauung is the traditional conservative perspective, that National Review (which has become the neo-con mouth piece), publishes articles about the "unpatriotic" traditional conservatives. They are branded as isolationist and protectionist. Et Tu, Toby?

It's with the Naderite, populist, and green wing of the Democrat party, where traditional conservatives find common ground. Setting aside abortion, there is much agreement about Iraq, stopping out-sourcing, rejuvenating manufacturing and controlling immigration to protect American workers and the environment. Lou Dobbs may best speak for this possible emerging populist coalition. And, typically, he has been branded isolationist, protectionist and even racist, by the standard brand types of the Democrat and Republican parties.

This development, has its greatest potential at the local level. I attend gatherings of both the Caroline Citizens for Responsible Growth and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, and evidence suggests that the citizens in attendance are a good mix of principled liberals and traditional conservatives. This is also true of our Ridgely Planning Commission, as well as our town's successful voting coalition. Missing above are the community wrecking, Club For Growth types, whether they call themselves Democrats or Republicans.

Some of you must think that I'm sick, indeed, to be still thinking about politics after the Obamananza. Some of you may also think that November 4th settled everything. The election settled zero ideologically, and only guarantees that Obama will have an unusually free hand for at least the next two years until midterms. Such power on both ends of Pennsylvania Ave., will inevitably lead to hubris and overreach, and the pendulum swing of 2010 won't be a Democrat one. What has happened this year shows that because of the very strange times, all options are open. This is a fact to be both feared and welcomed. This could be a time of revolution or reformation. I'll hedge my bets with reformation. There are signs that we are on a road back to a time where community will once again matter, and America will return to being (in the words of Pat Buchanan) a "nation and not an empire". Our very precarious economic situation, will become the forge of a new politics. Whatever it may be called, a traditional conservative, green, and populist coalition, from the White House to the Ridgely House, would be in America's best interest.

Remembering Our Veterans

This Veterans Day, remember that our Veterans have given so much. With very uncertain times approaching, it's important to honor what they sacrificed.

Around our home, there are many mementos of those who served. They protected our nation and brought freedom to North Africa, Italy, France (twice), Belgium, and whether they wanted it or not, my German cousins. From left to right is Frank Martin Gearhart's uniform (World War II -- liberation of North Africa and Italy), Frank Tobias Gearhart's uniform (liberation of France, Belgium and Germany), Abner Gearhart's helmet and gas mask (World War I -- liberation of France), and Edwin Satterfield's uniform (World War I -- liberation of France).

God bless them all, and I hope they enjoy a round together this Veteran's Day in the great VFW in the sky.

All Options Possible With New Political Pardigm

A political paradigm is established when an election of such profound importance occurs that the political landscape is changed for a generation. Young people, in particular, attach themselves loyally to the ideology and party of the victor. 1932 was such a year for the Democrats and liberals with the election of Franklin Roosevelt. 1980 was such a year for Republicans and conservatives with the election of Ronald Reagan. What does 2008 and the election of Barack Obama mean?

First, it's not a triumph of liberalism. Senator Schumer ought to be reigned in by his colleagues before he tries to ban Rush Limbaugh and all conservative talk radio. This is one of a number of chest beating moves that will sink Obama. Obama won because of a brilliant campaign, candidate charisma that exceeds even Reagan, and the abysmal mess George Bush and the neo-cons have bequeathed America. Against such a combination, McCain, and particularly Palin, rallied all the troops that were possible on the conservative side.

Some of my friends and relatives voted for Obama, and they are not leftist ideologues. They were MAD AS HELL about "W". I didn't even vote for McCain in the Republican primary because of his associations with "W" and the neo-cons. Only good 'ole Sarah saved him for me by the general election.

The factors that will determine whether or not Obama has established a paradigm moment, are the extreme uncertainty clouding our future, and WHO Obama himself really is. All I can say about the uncertainty part is that, it looks as if we are about to live out the ancient Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times". On the other hand, who Obama is, will be the key to any shift among the political tectonic plates.

In my blog, I have certainly have raised questions about Obama's buddies from Chicago, and what this might mean about his character. I know very well that it's hard to be a saint in the city. I too, knew some very unsavory charactors in Philly, BUT they weren't my political mentors. I have also evolved ideologically, and categorically rejected the leftist world view that characterized my youth. Obama only rejected Messrs. Wright, Ayers, and Farrakahn when he ran for President.

Obama might just be an opportunist and not a committed leftist. Believe it or not, I hope for this outcome. He just did what he had to do to survive in the city. If, however, he is a committed leftist, God help us. He has the ability, due to his charisma, to use the bully pulpit, to at least temporarily enact a very leftist agenda. While I'm sure time and reality would overturn such a coup, living through the process may not be very pleasant.

What's the paradigm? Who knows. It's too early to tell if a new paradigm will come into being. In the meantime, I kind of like the one here in Ridgley where traditional conservatives and liberals, unite against the likes of the Club For Growth, the rapacious developers, and their bureaucratic allies, to keep our good 'ole Ridgely livable. If such a united entity were only possible nationally, I'd be the happiest blogger in the blogosphere.

Back To Ridgely -- The Carraige House Is Saved At No Expense To Taxpayers, The Growing Ridgely Budget Mess, And Thursday's Closed Budget Meeting

Monday night Buck Herzog's carriage house was saved and will be moved temporarily to Carol Dorr's property. NO RIDGELY TAX MONEY WILL USED TO MOVE IT. THE DEVELOPER WILL PAY THE MOVER DIRECTLY. Thanks to Commissioner Smith and former Commissioner Gearhart for all their hard work to save the carriage house and save expense to the Ridgely taxpayers. Thanks to Commissioner Hunter for having the common sense to vote for the authorization to proceed.

Meanwhile, the Ridgely financial fiasco is growing. No one likes to place blame, but it is very necessary because someone is going to have to pay for the mess we are in. The Ridgely financial fiasco could have been avoided. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WORLD FINANCIAL MARKET MELTDOWN. RIDGELY HAS LED THE WAY!

Do you want the newest numbers? According to the Town Manager himself (October 20th workshop), there has been $178,000.00 added to the already existing deficit. Despite MANY warnings to the contrary, the town administration spent money from developers that it did not have. There is no restraint on all kinds of spending. Where else have employees filled the tanks of the town cars they take home without accountability? Where else does a town not own an employee time clock? Where else does a town pay for what developers failed to do in a development? The bill from Lister Estates keeps growing and growing. The Town Manager's explanation that the cause for our problems was the trash fee removal and no tax increases, he's wrong. (Hmm...anyhow, I seem to recall that the "budget" flyer proclaiming "no new taxes" was kind of popular with some of the Town Manager's friends last town election.) There is no excuse. THE HIGHER HOME TAX ASSESSMENTS BROUGHT IN A HUGE INCREASE IN REVENUE. For us to be in such debt, clearly, somebody isn't doing their job on behalf of the Ridgley taxpayers.

Commissioner Hunter said at the October town meeting that this is the Commissioners fault. Sorry Chuck, I'm going to have to let you off the hook on this one. YOU AND ALL THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS PASSED BALANCED BUDGETS. HOWEVER, YOUR BUDGETS WEREN'T ADHERED TO. I think two of the Commissioners don't want to deal with reality. IF POSSIBLE, the simplest solution would be for the Town Manager to admit what's wrong, ISSUE A HEART FELT mea culpa, and come up with a plan that puts the Ridgely residents first. What is unacceptable is for business as usual to continue and we the residents foot the bill. Someone will have to pay. The red ink will not magically disappear. Do we keep on the wasteful way we've been going, or do we change? Do we increase our tax bills and water bills, or do we change the way the town administration does business? The town must stop it's wasteful spending instead!

Finally, Monday night it was announced at the town meeting that there will be a closed budget meeting this Thursday. This action will violate the Maryland Open Meetings Act. THE WHOLE MEETING CAN'T BE CLOSED. ONLY A PORTION CAN BE CLOSED TO DEAL WITH SPECIFIC PERSONNEL MATTERS OF A PERSONAL NATURE. More Fundamentally, why should a small town meeting be closed anyhow? At a national level, meetings are closed for national security reasons. However, it's not exactly like our Town Manager is fighting Al Qaeda here. Closed meetings will only increase growing citizen suspicions about the town administration. This is a Budget meeting and BUDGETS ARE PUBLIC INFORMATION. IT'S TAXPAYER MONEY AND WE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW HOW IT'S SPENT. We also need to know who is going to have their wages frozen and who may even be laid off. Loyal long term Ridgely town employees should not be victims of this fiscal failure. Services that benefit Ridgely residents should not be cut, and back door tax increases such as even higher town service fees should not be instituted. Stop the waste and start being accountable with the people's money. If layoffs and salary cuts are needed, the place to start is at the top. The town administration should never have allowed this to happen.

Paul Watson Satterfield - May 13, 1927 - October 26, 2008

Paul Satterfield left this earth today after a full life. He was a farmer from a family of farmers who have worked the land of Caroline County for generations.

He married the love of his life, Mary Ida Rampmeyer, and had four children, Carolyn, Nancy, Paul "Buddy" and Edwin "Fred". He had eight grandchildren, Miles and Molly Garrett, Abigail Gearhart, Evie and Chelsie Satterfield, and Kyle, Cody and Samantha Satterfield, and most recently, a great-grandchild, Holland Garrett.

He started his dairy herd on rented farms, and when he bought his own farm on Downes Station Rd., he and his family and friends, saddled up, and drove the the herd to their new home down Rt. 404 and Holly Rd. (Imagine doing that today!)

A kind and very generous man, Paul was also a great harmonica player -- a natural musician. Another member of our Greatest Generation has left us and gone to his reward. God bless him.

Moose Rap Lyrics

By popular request, I'm posting the Moose Rap Lyrics.

Alaska Moose Rap Lyrics
From Saturday Night Live with Sarah Palin.

"one two three
My name is Sarah Palin you all know me,
Vice president nominee of the GOP
Gonna need your vote in the next election
Can I get a “what what” from the senior section
McCain got experience, McCain got style
But don’t let him freak you out when he tries to smile
Cause that smile be creepy
But when I be vp
All the leaders in the world gonna finally meet me
How’s it go Eskimo
Eskimos
Tell me what you know Eskimo
Eskimos
How you feel Eskimo
Ice cold
Tell me tell me what you feel Eskimo
Super cold
I’m Jeremiah Wright cause tonight I’m the preacha’
I got a bookish look and you’re all hot for teacha’
Todd lookin fine on his snow machine
So hot, boy gonna need a go-between
In Wasilla we just chill baby chilla
But when I see oil, let’s drill baby drill
My country tis of thee
From my porch I can see
Russia and such
All the mavericks in the house put your hands up
All the mavericks in the house put your hands up
All the plumbers in the house pull your pants up
All the plumbers in the house pull your pants up
When I say ‘Obama’ you say ‘Ayers’
Obama. Ayers.
Obama. Ayers.
I built me a bridge - it ain’t goin’ nowhere.
Ohhh
McCain, Palin, gonna put the nail in the coffin
Of the media elite
She likes red meat
Shoot a mull humpin’ moose, eight days of the week [gunshots]
Now ya dead, now ya dead
Cause I’m an animal, and I’m bigger than you
Holdin a shotgun walk in the pub
Everybody party, we’re goin on a hunt
la la la la la la la la [gunshots]
Yo Palin, I’m out!
Lyrics from Trendhunter
Via The Mountain Sage

Sarah Palin Meets Tina Fey And The Moose Rap

This visit to SNL has been removed from the Youtube sites within the last hour. Who knows why -- but our Sarah walked into the lion's den and did well. Here it is on Toblog -- Sarah Palin goes to SNL - NYC.

http://www.watchfreeepisodes.com/sarah-palin-on-snl-video-heres-sara-palin-on-snl-video-from-saturday-october-18-2008-watch-sarah-palin-on-snl-on-10182008-finally-sarah-palins-on/3880/

Mickey Mouse And His Dog Too

Voting fraud in urban America is a well established fact. With the reports yesterday that Obama supporters from ACORN had registered Mickey Mouse, I want to tell you a story about the voting dogs in my old hometown of Philadelphia.

In 1993, there was a special election for the Pennsylvania Senate, which pitted Republican Bruce Marks, against 33rd Democrat Ward leader Bill Stinson. Republicans had recently taken a local State Representative seat(won by John Taylor)and the odds were good the Republicans could take the empty Senate seat too. It was the first run for Bruce Marks, who was in for a Baptism by fire.

Back in Philly, I was an urban activist just like Barack Obama was in Chicago. There was one big difference, I was by then, a conservative Republican activist -- a very rare bird, indeed, in inner-city America. I volunteered for election day duty, and was assigned by the 33rd Ward Republican Ward leader, Mark Cumberland, to the polling place in the recreation center next to the Carl Mackley Homes housing project. I was a certified poll watcher for the party, with the legal right of entry to the entire polling place. Before leaving with another volunteer, Ken Bell, Mark gave us a phone number to call if "we had any trouble". I remember thinking --hmmm... OK!?

When we arrived, we were immediately "welcomed" by the Democrat committeeman and election judge, both of whom looked like they would have made excellent extras in a Fellini movie. They weren't going to let us in, period. The committeeman (who would later be convicted of absentee ballot voter fraud),was particularly obnoxious. At about five inches from my face, he boasted loudly that, "this is my neighborhood and I know everyone, their mothers, and their brothers. I even know their dogs, and they are going to vote too".

Ken and I reasoned that our "welcome" might be what Mark meant by "trouble". We called the number and explained about the recent events. Within 20 minutes, two 18 wheelers arrived. The trailers were painted with American eagles and flags and a loudspeaker system was blaring God Bless America. It was the Teamsters, who were in this election, a Republican union. Out of the trucks marched 8 men who looked like they meant business. One of them asked "where is Toby Gearhart?" and I was happy to step right up. In the next few minutes, without any problem, Ken and I were able to march right into to polling place and look wherever we wanted. Sometimes, the freedoms that we take for granted need to be backed up by a bit of muscle.

That afternoon, there was only one, almost comic incident, when the Democrat candidate himself showed up on the scene. As he was leaving he muttered to me, "you know, I know some tough guys too".

Well, they couldn't save him this time. Bill Stinson's election was overturned by the court, and a number of Democrat committeemen and campaign workers throughout the area were convicted of voter fraud.

With the Teamsters by our side, we didn't witness any voter fraud that day. However, there was fraud committed there, but BEFORE voting began, with absentee ballots. (Who knows what else was planned until we showed up.) Besides outright intimidation, illegal absentee ballots were the preferred method of election theft throughout the district.

How many canine names were involved in total is hard to say. Click on below for the complete legal conclusion of the story:

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/1904058/Marks-v-Stinson

Stop A Ridgely Financial Fiasco Before It's Too Late

It's like watching a wreck about to happen. Ridgely's finances would be precarious even without the growing international financial meltdown. However, with the news today that American and world markets have put into question whether or not the bailout passed Friday will work, there is talk of complete collapse. We the residents of Ridgely will be hit with a double whammy if we go through with plans to build a new waste water treatment plant for the Ridgely Park development. We are depending on the developer to pay us back for this project. Does anyone really believe that there is now going to be a Ridgley Park?

We don't have to keep the $1.5 million loan and we don't have to continue soliciting bids for the work. And whatever the town does, it should not sign a contract for the work. We will be saddled with huge water bills and higher taxes as the world enters a time of financial meltdown.

I've sounded the alarm about how wrong this project has been from the start. A town should NEVER pave the way for development with tax dollars. The justification for it all came after the fact, after the letter from Maryland Department of Environment arrived, stating that the Ridgely Park project could not proceed until the $1.5 million portion of a waste water treatment plant upgrade was finished.

You don't have to take my my word for it. Read the report below. Of all the towns in Maryland, we are among the 6 listed with problems. The problems that the Auditors have pointed out can't be hidden with a smoke and mirrors budget. And, what does fiscal 2008 hold? Wake up Ridgely and make our elected officials take back the town government!

http://www.ola.state.md.us/Reports/Performance/Article19-2008.pdf

Political Prophets And The Bailout

Three former American Presidential candidates have consistently warned of the impending financial disaster facing America, Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul. Only Buchanan grudgingly accepted the President's now defeated plan. In a September 23rd article titled "An Amnesty For Stupidity" he writes: "Paulson may be right. To save the sheep who might have been wiped out in a general financial panic, we may have to save the pigs." Ross Perot has submitted his own plan to the public and Ron Paul, a Congressman, has voted against the bailout.

I'm one of those who grudgingly accepts the need to do something ASAP. No matter who is to blame, if the "machine" grinds to a halt, it will never in our lifetime start again. We only have one shot and time is rapidly running out. Hopefully a new plan can be brought to the floor by Friday. Otherwise, it really will be the "end of the world as we know it".

The Blame Game And Great Depression II

There are plenty of reasons for the financial mess we are in. There is a long history behind the crisis with plenty of bipartisan blame for all to share. Hearing Nancy Pelosi blame the whole thing on the Bush administration is a dangerous lie. She was spinning away Wednesday before the particulars of the bailout were put forward casting Bush in a Herbert Hoover redux role.

The immediate cause of our slow moving collapse, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the sub-prime mortgage crisis, can be laid directly on the Clinton administration's doorstep. It was that administration who through bureaucratic fiat, changed mortgage lending rules to the extent that they became non-existent. Race instead of credit worthiness became the top priority to qualify. The only good that might come from the massive sub-prime crisis will be that using race to qualify for a mortgage will now be discredited.

Also, on Capitol Hill, Republican Phil Gramm and his globalist, deregulation uber alles approach to markets opened the door to the gambling man ethic that seized Wall Street. And yes, John McCain, went along with him on this too(only the grace of Sara Palin and Obama's extreme Left record will protect him on this one come November).

All the above, doesn't let us off the hook. We the people are to blame for electing the leadership of this country. And, there have been voices crying out in the political wilderness. Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul have certainly been sounding the alarm for years(yours truly is now quite proud of himself for voting for each of them). Unfortunately, the fate of the old Biblical prophets was usually death, and in the modern political arena, all three of our contemporary political prophets have also met with the equivalent of political death.

Meanwhile, back in Ridgley, we at least won't all continue fighting over development. What's starting to look like Great Depression II will take care of that problem because there won't be anymore development. We will, however, have to figure figure out how to pay back all the money we just borrowed to pay for the ghost of development past, Lister Estates, as well as for the ghosts of the now dead future developments. Yes sir, I can hear it resonating in my mind like one of those commercial jingles that won't leave you alone: " we promise that the the taxpayers will never pay for development". Yup, and I have a "bridge to nowhere" to sell anyone who believes that one.

Frank Gearhart

Frank Gearhart walked this earth from 2/16/1924 until 10:00 PM 9/9/08. He was something. My father loved us and loved America. Every day there are fewer and fewer of this greatest generation left among us. He accomplished so much that I don't know where to begin -- from father to provider to patriot. He lined up to enlist the day after Pearl Harbor and fought for our country during the Second World War from D-Day to the liberation of Dachau. He never let me forget that our American freedoms were earned at great sacrifice, and always encouraged us to keep on fighting for the American dream. This Christian soldier is now with the God he served so well.

A memorial to my father is linked below right on my "Links To The World".

The Complete Cyber Gaming Parlor Story

I don't expect the "Times-Record" to take our side, but I do expect that the residents of Ridgely get the WHOLE story about a proposed cyber gaming parlor. Both recent articles in the "Times-Record" have missed huge parts of the story, making our Planning Commission look unreasonable.

First, the proposal for the parlor was received (via our meeting information packets) a couple of days before our July meeting, in the form of an advertisement for a business that was to open August 4th -- a done deal! The Planning Commission never heard of the proposal and the Town Manager has since said that he didn't see any problem with it. The ad was for a 24/7 cyber gaming parlor aimed at getting customers here from the Western Shore. A 24/7 ANYTHING would be controversial, but a cyber parlor where games might be played including virtual rape, and other extremely violent themes, would be about as welcome as a strip club or a toxic waste dump. Again, we knew nothing about the proposal or the businessman, except that he was the grandson of a developer who has been operating in Ridgely for about a year. The Town Manager does NOT have the authority to approve such ventures.

Second, this area in question is not your usual industrial zone. It's an area for light industrial activity that has been grandfathered into the surrounding residential area. This is why the planning commission has authority to regulate any activity that would do harm to the surrounding neighborhood. If we fail to do our jobs, our neighbors will suffer because of a diminished quality of life and declining home values. The Planning Commission members are members of the community and take their responsibility seriously. The developers and their administration supporters aren't from Ridgely; those of us who live here, and are real stakeholders in our community, need to be heard.

Because of the Planning Commission, community concerns have been heard. The original proposal has been altered. It is not going to be a 24/7 operation and violent sexual content will not be allowed. A security plan will be outlined so that our taxpayer supported police aren't stuck with babysitting this business. The proposal was tabled a second time because we want the business proposal in writing. This is normal procedure. Our town attorney and the developer's attorney are to get together and put together a written proposal that will address the legitimate community concerns. From this, the Planning Commission will have something concrete with which to work. We are simply doing our jobs on OUR community's behalf.


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Stop The Spin -- Save Buck's Stable/Carriage House

Photo by Abigail Gearhart

This building is all that remains of Buck Herzog's Ridgely estate. A former Ridgely resident, Buck was a champion baseball player (career 1908 - 1920) playing for the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Braves. As many of you know, the building must be either moved or demolished to make way the planned Ridgeway Estates development. The building is in great shape and can be moved.

When the development was being planned, then commissioner, Nancy Gearhart, approached the developers(July 2007) about preserving the structure and they committed $8,000.00 to the effort. This amount was included in the Public Works Agreement approved by the Ridgely Planning and Zoning Commission. A place has been found for the building in Ridgely's railroad park and J.O.K. Walsh, Caroline County Historical Commission Chairman, will be able to secure additional funds for the move and maintenance.

Everything, is just hunky dory, right? WRONG! Once again, our Town Manager playing the role of Ridgely's very own "decider", has committed the money to fixing his budget instead of Buck's stable /carriage house. Nowhere in the agreement does it state that it may be applied to the General Fund. Further more, the Town Manager has been quoted as saying that without the $8,000.00 in the General Fund, he could be forced to go to the Commissioners to ask for a tax increase. I'm as against a tax increase as anyone. However, the $8,000.00 wasn't HIS to USE to fix the budget mess to begin with. And, since this $8,000.00 isn't tax money, using it is not the kind of spending that should lead to a tax increase anyhow. If there is a tax increase needed, it's because of the $162,716.00 that our budget is STILL off as result of the money "borrowed" from water/sewer for the General Fund last year(it's been carried over to this fiscal year).

It would seem to me that the reason that the Town Manager is fighting moving the stable is because he needs the money. I certainly agree that he needs some money! However, he alone isn't the "decider" here. We need to do all that we can to hold on to this piece of Ridgely's past.

Let's deal with this issue honestly and stop the spin and save the stable/carriage house for our "heritage park" in the railroad park.

Ramblin Blog

Here are two American classics -- a 1931 Davenport locomotive and a 1966 Coronado II Fender guitar -- brought together by yours truly. (Do I count as a classic too? I'm certainly old enough.) I did every railroad song I know while staying in a nearby caboose during our vacation in Catawissa, PA. The Catawissa Railroad Caboose hotel is a great get away and it's near Knoebels amusement park.

Meanwhile, Obama marches on. He looked very "Kennedyesque" speaking before swooning Berliners. In his very BEING, he represents an America that has finally come together. As Bruce Springsteen recently said: "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years". OK, Bruce, I'll grant you that. I too, want to finally put to rest our sad racial divide and Obama is a physical manifestation that we are becoming one people. YET, no matter how much my HEART may find this candidate the fulfillment of an ideal, my HEAD won't have any of it. Obama's positions on the issues are the classic 60's liberalism, which TIME has thoroughly DISCREDITED. It's as if the "Great Society " hadn't crashed and burned. It's also as if Ronald Reagan hadn't come along to lead us down a more Constitutionally correct road.

2008 is even made a more difficult choice by the very flawed Republican nominee. John McCain seems to flaunt his contempt for traditional conservatives and certainly has been wrong on so many issues from immigration to "free trade". The only thing his candidacy might offer is a Supreme Court justice.

Certainly, this is the strangest election during my lifetime. The conventional wisdom that Obama was a political light weight was wrong. His political skills are excellent, he is charismatic, and looks like the probable winner. What a shame for America that ideologically he stands for the policies that gave us dysfunctional families and cities, as well as our globalized "McEconomy".

1968

There is plenty of analysis and even nostalgia for the for the year that for better AND worse set the West on its current path.

As I think of times and places of importance in my life, 1968 ranks high. I was 14 and living down the road from the very counterculture dominated Guilford College. In the middle of the then very traditional North Carolina, this "hippie freak show" was a sight to see. See it, I did. Daily, I would bicycle there to hang out and listen to local bands such as "Electric Lather" as they did their renditions of "new" songs such as "Happiness is a Warm Gun" or "Stray Cat Blues". It amazed me that anyone had the audacity to play the sacrosanct songs of the Beatles or Stones.

For my 1968 birthday, I was given my first guitar, a "Silvertone" (Sears) acoustic. I'd haul this instrument of torture with strings that seemed to be at least an inch above the fretboard everywhere. One friend, Alan Thornton, who later would become a guitarist for "Nantucket", taught me my first riff, "Wipe Out". Later, when I brought over an amazing sounding 45, "Sunshine of Your Love", he figured it out and taught it to me too.

It was the politics of the time and place that also caught my attention. Guilford students were routinely protesting in the streets of the small town of Guilford (now part of Greensboro). Vietnam was, of course, the main issue. However, even our local barbershop was the target of a protest when its barbers said to a reporter that they couldn't and wouldn't cut a black man's hair. The barbershop was boycotted for weeks. However, the impact a bunch of longhairs boycotting a barbershop was minimal.

It was the quest for individual freedom (you know,"life, liberty and the pursuit happiness"), the anti authoritarian and decentralized vision of the "good" government, that appealed to me then and now. This was the more libertarian and even conservative side of the counterculture. The term "conservative hippie" is appropriate and not an oxymoron within this context.

On the other hand, the counterculture collectivists and cultural Marxists (who would spawn political correctness)of the hard left, held no promise to me. When Johnny Lennon sang "if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't going to make it with anyone, anyhow", it was "alright" by me.

It was McGovernite liberalism AND elements of countercultural libertarianism that held sway in my mind for years.

In another time and place, Philadelphia, 1988, the liberal part of my 1968 weltanschauung was shattered. I had moved back to Philly, and my wife and I were renovating a boarded up graffiti covered house. There, in my grandmother's old neighborhood, Kensington, which once proudly boasted the moniker, "workshop of the world", reality collided with liberal theory. There, the liberal political policies and programs that I thought would usher in the "new age", had wrecked the old neighborhood. Drug dealers and junkies "did their thing". And, each new government program delivered by parasitic ward healers, seemed to eat away at what was left of the neighborhood's social fabric. Even worse, a de facto coalition of liberal activists, real estate brokers and drug dealers,(each pursuing their own very different agendas), were united against people like us. We were to them, "evil gentrifiers", to be stopped no matter what. They won.

As for the legacy of '68, I've kept a guitar as a constant companion over the years. In yet another time and place, Washington, D.C., 1985, a guitar even played matchmaker when I met my future wife while playing it in a park.

Politically, the more libertarian conservative side of the counterculture still remains with me. I strongly oppose creeping authoritarianism in our government and the increasingly centralized bureaucratic control of our lives.

Many other aspects of the '68 social and political revolution, however, did serious damage. Much of the pre-1968 American tradition that I grew up with, is gone forever. Now, as a father struggling to keep the more insidious spin offs of '68 away from my daughter, my nostalgia grows for a time and place before 1968.

Political Commercials Go To The Dogs

Mark Funkhouser, mayor of Kansas City, is no stranger to controversy. The developers love to hate him and the International County/ City Management Association (ICMA -- basically a town manager union) has profiled his conflicts with the Kansas City town manager -- rooting (surprise) for the town manager. He's an interesting pol who just might be doing what he was elected to do.

He used this great commercial during his election campaign which is linked below. (It's set up a bit different and you just click on "menu" at the right bottom of the video to start.)
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid595556248/bclid596410507/bctid595138480

A Wake Up Call From Ross Perot

If you are like me, you are very worried about where our country is headed. Ross Perot was right back in the 90s and much of what he warned about has become true. We should listen to him now for a change. He is back with his charts at: http://perotcharts.com/

Jeremiah Wright Meets Willie Horton

Right now, as I blog away, I'm sure that there is a camera whirring away (well, they don't whir anymore, but you get the picture) making an ad that hangs Barack Obama's preacher around his neck. We'll see Rev. Wright hourly throughout the fall making Willie Horton look like a choir boy. I'm also sure that similar ads will be running hanging the "Keating 5" around John McCain's neck. In the scheme of things, the weight of Rev. Wright will weigh heavier on Obama. Despite his statements to the contrary, Obama runs a major risk of being "swiftboated". In the eyes of many Americans, Rev. Wright is a racist, and Obama's guilt by association will be a major influence on how the majority of the electorate will vote.

Is this unfair? No, and I didn't think that the Genesis of "swiftboating" four years ago was unfair either. Enough facts were out there to make a case that a candidate for commander in chief was unfit for duty. The public has a right to know. The former gatekeepers of information, such as the TV network news broadcasters, weren't going to break the story. Therefore, I'm glad that other individuals stepped up to the plate and presented the information to the public.

Does this mean that I like the increasingly shrill tone of our political campaigns? No, but I'm not going to hold my breath and wait for a campaign where candidates debate how far they intend to stray from, or return to, the vision of our Republic outlined on the Federalist Papers. What we have now is imperfect, but certainly better than returning control of information to the mainstream media gatekeepers.

At the local level, things are different and the old information gatekeepers still hold sway. Because of the expense, no one is going to advertise in the Salisbury media market to win a Ridgely election. What is now starting to happen, however, is that free blogs and podcasts are providing local candidates the opportunity to make their case. The "everyman" running for office now has the means to an end run around expensive media markets and other information gatekeepers.

Some of this might be termed "negative" campaigning. However, candidates for local office are just as likely to be flawed and the public has the right to know the whole story about those seeking our votes. Because there is no media access, local politicians can often rest "on their laurels" earned from years in the community performing some service well with a local institution. Unfortunately, good service in one area of endeavor doesn't guarantee competence in the civic/political arena. For instance, if a local candidate or office holder states that "if we take out a loan, we won't be in debt anymore", they need to be held accountable. Candidates also need to have a means to get their message out and counter the all to common whispering campaigns that plague local politics. In all of this, blogs mean access and information for voters.

Technology in the service of democracy is never a bad thing.

Sour Grapes Vs. The Whole Truth!

It was heated at the Commissioner's meeting tonight and events pertaining to the recent election are still being discussed. At issue was the recent Town Manager "press release".

Some simple facts will set the story straight about the proposed '09 Budget "press release" from the Ridgely Town Manager the weekend before the election.

It all started when an email was sent out to all three Commissioners, 9:08 AM, April 24th, from the Town Manager, stating that "the attached has been forwarded to the media". Commissioner Gearhart emailed back that this was wrong and premature since the Commissioners hadn't even seen a draft of the budget, and asked him to retract the "press release". As the Town Manager was unavailable, Gearhart notified the press to clarify that the Commissioners hadn't yet seen this so called draft budget. Then, at 12:02 came another email from the Town Manager saying that "Chuck and Linda OKd". HOWEVER, you can't call such an email "vote" OFFICIAL, since such an action would VIOLATE the Maryland Open Meetings Act. The press did not print the Town Manager's "press release", writing that "to cover it would be imprudent".

The bottom line: WHY THE RUSH? If this "press release" was truly what it pretended to be, why would it matter if it was released the 24th or TODAY? Speaking of today, why wasn't the budget proposal in evidence at tonight's town meeting? The town meeting IS the time and place to consider this issue. The absence of any proposal tonight speaks volumes about the politics of the "press release".

Progressive Politics

I'll use this May Day to reclaim the the term Progressive. All too often, it is a word that is used by the left and has collectivist connotations for many of us.

The Progressive movement at its height at the beginning of the 20th century included many Republicans and conservatives. Teddy Roosevelt, for example, was a leader of the Progressive movement. The focus on promoting the people's interests over large monopolistic corporations led to much legislation that we take for granted today.

Today, at the international, national and local levels, we find an array of forces and trends which are compromising the voice and interests of the average middle class American. For example, our jobs are being out sourced because of "free trade", while both legal and illegal immigrants come and take the remaining jobs. My own brother-in-law, a computer programmer, must watch as his American co-workers are forced to train "H-1B" visa immigrants to do their jobs. He is the last one left in his department, and has every reason to believe he'll be next.

We always need to look at who benefits from such phenomenon, and in all the above, it's the multi-national corporations and their insatiable need for cheap labor. The situation today is similar to the one a hundred years ago when corporate driven changes were threatening the social good.

Only a few lonely voices such as Ralph Nader on the left, or Pat Buchanan on the right, have consistently criticized the growing dispossession of Middle America. (Their common ground is intriguing, and despite their differences on social issues, could contain the seeds of a wide ranging progressive renewal.)However, few will now take on sacred corporate cows such as "free trade". And, when a mainstream figure like Lou Dobbs begins to raise his voice, look at how he's tarred and feathered as an extremist, isolationist, or even a racist. It's a hard road ahead for those fighting to regain control over our fate.

At the local level, I am gratified to see a functioning coalition composed of both conservatives and liberals, which I call progressive. It puts the people's interests ahead of the interests of corporations, developers and their administration allies.

Of course, many people voted in the recent election for a candidate that they simply liked or found personable and competent. However, many of us were aware of the stakes involved here. Many of us voted not only because we like Kathy Smith, but to keep an open, citizen oriented government, to serve the interests of the residents of Ridgely.

Kathy Smith Wins With The Most Votes In Ridgely History

You "Can't Buy Me Love(or elections)" in this piece of small town America. Kathy Smith has WON. The vote was 132 to 124 and her total is the highest in town history. The Progressive tradition which puts the people of our town first has triumphed! Jare Wallace must be smiling down on Ridgley tonight.

Can't Buy Me Love (Or Elections)

This Commissioner election has witnessed unprecedented spending by candidate Portia Dunst. So far, there have been three Portia Dunst mailings. Besides the cost of printing, one was a letter at 41 cents postage per voter and the other two postcards at 26 cents per voter postage. With 432 registered voters that comes to $401.76.

Two of the mailings were promoting a campaign rally at the Medifast office in Ridgely. Despite all the expensive publicity, few showed.

Their type of lawn sign/posters are printed on both sides and cost (with their stands) more than $6.00 each. Dunst posters are everywhere in the town's public spaces and a few at homes. And, of course, there is the pick-up truck with the huge and expensive sign trolling about town. Total spending could easily top $1000.00. While this is astronomical for the average Ridgelyite, it's nothing when you have a corporation to lean on as Dunst, a manager of Medifast, does. Most of her signs are at a handful of employee houses and according to my observations, her main and nearly only campaign "volunteer" is an employee of Medifast.

In the past, I know that elections cost very little. Commissioner Gearhart spent about $40.00 for photocopies and signs -- volunteers on the "shoe leather express" did the rest. Today, I know Kathy Smith won't be spending anywhere near the amount of her opponent. She doesn't have a large corporation behind her. She does , however, have concerned Ridgely citizens and her supporters are helping out buying some single sided signs or making and painting larger signs, printing brochures on their PCs and going door to door.

In another unprecedented move, the Dunst campaign has been distributing a Town Manager "press release" that he rushed out Thursday. His statement is a budget proposal which the Commissioners of Ridgely have NEVER SEEN! Our town budget is $162.716.00 off because of money borrowed from the water/sewer fund. I don't think that the money to solve this problem magically showed up in Ridgely. What I do think, is that the Town Manager is playing politics in our Commissioner race, painting a rosy and UNREAL picture of the town's situation. The Town Manager's rush to get the "press release" out, and the Dunst campaign's massive (this was a huge and expensive color print job) use of it, shows that this episode is really about electing a cheerleader for the Town Manager to our Commission.

In terms of campaign spending, our town is witnessing a David and Goliath like struggle for what has been a progressive Commission seat. We the people still have a chance. We are still a small town, and the TRADITIONAL means of getting elected Commissioner will prevail over big money. Kathy Smith is our "David" and she's going to win the campaign battle for Ridgely!

Kathy Smith For Commissioner

Often our elections are a sad choice between a lesser of two evils. This year is different. This year we have a choice with Kathy Smith. She is clearly committed to the residents and taxpayers of our town. She will be a strong commissioner dedicated to our best interests. Below is her letter to the citizens of Ridgely. Click on it to view it and click on "Ctrl. +" to enlarge it more.



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Thank You Nancy Gearhart!

This press release is just in from my favorite commissioner:

RIDGELY TOWN COMMISSIONER NANCY GEARHART STEPS DOWN


“It’s time to take a break” says Nancy Gearhart. I have worked very hard serving Ridgely and its Citizens for six years and it’s time to take a break to be a mother and wife. As I look back, the accomplishments have been many through these challenging and changing times for Ridgely. It has not been easy as I have participated in countless workshops, seminars, and meetings and spent many long nights at the computer to prepare myself for the difficult decisions and to create alternative methods to address particular issues. Through all this I have always kept in mind that I am a Commissioner for the people. It is the citizens’ town and I represent them at the table!

I plan to stay involved in the town. There is much unfinished business that I need to follow through with. I will continue to participate in meetings of the various boards and commissions with the ever helpful town, county, and state staff. I would like to return to the Ridgely Planning & Zoning Commission when the opportunity arises.

I have not made it through these past 6 years alone. I thank all my loyal supporters for sticking by me through thick and thin and for voicing their opinions on issues to give me guidance. I’ll never be able to repay my babysitters and friends who have been there at the drop of a hat. And most of all, I thank my 11 year old daughter, Abigail, and my husband, Toby, for all the dinners they have prepared, homework they have struggled through, and keeping our household together in my absence.

As always, my door continues to be open to anyone who has concerns, questions, or issues they would like to discuss regarding our wonderful town.

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True "Blue" Obama

There have been hints as to what Obama is really about by the company he keeps. The "G-d America" "Rev." Wright and even his "proud of America the first time" wife, Michelle Obama, set off alarms. Obama himself, however, has projected a carefully crafted image that is neither "blue" nor "red". On the strength of an excellent PR job, he has avoided having to account for the fallout that usually would come with the most liberal voting record in the Senate.

His recent "bitter cling to" speech changes all of that. In the world of "us" vs. "them", Obama clearly isn't one of us. Those of us who believe in the 2nd amendment, or are religious or think that our borders should be protected or that "free trade" is a farce, are from his perspective, simply bitter simpletons. Our unhappiness about our government's apparent deafness to our very legitimate concerns about America, are in his "Davos-land" world view, the product of angry irrational animosity.

"Change, change and more change" turns out to be only a mantra to fool us into voting for more of the same.

Meanwhile, closer to home in Ridgely, the Commissioner election race is..... stay tuned...

Commissioners Vote For Loan Two To One

Only Commissioner Gearhart voted against the resolution for "intent to borrow" for a loan to upgrade our town spray irrigation system. She opposes using taxpayer money for development regardless of how good a development is planned. Although there is still a chance that the actual approval could be turned down, it's unlikely. The road paved by our taxpayers will soon be open for the Ridgely Park development.

All along, I have maintained that this choice was between a lesser of two evils. Not taking out a loan and pursuing a more prudent path with grants (from sources other than MDE) would have taken longer and made it difficult for the Ridgely Park developers to hang on. I didn't want to lose Ridgely Park but some things simply cost too much. The danger to our citizens is a risk that seemed too high.

The route taken last night leaves many questions unanswered and could cloud Ridgely's fiscal future. It's like we are heading out on a trip without a road map. If Ridgely Park doesn't happen, the costs to our citizens will be high. The vote does, however, mean that the town has done all it can do as quickly as possible to ensure Ridgely Park's survival.

I always try to find good in every situation. In this case, the "good" is in the fact that it's a well planned traditional neighborhood development that is more likely to become reality. Ridgely has certainly rolled out a (risky and costly) red carpet.

Life And Death In The Blogosphere

Blogging is taking on a life of its own. Below is a fascinating article about stressed out bloggers by Matt Ritchel that appears in the April 6th New York Times.

Of course, blogs are contributing mightily to the decline of the NYT and other newspapers. The NYT and most of the mainstream media (MSM) are probably more than happy to highlight any downside to blogging.

As for the stress here.....nah. Stress on my part, isn't from blogging. This blog is hardly 24/7 or that $$ oriented. Stress or lack of sleep bothers me only in so much that I worry about the issues that I blog about. Issues such as the upcoming vote for a loan of $1.5 million have me and others more than a little worried about our future. We are about to become a cautionary tale for small town America. We are about to become a fully made member of the development dependency complex. Anyhow, back to the blogoshere.....

In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop
By MATT RICHTEL
SAN FRANCISCO — They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home.

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.

Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people obviously does not qualify as an epidemic. There is also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their deaths. But friends and family of the deceased, and fellow information workers, say those deaths have them thinking about the dangers of their work style.

The pressure even gets to those who work for themselves — and are being well-compensated for it.

“I haven’t died yet,” said Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, a popular technology blog. The site has brought in millions in advertising revenue, but there has been a hefty cost. Mr. Arrington says he has gained 30 pounds in the last three years, developed a severe sleeping disorder and turned his home into an office for him and four employees. “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen.”

“This is not sustainable,” he said.

It is unclear how many people blog for pay, but there are surely several thousand and maybe even tens of thousands.

The emergence of this class of information worker has paralleled the development of the online economy. Publishing has expanded to the Internet, and advertising has followed.

Even at established companies, the Internet has changed the nature of work, allowing people to set up virtual offices and work from anywhere at any time. That flexibility has a downside, in that workers are always a click away from the burdens of the office. For obsessive information workers, that can mean never leaving the house.

Blogging has been lucrative for some, but those on the lower rungs of the business can earn as little as $10 a post, and in some cases are paid on a sliding bonus scale that rewards success with a demand for even more work.

There are growing legions of online chroniclers, reporting on and reflecting about sports, politics, business, celebrities and every other conceivable niche. Some write for fun, but thousands write for Web publishers — as employees or as contractors — or have started their own online media outlets with profit in mind.

One of the most competitive categories is blogs about technology developments and news. They are in a vicious 24-hour competition to break company news, reveal new products and expose corporate gaffes.

To the victor go the ego points, and, potentially, the advertising. Bloggers for such sites are often paid for each post, though some are paid based on how many people read their material. They build that audience through scoops or volume or both.

Some sites, like those owned by Gawker Media, give bloggers retainers and then bonuses for hitting benchmarks, like if the pages they write are viewed 100,000 times a month. Then the goal is raised, like a sales commission: write more, earn more.

Bloggers at some of the bigger sites say most writers earn about $30,000 a year starting out, and some can make as much as $70,000. A tireless few bloggers reach six figures, and some entrepreneurs in the field have built mini-empires on the Web that are generating hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. Others who are trying to turn blogging into a career say they can end up with just $1,000 a month.

Speed can be of the essence. If a blogger is beaten by a millisecond, someone else’s post on the subject will bring in the audience, the links and the bigger share of the ad revenue.

“There’s no time ever — including when you’re sleeping — when you’re not worried about missing a story,” Mr. Arrington said.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we said no blogger or journalist could write a story between 8 p.m. Pacific time and dawn? Then we could all take a break,” he added. “But that’s never going to happen.”

All that competition puts a premium on staying awake. Matt Buchanan, 22, is the right man for the job. He works for clicks for Gizmodo, a popular Gawker Media site that publishes news about gadgets. Mr. Buchanan lives in a small apartment in Brooklyn, where his bedroom doubles as his office.

He says he sleeps about five hours a night and often does not have time to eat proper meals. But he does stay fueled — by regularly consuming a protein supplement mixed into coffee.

But make no mistake: Mr. Buchanan, a recent graduate of New York University, loves his job. He said he gets paid to write (he will not say how much) while interacting with readers in a global conversation about the latest and greatest products.

“The fact I have a few thousand people a day reading what I write — that’s kind of cool,” he said. And, yes, it is exhausting. Sometimes, he said, “I just want to lie down.”

Sometimes he does rest, inadvertently, falling asleep at the computer.

“If I don’t hear from him, I’ll think: Matt’s passed out again,” said Brian Lam, the editor of Gizmodo. “It’s happened four or five times.”

Mr. Lam, who as a manager has a substantially larger income, works even harder. He is known to pull all-nighters at his own home office in San Francisco — hours spent trying to keep his site organized and competitive. He said he was well equipped for the torture; he used to be a Thai-style boxer.

“I’ve got a background getting punched in the face,” he said. “That’s why I’m good at this job.”

Mr. Lam said he has worried his blogging staff might be burning out, and he urges them to take breaks, even vacations. But he said they face tremendous pressure — external, internal and financial. He said the evolution of the “pay-per-click” economy has put the emphasis on reader traffic and financial return, not journalism.

In the case of Mr. Shaw, it is not clear what role stress played in his death. Ellen Green, who had been dating him for 13 months, said the pressure, though self-imposed, was severe. She said she and Mr. Shaw had been talking a lot about how he could create a healthier lifestyle, particularly after the death of his friend, Mr. Orchant.

“The blogger community is looking at this and saying: ‘Oh no, it happened so fast to two really vital people in the field,’ ” she said. They are wondering, “What does that have to do with me?”

For his part, Mr. Shaw did not die at his desk. He died in a hotel in San Jose, Calif., where he had flown to cover a technology conference. He had written a last e-mail dispatch to his editor at ZDNet: “Have come down with something. Resting now posts to resume later today or tomorrow.”

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Meetings On The $1.5 Million Question

There are two more meetings on the question of the loan request for the town's spray irrigation upgrade. Thursday, March 27, 2008, there will be a meeting at 7:00 PM in the Ridgely House devoted entirely to this question. And, Monday, April 7, 2008, there will be final discussion and a vote at the Commissioner's monthly 7:00 PM meeting at the Ridgely House.

Last night, the Planning and Zoning Commission met and the question dominated our meeting like a 900 pound gorilla sitting in the middle of the room. We all wanted to know how we got into this position and had voted for a Developers Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (DRRA) that doesn't cover all the costs of development. No matter how good a development might be, our citizens SHOULD NEVER PAY FOR DEVELOPMENT. The question of the spray irrigation upgrade could have been addressed in the DRRA in a way that would have required the developer to make the upgrade first.

Commission member Martin Sokolich brought up the fact that the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) has recently been more strictly enforcing its regulations. Municipalities are no longer being allowed to do what was once considered standard.

For my part, I APOLIGIZE FOR MY VOTE ON THE DRRA. We shouldn't be in the position that we are now in. Although not standard procedure, I should have gone to MDE myself. (In this case, only the Town Manager contacted MDE.) They should have been at our meetings. In the future, we will not consider contracts with developers without MDE.

The question now, however, is whether or not we should complicate a bad situation with a risky loan. The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! The only prudent course is to apply for grants to make the upgrade. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a program that could help. This, of course, might put Ridgely Park at risk because of the time involved. We have a classic choice here between the lesser of two evils.

No Higher Water Sewer Bills For Development!

Monday night the Ridgley Park developer did not come forward with the funding in advance for the spray irrigation system. They are, however, contractually obligated to pay for it if and when their project is well under way. This leaves the town with the choice of whether or not to borrow $1.5 million to build it ourselves for Ridgely Park.

We are being told that we've always had this "need" and we need to get the funding ASAP. Yet, we are still being told by the administration that our current system will hold an additional 247 homes. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! IT'S EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER.

IF I HAD ANY IDEA THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN, I WOULD NEVER HAVE VOTED FOR THE DEVELOPERS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AGREEMENT UNLESS IT CLEARLY STIPULATED THAT THEY WOULD UPGRADE OUR SPRAY IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN ADVANCE! I FEEL I'VE BEEN MISLED, NOT BY THE DEVELOPERS BUT BY OUR OWN ADMINISTRATION! WE SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS POSITION OF EVEN CONSIDERING A LOAN FOR DEVELOPMENT WHICH COULD RAISE WATER SEWER BILLS.

THERE IS STILL TIME TO STOP THIS TRAVESTY. NO VOTE ON THE LOAN HAS BEEN TAKEN. THE LOAN IS DANGEROUS TO OUR FISCAL FUTURE AND WOULD BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF OUR CITIZENS IF THEY REALIZED WHAT WAS GOING ON.

NO TAXPAYER MONEY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND NO INCREASE IN OUR WATER SEWER BILLS FOR DEVELOPMENT!!

No Ridgely Roulette!

The residents of Ridgely should NEVER have to PAY FOR DEVELOPMENT. Yet, there is now a proposal before the Commissioners to borrow $1.5 million to improve our spray irrigation system because the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) won't approve plans for our Ridgely Park project until improvements are made. Paying back the loan could COST RESIDENTS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WATER SEWER BILLS.

Improving the spray irrigation system is an idea that has been around a few years. However, it was NEVER CONSIDERED AN EMERGENCY. Money to pay for these improvements was included in the Developer's Rights and Responsibilities agreement (DRRA)negotiated between the developers of the 403 home Ridgely Park development and the town. Ridgely Park was to pay for phase I of the spray irrigation upgrade prior to the issuance of their 185th building permit, followed by the funding for phase II of the new spray irrigation system.

ONLY A FEW MONTHS AGO, OUR TOWN MANAGER WAS MAKING THE CASE TO MDE THAT OUR SYSTEM WAS FINE AND COULD ACCOMMODATE THE FIRST PORTION OF RIDGELY PARK AND SOME SMALLER DEVELOPMENTS TOTALING 247 UNITS.

NOW, WE ARE BEING TOLD THERE IS AN EMERGENCY AND THE TOWN NEEDS TO BORROW MONEY ASAP. What has happened? How in only a VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ARE WE FACED WITH AN EMERGENCY WATER SEWER PROBLEM? A letter to the town received from MDE dated February 15th stating that "any additional allocations should await the installation and successful operation of the newly configured spray irrigation system" highlights our problem. Some small developments totalling 27 homes are permitted but NO OTHER DEVELOPMENT WILL BE APPROVED UNTIL SPRAY IRRIGATION IMPROVEMENTS ARE MADE. This is the "EMERGENCY" and it means that it is obvious that the upgrade is to accommodate new development. This means that MDE grant funding is out of the question since there are no MDE grants made for development.

The Town Manager's solution is the quick fix or a loan for $1.5 million. Such a course of action is potentially catastrophic. Our budget is already way off target and the loan will be added to what we already owe for our existing system. This, of course, is going to be done with in the context of a record housing market slump.

Ridgely Park as noted above is contractually obligated to pay for the system upgrade. But, the agreement allows them 184 building permits for 184 houses on our current system BEFORE this obligation must be meant. Since MDE won't allow this, do we want to carry a $1.5 million loan hoping Ridgely Park stays through this point? If they walk, the debt is all ours.

This piece of ground will eventually be developed. If Ridgely Park leaves town it would be a shame for the town. Ridgely Park is an excellent concept put forth by people who have pioneered smart growth and traditional neighborhood development in Maryland. These people and their plans respect our community. However, RIDGELY PARK NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE and to make the improvements to our spray irrigation system FIRST, and not AFTER the 184th home.

GOING INTO DEBT IS A HUGE GAMBLE FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE HERE. THE TOWN MANAGER WHO PROPOSES THIS COURSE OF ACTION ONLY STAYS HERE A FEW NIGHTS A WEEK IN A RENTAL AND HASN'T BECOME THE STAKEHOLDER IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE HAD HOPED. He certainly won't feel our pain if he is wrong. In fact, the Town Manager can pick up and leave for another job anytime.

The Commissioners and Ridgely Staff will be meeting with the Ridgely Park developers Monday, March 17th at the Ridgely House at 6:00 PM. Commissioner Gearhart is opposed to taking out the $1.5 million loan. The best solution would be for the developers to include all the payments for the spray irrigation upgrade FIRST and not after the 184th home. Then, of course, the town would not need a loan. This, in fact, is the only solution to our problem that puts the residents of Ridgely first.

There are times in life when we all must take a stand. Let the Commissioners know that WE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE WANT THEM TO PUT RIDGELY FIRST. DON'T MAKE A $1.5 MILLION GAMBLE WITH OUR FUTURE. WE THE RIDGELY RESIDENTS DO NOT SUPPORT ANY LOANS FOR DEVELOPMENT!!

Quote And Unquote

Commissioner Gearhart is quoted in today's papers (Star Democrat and Times Record)as saying she would be "willing to pay $1 a day for her toilet to continue working". This is not what she said and a correction is in order. She along with many other residents of Ridgely question the need to pay a $1 a day more if there is no water sewer emergency. IF the 1.5 million loan request (which could lead to citizens paying more for water sewer)is for development, she opposes putting such a burden on town residents.

This is the big question before the town. The Developers Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (which the Planning and Zoning Commission negotiated with the developer of Ridgely Park) puts the burden of payment for the improvements to the spray irrigation system on the developer. Taking out a loan now puts the burden on us. Is there now an emergency situation which requires us to take out this large loan instead of waiting for the developer to do what they are contractually committed to doing?

A detailed blog post on this important issue is forthcoming.

Smoke And Mirrors Show At The Ridgely House (The Real State Of The Town)

Ridgely is heading in the wrong direction.

According to Maryland State auditors our town has borrowed $162,716.00 (pgs. 16 & 20, Ridgely 2007 Financial Report)from our water/sewer fund to keep the general fund afloat. This is despite the fact THAT THE COMMISSIONERS PASSED BALANCED BUDGETS! Don't let anyone around here "SPIN" it otherwise, the money will have to be paid back which will require major budget restraint and/or A WATER/SEWER RATE INCREASE to fix the problem.

Our problem is due to the fact that money is being spent as if all Ridgely's stalled development projects have been approved by the Maryland Department of Environment and were on schedule. This is despite the fact that THE COMMISSIONERS WERE ASSURED THAT FUTURE REVENUES FROM DEVELOPERS WEREN'T BEING SPENT.

So far, the only solution to the budget fiasco is a NEW AMENDED BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. SMOKE AND MIRRORS won't solve our problems. The proposed budget deletes the developer fees and adds a 1.5 million dollar loan instead.

A second serious and expensive problem comes from the ghost of developments past, Lister Estates. The streets there are STILL NOT FINISHED. Much of the developer bond was returned and the Commissioners were not told until after the fact! Now there is only $300,000.00 left. If the recent repair of 3rd street cost $150,000.00, clearly $300,000.00 is not enough to complete Lister Estate's streets if the developer walks. What is worse, is the fact that the developers of Lister Estates are claiming WE OWE THEM for the pavement of Walnut St. because of a VERBAL agreement with an earlier town administration. It will end up in a court fight and we will never get what we are owed. Well, guess who will have to PAY to fix this mess? Can anyone spell TAXPAYERS?

It was hoped that by having our Town Manager living here and making him a stakeholder in our community that we'd never face the type of problems outlined above. However, THE TOWN MANAGER STILL DOESN'T REALLY LIVE HERE. As many of you know, he's only at his rental address a few days a week. At how many public meetings did he make it clear that he knew what living here really meant? Over and over he told us that he and his family were looking for a home here. He clearly knows what was expected. Does he take us for fools?

If the Commissioners were to force the issue and it ended up in court, he probably would win. His rental address on a license would count toward establishing residency. Is this, however, how we should conduct business with someone we are supposed to trust? A couple of nights a week in a rental, and a new license, doesn't mean that he lives here or is a stakeholder in our community! If we can't trust him on this matter how can we trust him on other matters? Are we also being taken for fools with the smoke and mirrors budget proposals?

Whenever, Commissioner Gearhart starts raising heck about these and many other lapses, she is accused of not letting the "professionals" do their jobs. Well folks, someone needs to be paying attention and doing their job on behalf of the Ridgely taxpayers. ALL the Commissioners need to wake up to the fact that it's time for a bit of housekeeping up at the Ridgely House. I'm sure none of your households use the "Ridgely House method" of budget management! Commissioner Gearhart is firmly opposed to such fiscal funny business. Contact the other Commissioners or go to their meeting to encourage fiscal sanity. IT IS YOUR MONEY AND YOUR TOWN.

Finally, the REQUEST FOR A 1.5 MILLION DOLLAR LOAN for our waste water spray irrigation system (the whole story about this issue will appear on this blog as soon as all the facts are in)should be A SEPARATE ISSUE. It should NOT be considered as part of the above amended budget.