TOBLOG

2010-06-22T13:08:00.001-04:00

Tuckahoe Haiku

2010-03-15T12:26:00.002-04:00

little Paul runs behind old Edwin's plow
way down in Tuckahoe Neck where soil is rich and deep

a Spring shower waters seeds that they sow
and reveals old Indian stones for little Paul to reap

2010-02-26T10:07:00.001-05:00

Tuckahoe River And Old Railroad Bridge

2010-01-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

Year End Toblog Ramble

2009-12-29T19:14:00.004-05:00

I just got back from Philly, and I am thinking about all kinds of things my trip to my friend Trip's has made clear.

First, the decline of the Philly part of traditional urban America is over. Good 'ole Trip from Texas by way of Greensboro, lives in a part of Philly, where people like me would have gone to commit suicide not too many years ago. Beautiful row homes rise among the ruins and empty lots around Thompson and North 7th. In fact, a majority of the homes for blocks around are either new or renovated. Now, these aren't "evil gentrifiers" taking over to dispossess the urban poor. The whole host of the tapestry that makes America was to be seen in all of this wonderful development. Did I say "development"? Well yes, the hand of government both local and federal is quite evident here. From actual incentives to builders, to significant help to buyers, government has definitely been more than a midwife to this Renaissance. Face it, if both Democrats and Republicans are locomotives for big government, we the consumers of political BS need to be more selective as to which type of big government we want lording over us -- sorry Ron Paul, it's too late.

FACEBOOK! I love it! It has brought me back in touch with so many people, who I have actually now seen again after many years. Projects long ago abandoned that should have been continued, in music, or friendship, have come back to life. Those who say they don't have time for FB, should think again. In our uber mobile lifestyle, this cyber reunion is a great vehicle to restore community.

Good 'ole Ridgely did some house cleaning. P.T. Barnum was right that a "sucker is born every minute". From the look of what was governing our fair town, one was born every second. Well, Mumford and Co. have done some house cleaning, and the clowns were sent packing. Now, everything isn't perfect, but is anything in this world? The "house cleaning" does leave me with a problem, though. The foolishness that used to go on in town hall provided foil for many a Toblog article--nearly killed the Toblog bullmeter. Now that the circus has left town, I don't have nearly as much to write about. I'm sure, however, that something will surface and the comedy will continue. Happy New Year!

Bona Saturnalia

2009-12-17T16:26:00.003-05:00

Back in the day (753 B.C. to 390 A.D.),this year end celebration started on the 17th. The yearly celebration continued until public displays of pagan worship were banned by the emperor Theodosius. The date of the birth of Christ isn't clear, but the choice of December 25th was most likely seen as a way of co-opting this popular holiday into the Christian tradition. Anyhow, no harm in a little anachronistic merriment--bona Saturnalia!

Putting The Final Touches On Cambridge Mural

2009-10-14T10:55:00.003-04:00

Divorce!

2009-10-09T08:19:00.005-04:00

Did that title get your attention? The sad reality in this town is the fact that if Nancy and I were to be divorced, we could both serve on the town charter reform commission. Currently, we both can't serve since we are family. I love the way our town government is out in front promoting family values!

Originally, the question of family members serving together was brought up by our recently fired town manager. Although he proclaimed piously that he simply wanted to include more citizens on boards and commissions, many of us thought he was simply trying to exclude certain persons annoying to him and his agenda. Why the commissioners who fired this town finance wizard persist in this policy is beyond me. Could you imagine the uproar if the commissioners said that there can't be too many persons of color on a commission? Their position on the family is just as harmful to the social fabric.

Ridgely has come a long way in the 14 years that I have been serving on the planning and zoning commission. I'll never forget the debate on passing our first preservation guidelines which subsequently saved the endangered old homes on Central Ave. Yet, another town manager stood up and denounced us saying "ah hah, it is about preservation". Well, yes it was. I suppose he was trying to appeal to those who think preservation is a dirty word or would get in the way of developer profits.

A politician can appeal to our better or lesser angels. In Ridgely, the fallen angels local demagogues appeal to include the haters of anything old--everything from old homes to old trees. The difference between Ridgely and a Podunk is its traditions! It's sad the way our town is divided. The progressive coalition which protects the town's heritage, and small town quality of life, has barely won the last few elections and is always close to defeat by mediocrity.

Along with my wife, I have spent an enormous amount of time on this town over the years. There have been successes but only with constant vigilance. This has a price. I wonder how my daughter's life would be different if so many of my waking hours hadn't been spent worrying about the town? You don't want my services on the charter commission --well, throw me in the brier patch! I hereby resign all my other town commission positions too.

Of Charter Change, Couples Serving The Town, Awful Voting Choices; Impeachment

2009-10-04T02:28:00.014-04:00

(click on to enlarge)

We received the above letter along with our outrageous water bill today.

Some people in town have forfeited their right to an opinion. One of them is Commissioner Epperly-Glover. WHAT RIGHT DOES ONE OF THE TWO COMMISSION SUPPORTERS OF THE $1.5 MILLION LOAN FOR DEVELOPMENT DISASTER HAVE TO TELL ANYONE HERE WHAT THEY CAN OR CAN'T DO?? THIS IS THE LOAN THAT PUSHED OUR TOWN OVER THE CLIFF. NANCY AND I WERE THE BIGGEST OPPONENTS OF THIS $1.5 MILLION IDIOCY!

Maybe the first charter change should allow for impeachment. There are a lot of people in this town who think you should be IMPEACHED for you actions regarding the $1.5 million. But that REQUIRES charter change. And, of course, you don't want both of us to serve on the charter change commission despite our many years of service to this town both together and separately as elected or appointed members of the town commission, planning and zoning commission, tree commission, rails to trails committee, parks and recreation commission, and historic commission.

By the way, when are you going to post your new family values proclamation on the town hall door -- no couples need apply? (For more info on the disastrous loan see my June 12th post.)

Roman Redux ?

2009-09-24T06:47:00.002-04:00

America and the Roman Republic/Empire have each had an immense impact on their respective ages. We haven't yet been around as long as Rome, but taking into account modern time compression, our worldwide impact has been as enormous. We are loved, hated, and emulated.

Rome is also a cautionary tale, and the founding fathers constructed a republic of checks and balances in order to avoid the fate of the Roman Republic. Despite the founders best intentions, all my life, I've heard that we are becoming more "Roman" in many undesirable ways. My 6th grade teacher, for example, warned against American emulation of Roman "bread and circuses". Then, (in 1966) the reaction to LBJ's "Great Society" was setting in, and apprehension of welfare state supported decadence was starting to grow. What you don't like about Rome, or modern America, has as much to do with your own political perspective as anything.

Today, a whole host of books have recently come out making comparisons between us and Rome such as: "Are We Rome?:The Fall of a Empire and the Fate of America" by Cullen Murphy or "New Dark Age Ahead" by Jane Jacobs. Also, there a number analyzing the "fall" like: "The Fall of the Roman Empire: "A New History of Rome and the Barbarians" by Peter Heather or "The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization" by Bryan Ward-Perkins.

By the way, whether or not there was EVEN a "fall", or simply a "transformation", has been debated throughout my lifetime. Lately, the "fall" guys have been making a comeback. And, whether you believe there was a "fall" or not, ALSO depends a lot on your political point of view too. Like Pollyanna said: "..why, those German invaders were simply contributing to the multicultural diversity of Roman society.." Yes, of course, I get it now!

I do agree that there was a "fall", AND a "transformation" too. Your society would certainly be "transformed" if its government were to "fall" and be taken over by a horde of well armed barbarians.

Let's forget about the PC BS. We are not "all the same" and we have to ask ourselves how could such a group of backward barbarians take over the most advanced society on earth? Something must have gone astray with that society long before the Goths arrived in Rome. And, ever since Edward Gibbon, we've been trying to figure out even which questions to ask. Let's ask the main questions.

Let's start with sexual deviancy and orgies. (Now, I have your attention.) Was Roman moral corruption the culprit? Roman orgies and Satyricon like escapades are legendary. However, chronicles of the empire of sexual deviance occurred at the height of its prowess . By the time the Goths walked through the Salarian gate in 410(yes, "walked" -- the descendants of Caesar's legions opened the gate), Christian mores prevailed. Christian Bishops such as Ambrose, forced emperors such as Theodosius, to public penance a few years earlier for their excesses. (Caligula wouldn't have approved.) In a Christian sense, the Rome of Late Antiquity, wasn't decadent.

Was the problem one of the concentration of power in fewer and fewer hands? Such a problem certainly weakens a society's political culture. And, America certainly has a problem with the growing concentration of executive power. From the White House to town halls, power is increasingly held in executive hands. At the federal level, our government more and more resembles the Principate of Augustus, which preserved the appearance of a republic but concentrated all power in the emperor's hands. At the small town level, the "Imperial Presidency" is mimicked across America as more and more power is concentrated in executive hands under the pretense of "executive streamlining".

Or, is the problem one of a people who have given up and can't or won't defend themselves? Certainly, by the time of the late empire, Romans were scarce in the barbarian dominated legions. Romans were no longer fighters. Aetius was a loner. They had also given up on civic (curiale) activity and were the kind of sheep that we don't usually associate with the vigorous defense of anything.

America isn't there yet. Our military is a great barometer of realty and it's hardly a barbarized Roman entity. Overwhelmingly, our middle class supports our military. We, also, still volunteer to serve our local communities. We may be ignored or held in contempt by the rising tide of bureaucratic centralizers, and some of our political elite, but we can still mold our community's destiny.

The health of our middle American political culture, which is the backbone of the Republic, is no where near the Roman equivalent of Late Antiquity. What De Tocqueville appreciated and admired in 1835, is still alive locally. With our civic energy, we are unique in the world.

Today, we have no shortage of challenges and need this civic capital. Events like 911 or our current financial crisis would have already brought down a state whose people had ALREADY been reduced to grovelling serfdom.

Although we look less and less like the republic that the founders envisioned, with the machinery of Washington overwhelmingly in the hand's of the executive branch, our people, particularly the middle class, retain a strong sense of individual initiative and decency. We are still a vigorous people. We are not at all like the Romans of the LATE EMPIRE. Predictions that Americans would "open the gates" to an Alaric are a bit too premature.

Tip O'Neal was right when he said:"all politics is local". The federal reflects the local. This means that we need, however, to get to work in our communities, where ultimately, the American way will be won or lost. It is at home where our strength exists, and our renewal will begin, if our democratic experiment is to continue.

Thank You Kathy Smith

2009-09-23T07:19:00.003-04:00

Kathy Smith faces personal problems that take precedence over the political. Three members of her family have cancer and our prayers should be with her. Normally, giving up an elected office is self defeating, but not in this case.

I can't thank her enough for her role in SAVING our town from bankruptcy. Had she not stood alone (very Churchill like) our already staggering financial meltdown would have been fatal. Can you imagine what would have happened if the town manager's pick would have beaten her in the '08 election? (They deny it now, but please remember who was out and about campaigning for the town manager party that year when you pay your outrageous water bills. Those folks deserve to dwell in the political wilderness forever!)

Although she can't be replaced, and we will all miss Kathy, I hope that the commissioners will appoint someone of her calibre to finish out her term. Thank you Kathy!

Town Meeting Report -- Commissioner Smith Resigns

2009-09-21T21:43:00.004-04:00

Commissioner Kathy Smith has resigned her position as commissioner of Ridgely. There have been growing disagreements between her and the other commissioners. Although resigning my own planning and zoning commission position has tempted me, I do feel that elected officials should not resign and disregard all the supporters who put them in office -- sorry Sarah Palin. I know what a pain the job is. My late father in law, Paul Satterfield, advised against having anything to do with planning and zoning or town politics in general, observing that it's the best way to make enemies here....words of wisdom.

The scoop on Kathy will come in the Times Record interview due out Wednesday. In the meantime...the long awaited Ridgely Comprehensive Plan that protects our small town way of life was passed by both the planning commissioners and the commissioners. It took five years to craft this guideline for our town's future.

An all out shouting match then broke out between an irate citizen and the commissioners over the 30% waste water sewer rate in town. He was right! Unfortunately, the commission that is now in place didn't make the mess and is stuck with resolving an incredibly AWFUL fiscal problem. There can be no more layoffs to save money or the town will completely shut down. The only solution is for you and me to pony up and pay...sorry for this overall depressing news folks.

Painting En Plein Air Near Taylor's Island

2009-08-25T12:05:00.003-04:00

This is where I work. I took this on the way to Taylor's Island today. Most people not from the area would have no idea so much unspoiled beauty is so near the D.C. Metro area. In fact, the Capitol no fly security zone starts only 1/2 mile from here.

21 Years Ago Today -- July 30, 1988

2009-07-30T14:10:00.007-04:00

Philly Homesteaders
Originally uploaded by toby.gearhart

Waiting to see what became our first home on August 8, 1988. To quote a certain Mr. Garcia: "what a long strange trip it's been".

Musical Interlude

2009-07-09T16:54:00.005-04:00

The Beatles 2nd coming with Free As A Bird.

Busking Across Time And Space

2009-07-03T11:36:00.004-04:00

Street busking is where you can see and hear some of the greatest performances. Here are some of the best that I've seen.

Amerikanische Rockabilly in Muenchen....

A living statue in Marianplatz in Munich...

a Dane and daughter at Dupont Circle in D.C. .....

Blues at Dupont Circle in D.C. ...

me trying to steal the show in Lafayette Park, D.C. ...

WWTP "Cancer" -- The Real State Of The Town Report

2009-06-16T08:00:00.009-04:00

The following report is from the commissioner's meeting last night and sums up the dire straights our town is in. (click on report to enlarge.)

When Our World Was Young -- A Day In The Life

2009-06-13T12:57:00.004-04:00

A great video mix of my fav from the Fab 4.

The Day Of Reckoning Has Arrived

2009-06-12T07:50:00.008-04:00

I wrote the post below on March 15, 2008. Now, everything I feared would happen has materialized. There is no developer. We not only have the debt for the waste water treatment plant upgrade, but the former town manager's $238,000.oo deficit as well. And, don't forget this deficit preceded the global financial meltdown. It was made in Ridgely-- excuse me, Westover.

Our town's financial situation requires drastic action on the part of our commissioners. I want to remind everyone that commissioner Smith, and commissioner Gearhart before her, sounded the alarm to their apparently deaf fellow commissioners. Commissioner Mumford has been a vocal opponent of the fiscal foolishness long before being elected in April. Yet, the task of cleaning up after our former town manager has fallen on these two. We need to support both commissioner Mumford and Smith as they are forced to take drastic steps to salvage our town's finances.

No To Ridgely Roulette!

March 15, 2008

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!!

Remembering D-Day

2009-06-06T15:29:00.006-04:00

This is D-Day. I heard my Dad talk about it my whole life until he passed last September. Thanks to all of you who fought for this just cause.

Here in Caroline county we had a D-Day tribute put on by the Caroline County Historical Society at Linchester Mills which or Historical Society just renovated. Thank you J.O.K. Walsh, Mickey McCrea and the Historical Society for all the good work you do.

My father had his uniform and a video of him on display talking about that most important battle. Thank you Dad. (Click on the photo to see the details.)

Strawberry Festival Time

2009-05-25T10:31:00.008-04:00

It's Strawberry Festival Time in Ridgely. Every year the Ridgely Lions Club puts on this event that reminds us of the time when Ridgely proudly boasted being the strawberry capitol of the world. It was an old fashioned small town good time for all.

The Historical Society on the wagon...

My favorite strawberry blond wins the big prize from the Lions Club presented by the Reeps...

Hard at work on chicken lunch with MYF...

Ethan Thomas and Jenna Guthrie, the unofficial prince and princess of the festival...

The Schwab family and our Bonnie strawberry dog..of course, click on photos to enlarge...

FIRED!!!

2009-05-18T22:02:00.002-04:00

The Ridgely town manager was sent back to Westover at the commissioner's meeting tonight. Specifically, it's because of his failure to honor his contract and live here. As most of you know there are about 238,000 other reasons too.

All I can say is please never let us have to go through this again. The problems could have been solved a couple years ago. We the taxpayers of this town will pay a heavy price for more town management than we bargained for. At $80,000.oo, do we really need a town manager? Maybe it's time to reconsider the whole idea of the town manager.

God bless our courageous commission majority of Kathy Smith and Dale Mumford for the stand they have taken!

The Whole Constipation Blues Story

2009-05-18T06:37:00.009-04:00

Somewhere there must exist a recording of Big Bill Broonzy's Constipation Blues. Unfortunately, even in the age of the Internet, I have found no evidence of either a performance or the lyric. Yes, a Google search will yield up Screamin Jay Hawkins doing a tune about the same affliction but not the 12 bar Blues of legend.

About 40 years ago one of the kids I knew, Harry Hayes, would from time to time issue forth a tuneful statement in mock Blues format: "I got 'dem old constipation blues". Curious to the provenance of the line, he told me it came from a Chicago Blues musician named Big Bill Broonzy. Unfortunately, no one had the record.

Being a resourceful young man and appreciating the sentiment of a song about constipation, I thought about writing my own version. With my Silvertone acoustic guitar in hand I went over Mike Beane's house on Aycock St. in Greensboro, N.C. There also at the time was Alan Thornton, guitarist extraordinaire,(who would later grow up to play with Nantucket) with his Kay electric (a radical improvement over my Silvertone). Together we three produced a 12 bar paean to constipation. It's a standard E7, A7 and B7 blues -- no copyright infringement here. The verses wail about high school and our discontents and climax in the chorus:

Oh baby I'm constipated... I'm so full of it
Oh baby I'm constipated... sure wish I could do it
I got 'dem ole... constipation blues..

Mercifully, this marked the end of our song writing career. I have sung this gem around many campfires and other gatherings. Once at the Gettysburg Bluegrass festival, a friend, Maryanne Seifert, told us about someone at another campsite singing "my" song. An immediate search of the area did not yield up the body of this wandering minstrel. Who knows, maybe he was playing something close to the Big Bill Broonzy legend or maybe he had heard me wailing away earlier. It doesn't take a whole lot to pick this tune up and make it your own.

There you have it. If any of you Blues aficionados out there know any more about this legend feel free to add below. If any of the above characters I mention have an even clearer recollection of this story, comment away.

Town Meeting Report

2009-05-05T08:20:00.013-04:00

With a quick goodbye, former commissioner Hunter left the Ridgely House and Dale Mumford was sworn in. The crowd enthusiastically welcomed him and the change that he represents.

It was then on to the department and commission reports. After his report, commissioner Smith praised our new police chief Gary Foster for the changes he has implemented. Cathy Schwab reported that the Ridgely Historical Society raised $1547.00 over the past weekend with the 2nd annual Old Time Ridgely Days Festival in the Railroad Park. In addition, she reported on plans to establish a weekly farmers market in town in the very near future. Robin Eaton and public works were roundly praised and thanked for their efforts on behalf of the Ridgely Arbor Day activities.

The town manager's report elicited questions and opinions starting with the problem of bringing leachite from the new landfill to our waste water treatment plant. Strong opposition to this exists and few support the measure pointing out that any gain in revenues is cancelled by the risk. Martin Sokolich pointed out the fact that the spray fields are near the little league fields and wondered how we could justify such a risk to Ridgely's children. Commissioner Mumford expressed opposition to the idea worrying that we might find out too late about the hazardous makeup of the leachites after harm had been done to the town. Former commissioner Gearhart requested an info meeting on the issue.

Ridgely Park was finally declared dead and the Developers Rights and Responsibilities Agreement came into question. Dale Mumford asked whether or not it should be voided. Town manager Mangini then said he'd consult with our attorney. I added there was no need since Jack Hall, the town attorney, has already advised the planning commission in a memo to void it. This will be on the next planning commission agenda.

Joanne Stepp asked about administering the grant for the renovation of the train station and commissioners Smith and Mumford said they were considering the whole question of the project. During the planning commission report it was also pointed out that the train station has been added to the Ridgely Historic district which currently includes only the Ridgely House. Commissioner Smith said we needed more grant money to successfully complete the project. I added that the Historic District designation would aid in that quest.

Other issues includeed the reappointment of Leo Stepp to the Economic Development Commission but he declined a second term on the Tree Commission. And, there was some discussion of the biding process to get a better deal for our trash pick up. Finally, proposed ordinance #321 which provides for the town to take responsibility for the streets in Lister Estates was tabled and what bond the town still has from the developer will be held for the time being.

Major issues regarding the budget, the $238,000 deficit, personnel,as well a charter reform remain and will certainly dominate town meetings in the weeks ahead.

Musical Interlude

2009-05-02T13:14:00.000-04:00

Ridgely Arbor Day

2009-04-29T14:17:00.010-04:00

Tree Commission members and the Ridgely United Methodist Church Youth join forces to plant trees in town on the 25th.

The Ridgely Tree Commission was started 5 years ago to save our old roadside trees. Most have been pruned back into shape and we've planted lots of new trees to replace those lost over the years. For two years now Ridgely has participated in the National Arbor Day Foundation activities and is officially designated a Tree City USA. Take a look around town and see how the canopy of trees over our streets has been restored.

Another Victory For Freedom Of The Press On DelMarVa

2009-04-28T14:14:00.007-04:00

JUST IN: The editor of the Salisbury News Blog, Joe Albero, has been exonerated in the defamation lawsuit against him. Former Salisbury mayor, Barrie Tilghman, failed in her bid to muzzle the blog whose reporting exposed her administrations failures and caused her hand picked successor to lose in his bid to become mayor.

This marks the second recent ruling that protects freedom of speech in the blogosphere on DelMarVa. The politics of cronyism are being eclipsed by power of citizen reporters and their blogs.

Thank you Joe for taking a stand. Your win is our win too.

Check out the Salisbury News Blog at:
http://sbynews.blogspot.com/

The Problem With Write In Votes

2009-04-28T10:45:00.003-04:00

This question of write in votes entered into our election because of our town manager's comments in last Wednesday's Times Record. I can't begin to count how many people asked me what he was up to. I told them I didn't know exactly but that everyone should come out and vote even though the election was uncontested. Only 18 people voted in our last uncontested election and it would be easy for a stealthy write in effort to end up with more votes. The town manager's comments galvanized those supporting Dale Mumford to come out and vote and not allow some last minute write in scheme to undermine our election.

Here is the problem with the whole write in possibility. Elections are only fair if certain conditions are met. They must be open and follow a predictable timetable so that the voters know who is running and what skills and views candidates possess. Whether there is a formal debate or a campaign with flyers and door to door visits, this amount of time allows voters to a get acquainted with candidates. Providing this time and opportunity to the electorate is one reason why there are deadlines to sign up to run for an office.

Elections must also be ordered following procedural rules. Voters and candidates must be citizens and live in the jurisdiction where they vote or want to hold office. There must be time to verify such information to avoid election fraud. This is yet another reason for election deadlines for both those seeking office and voting.

Write in initiatives contradict and undermine the whole notion of a fair, open, and ordered election. Sure, sometimes they are simply protests and some of us may have used write ins to thumb our noses at a poor choice by writing in good 'ole Mickey Mouse. However, an organized and last minute write in effort is nothing less than a sneaky refuge for scoundrels too unqualified to stand for office and the public scrutiny elections bring. Such initiatives not only undermine democracy, they don't count. In Ridgely, our charter omits any mention of write in votes, therefore, rendering them invalid. However, charter or not, IF a write in effort garnered more votes, it could have ended up in court, delaying the swearing in of the legitimate registered candidate. Considering Ridgely's pressing problems this would have been a disaster.

In January, Dale Mumford, registered to run for commissioner. Over the months since January, he went all over town talking to all kinds of Ridgelyites. Clearly, no one saw fit to challenge him legitimately and register by the April 17th deadline. I think that most people in town are satisfied with his qualifications and saw no reason to run against such a man. I don't doubt that there were some town manager cheerleaders in town who didn't like this. However, clearly a decision was made on their part not to register and challenge Dale because it was clear that their position was bankrupt(about $238,000.00 to be exact).

Things worked out this time because of voter vigilance. However, this problem has hurt other towns nearby such as Hurlock. There they amended their charter to correct these kind of shenanigans. Ridgely has a whole host of issues with its charter that need to be addressed to ensure that our town maintains a government by and for the people of Ridgely.

Dale Mumford Wins With Unprecedented Turnout

2009-04-27T19:45:00.007-04:00

Commissioner Kathy Smith congratulates the new Commissioner.

Dale Mumford won 83 of the 92 votes cast in Today's election. It's unprecedented for so many to turn out for an uncontested election. The write ins were divided among many and no effort to deliver a last minute write in campaign materialized.

God bless Dale as he joins Commissioner Smith to restore sanity to town.

Vote For Dale Mumford

2009-04-25T17:05:00.007-04:00

Dale Mumford is the man we need in this time of crisis for our town. He is running unopposed but we should still turn out and vote. Let's let everyone know he is the people's choice. Let's also honor all of those who have made great sacrifices protecting our right to vote. Freedom isn't free and we need to affirm those who have stood up for our freedom. We also need to affirm our appreciation for Dale Mumford being willing to take on the tough task of straightening out our town. Vote Monday at the Ridgely House between 1:00 and 7:00 PM.

Real Change Comes To Town

2009-04-17T16:31:00.008-04:00

Dale Mumford is running unopposed for Ridgely town commissioner. The deadline for anyone else to register passed at 4:30 Friday and this talented and capable man will fill the empty commission seat in two weeks. Congratulations and thank you for taking on such a task during these tough times for our town.

Also, thank you Kathy Smith for standing up for our town. The cavalry has arrived, and I'm sure that together, you and Dale are going to put things in Ridgely House back in order. With the the town financial crisis (which preceded the global crisis) looming, this change couldn't have come any sooner.

Another change is coming to town too. For the past week, our town manager has been under consideration for the position of town manager of Onancock, VA. Delmarvanow.com, a news blog, has been following the story for over a week now. Yesterday, the town picked someone else for the position but our town manager was on the right track with such a move.

"The times they are a changing" and Ridgely is once again back in the hands of its citizens.

Caroline County Treasure

2009-04-12T12:31:00.016-04:00

Go from the corner of the Greensboro and Kibler roads about a mile and you will come to Ron Jopp's home. His yard is full of his found object artwork. His home, the former Garey or "German School", is literally a treasure trove and his creations give new meaning to the old saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure".

Click on the photos to enlarge and see the details of his works -- please, or you won't get the full effect.

This is the old Garey or "German School".

The school building today.

My favorite...

Ron in front of his workshop and one of his works.

See you all soon..

Linda Tripp Redux With Billy Burke In Pocomoke City

2009-04-11T09:49:00.002-04:00

Linda Tripp's recordings of Monika Lewinsky led to the impeachment proceedings against former President Clinton. Afterwards, she was charged for violating Maryland's wiretapping laws in what has been termed "the most disgraceful, transparent campaign of politically motivated vengeance in recent American history". In an irony of disgraceful proportions she was the only actor in this drama to face criminal charges. To most of us she was a heroine who blew the whistle on our debauched former president.

Fast forward 10 years to today and nearby Pocomoke City. Stephanie Burke and husband Billy are political activists running a blog critical of the town administration. Stephanie also ran for town council against the local machine backed apparatchik. She was defeated last Tuesday by an unprecedented and overwhelming absentee ballot campaign supporting the town machine. The ballots have all been seized by the State's Attorneys office and an investigation of voter fraud is under way.

Thursday, Pocomoke City police raided the Burkes home, seized all electronic equipment, and arrested Billy for "wiretapping". It seems that Billy recorded a public rant by the town mayor on the town hall steps. He sent the recording to the State's Attorneys office as evidence of wrongdoing by the town administration. Clearly, he didn't feel he was violating any state law by recording statements in public because he then sent that recording to the State's Attorneys office.

It sure looks like the Linda Tripp case of "politically motivated vengeance" all over again. There is, however, one even more troubling difference. Linda Tripp did wiretap over the telephone as it's commonly understood. The Burkes recorded an elected official in a public area.

Between their blog and run for office the Burkes are a mortal threat to the Pocomoke machine. Their fight for good and open government is gaining ground and we can only hope that their efforts and suffering will bring about much needed change in Pocomoke City.

Future Shock

2009-04-10T15:17:00.006-04:00

This is from my Public Library Association Conference in Nashville -- mind boggling. Toblog is following an other interesting Ridgely story but you all will just have to stay tuned until the end of the week. Once all the facts are in, the bullmeter will be back in action.

Avett Brothers III

2009-04-07T08:54:00.008-04:00

These guys are great and their music took me all the way to the Public Library Association conference in Nashville last week. Enjoy them now before my bullmeter goes off again as the town election nears.

And Now A Talking Toilet Named Toby

2009-04-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist this one. It's so corny that it's cool. And, my bullmeter needs all the help it can get.

A Victory In The Fight Against Eminent Domain Abuse

2009-03-30T12:29:00.006-04:00

Eminent domain abuse is one of the most insidious crimes against citizens of towns nationwide. Runaway town spending forges an unholy coalition between developers and their municipal administration allies. Together they try to fatten tax roles by condemning middle class homes to make way for upscale development. Citizen groups fighting this abuse have faced all kinds of obstacles from their respective municipalities and developers including "slap" lawsuits. Well chalk one up for the good guys this time. The following is from the Institute For Justice http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2656&Itemid=165 .

March 30, 2009

Arlington, Va—Evidently you can fight city hall—and fight private developers who use city hall’s power, too.

In an order issued on March 26, 2009, Judge C.L. “Buck” Rogers of the Circuit Court for Sumner County, Tenn., vindicated the right to protest government abuse by dismissing the libel lawsuit brought by Richard Swift, a developer who is a former member of the Clarksville City Council, and Wayne Wilkinson, a member of Clarksville’s Downtown District Partnership, against members of the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition (CPRC). Swift and Wilkinson sued the CPRC because its members criticized them for supporting Clarksville’s controversial redevelopment plan, which authorizes the use of eminent domain for private development. In a newspaper ad, the CPRC noted that both Swift and Wilkinson are developers and said, “This Redevelopment Plan is of the developers, by the developers, and for the developers.”

The court ruled, “Debate on public issues shall be uninhibited [and] wide open. . . . Accusing a public official or public figure of using their political influence to obtain a benefit for others or themselves or favoring their supporters is not defamation.”

“The court’s decision is a tremendous victory for everyone who speaks out against the abuse of eminent domain,” said Bert Gall, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which represents the CPRC in defense of their free speech rights. “The decision puts thin-skinned politicians and developers on notice: If you file a frivolous lawsuit against people just for criticizing your public actions, your case will swiftly be thrown out of court.”

Across the country, in places like Renton, Wash., and Freeport, Texas, there has been an ominous trend of politicians and developers using frivolous litigation to suppress the speech of home and business owners who oppose the abuse of eminent domain for private development. The CPRC’s victory in Clarksville resoundingly reaffirms that the First Amendment protects that speech.

“I am thrilled that the court reached the right decision to protect my right to free speech,” said Joyce Vanderbilt, a member of the CPRC. “Swift and Wilkinson tried to bully us with this lawsuit, and the court just told them that they should never have brought it in the first place.”

“We won this fight not just for us, but for every home and business owner who gets sued just for speaking out against eminent domain abuse,” said Pam Vandeveer. “I’m glad that this is still a free country.”

Jerry Martin of Barrett, Johnston & Parsley in Nashville serves as local counsel for the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition.

Avett Brothers II

2009-03-29T14:22:00.001-04:00

Good new music from North Carolina.

It Can Get Worse

2009-03-26T07:06:00.006-04:00

Toblog has been chronicling the growth and consequences of unelected non-resident executive power in Ridgely. We now have a $238,000.00 budget deficit from a town administration that acts as if the town government is meant to be one that is "by and for the employees". There is hope here, however, that we the residents are about to finally put things back in order in the "Ridgely House".

The problem is national in scope with the best example of the worst case, eminent domain abuse in New London, Connecticut, capturing national headlines. There to keep the administration money go round rolling, middle class homes were condemned to make way for upscale condos to fatten the town's tax roles.

Closer to home we have a deteriorating situation in Pokomoke City. Just how bad things can get is outlined below in a post from another DelMarVa blog, the Pokomoke Tattler. (The "Tattler" is linked to Toblog daily on the "Links To The World" sidebar.)

Pokomoke Tattler -- March 25, 2009

"Did You Ever Wonder How Much the Pocomoke City Manager Makes Per Year?

This is question that I have been asked time and time again: How much does City Manager Russ Blake really make?

Now lets put this into perspective…If he were the Manager of local store or company, it would be absolutely NONE of our business.

However, City Manager Russ Blake works for the City of Pocomoke City, Inc., and because this is a governing body that receives State and Federal money, you and I have every right to know just how much our city employees are being paid.

Since we were told by the former City Finance Director that Russ Blake would routinely tell her to ADD another $1000.00 to his paycheck for his yearly raise; a raise that was not voted on by Council, but decided upon by HE, HIMSELF our interest has definitely been pricked.

Or how about having his water bills regularly adjusted on his rental properties? Yes, this is something that was witnessed numerous times as well.

All of these questions and all of these statements made me wonder !

So a couple of weeks ago a Freedom of Information Act request, was submitted to the City Clerk, asking for this information.

Guess what the City’s response was????

Please deliver a deposit check in the amount of $1,618.oo to cover the costs the clerical costs of finding and sorting and redacting information billed at $30.00 per hour.

Thirty three years of Un-Elected dictatorship, and you and I cannot fire him, but we can’t even find out how much this person makes, how much he gets taken off of his water bill, how much he expenses on an annual basis….NOTHING, without giving them even more money.

This is our money that we have paid through our taxes year after year, this should be available to any citizen at anytime that City Hall is open during normal business hours.

We the Citizens of Pocomoke City are helpless to change this unless we demand that our Council Members change the Charter so that the City Manager does not have complete and final say and rule over everything in our City.

We must demand that they change it so that the City Manager answers TO the Mayor and Council!

At this point in time Russ Blake answers to NO ONE!"

Why The Town Is In Trouble -- Bull Buster III

2009-03-25T07:04:00.009-04:00

In today's "Times - Record" our town manager is quoted as saying that "the housing crisis led to a decrease in revenue for the town". This is very misleading. Our problems preceded the global financial meltdown and THE HOUSING CRISIS HAS NOTHING WHAT SO EVER TO DO WITH THE DIRE STRAITS RIDGELY IS IN. It is true that part of the problem has to do with the fact that few developer fees are being collected because little is being built. HOWEVER, this is because the town simply doesn't have the sewer allocation to build which is why the town is upgrading its waste water treatment plant. The waste water treatment plant upgrade is meant to accommodate the planned and approved Ridgely Park development. This project could not go forward last year when the Maryland Department of Environment wouldn't sign off on it because of inadequate sewer capacity. Stop the spin and admit the mistake.

Further, the article is full of very deceptive numbers about "new" sources of revenue that will lead to a balanced budget. Where are the 58 housing permits the town manager speaks of? If they are out there somewhere, they are not for 2009 and will have nothing to do with this year's fiscal fiasco.

The bottom line is this. Spending was out of control at the same time revenues were down due to our sewer capacity problem. The commissioners passed balanced budgets which were not adhered to. AND, THE BUDGET SHOULD NOT BE BASED ON DEVELOPMENT REVENUES NOT YET PAID. OUR PROBLEMS IN RIDGELY ARE MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. IT'S UP TO THE PEOPLE OF RIDGELY TO ELECT COMMISSIONERS WHO WILL FIX OUR PROBLEM ASAP.

Toblog Bull Meter Busted After "State Of The Town Address"

2009-03-21T10:53:00.006-04:00

My poor bull meter short circuited shortly after the town manager's "State of the Town Address". Therefore, this edition of Bull Busters will have to proceed on its own to cut through the largest amount of bull seen in Ridgely since my brother in law(a dairy farmer)fertilized my vegetable garden in 1996.

I can't even figure out where to begin. We can dismiss fluff that's irrelevant to Ridgely like our town manager's story about the vice-president, his failed congressional campaign (who cares?) or "30 years of municipal experience". (Although we might ask were they like the Ridgely experience times 30?)

First and foremost, the "address" is an attack on the people of Ridgely for electing Kathy Smith commissioner last year. She is mentioned early on under the Rubik of the "crisis" that "intensified after the municipal election of 2008". Duuh? Do you mean when Kathy won? Thank God someone else noticed that all is not well in our ship of state. She is also cryptically referred to as "those who criticise need to fully comprehend what they do to morale"..."all we have to do is look at our police department". In fact, I wonder if Kathy has replaced the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) as the town manager's favorite bogeyman? If only he could blame the global economy too. We, of course, know he can't because Ridgely's situation has preceded the global financial meltdown.

Back to the police. We have two less police officers because we can't pay them. We can't pay them because of poor management decisions. Besides the budget deficit, we lost county tax differential money because we weren't really maintaining a 24/7 force as the town manager claimed.

The town manager's salary and benefits package would pay for two officers. If given the choice, I bet most Ridgely residents would choose to hire back two officers and let the town manager go. Good police are are a lot more useful to the citizens of this town than the architect of a $238,000.00 deficit.

Another issue taking up a lot of ink was Zeb Brodie. I'm very happy that we have an investor in town opening new businesses. However, the "embarrassing, and frustrating experiences" which the town manager says that the investor went through are 100% of the town manager's making. The town manager knew what the planning and zoning ordinances required. Yet, chose to ignore them and "streamline" a process for approval circumventing our citizen planning commission. Our planning commissioners (being residents) knew that there were questions about the Cyber Ridge proposal. I think that the town manager must have known that there would be controversy too. Had normal procedure been followed, the business could have opened a couple of months before it did. As it turned out the planning commission took the heat on this and other issues orchestrated by our very own town manager. Mr Brodie, welcome to Ridgely. I'm sorry for the rough introduction to our town but the town manager doesn't live here. We who do live here, however, appreciate your businesses.

Finally, let's talk trash. How is it that we have to pay more and more and reinstate the trash fee which the town manager identifies as a culprit for our money woes? Denton's new contract is charges $4.95 per household. Ridgely is $6.95 and going up. Why can't we use the same company as Denton? More customers might lower the rate from this provider even more. We pay the town manager a huge salary to figure out such questions.

I have to hand to the town manager, he had to work pretty hard on his "Address" (on our dime) to turn our town's financial "sow's ear into a silk purse". Unfortunately for us, the reality of having to pay for so many mistakes undermines any amount of lofty rhetoric. Next year we should do away with this pretentious pomposity and save the taxpayers some money.

The "Address" ends with "unless someone has another idea or another plan, I do not intend to abandon the "kitchen" while the soup is still on and work needs to be done". There are so many ideas and other plans from so many citizens in Ridgely that would return our town to sanity that they can't be listed here. The "kitchen" isn't only too "hot" (because of the town manager), it's about to burn the rest of the house down. He can have his home in Westover, but let us have our town back and put Ridgely's financial fire out.

(Please note that the "Address" can be obtained at town hall. For some reason, it hasn't been posted as is usual on the town website. I guess I'd be embarrassed if I wrote so much bull too.)

The Election In Ridgely And Bull Buster Part I

2009-03-11T12:10:00.006-04:00

Today's "Times-Record" announced that the Ridgely town election filing deadline for candidates and voting times are "to be announced". Hmmm...our Charter is very clear on the filing deadline. It's 10 days before the election. This year the election will be on April 27th. In recent elections the polls have been kept open longer than the Charter prescribes. I'm not sure how this came about but it's a good idea. The Charter, however, does say that the polls are open between 9 and 5.

I have to wonder about all this "to be announced" confusion so near to an election. As many of you know, a few weeks ago the town manager presented some proposals to change the Charter election rules. The proposals raised suspicions among many and nothing more was done. It would now be impossible to make any change before the election.

This year I will not let the whispering campaign that emerges every Springtime here in Ridgely go unanswered. I've heard some whoppers over the years as election time approaches. My first BULL BUSTER concerns the strange story that Ridgely's financial woes (which preceded the global economic crisis) are the result of some "snitch" calling the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE). This "call" supposedly stopped our Ridgely Park development. First, even if there was a "call", MDE can't withhold permits without good cause. They had plenty of cause with or without a "snitch" since the town already had to use stream discharge at times when our waste water treatment plant (WWTP) couldn't handle the load. We simply could not handle a new development and the town has now embarked on a $1.5 million WWTP upgrade to accommodate future development.

MDE saved the citizens of Ridgely from a massive sewage spill. MDE also saved us from the massive fines that accompany WWTP failure. If there is a "SNITCH", he or she is a HERO who saved the town citizens from management miscalculations. But I think the whole story is BULL. MDE was just doing their job. They deserve a thank you.

BULL BUSTERS will always ask these questions. Who would start such a rumor? And, who might benefit from such a story? In this case, all signs point to a town manager and his allies trying to explain away the town's abysmal financial situation.

Eastern Shore Freedom Of The Press Case Part II

2009-03-09T12:56:00.004-04:00

The Maryland Supreme Court case concerning a local developer and local bloggers is put into perspective by the following article.

In defense of anonymous Web posters

By Marta Mossburg
Examiner Columnist | 3/3/09 5:19 AM

Zebulon J. Brodie, an Eastern Shore businessman, may not enjoy having his Dunkin’ Donuts called “dirty” any more than I like being called a “tool” by anonymous Web posters, but he better get used to it.

The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled last week that newspaper Web sites, blogs and other sites do not have to give up the identities of anonymous posters except under well-defined circumstances.

Good. Call those people cowards or jerks or liars, but their speech should be protected in the same way that all other speech is under the First Amendment.

As the decision from the state’s highest court notes, “anonymity or psuedonymity has been a part of the Internet culture” from its beginning. It has also been a part of U.S. culture from our founding.

Anonymous pamphleteers railed against political leaders in party newspapers, “the Republicans with a scurrility that even modern bloggers rarely achieve,” wrote Myron Magnet in the most recent issue of City Journal.

Democracy depends on people speaking their minds to thrive. And in this era of newspaper closings, forcing Web posters to reveal their identity would effectively shutter the “comments” section on most sites, limiting speech even more.

Imagine a United States where the government or a powerful person or company could demand the personal information of account holders on newspaper sites or Internet providers as in China. It sounds far-fetched, but a Maryland trial judge could have made that situation much more likely.

Many postings do nothing to inform and elevate the populace by most standards – unless you count speculation on celebrity relationships and nasty personal attacks against members of the opposite political party in that category. But perceived quality of work should not be the deciding factor of whether someone’s comments deserve anonymity.

As Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, “Whatever the motivation may be, at least in the field of literary endeavor, the interest in having anonymous works enter the marketplace of ideas unquestionably outweighs any public interest in requiring disclosure as a condition of entry.”

This does not mean that writers should always be given a free pass, however. As Walter Abbott found out, the First Amendment does not protect threats to criminal action. The Parkville, Md., man was convicted in October of writing an e-mail to Gov. Martin O’Malley that said he would strangle him. Abbot was given a suspended sentence of six months’ in prison and two years’ probation.

But that was not the case here. Brodie, the developer with a Centreville Dunkin’ Donuts, wanted the names of anonymous posters writing on a forum run by Independent Newspapers Inc. He claimed they defamed him in their comments about his restaurant.

The Appeals Court decided that Brodie did not correctly identify the posters who made those comments, negating his claim to their names. But the court went farther by outlining a process judges should follow “to balance First Amendment rights with the right to seek protection for defamation.”

It found that a plaintiff must make a reasonable attempt to notify anonymous posters that they are the subject of a subpoena; give the posters time to respond; transcribe the comments exactly as written by the posters; and show how those comments have defamed him or her. The court also found that judges must balance First Amendment rights against the strength of the evidence against them.

That makes sense. Those tests follow ones made in other courts and standardize how Maryland courts should look at claims instead of dealing with them on a case by case basis.

Next time Brodie and those like him would be better served by marshalling supporters to advocate for his cause instead of using the courts to try to skewer a few random Web posters.

In his case, scrupulously maintaining a clean restaurant would have been the best means to combat accusations a minute portion of the population read in an online chat forum instead of publicizing them through a lawsuit.

While those scrutinized by bloggers and other posters may not like what people write about them, tolerating mean accusations, even false ones, is better than silencing the voices of Marylanders. Truth, like lies, needs voices to spread.

Examiner columnist Marta H. Mossburg lives in Baltimore.

Eastern Shore Freedom Of Press Case Decided In Favor of Bloggers!

2009-03-06T15:26:00.004-05:00

from baltimoresun.com

Maryland's Court of Appeals today issued a decision protecting the identity of three anonymous Internet posters and, for the first time, offering guidelines for state courts to follow in libel cases before unmasking online commenters.

The opinion and instructions stem from a defamation lawsuit filed by Eastern Shore developer Zebulon Brodie against three unknown Internet posters and Independent Newspapers Inc., which runs an online community forum.

The posters had written critical comments about the cleanliness of a Dunkin' Donuts that Brodie owns in Centreville.

The Appeals Court concluded that Brodie was not entitled to identifying information about the posters, even though they used the forum to criticize him and his business, because he misidentified which usernames made the offending statements.

The five-step process the court adopted for future cases was borrowed from a New Jersey court and outlined in today's 43-page majority opinion. It seeks to help trial courts "balance First Amendment rights with the right to seek protection for defamation" by suggesting they:

• Require that plaintiffs notify anonymous parties that their identities are sought.
• Give the posters time to reply with reasons why they should remain nameless.
• Require plaintiffs identify the defamatory statements and who made them.
• Determine whether the complaint has set forth a prima facie defamation, where the words are obviously libelous, or a per quod action, meaning it requires outside evidence.
• Weigh the poster's right to free speech against the strength of the case and the necessity of identity disclosure.

A five-page concurring opinion by three of the seven judges accepts steps one through three but asks for clarification on step four as to how prima facie nature should be shown and outright rejects step five as "unnecessary and needlessly complicated."

Preserving The Republic One Town At A Time Updated

2009-02-19T07:05:00.007-05:00

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all the people all of the time." Abraham Lincoln

Most of us who are involved in small town government are volunteers or are paid only a token amount for our services. We are either elected or appointed to our boards, councils or commissions. We have families and jobs and are seldom political scientists or professional public servants. Not being professionals puts us at a decided disadvantage when dealing with the ever growing power of town managers over our communities. It is important to remember that it is the elected town government which employs the town manager. Increasingly, however, town managers seem to ignore this fact and act as if this arrangement was the other way around. The growth of the role of the non-resident and unelected town manager has led to many conflicts as citizens fight to keep control of their town's destiny.

Most town managers are itinerant moving from town to town over the course of their careers. This profession has one of the highest turnover rates of any occupation. There are many reasons for this. Being a professional, town managers often quickly assume an attitude of thinking that they know what's best for their employer's town. Such an attitude inevitably leads them to indulge in all kinds of Machiavellian maneuvers to manipulate various members of the community to achieve their goals. After a few years of this, enough enemies will have been made so that the manager becomes an election issue and is then sent packing.

A second reason for the high turnover is the fact that many small towns are governed by charters that never envisioned the need for town managers. Such charters don't even mention the position and are full of ambiguities that allow for all kinds of mischief. No party clearly knows what is expected of the other. Often, these charters provide for no elected mayor or long term commission president to counter the machinations of a manager. Ridgely, for example, rotates its commission president yearly, making management of the town manager difficult at best. Again, over time, ill will builds up and the manager faces the risks of growing citizen hostility.

The third reason for the instability of the position is the fact that our own American political culture is changing. Many citizens have lost their political self respect and ability to act as sovereign decision makers. Our society is run more and more on a bureaucratized or corporate model with less opportunities for the development of these traditional citizenship characteristics. People are elected to office unprepared to govern. They act as if they are serving on a charity board instead of a real flesh and blood political entity. Once again, after a few years, these folks wake up, assert themselves and it's off to the hinterlands for the town manager. This constant turnover doesn't benefit any one. The towns suffer from inconsistent management and town managers suffer from unemployment.

Let me retrofit an old saying here. "town managers or their equivalent consultants, you can't live with them and you can't live without them". For our citizen volunteers charged with governing our towns, their job is no small matter. We need the expertise of either a town manager or assorted consultants. Without them, we will find ourselves rudely awoken one morning by our fellow citizens, ready to lynch us because the waste water treatment plant is overflowing and their toilets won't flush. There is no question that we need these policy wonks. However, we are the ones who know what is best for our towns and set the direction of the course where we want to take our towns. We must make it absolutely clear that we are in charge. Failure to do so leads to unbalanced budgets, higher taxes and water bills and excessive ugly development. These are problems concerning the town's quality of life which our elected resident legislators must be attuned to. They are the kind of problems that get little attention from a non-resident and unelected town manager. This creates the sad opportunity for a town government to morph into the strange proposition of being (to borrow and retrofit another old saying) " a government by and for the employees". At this point, the town manager can even run candidates for office who are little more than water carriers for the town manager. Such a proposition gets expensive and the need for tax revenues will be ever growing. It's here that schemes including eminent domain abuse to raise more tax revenues raise their ugly head. In this situation, New London, Connecticut, the pioneer of eminent domain abuse is only right up the road. With its $238,000.00 deficit (which preceded the global financial meltdown), is Ridgely heading in this direction?

First, the town manager should be a stakeholder in the community. They should be required to live in the town they will serve as a citizen and taxpayer. This doesn't mean renting an apartment to use a few nights a week. It means residency plain and simple which must be written into a contract and clearly understood before being hired. Then, residency must be enforced. The negligence of elected officials to carry through on this first step is setting the town manager up for failure. A potentially successful town manager could be wasted if allowed to ignore this important step. A strong correlation seems to exist between town manager residency and an absence of autocratic actions. Ridgely has failed to pass this test and the consequences are a huge deficit.

Elected officials must make it clear to the manager that they haven't hired a municipal union leader (sorry grandpa). The town manager is management and works for the elected officials serving the taxpaying town residents. This isn't to advocate not paying employees what they are worth. You won't, for example, be able to keep a police force in a small town with the state and county constantly trying to recruit your recruits with promises of more money. It is, however, about the loyalty of the town manager to the elected officials who hired him. Too often town managers view the employees as their first constituency. If the manager has somehow avoided step one and not really moved to town, what does it matter if requests for salaries and benefits for staff will far exceed the town taxpayer's median income? Also, it's not money out of his pocket if deficits grow as they have in Ridgely.

Development and growth for the sake of raising enough tax dollars to maintain an ever increasing payroll destroys towns. The town manager's bottom line is often in conflict with the town resident's interest in maintaining their quality of life. When a choice must be made between revenues or quality of life issues, the manager frequently favors the first. This is particularly true if he isn't a town resident. Great plans emphasizing "smart growth" and "traditional neighborhood development" will all fall by the wayside in an economic crunch. It is at this juncture that the mettle of elected officials and town planning commissions will really be tested. Ridgely has arrived at this point and our Planning and Zoning meetings are now battle zones.

Certain citizens drive autocratic town managers nuts. They are usually the activist types who overwhelmingly make up a town's volunteer commissions. These are the natural enemy for autocratic town managers because they also think they know something about how their town should be run. They also can still think and act like old fashioned American citizens. Usually they aren't of one political persuasion. One of my favorite towns has an interesting coalition including Greens and Paleo-Conservatives. As long as national issues are avoided, they work well together trying to preserve their town from what Russell Kirk termed "the enemies of the permanent things".

If your town manager is having activist troubles, expect him to exploit any possible resentment of the activist group and attempt to remake the assorted commissions in the town managers image. People with no experience will suddenly be held up as planning experts to replace long term planning commission members.

Most of us don't want any of the above to happen. To start with, elected officials ought to start acting like they understand the power they have and exercise it on behalf of their constituents. Then, there are also ways to address the problem of inadequate old town charters which fail to address the role of the town manager. Ambiguity must be banished from these documents. A strong and consistent council presidency or mayor commission type of government must be established. This is absolutely essential to manage the town manager. Or, the new charter may not even provide for a town manager but more affordable and manageable consultants. Regardless, what's needed is a classic check and balance type of arrangement that can work well.

Charter change is not the panacea for all of the a town's problems. It's possible that a completely spineless mayor could be elected who actually sees nothing wrong with schemes for over development or using eminent domain to fatten tax rolls to cover overspending. However, in such cases, the citizen has a recourse through the ballot box. At least elected officials have records that can be made campaign issues.

Benjamin Franklin's observation at the conclusion of the Constitutional convention applies here. When asked what had been accomplished, he replied that: "You have a republic, if you can keep it". The history of republics is littered with failures from Rome to Weimar. All too often, it is the citizens themselves through their apathy, fear, or lack of knowledge, that allow the abrogation of their rights. We need to get to work here in our small towns to "keep" alive our part of this republic.

We Need Stimulus Too

2009-02-18T07:20:00.005-05:00

The stimulus package contains plenty of pork. However, now that it's law we need to get our share. It is, after all, our tax money too. Ridgely has plenty of projects which would qualify that are either shovel ready or even shovels in the ground. We need to pay for the waste water treatment plant project which is already under way. We need our public safety building for the RVFD and our police. We also need a new water tower. What steps has our town administration taken to secure our piece of the pie?

A Tale Of Two Commissions

2009-02-17T16:11:00.007-05:00

The following is from the November town meeting minutes:

"Joe went back to the Ethics Board nomination. He said in the past, when an individual has been serving on a commission, and has been inquired about it and wants to be reappointed, the normal thing has been that the commissioners have reappointed that individual. If there are other people who are interested in serving, there are other commissions and committees to get involved in. We have an individual who for two months has stated that he would like to be reappointed, and he feels it is disrespectful to him to hold this off. The policy has been in the past that if the name is brought up, unless there is something dramatically wrong, or some concern, that the individual would continue for at least another term."

Herman Dunst was reappointed. Last month Jeff Garrett asked the he be reappointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission and forwarded his application to the Commissioners who tabled it. There is someone else interested but by applying the Town Managers own words above, this request should be channelled into another commission. What is the difference between these two commissions and commissioners?

Our Planning and Zoning meetings haven't been the most pleasant recently as we continue to stand up to pressure to approve anything that comes before us. It's not the Planning Commissions job to undo the Town Manager's deficit. We have ordinances on the book which have succeeded in keeping Ridgley a great small town. Despite the pressure, we have been upholding these ordinances. We have not been too popular with the Town Manager. Removing long serving Planning Commissioners and changing the Planning Commission make up might make the whiz from Westover happy but will leave Ridgely seriously at risk.

When Pigs Fly

2009-02-16T07:53:00.005-05:00

Our town manager has written a letter to me demanding that I apologize by March 2nd for my blog post "Charter Change Would Disenfranchise Elderly Voters". He doesn't seem concerned with the main point of the post which is summed up in the title. Instead, he's concerned that the town clerk gets credit since it was her idea to begin with. Whew...this is "I was only following der orders" turned on its head. Regardless of the who first came up with this brain fart, the fact remains that it was the town manager who presented this "idea" using the words "we" and "I propose" repeatedly at the January 26th workshop. No matter what the source, this proposal would disenfranchise voters not known for their fealty to the "town manager party" only a short time before the town election.

Instead of me apologizing for reporting the facts, I think that the town manager owes us an apology. In fact, I can think of 238,000 reasons for an apology as our budget deficit (which preceded the global financial crisis) leads to the shrinking of town services including police protection.

Even The Fig Leaf Has Fallen

2009-02-15T07:22:00.000-05:00

The Ridgely town manager is contractually obligated to live in the 21660 zip code. When he was hired he made it clear that he understood what it meant to live here and repeatedly informed those at town meetings that he and his family were moving here. Many towns require the town manager to live in or near the town in order to become a stakeholder in the community. Being a stakeholder is a good way to ensure that a town manager doesn't run up huge deficits or become too cozy with developers trying to take advantage of a town.

Our town manager never fulfilled the original requirement of his contract. He simply rented a house on 480 where he stayed a few nights a week while remaining with his family in Westover. He used the rental address for a new drivers licence and a majority of the commissioners let the issue pass. Now it appears that even this pretense of residency has fallen by the wayside. It certainly doesn't look like the town manager is living in the 480 rental. Even this fig leaf has fallen. Is he staying somewhere else in the area a few nights a week? Have the commissioners pressed him on the issue which is still important to many of us? If not, why?

Since Ridgely has a $238,000.00 deficit (which predates the global financial meltdown), some may not worry so much about the town manager's residency requirement. On the other hand, if this requirement had been enforced to begin with (making the town manager a resident stakeholder in our community) many of us believe that our financial situation might be quite different.

Charter Change Would Disenfanchise Elderly Voters

2009-02-03T07:55:00.005-05:00

Where in the world is our town going? The town manager proposed at the last commissioner workshop that our voter registration system for Ridgely residents be scraped.

As it now stands, people registered for national and state elections are automatically registered to vote in town. We also have a parallel system where people who (for whatever reason) are only registered in town for town elections. This is an old fashioned way of doing things and most of the registrants are elderly. There aren't many registrations like this and after all these years these people aren't going to register any other way. What's the problem? Have these Ridgely residents voted the "wrong" way in our town elections? Mean old Mr. Machiavelli would be proud.

Although we do need comprehensive charter change, we don't need this type of selective change which would only serve to limit the Ridgely electorate. Fortunately, time may be on the side of democracy here. There isn't enough time for a charter change before the April election. Also, it's not clear whether or not the commissioners took this proposal seriously. With all the problems Ridgley faces, I doubt they want to waste time tinkering with the charter and hearing the howls of protest from their fellow citizens.

Dale Mumford - A Tough Leader For Tough Times

2009-01-31T10:20:00.002-05:00

Ridgely's election is in April but it's time to start talking about it now. Currently, Ridgely is dealing with extraordinary problems. Add to this the international financial problems that will soon be coming to town and we're going to need extraordinary leadership. Fortunately, we already have a tried and tested candidate willing to step up to the plate. Dale Mumford has announced that he will register on Monday to run for the commissioner seat being vacated by Chuck Hunter.

Dale Mumford was our commissioner from 1997 - 2003. Working together with commissioners Jare Wallace and Lou Hayes, our gem of a town entered an unparalleled renaissance. The farsighted leadership of that time saved and restored the Ridgely House, built the skate board park, enacted ordinances which promoted the renovation of homes on Central Ave., brought two new banks and the Ridgely Technology Park to town. Less glamorous but equally important he dealt with the long failing waste water treatment lagoon, repairing the crumbling 1912 terracotta sewer system and entered into a program with matching state grants to rebuild our side walks.

Dale was also a town manager for several north Caroline County towns. He retired recently, both honored and loved by the people he had served. Dale Mumford knows town management inside and out. With Dale, we will have a Ridgely government that is truly a "government by and for the people".

Inauguration Reflections

2009-01-22T14:57:00.014-05:00

The inauguration of Barack Obama was immensely emotional and a source of pride to many including yours truly. It was hard not to be swept away by both my coworkers and citizens of Cambridge watching his swearing in and address. It's more than a truism to me that electing an African American President means that we have come a long way.

I remember the segregated South that I moved to in 1959. There were signs posted by the KKK welcoming travellers to North Carolina. At my Greensboro school, a schoolyard game was called "nigger pile" where all the boys would chase down some unlucky victim and all pile on him. Ironically, I remember in 1964 when the schools were to be integrated one of the toughest kids on the schoolyard told us that we couldn't call our game "nigger pile" any more. He didn't want "no trouble". A bit crude but "blessed are the peacemakers". We still played our same old game but without a name. With equal opportunity, white and black boys unlucky enough to be caught suffered through this schoolyard hazing.

Today, Greensboro, North Carolina, the site of the first Sit Ins and KKK shootings, has a brand new Renaissance Park in the center of its downtown. It's peaceful and full of citizens of all colors in what has become a destination location in the city. No, it's not utopia, but we really have come a long way.

The President's address was powerful. He didn't hide the fact that we are entering very dangerous times and this certainly wasn't a Reaganesque "morning in America" moment. Yet, like Reagan, his words were uplifting. I along with those around me for that moment felt assured that he was going to lead us through these tough times.

As he pointed out, we certainly do need to once again find strength and enter a new era of personal responsibility. For it is also "we the people" through our excesses who share blame for the problems we face.

Good feelings aside, parts of his address concern this old lover of the America of constitutionally limited government. Despite his assertion to the contrary, the debate about whether government is small or large enough is hardly over. This is a question as old as the Republic and a core concept of our Constitution. While I appreciated the President's insistence that poor performing programs would be cut, he doesn't seem to understand that ever growing government entitlements undermine the other pillar of his program and vision. The greatest enemy of an era of new personal responsibility IS ever expanding government. This was the harshest lesson from my own urban activist days in Philadelphia. There, every program under the sun was available but there it was also increasingly more difficult to organize people to fend for themselves. The natural energy of the free citizen willing to take personal responsibility for their problems had been sapped by the very programs meant to empower them.

This President is brilliant so it's hardly an over site. Many think that the time of limited government is past. After eight years of the "conservative" Bush administration expanding the federal government beyond even LBJ's wildest dreams, these folks may have a point. Also, electorally, tax consumers (reinforced by the now likely amnesty for illegal aliens) may soon OUT VOTE tax producers. What do folks who don't pay taxes care about the future of limited government? More taxes mean more programs for them. There is a flaw in this picture, however. Only the most brute force of a rapacious tax revenue hungry majority could sustain this scenario for a while. Ultimately it would collapse like the Soviet Union because it would be the best example of the worst kind of "taxation without representation".

So here I am conflicted, proud of America's great accomplishment, and yet concerned about the future of its greatest accomplishment, our Constitution and the concept of limited government supported by sturdy self reliant citizens.

Childhood Sight From Smell

2009-01-07T14:23:00.016-05:00

the smell of a coal fire in Cambridge
took me back to Shamokin today

from there on down the pike
to where the locomotive graveyard used to lay

from Pottstown down to Philly
where little men on the Schuylkill row toy boats

to the Parkway of sycamore
down Broad Street south full of feathers and floats

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

2009-01-03T19:24:00.000-05:00

Abigail and Taylor in South Philly on New Years with Mummers.

Happy New Year

2008-12-30T18:41:00.005-05:00

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

2008-12-19T08:44:00.006-05:00

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

2008-12-18T06:16:00.007-05:00

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

2008-12-16T09:54:00.030-05:00

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!

2008-12-13T22:57:00.009-05:00

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

2008-12-12T10:03:00.005-05:00

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

2008-12-11T16:07:00.007-05:00

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

2008-12-08T14:34:00.005-05:00

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

2008-12-02T13:14:00.015-05:00

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

2008-11-25T17:42:00.007-05:00

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

2008-11-17T18:06:00.010-05:00

A fowl act which will be hard to follow.

Ridgely Must Get Its Finances In Order

2008-11-13T13:30:00.033-05:00

*** 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

2008-11-11T14:41:00.021-05:00

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

2008-11-08T16:41:00.013-05:00

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

2008-11-08T16:39:00.009-05:00

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

2008-11-04T18:32:00.019-05:00

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

2008-10-26T02:50:00.009-04:00

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

2008-10-20T11:02:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-19T01:44:00.010-04:00

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

2008-10-15T11:45:00.018-04:00

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

2008-10-06T12:10:00.010-04:00

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

2008-09-30T09:49:00.010-04:00

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

2008-09-26T10:29:00.027-04:00

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

2008-09-09T23:27:00.011-04:00

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

2008-09-03T12:42:00.007-04:00

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.

.

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

2008-08-03T12:07:00.022-04:00

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

2008-07-28T08:12:00.022-04:00

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

2008-06-26T06:50:00.016-04:00

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

2008-06-20T21:11:00.020-04:00

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

2008-06-19T09:22:00.009-04:00

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

2008-05-21T17:54:00.008-04:00

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!

2008-05-05T22:22:00.008-04:00

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

2008-05-01T07:30:00.018-04:00

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

2008-04-28T21:43:00.009-04:00

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)

2008-04-27T12:41:00.003-04:00

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

2008-04-20T15:04:00.008-04:00

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!

2008-04-18T19:37:00.003-04:00

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.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

True "Blue" Obama

2008-04-13T13:45:00.005-04:00

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

2008-04-08T08:32:00.012-04:00

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

2008-04-06T01:04:00.005-04:00

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

2008-03-27T09:19:00.020-04:00

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!

2008-03-18T12:15:00.008-04:00

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!

2008-03-15T10:01:00.027-04:00

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

2008-03-12T08:52:00.006-04:00

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)

2008-03-02T15:12:00.018-05:00

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.

Quotas And Set Asides Coming To A Small Town Near You

2008-02-29T21:41:00.017-05:00

History is as interesting as it is often tragic.

Once upon a time, in the name of "democracy", Germany, limited the access of a talented and successful minority of its population to a whole host of occupations and positions within society. Of course, we all now know that the Nazis had a lot worse in store for the Jews than ruining careers. German Jews were successful and that led to resentment, which was, of course, Hitler's political capital. Power and not democracy was the focus of the Nazis agenda and removing a "pesky" group of people seen to be blocking the road to power was the goal.

The Maoists during the "cultural revolution" promoted a leveling agenda that specifically excluding informed and articulate academics from their occupations. In the name of equality and "democracy", they were sent to fields to be worked to death. Again, these folks stood in the way of the communists and their dream of their "democratic" ideals and power.

America is a "kinder gentler nation" when promoting quotas and set asides. Here, "democratic" inclusion goes under the name of "affirmative action". However, a quota by any other name is still the same. FOR SOMEONE TO BE PUT FIRST IN LINE, SOMEONE ELSE HAS TO BE HELD BACK. Of course, voting blocks and political parties seeking good old fashion power are the engine that drives the "affirmative action" phenomenon.

What does this have to do with reality in small town America? Every type of foolishness eventually comes to town. And, there are small towns where town managers propose limiting how much citizen volunteers may serve their town. In the cases I'm familiar with, the criteria has nothing to do with righting old racial wrongs. Such proposals are promoted in order to "open up" more positions and bring more people "in" and make the system more "democratic". Plain and simple, it's a "set aside" or quota system. Such proposals are all the more amazing when NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN TURNED AWAY FROM THE VOLUNTEER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THAT DETERMINE TOWN POLICIES. In fact, there are rarely enough people available to even fill the openings on most of the town boards and commissions. WHY WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS MOST TOWNS FACE WOULD SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM BEEN ADDED TO AN AGENDA? I submit that this smarmy move is a SET ASIDE for THOSE WHO WILL SAY "YES " to whatever an administration proposes. The INFORMED citizens who give of their time and serve on multiple boards and commissions or boards are simply in the way of those who would lead us in a direction only the UNINFORMED would follow.