For The People--Not Politics

 

"By putting the people’s concerns first, I hope we can learn from each other, learn from our disagreements, and reach compromises to benefit all of our community."

Guest Blogger, Kristin Blais-candidate for the Mt. Airy Town Council  

There’s something about an election year that seems to bring out the worst in people. This year, is no different, only, as a candidate I’m experiencing it first hand. 

I have become the target of my opponents who have continually attempted to defame me, as well as those who support my candidacy for Mt. Airy Town Council. These attacks have been aided by email to our citizens, as well as statements in public alleging my candidacy for council is a conflict of interest, unethical and presents a majority vote on council. All of these allegations are untrue, without merit and meant to divert the citizens’ attention from the real issues they face as individuals, and also the issues our town faces regarding its future viability. These attacks have only made my resolve stronger and my message clearer – I am here to serve the citizens of Mt. Airy. 

This type of negative politicking is not pretty, but it’s the way a certain group of people conspire when it comes to politics and an election year in Mt. Airy.  It’s time we, as a Town, put these ill advised tactics to an end and concentrate on real issues; putting people before politics!

One of the fundamental problems in our election this year is even with the amount of public discourse in our town, this group of individuals seem more concerned with holding onto their power and positions, rather than listening and being open to new ideas. They don’t want to acknowledge those who disagree with their philosophies; this is not the mind set of good leaders, and can be detrimental to the future of our Town. We must embrace the fact that disagreement is the fundamental foundation in a democracy. Respectful, healthy debate can lead to positive change, for the very simple reason- nobody is right all of the time.

I know I have made my message clear to the people of Mt. Airy--your concerns come first!  Whether the issue is working to bring a variety of new businesses into town and supporting our current local businesses, addressing the lack of parking downtown, working to find jobs for our teens and adults, finding the solutions to our traffic concerns and speeding through neighborhoods, seeking additional recreational facilities, controlling our spending or making sure our public safety is not jeopardized, I hear you!  By putting the people’s concerns first, I hope we can learn from each other, learn from our disagreements, and reach compromises to benefit all of our community.

On May 7^Th, we have the opportunity to put our citizens first and the nasty politics last.  Let’s concentrate on the real issues that we face together to build a brighter future for Mt. Airy! 

Krsitin Blais
Guest Blogger 
Candidate for the Mt. Airy Town Council

What is this, Nazi, Germany?

Doesn’t Feel So Quaint or Charming Anymore, 

Does It?

 

 

Every citizen or business owner has the right to put ANY candidates sign on their property or in their window! It’s their choice, not to mention, their right. But be careful, Mount Airy.  If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice signs popping up, and then signs disappearing.  Why? Because the kind folks in our Town have been asked to “please remove THAT SIGN” from their yards. In one case, someone has contacted a corporate office to report the business and the owner was forced to remove the candidates sign from their window. 

 

Oh, and then we have the Carroll County Times letter to the editor from my friend, Susie Cole. Susie, where have you been? Haven’t heard from you since 2010! You see, Susie is not a Town resident, but she feels compelled to tell the Town residents who they should vote for, since she can't vote.  Really, Susie? Our residents are much smarter than that. 

 

When those with opposing views use their power and authority to ask law abiding, free citizens to “please take a sign down,” we are entering into scary territory. Reporting businesses to their corporate offices isn’t exactly conducive to creating a friendlier business environment, is it? What is this? Nazi, Germany? Doesn’t feel so quaint or charming anymore, does it?  If anyone thinks they will win the election based on how much they intimidate others to put a sign up, or take a sign down, they’re sadly mistaken. 

 

We’re all sick and tired of hearing candidates berate each other. We want candidates with a  Pro-the People, and Pro- Mt. Airy, mind set. We want solutions.  Never mind all this talk about Pro-Growth quorums and “friends with the developers.”  Bob King said it right in his Blog post, We Deserve Better. 

  Pro-Growth and Pro-Developer are terms that have been used over the past 6 years to scare residents. However, I am not pro-growth. I am pro- Mount Airy.  My philosophy is that we must all work together. The business community, the development community, the residential communities and the government. We all have a stake in the outcome and the future of our Town.

Shame on you, Susie Cole. Shame on you, Todd Eudy.  And the rest, you know who you are. Shame on you for intimidating residents and using the same old antics, scare tactics and bullying to get what you want.   

 

At the end of the day, it’s the little check mark in a box that will determine this election, not a sign on a lawn. At the end of the day, such behavior will leave a sour taste in the mouths of residents who only wish for peace and prosperity, and for some to stop clinging to the days of hate and anti-rhetoric towards anything with the word “growth.” At the end of the day, it will be the one thing people remember when it’s time to put a check mark next to your name, or decide to skip over it and put a check mark next to the candidates who stand with them, not over them.  

 

Leave the citizens alone! Let them decide what they want to post in their windows and on their properties! 

Mayor Rockinberg-- Doesn't Have a Clue

--On Economic Development, Our Commercial Tax Base and  Living Where You Work..

Perhaps it's time for a new survey?

It appears we have a Mayor who really isn’t getting the big picture of why economic development is so important for Mount Airy. At February 23rd's special meeting of the Economic Development Commission and the Town Council,  the Mayor said>>

“I don't see a huge push or need for Economic Development beyond what we already have, we already have a good mix.”

There in lies the problem.  

The philosophy of the Mayor, 2 councilman (Pyatt and Strong) and the entire Planning and Zoning Board towards the “greedy developers” is ‘go away.’  The Mayor also said>>

“We need economic development and the business here more as a convenience.”

He went on to say that the residents need to make more of an “effort” to support local businesses to ensure their survival. He states>>

 "How we can help our residents and these businesses is to foster these businesses only as a convenience. If we don't support the businesses here in Mount Airy, those conveniences will go away. What I think EDC should focus on to help to foster these businesses and keep them thriving is a shop where you live campaign. We can educate these people, because if we don't frequent these businesses, we're not going to have them. I think that will help build our commercial tax base and keep our businesses thriving."

Really? 

Don’t get me wrong; I try to frequent our local businesses as much as possible. I would hope other residents do the same; I mean, who wants to drive to Frederick, Columbia or Germantown? But the Mayor has it all wrong. It’s not the resident’s responsibility to patronize local businesses in order for them to survive.  I, along with my fellow residents make our own choices when it comes to shopping for groceries, gas, eating  out etc. It's a free society. That’s how it works. 


Oh and by the way Mr. Mayor, encouraging a shop where you live campaign in town is just one component of EDC. Shopping here in Town will not grow the commercial tax base.Only new businesses opening their doors will add to the commercial tax base. 

It’s the Town’s responsibility and in the Town’s best interest to ensure the Town remains a viable, attractive and welcoming place to start a business. A diversified business sector brings additional foot traffic for other businesses and creates a climate that would entice residents to make the choice to stay local more often.  

The word “developer” is a bad word in this town, and the development community has been treated very poorly. Half the residents in this Town wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the development community and for the good hearted life long residents who  said YES to us moving to their Town to raise our kids and open our businesses. 

EDC Commission member Frank Dertzbaugh said  “If we can’t at least bring potential investors in the door, and get them through at least a concept, then they will lose interest with all the other hurdles they will have along the way which are many.”

It’s an uphill battle to even get a project to the concept stage. It has become the mission of this administration and the Planning and Zoning Commission to create an atmosphere of negativity with no creative out of the box solutions to infrastructure challenges. 

It's no secret that Mount Airy has a water issue...it's been that way for nearly two decades. The truth? These Town officials don’t want to find water. They don’t want to find a solution. The Mayor said so himself>>

"We have water for every resident in Mt. Airy now; I don't see a huge deficiency. I don't think we need big ground water and that's one of the things I campaigned on. We don't need these big resources. We have water resources.Now we need some more to build out center street. We are limited and I don't think we need to take great gains to change what we already have." 

How quickly we forget when we hit a dry spell? If it were really up to them, they would seal the Mt. Airy borders. Perhaps they should just build a fence? 

EDC member Mike VantSant said  "there are a couple of very key things in the enabling legislation, and one that jumps right out at me is to promote the ability to work closer to home.” To which the Mayor replied>>

"A lot of people had a choice when they moved to Mount Airy of places to live and working the same area, while that can be some what desirable, I don't think that's the number one desire of the people that live here, to have their job immediately adjacent to where they work." 

 Wow! I'll say it again.. Really? 

The Mayor is out of touch with reality and with most residents and business owners in this Town. If we have the opportunity to work closer to home, most people would jump on that, that doesn't mean we want to become an "employment hub." It just means that we create more opporutnity whether it means more jobs for our Teens, stay at home Moms or business professionals.  

Most businesses are eager to see business development. Businesses want to grow. They want the town to be a place where prospective business owners can come and be treated with respect, given an honest process and not subject to the political BS of the almighty Planning and Zoning commission.   

Businesses in Mt. Airy-if you want to grow and prosper, it’s time to take a stand against the unorthodox treatment of our development community. Stand up if you believe Planning and Zoning, Economic Development, and the Town Council should all work in concert to create an atmosphere that is conducive for economic growth and vitality in our small Town.

Don't Just Talk the Talk...

Walk the Walk, Mount Airy

Four years ago, Frank Johnson and his so called team made huge promises as they were overwhelmingly swept into office. They said, “We can do better, and Together we can.” Here is part of an excerpt from then candidate Johnson’s website:

“Together, we can do it. We can make Mt Airy a shining example of what can be achieved when a community comes together to serve each other. This is not something I am offering you; it is something I am asking of you. Work with me, work with yourselves, to create a new community plan to provide a true vision for this generation. If we do, this town will truly be your town, our town – a place to call home, and a home that has a place and a voice for everyone. Together, we can.”

Most Mount Airy residents wanted to believe they could. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing; Mount Airy to remain a quaint and charming small town, not a Germantown or Columbia; a safe place to raise our families; a way to connect to other Mount Airy neighbors and friends even though our town is divided by a county line; just the right mix of restaurants and retail so we don’t always have to leave town to find what we need; infrastructure that supports those who are already here before any additional residential growth occurs.

Every two-four years, we get to evaluate if our elected officials have met their goals and objectives. We call it an election. We the people, get to evaluate if those who were elected, have stayed true to the pledges they made, to work for the people.

Did the Johnson/Nelson/Woodhull/...Pyatt/Everich team make the grade? Did they fulfill their promises and transform Mount Airy into a community where all residents are heard and everyone has a voice? Were the challenges we faced met head on? Were all citizens called to join together to help problem solve and reach consensus?

Hmmm… I don’t recall receiving that phone call? I am sure they tried to call, but I must not have been home.

They said “we can do better.” Mayor Frank Johnson resigned in February of 2009. He only made it through slightly more than half of his term. Is this what you call “coming together?” How can we work with you if you’re not even here? Is this the vision we want for Mount Airy?

They said “we can do better.” John Woodhull resigned in June of 2009, only getting through three quarters of his term. John was the water guru, and put his faith in Gillis Falls. So, where's the water John? John Woodhull never intended to find water for Mount Airy. He talked the talk alright, but when it came right down to it, his thought was if we solved the water problem, we would become Columbia. John Woodhull was not pro Mount Airy, he was pro his own agenda.

They said “we can do better.” Frederick County has yet to build a middle school closer to our Town.

They said “we can do better.” Carroll County has yet to renovate Mount Airy Middle, or address the issue of overcrowding other than placing the entire 6th grade in portable classrooms.

They said “we can do better.” The Growth and Development Task Force, led by Pat Rockinberg put together a Town survey, but I’m not sure they heard the plea of the residents who overwhelmingly stated the need for additional recreational opportunities in Town. Once again, they voted against a proposed community recreation center/sports complex on the Rigler property, which would have been paid for by the developer, not by the taxpayers.

They said “we can do better.” Economic Development was at a stand still under the leadership of John Woodhull. After his resignation councilwoman Wendi Peters took over as council liaison and initiated an Economic Development Work plan.

So, would you say Mt. Airy is a shining example? Or more like a falling star? The results are in Mount Airy! Johnson-Woodhull-Nelson-Pyatt-Everich. Together, they didn’t.

We need elected officials who will provide the leadership, the experience and the commitment to tackle the job and finish the job.

We need leaders who have the passion and the understanding to work with the county and state for the sake of our children and the future generations of our Town. Leaders who understand diplomacy, who have the ability to remain composed in the face of adversity and who do not go on rants or tirades that damage the reputation of our Town.

We need leaders who aren't cherry picked and coached by the same motley crew who brought us Johnson-Nelson-Woodhull and are only interested in protecting their investment, protecting their view and carrying out their power-trip agenda.

We can do better! The time is now to look at the choices we have in front of us and decide if we want to talk the talk and walk the walk.