Buyer Beware! Take a Good Hard Look at the Candidates

The following post was submitted by Christine Perry of Mt. Airy

Let the buyer beware. Colleen Colvin’s letter to the Times on April 18 confirms the suspicion among Mt. Airy town residents – we have not heard the last from the landowners of the failed South I-70 Annexation.

Colvin brings up some valid points; she states that the next council need be intelligent and tenacious enough to deal with complicated issues on the county and the state level and also endorses two individuals, Dave Pyatt and Chris Everich, both outspoken advocates of this reckless annexation. I hope nobody has forgotten that these families in the South I-70 stiffed the town for half of a $22,000 legal bill because they did not feel they should have to pay.

Not to my surprise, it appears that Colvin is banking to get Everich and Pyatt into office so they can join with Scott Strong to form a three person voting bloc that will throw caution to the wind and annex these folks once and for all. My opinion is only confirmed by seeing Pyatt and Everich’s campaign signs sit on the property of Dr. Paul Burkett’s dental practice. Burkett is a landowner in the South I-70 area and his interest best served by having Pyatt and Everich elected.

I am glad that Ms. Colvin brings up her concerns regarding the issue of Plan Maryland. Councilmen Pyatt, Strong and Helt recently approved an application to submit to the State of Maryland for sustainable community designation. This designation is tied to Plan Maryland, two principles of which are public transportation and equitable, affordable housing. How can we be assured as town residents, that if the state dangles the money applied for in front of these men, the same thing Colvin is so concerned about, will come to fruition? Mount Airy will certainly become similar to Gaithersburg, Germantown or Frederick.

Lastly, Colvin states in her letter that in a July 2009 issue of the Gazette, Everich was quoted as saying, 

"the proposed business parks [in the South I-70 area] will destroy the character of this community." 

 Everich is currently advocating annexing the Harrison-Leishear property on Route 27 at the corner of North Main Street to build a community center.  This annexation includes a proposed business park.  Won’t this business park destroy the character of the community too?  What hypocrisy!  Mr. Everich seems to pose a risky vote to this community by his political flip flopping and pandering to earn support.

 Christine Perry 

Mt. Airy

Guest Blogger

Have a Drink with the Mayor When You Place the "Right" Sign In Your Yard?

The following was submitted by Meghan Shipley of Mt. Airy 

 
It seems there is a foul odor coming from the mouth of a town official. I received an e-mail sent out by our Mayor to his many followers. Some of those he thinks are loyal to him are very much against his views. Could it be? 

In this e-mail to his “friends," he not only attacked two residents running for council, but he also attacked a current councilman, and a previous one. Is the Mayor running for Town Council? 

It would appear that the Mayor has a slogan to help his friends get elected, ”they will vote as I tell them to vote." So much for the diversity of our town residents. 

Perhaps the Mayor should refrain from sending e-mails and do what he was elected to do; listen to ALL the people. 

In case you were not one of the selected few, allow me to tell you how Mr. Mayor ended his e-mail. A list of 5 different things for residents to do, none of which have anything to do with the finding out the facts and making a decision for themselves. However, if you put a sign in your yard for "his" candidate, he will personally come by your house for a visit and a drink! Lucky you! Or better yet, if you put a sign in your yard AND write a letter to the editor supporting Chris Everich, he will then leave you alone! 

I have one question, Mr. Mayor, are trying to use your power and authority to influence the voters?

Are you a minion of the mayor, or are you a town resident that is constantly ignored because you have a different opinion?

Vote for Bob King and Kristin Blais. They will represent ALL citizens.   

Meghan Shipley 
Guest Blogger 
This writer is a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission

I'm So Dizzy...My Head is Spinning.....

When we vote for Town Council, Mayor, or anyone for that matter, there should be a better vetting process so residents can really get to know the truth about their choices.What do we know about the Mayor? What kind of budget experience does he have? 

In a small Town, you often don't know who you've voted for until its' too late. Unfortunately, that's the case right here in our own, small, charming Mount Airy. Not really so charming sometimes, huh? 

In a small Town, people knock at your door and tell you lies about the other candidates and what they believe in. Tip: Be careful of people who talk about other candidates more than they talk about themselves; it may mean they are hiding information, or fabricating information as a distraction to what they're really all about. Once you've cast your ballot, it's too late. 

Councilman David Blais is a councilman who speaks from his heart. His only agenda is doing right by the Mount Airy taxpayers. He asks the hard questions. He stands his ground. He is not intimidated by the good old boy (and one girl) network. I admire Councilman Blais for his tenacity and passion to protect our tax dollars, while at the same time looking after the long term viability of the Town. 

Below is Councilman Blaise's letter to the editor and his contribution to the Mount Airy Blog this week. It's titled "I'm dizzy form the spin."  This Councilman speaks the truth. There's one thing residents want in this Town. The Truth. They are tired of the incivility and down right nastiness at Town Hall. We can't find common ground and solutions to our problems when certain people continue to write letters that are both misleading and misguided. These are the same people who knocked at your door during the last campaign. I encourage residents to take the time to find the facts and encourage local media to do a better job vetting local candidates.

I'm dizzy from the spin

Many things spin: a child's top, a pinwheel, tires on a vehicle. But the best example of spin I found this week is Bruce Curley's spin on the position of Councilwoman Wendi Peters and myself in regard to Mount Airy's emergency operations plan ("Agreements are crucial in the event of a disaster," Letters, The Gazette, May 19).

First, let me make it clear that Ms. Peters and I 100 percent support an emergency operations plan that will fit our town and the surrounding community. What I did not support was the vagueness in the language of the memorandum of understanding presented by Mayor Pat Rockinberg.

Mr. Curley points out that this is a "legal document" created and signed in advance between local government and service providers. While he is correct that it is an agreement, nothing binds the town to use those service providers, so the legal enforceability may not necessarily exist.

The mayor presented the memorandum of understanding commenting that it was important so local businesses could not "gouge us" in a time of emergency. Ms. Peters commented that she found it disconcerting that the mayor often speaks of "small-town charm," but felt the need to present a document to keep local businesses from "gouging" us in a time of emergency.

Ms. Peters gave examples of local businesses supporting those in need in times of emergency. Ms. Peters merely voiced a concern. I do not find this unreasonable.

While it is true that if the town faces a disaster, using local businesses might not be a likely option. But I believe that we should attempt to patronize local businesses first, not only for economic reasons, but also because their services are right here in our community.

Thirdly, Mr. Curley writes that I continually objected to helping anybody outside of town. That is a blatant falsehood. What I objected to was the wording in the memorandum of understanding that did not define (a) exactly where we would provide help outside of town and (b) if we provided help outside of town, who would pay the bill? I could not, in good conscience, support something that places any additional burdens upon our taxpayers to pay for services for individuals who do not live in our town.

I required clarification of these two issues, and never objected to providing services to people outside of town. In fact, the mayor agreed with my analysis and praised me for my concern.

Mr. Curley's spin is unbelievable and clearly contrived to misrepresent what I stated. Bruce, please get your facts straight and stop spinning this issue. We need unity in our town among the elected officials and the community; misrepresenting statements does more harm than good.

David Blais, Mount Airy

Town Council Member