tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281743408556899619.post8516176350358634848..comments2023-08-15T11:29:00.617-04:00Comments on Prince George's Urbanist: Prince George's Should Reform Its Government, Not Raise Its TaxesBradley Heardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18178996211570069450noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281743408556899619.post-3608677221262218642015-04-14T23:31:42.037-04:002015-04-14T23:31:42.037-04:001) I guess I lean toward the second of your option...1) I guess I lean toward the second of your options: No, this won't reap the benefits the CE promises. <br /><br />2) I think you'd be surprised at how many in the community support ending council involvement in zoning administration. (BTW, I did check <a href="http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=document-frameset.htm$3.0" rel="nofollow">MoCo's Ordinance</a>, and their council isn't involved in development review either. They only are involved if amending the zoning map or the zoning text is necessary - which is what I'm arguing for here in PGC.) <br /><br />3) It's not the amount of $$, it's the source. Candidates are awash in developer money, and that's not a good thing. <br /><br />4) If at-large members get elected from only certain parts of the county, it's likely because the other parts of the county didn't turn out to vote. It's not pre-ordained. At some point, we are responsible for the government we elect.Bradley Heardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18178996211570069450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281743408556899619.post-79265387603145187542015-04-14T23:06:38.548-04:002015-04-14T23:06:38.548-04:00Again thank you for responding and this blog post....Again thank you for responding and this blog post. I do however feel you dodge the issue again.<br /><br />1) In this post nor your first post do you deal directly with the main issue. The County Executive has proposed raising taxes to fund his Stragetic Plan for Education. The answer or response to that is this, Yes raise the taxes because the plan will move our system forward and there aren't other options to get the money needed, No this plan will not reap the benefits the Executive promises thus this will not be money well spent, or No this plan is a good idea and should happen but the Executive does not need a tax increase to get to this plan. <br /><br />2) Members in this community have over and over again made it clear that the role the council plays in their District Council power is a just role. The council has made adjustments to change the role in a method to be more development friendly but overall this has been judged by voters to be just use of their time and power.<br /><br />3) We don't have a financing problem here in this county when it comes to local elections. Members are winning seats on the county council with 70,000 and in the House of Delegates by raising 30,000. That is not a lot of money.<br /><br />4) You are very critical of the role the council played to extended term limits (something via the Charter Review Commission they kinda have to do) but then suggest they amend the charter to get the makeup that you want. This is not the first time for this issue and voters and leaders have said no and for good reason. In this county officials countywide are elected by few people and so would At-Large members. It would give an unfair advantage to specific areas of the county at the risk of other areas as we saw when our school board had at-large representation, Bowie had three members of the board from one voting district. In Montgomery County where they now have at-large members, two of those at-large members live in the same part of the county. In DC until Vince Gray and Kwame Brown left the council, there was a time that Gray, Brown and the Ward 7 member all lived in the same NEIGHBORHOOD. Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02096212419608377275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281743408556899619.post-62601542192423048582015-04-14T22:21:37.761-04:002015-04-14T22:21:37.761-04:00Joseph -
Always good to hear from you on the blo...Joseph - <br /><br />Always good to hear from you on the blog!. Part 1 of this 3-part series actually talked more in detail about the lack of a sound justification for the tax increase proposal. This post was more about good government reforms that I believe the county needs to make.<br /><br />On <b>#2</b> - I think the way council members should weigh in on development proposals is to testify at the Planning Board hearing, like the rest of the public. That's pretty much the way it works almost everywhere else in Maryland. (Not sure about MoCo.) On <b>#3</b> - I agree, we'd have to see how the math works for the public financing of local elections. MoCo just recently passed their law, and I believe it's the first one in the state, but PGC should take a look at this. On <b>#4</b> - I never suggested we bypass the voters on the at-large member question. It would take a charter amendment to do it, so the voters would have to weigh in. I've heard many in the county who support having <i>some</i> at-large representatives (not a total at-large council, like we had in the past). Bradley Heardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18178996211570069450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1281743408556899619.post-28188878132954972022015-04-14T19:51:01.015-04:002015-04-14T19:51:01.015-04:00It is hard to read this post and not feel that som...It is hard to read this post and not feel that someone is asleep at the wheel. I am undecided about the need for new taxes to fund the public education system here in Prince George's County, however Mr. Heard's post does not speak at all to this fundamental issue. Instead he plays fast and loose and uses misdirection to speak to other, albeit worth wild areas.<br /><br />Secondly this post talks about four solutions that are....interesting at least.<br /><br />1) The council never block the CE's Inspector General proposal. He never made on and instead just blamed the council for not living up to this promise. There is a way to have both a County IE and the council's Internal Audit program but it does require the CE to actually work with the council to make it happen.<br /><br />2) Prince Georgian's expect our council to weigh in on individual development projects, specifically those that have great concern for local communities.<br /><br />3) In a county that is spending far more money than we are taking in it would be interesting to see if county voters would support public financing for local elections, something I doubt.<br /><br />4) In case Mr. Heard forgot or maybe never knew but voters have already answered the question about At-Large seats in Prince George's, we don't want or need them. It is interesting this post Mr. Heard slaps Mr. Baker and the council for seeking to go around voters will on term-limits but then suggests going around voters on At-Large seats.Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02096212419608377275noreply@blogger.com