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Looking
back, Looking
forward
January
is named for the two faced Roman deity, Janus: god
of doors, gates and new beginnings. It is a time-honored
custom to stand on the threshold of a new year and
pause for a moment to look back, while looking ahead
to the upcoming year.
January
 The
year 2002 began with controversy over Governor Glendening's
redistricting plan for the state of Maryland. On
the home front, District 20 State Senator, Ida Ruben
and her scheme team, Sheila Hixon and Peter Franchot,
persuade the local redistricting commission to cut incumbent
Dana Dembrow out of the district and then, through a
process of precinct cut-and-paste, create a bulge to
the west that would stretch out to the Chevy Chase home
of District 18 delegate John Hurson.
Walt
Penney, father and beloved swim team coach, is fatally
struck by a speeding car while riding his bicycle on Sligo
Creek Parkway. A measure of good derived from this tragedy
in that Silver Spring resident, Jean Cavanaugh, and other
locals organized a successful grass roots campaign to
make Sligo Creek Parkway safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
The
city council voted unanimously to support plans for a
skateboard park to be built in the Takoma-Piney Branch
Park. The facility would be operated by the city recreation
department, and would also be open to scooters and in-line
skates. But hold onto your skates...the project is on
hold because of the budget crunch.
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After
decades humbled by dust and dis-repair, Takoma's grand dame,
the Cady-Lee Mansion, is formally re-presented at
an open house, after a restoration effort of almost two
years. Price of admission to the open house was an article
of Victoriana, either to wear or to show. Hundreds of people
got in the spirit, and the line to enter stretched all the
way to the corner of Eastern Avenue and Piney Branch Road.
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February
At
a politico-packed ceremony, ground is broken for a Takoma
Park Community Center at the current municipal building.
Many public officials claimed either past or future credit
for bringing it to completion. Unfortunately, new Maryland
Governor Bob Ehrlich was not on hand to go on the record.
The building is slated for completion in late 2004 (depending
upon funding). Project associates say that "the bulldozer
will finally roll in March. |
March
Impact
Silver Spring sponsors an open space conference in Silver
Spring entitled "Building a Diverse Community." Hundreds
of people from throughout the community participate in
a wide range of self-organized discussions.
Blair Ewing, pulling a page from his Board of Education
playbook, announces his intention to form a slate of slow-growth
county council candidates to challenge Doug Duncan and
the pro-development status quo. |
April
Montgomery
College's Takoma Park campus breaks ground on a health
sciences center in Silver Spring. This is the first
phase of an ambitious expansion program that will play
a major role in reshaping south Silver Spring. In a related
issue, the college decides not to build a new cultural
arts building in Jesup Blair Park after environmentalists
and preservationists object to cutting down a section
of ancient trees.
Columbia Union College held its second annual "Taste
of Takoma." Sunshine, healthy food, and soaring Acro-Airs
are all signs of spring in Takoma Park. |
May
The
dreaded Asian Tiger mosquito makes its annual debut by
replacing the fun out of gardening with the fear of West
Nile virus.
Takoma Park Jazz man Dave Lorentz holds the 7th annual
Jazzfest, his last one. But don't lose your cool,
hipsters-Bruce Krohmer is heading Jazzfest 8, scheduled
for Saturday, June 14 (to avoid the traditional Jazzfest
rain). |
June
Montgomery
County Executive Douglas Duncan, with a big assist from
the Washington Post publishing empire, puts his slow-growth
opponents on the defensive with the election year announcement
of "Go Montgomery," a ten-year, ten billion-dollar
transportation initiative to leverage state and federal
money to build roads and mass transit in Montgomery County.
The Inter-County Connector (ICC) is at the top of the
list.
The Maryland Court of Appeals rejects Governor Glendening's
badly gerry-mandered redistricting map because it violates
the Maryland Constitution. Locally this means that
incumbent John Hurson is not pulled into District 20,
thus leaving a House of Delegates opening for political
newcomer, Gareth Murray.
Takoma Park holds its first "Arts and Healing Day,"
a fusion of two of Takoma Park's greatest forces. Events
included workshops, musical performances, theatre, and
martial arts demonstrations-as well as open houses at
A. Salon and the Washington Opera in Takoma DC.
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July
Takoma
Park Police Corporal Cindy Creamer becomes Chief Creamer
when Tom Anderson steps down. After five years of investigations
and controversies, many residents are happy to see a leader
who rose through the ranks. Creamer started as a dispatcher
for TPPD in 1976. |
August
Mike
Miller, Ida Ruben and two other Maryland legislators appear
before the General Assembly's ethics committee to
explain why they contacted judges on the Maryland Court
of Appeals while the state's redistricting map was being
decided.
The County sets up the Long Branch Redevelopment office
and establishes the Long Branch Initiative Task Force,
a citizen's group to advise the county on the redevelopment
of this area. Long Branch is a section of southeast Montgomery
County that includes the University, Piney Branch, and
Flower commercial districts. The adjoining neighborhoods
include a large proportion of high-density rental housing
that is home to a variety of immigrant communities.
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September
The
25th Annual Takoma Park Folk Festival draws big crowds-proving
yet again that Takoma Park can fit more music and dancing
into a single day than any other city its size.
Russell Katz breaks ground on an "eco-living" apartment
complex adjacent to the Metro. Claiming that it will
be the "most environmentally correct building in Washington,
DC," Katz plans on opening the building to tenants in
September 2003.
Maryland's highest court decides not to open an inquiry
into charges that Senate President Mike Miller, local
senator Ida Ruben, and two other legislators attempted
to influence Court of Appeal judges in their decision
to overturn Governor Glendening's redistricting plan.
The court justifies its denial of the inquiry because
a complaint is pending against Miller, who is a lawyer,
with the state Attorney Grievance Commission.
Montgomery County and its development partner PFA, Silver
Spring LLC, hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction
of the delayed retail and restaurant sections of the Downtown
Silver Spring project.
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Democrat
Chris Van Hollen ends Connie Morella's reign as Montgomery
County's beloved Republican. Morella represented Congressional
District 8 for eight terms. Redistricting and a massive
Democratic push delivered the seat to Chris Van Hollen,
a progressive state senator. |
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"End
Gridlock," a pro-development alliance organized by the
Duncan machine and funded primarily by area development
interests, conducts a no-holds-barred publicity campaign
that includes negative campaign fliers and automated celebrity
phone calls. The "End Gridlock" team sweeps the county
council Democratic primary elections, losing only the
open District 5 seat, which goes to Takoma Park Resident
Tom Perez, the first Latino member of the Montgomery County
Council. "End Gridlock" candidate and longtime Takoma
resident George Leventhal is elected to an at-large seat.
Longtime Assembly member Dana Dembrow, hurt by
a domestic abuse scandal, loses his spot on the ticket
to new-comer Gareth Murray, who would later go
on to be the first African-American elected to the
Maryland House from District 20. |
October
The
21st Annual Takoma Park Street Festival dispells
the notion that strangers can't get along and nobody around
here knows how to party.
The Takoma Park City Council passes resolutions opposing
war in Iraq and opposing the USA Patriot Act.
The Silver Spring-Wheaton area is the opening act to a
bizarre series of random sniper murders that terrorize
the entire metropolitan area. Schools suspend outdoor
recess and many public events are cancelled. The alleged
snipers are apprehended three weeks later. Silver Spring
residents are shocked to learn that the two suspects worked
out at the local YMCA. |
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November
An
exciting and diverse mix of films are shown at Takoma
Park's First Annual Film Festival.
Takoma Park permits the installation of an "urban corn
silo" to assist coalition of families who use corn-burning
stoves to fight global warming and dependence on oil.
Two police officers are assigned coordinators in the Silver
Spring police district to crack down on rise in youth
gangs. High schools and even middle schools have reported
a dramatic rise in gang related activity including colors,
graffiti and gang-related violence. |
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December
Takoma
Voice celebrates 15 years by publishing a new sister newspaper:
The Silver Spring Voice. |
