Letters
January 2006

Mayor's Race was Educational

I would like to commend both of Takoma Park's candidates for mayor in the November election for engaging in serious discussion of important issues in our community. As a resident of Takoma Park since 1992, I have never seen so much interest in the mayoral race.

On at least a dozen occasions, I had serious discussions with neighbors about some of the issues raised in the election, especially by first-time candidate Seth Grimes. I cannot recall ever having a single discussion with a friend or neighbor about the mayoral election in the past--nor, frankly, if I voted in prior mayoral elections. My neighbors, many of whom have lived in town for 10 years or more, said the same thing.

I did not campaign for either candidate, and I would characterize myself as among the majority of citizens who is basically pleased with life in Takoma Park. But the election debates and informal discussions showed me that that perhaps many of us are so concerned with bigger issues in the larger world that we assumed Takoma Park could take care of itself. Maybe it did, and maybe it didn't.

All of us, regardless of whom we supported in the election, received a great education about how things are done in our city. I hope that the people who participated in the campaigns for any of the candidates will maintain their level of interest and lend their voices and expertise to the many decisions that lie ahead.

—Kevin Adler
Takoma Park, Md.

My great soccer coach, Jamie Raskin

I read the article in the Voice about Jamie Raskin planning to run for state senate. I thought you might like to hear the perspective of a teenager who is very close to him. Jamie is the dad of one of my oldest and closest friends, Hannah.

He has always been very into helping out around the community especially with kids. When I was about six or seven years old he was my soccer coach. I have very vivid memories of what it was like to have him as a coach; he was very encouraging, helpful, nice, and most of all patient. Everyone loved him because to every six- and seven-year-old kid he was a really really cool guy. I really looked up to him and wanted to be just like him.

Now, eight years later, I am almost 14 years old and have continued to pursue my soccer career. I now play on a coed DC Stodert Travel team where even though it is coed I am the only girl on the team. I give a lot of the credit to Jamie who taught me everything I needed to know to be where I am today. And now at the age of 13 I still love to go over their house to visit with Hannah as well pass a ball around with Jamie and the others and talk about how life is and how soccer is going these days. Not only was Jamie a great coach but also he is an amazing guy, the kind who cares and that is what I love the most about him!

&Mdash; Mallory MacRostie
Takoma Park, Md.

Preserve the Agricultural Reserve

Some things are just too good to be true, and I'm afraid our County's Agricultural Reserve may be one of them. The Reserve, now a quarter century old, is under threat from loopholes in the law that are permitting residential development to chip away at it.

Tom Perez, during his presidency on the County Council, played a strong leadership role in protecting the Agricultural Reserve from development pressures, including heading off construction of mega-institutions on farmland and open spaces. George Leventhal, Takoma Park neighbor and at-large representative, now occupies the President's chair on the Council, and in that position has the opportunity (I would even say the responsibility) to ward off serious threats to the Agricultural Reserve.

Mr. Leventhal could start by addressing a sewage treatment technology not envisioned in the Master Plan that is paving the way for megamansions to pockmark our Agricultural Reserve. Already there is a proposal to construct McMansons on upcounty farmland using this technology. Early in its 2006 agenda, the Council should consider and pass legislation introduced by members Perez and Marilyn Praisner to halt the use of this technology until the County can decide how to limit and regulate it.

From time to time I have told out-of-town friends about our Ag Reserve with a certain amount of pride. For now, I've stopped doing that until I am confident that the Ag Reserve is secure from further encroachment. The actions of the Council in the next year can go a long way toward making the difference.

—Mary Reardon
Silver Spring, Md.

Not many voters realize that the County Council President has tremendous latitude in terms of issues and agendas the Council undertakes during his or her one-year tenure. Council member Tom Perez, whose term as president has just ended, did a laudable job of taking on hard issues such as prescription drug coverage and better protection for the County's Agricultural Reserve. Under Perez's leadership, the Council limited sewer and water extensions into the Agricultural Reserve to prevent large institutional development and fragmentation of our remaining farmland and open spaces.

George Leventhal, Takoma Park resident and Council member at large, is now Council President. I hope he will continue the move forward to address other serious threats to Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve.

One such threat is a proposal by Winchester Homes to build 15 McMansions on pristine farmland near Poolesville. Creation of such residential development is suburbanizing the Reserve, taking land out of agriculture forever. Their plan calls for a sewage waste technology not advocated in the Master Plan. Impacts of this relatively new technology need to be assessed. The Council should issue a temporary moratorium as proposed by Council members Tom Perez and Marilyn Praisner.

For 25 years, Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve has been considered one of the best land use models in the nation. I hope the Council will be good stewards of this land now so that in 25 years--dare I hope, 100 years--future residents throughout the region will still be enjoying the benefits of the Reserve--and of this Council's foresight.

—Christine Morgan
Silver Spring, Md.

Maryland is AWOL on global warming threat

Global warming is back in the headlines. A devastating hurricane season, record shrinking of the Arctic ice pack and other climate changes all set the background for the meeting this week of the signatories to the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal. Much attention is on the United States, the one major holdout from the treaty. But while the federal government has been obstructionist, mayors and governors around the country are acting on their own to cut global warming pollution.

Seattle Mayor, Greg Nickels, has launched the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Cities that sign pledge to reduce global warming emissions seven percent below 1990 levels. The number of cities that have signed is now 188, representing over 40 million Americans.

On the state level, nine northeastern states from Maine to Delaware have formed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in to develop a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. On the west coast, California, Oregon and Washington have created a similar global warming.

Unfortunately Maryland appears to be AWOL from the effort. Annapolis is the only Maryland city to sign the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Maryland is an observer in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative but not a participant. Even worse, Governor Ehrlich is working to remove carbon dioxide from any bill to reduce pollution from power plants.

It's time that Maryland governments stop dragging their feet on global warming. Voters should urge Mayor O'Malley, and other Maryland mayors to sign the Mayors' Agreement. All candidates for governor next year should make their position on regional cooperation known. Voters should demand that Maryland be a leader on global warming and not a laggard.

—Tim Willard
Montgomery County Green Party Co-Chair
Kensington, Md.

Don't Supersize the Beltway

The Washington Post had a recent front page article that talked about express toll lanes all around the Washington Beltway. The Governors of Maryland and Virginia had struck a deal on this plan. The State Highway Administration (SHA) has been working on a study for this part of the county for several years and made a presentation to a number of civic associations last winter.

SHA proposes to widen the Beltway to ten lanes by adding a privately financed toll lane in each direction. In addition, an existing lane on each side would be converted into a toll lane. Where the Beltway is six lanes wide now, four lanes would be added.

This proposal will:

1) increase pollution and noise in our neighborhoods beyond their already excessive levels.

2) dozens of homes will have to be taken. Residents who do not lose their homes will in some ways be even worse off than those who do, because they will not be compensated for the loss of property value caused by pollution and noise.

3) widening the Beltway will add even more traffic to already congested secondary roadways; it will be harder to enter and leave many of our neighborhoods. 4) widening the Beltway will have a negative impact on Rock Creek Park.

This proposal makes no sense as a transportation solution. The project's leaders have acknowledged that the four lanes will not solve congestion on the present non-toll lanes of the Beltway, which will remain at least as congested as they now are. Lower-income commuters, already hard-hit by the rising cost of gas, will have to choose between paying exorbitant tolls and risking their jobs by coming late to work. The toll lanes would be located in the center of the Beltway.

There is a better answer: The Purple Line, a proposed light rail Metro line, would connect downtown Bethesda, Silver Spring, the University of Maryland, and New Carrollton. Long term, public transportation will ensure higher quality of life for residents living near the Beltway. Additional highways will encourage more sprawl, more traffic, and unsightly strip development. A key question is whether the Purple Line can be routed to be compatible with Silver Spring neighborhoods. Nevertheless, transit solutions can be found that will provide better alternatives. Beltway widening can be stopped. Citizens Against Beltway Expansion (formerly called the Rock Creek Coalition), a coalition of the civic associations in Maryland along the Beltway, has twice succeeded in blocking plans to expand the Beltway. Aroused and well-organized neighborhoods will not be ignored in an election year. But we can only succeed with your help.

For further information, go to capitalbeltway.mdprojects.com and www.actfortransit.org/beltway051211.html

&emdash;Tony Hausner and Ben Ross
Citizens Against Beltway Expansion
tthausner@yahoo.com