Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Michael Kurtianyk, Frederick County Board of County Commissioners, on the issues




Michael Kurtianyk, Frederick County Board of County Commissioners, on the issues: http://michaelk2010.com/site/the-issues/


Representing the voice of the people
As a small business owner and a father, I have felt the highs and lows of the business climate this decade. I have had to adjust expenses in my business and at home, while trying to increase revenue. I understand what people go through as they fight to keep their jobs, and hope taxes aren’t raised. I know. I live it daily. Just like you.
Leadership isn’t about who is right and who is wrong
Michael believes that we need elected leaders who will work with our municipalities, not against them. There’s a way to reach a common ground on most issues and Michael will work tirelessly to improve the County’s relationship with all levels of government and the citizens of Frederick County.
Isn’t it about time we elect a leader like Michael?
Michael on the Issues
The Budget
The MOST important issue facing Frederick County now and for the foreseeable future is the budget. We need to continue to shrink the size of our government AND increase revenue through broadening the commercial tax base by being business-friendly. In addition to raising revenue in this manner, we must also look for ways to cut expenses. These cuts must partner with all entities, State/County/BoE and Local.  My responsibility as a County Commissioner will be to ensure that citizens continue to receive high quality essential services, such as law enforcement, fire and rescue and education.
We must continue to look at every budget line item and see where we can reduce expenses. I propose that each division adopt a zero-based budget approach in which all expenditures must be justified and approved, rather than just the increases.
Budget partnerships, specifically with the State and Municipalities, should constructive and not destructive.  Every level of government serves the same people – the citizens of Frederick County. Anything less that cooperative dialogue is a disservice and disrespectful to our citizens.
Economic Development
Job retention, job expansion and new job recruitment are essential for economic development. If every company in the County added just ONE job per year, we’d be adding over 8,000 jobs in the County annually!
As Commissioner, I will continue to promote Frederick as a great location for doing business with a strong, educated workforce available to employers.
We need to foster an open dialogue between the business community and the educational institutions in the County so that we have students who are prepared to enter the workforce with appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities.
We must understand our workforce.  A large majority of the Frederick County workforce is in the Government Industry Area.  That means we need to work with Federal and State Authorities and get more Government Agencies here in Frederick.  That will allow for more high-paying “live here, work here” jobs and reduce traffic while improving quality of life and the environment.  We must know our strengths and develop towards them.
Education
I am proud to be married to a wonderful Frederick County Public Schools teacher. The teachers do a great job teaching our children, who represent our future.
We can do more as County Commissioners to “sell” Frederick County to prospective teachers. My vision is to have the BOCC, Chamber, OED, and the Tourism Council work together on speaking directly to college graduates about all that Frederick County has to offer.
I would work closely with the Board of Education on reducing expenses where they can, while still maintaining high quality education for our area students.
Charter Form of GovernmentSoon after being elected to the Board of County Commissioners, I will make a motion to form a committee to draft a charter form of government. I hope to have the support of two other commissioners for this important issue. The change to a charter form of government will allow Frederick County to speak with one voice to Annapolis, our municipalities, and other governing bodies, like the Board of Education.
The Charter form of government allows for a more complete representation of the citizens of Frederick County.
Waste-To-Energy FacilityThe current Board of County Commissioners has already approved moving forward with the waste-to-energy facility (WTE).
When I first entered the race, I advocated for a “stay of execution” on the current waste to energy plan because of my concerns about the financing of this project, and the location of the facility at the McKinney site. However, after meeting with many experts on this topic, the most logical course of action is to proceed with the plans that the current Board of County Commissioners voted for.
After extensive research, I have not been able to identify a viable, alternative solution on my own or with the help of others.
We cannot just ignore and do nothing about our trash problem in hopes that a better technology will emerge.
The Board of County Commissioners recently approved a motion to hire a consultant to study the financial effects of the approved Waste-to-Energy Facility. I approve this decision, as it will provide a third-party review of the most compelling argument against this facility, which is the future financial cost.
We must act in a proactive manner so that we are prepared now, and in the future, to handle waste disposal for Frederick County residents.
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2010/09/michael-kurtianyk-frederick-county.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/37138115/Michael-Kurtianyk-Frederick-County-Board-of-County-Commissioners-on-the-issues-http-michaelk2010-com-site-the-issues

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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Washington Post: Oval Office rug gets history wrong By Jamie Stiehm

Washington Post: Oval Office rug gets history wrong

By Jamie Stiehm Saturday, September 4, 2010; A17 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090305100.html

A mistake has been made in the Oval Office makeover that goes beyond the beige.

President Obama's new presidential rug seemed beyond reproach, with quotations from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. woven along its curved edge.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." According media reports, this quote keeping Obama company on his wheat-colored carpet is from King.

Except it's not a King quote. The words belong to a long-gone Bostonian champion of social progress. His roots in the republic ran so deep that his grandfather commanded the Minutemen at the Battle of Lexington.

(Your Take: What quotes would you put on the Oval Office rug?)

For the record, Theodore Parker is your man, President Obama. Unless you're fascinated by antebellum American reformers, you may not know of the lyrically gifted Parker, an abolitionist, Unitarian minister and Transcendentalist thinker who foresaw the end of slavery, though he did not live to see emancipation. He died at age 49 in 1860, on the eve of the Civil War…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090305100.html

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20100904 WaPo Oval Office rug gets history wrong By Jamie Stiehm

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Nine months ago, Bryan P. Sears of the Towson Times broke an eyebrow-raising story


« The claim game | Main

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

County council races: Follow the money

Nine months ago, Bryan P. Sears of the Towson Times broke an eyebrow-raising story: Two Baltimore County development attorneys — one the son of term-limited County Executive James T. Smith Jr. and the other one of Mr. Smith’s former law clerks — had selected candidates to back in three separate County Council races and had held high-dollar fundraisers for them. Now, with the Democratic primary a week away, it’s worth revisiting that report to see exactly how much impact the efforts of Michael Paul Smith and David Gildea have had on what is shaping up to be the council’s biggest makeover in nearly two decades.
The three candidates the attorneys backed are Tom Quirk, who is running in the 1st District, centered around Catonsville; Gordon Harden, running in the 5th District, which stretches from Towson to Perry Hall; and Cathy Bevins, running in the 6th District, which includes Essex and Middle River. All three are Democrats, and all three have raised enough money to run well financed campaigns. Among the 38 people running for council this year, Mr. Quirk has raised the fourth most money ($73,674), and Ms. Bevins and Mr. Harden came in 10th ($58,670) and 11th ($57,859).
It’s difficult to say with certainty how much of that fundraising success can be attributed to the efforts of Messrs. Gildea and Smith, but state campaign finance reports suggest that all three owe at least 40 percent of their take to the two attorneys...  http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/2010/09/county_council_races_follow_th.html

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Couple's wedding vows put to immediate test By Helena Oliviero

Trisha and Jim’s wedding day. They vowed to love each other, no matter the obstacles. But the obstacles would come sooner and be bigger than they could imagine.
Provided by Jamie Howell, wedding photographerTrisha and Jim’s wedding day. They vowed to love each other, no matter the obstacles. But the obstacles would come sooner and be bigger than they could imagine.






Couple's wedding vows put to immediate test

By Helena Oliviero

GWINNETT COUNTY NEWS Saturday, August 14, 2010

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/couples-wedding-vows-put-592072.html

Every photograph tells a story. Some, like these, tell two.

They are pictures of Jim and Trisha Duguay’s wedding day. A day 18 months in the planning, every detail seems perfect: Orange Gerber daisies float in glass bowls, a three-tiered cupcake wedding cake waits in a reception hall, bright pink rose petals dot the Dahlonega winery grounds. A ray of sunshine bursts through threatening mid-May skies just as the early evening ceremony begins.

Trisha, 27, a blond and vivacious administrative assistant, beams in her lace wedding dress with a fuchsia sash, her toenails painted to match. Jim, 38, a soft-spoken engineer, cradles her face as he kisses her.

But look closer, and you’ll see another story unfolding.

Trisha leans heavily on her father’s arm as she walks slowly down the aisle. She and Jim have to sit during the marriage ceremony, which has been shortened to just a few minutes.

Behind her smile, Trisha’s pale blue eyes droop. Jim’s betray a look of fright. As they stand to kiss each other, Trisha holds tight to the leg of Jim’s pants, as if she’d fall if he weren’t there.

This was not the joyous moment the Norcross couple had imagined. Trisha wanted nothing more than to marry Jim. She’d known it since she first spotted him across their office parking lot more than five years before. Jim had dated seriously, but waited his whole life to find “the one” — Trisha.

Now, that day was here. More than a hundred guests were gathered. Their favorite restaurant was catering. Their favorite band was booked to play.

But that morning, Trisha had awakened in her sister’s house in Dawsonville feeling sick and dizzy, her head pounding, her ears ringing and echoing. She’d had migraines on and off for years, but nothing like this. This pain was far more intense, and with it came nausea and difficulty balancing.

She closed the blinds and hid beneath the covers, hoping it was just stress getting the better of her. She slipped on one of Jim’s shirts, seeking comfort in the scent of his cologne. Why didn’t we just elope? she thought.

Late in the afternoon, after a reassuring call from Jim and with help from her father and her bridesmaids, Trisha managed to get out of bed and into her wedding gown.

Now she and Jim were before the minister, finally taking the vows they’d long hoped to: I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together.

Almost immediately, that commitment would be put to the test.

An unlikely, perfect match

They were supposed to be on their way to their honeymoon, a seven-day Caribbean cruise. Instead, just as their reception got under way, Jim and Trisha were rushing to the hospital.

Jim was frightened. Something was terribly wrong with his new bride. He’d known it as soon as she walked down the aisle. Trisha, still in her wedding gown, was lifted into a family member’s car, and they set out for Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, 30 minutes away…

http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/couples-wedding-vows-put-592072.html

20100814 Couples wedding vows put to immediate test

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David Jones letter to the editor


Dave's letter to the editor. 

Don't forget to vote for DAVID JONES on Tuesday,September 14th

September 8 at 8:48pm
Thomas Paine once said, "These are the times that try men's souls." The Obama presidency, with the support of a Democrat controlled congress, appears well on its way to bringing full blown socialism to our beloved United States of America with managed healthcare, entitlements, failure to close the borders to illegal immigrants, takeover of General Motors.

Then there's the O'Malley administration in our state of Maryland. Runaway spending, high taxes, harbor state for illegal immigrants. Dangerous and damaging policies that flaunt arrogance and disregard for the electorate.

Now, to our own Carroll County. High taxes, $80 M dollar high schools, frivolous lawsuits resulting in $24 M dollar settlements, an incumbent commissioner who publically states that the position she holds is "her seat." Could it get any worse?

Yes, these truly are the times that try men's souls.

On September 14th citizens will go to the polls to choose, among other positions, five commissioners by district.

In my view, the citizens of District 4 have several less than satisfactory choices in this primary election. You can choose someone who, while serving in his previous term, supported increasing your taxes and the cost of government. Your vote for this candidate will be a continuation of the same old tax and spend policies he supported in his first term. Think lawsuit that cost taxpayers $24 M dollars. Do you want your commissioner to foster economic development or harass small businesses with frivolous lawsuits on the taxpayers dime.

Or, you could choose a candidate who believes we don't have a spending problem but a revenue problem. This is the same candidate who has pledged to bring charter government to our county with its broad taxing authority. This before we have completed our first election under the expanded five commissioner board.

Finally, you can choose a leader who believes government is already too involved in your lives and charges you too much in the way of taxes for that intrusion. I am that leader.

I believe in open, transparent government. I pledge to work to have every penny of revenue received and every penny spent posted on the internet for your review. My goal as commissioner is to bring common sense government to our county. I pledge to have an open door to all citizens, not just the companies and individuals who made donations to my campaign. I encourage the discussion of issues that are important to you. The seat at the table belongs to you, the citizen taxpayer. A vote for me, David Jones is a vote to return integrity to your county government. I ask for your vote on September 14th.

David Jones for Carroll County Commissioner, D-4 - email

People Jones David, 2010 Maryland elections, Elections 2010, Elections 2010 Carroll BOC, Elections 2010 Carroll Co, 







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Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Lois Szymanski Carroll County Times Leading by example Babs Peck Condon makes a difference


Lois Szymanski Carroll County Times Leading by example Babs Peck Condon makes a difference http://tinyurl.com/26qljzz

Leading by example: Volunteer makes a difference

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/neighborhoods/article_9dc56646-b6d5-11df-bd22-001cc4c002e0.html

Posted: Friday, September 3, 2010 1:00 am | Updated: 5:15 pm, Thu Sep 2, 2010.

By Lois Szymanski, Neighborhoods correspondent |

As first vice president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, Westminster resident Barbara (Babs) Condon acts as liaison between the 50 state federations and the international organization, assisting in coordinating efforts at the state, national and international levels.

GFWC is one of the world's oldest and largest women's volunteer service organizations.

"I felt extremely blessed in my life and wanted to give something back to my community," Condon said of her involvement with GFWC.

"I decided to follow in the footsteps of my mom [Barbara C. Peck] by joining the GFWC Junior Woman's Club of Westminster," she said. "Not only did I gain the ability to make a difference in many lives of fellow Carroll County citizens, but also found a whole new group of women friends."

Condon is a third-generation member of the federation, although she didn't know that until after she had joined. "My sisters and I grew up with a mom who was an active volunteer until she decided to go back to college to obtain her master's degree and become the media specialist for Westminster High School," she said. "Unfortunately, I never knew of my grandmother's involvement until after I had joined the federation, only learning then that she had been president of her local club, the GFWC Amherst, Massachusetts, Woman's Club."

During her time with affiliated women's clubs, Condon has worked locally on the Chili Cook-off, the annual Kids Consignment Sale and the Santa workshops at St. Paul's United Church of Christ. She has also helped with Dr. Seuss Day at local elementary schools, as well as multiple other activities and fundraisers… 

Read Ms Szymanski’s entire story here: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/neighborhoods/article_9dc56646-b6d5-11df-bd22-001cc4c002e0.html

Lois Szymanski Carroll County Times Leading by example Babs Peck Condon makes a difference

20100903 Leading by example Lois Szymanski cct

20100903 Szymanski CCT Leading by ex Babs makes a difference

Szymanski Carroll County Times Leading by example Babs Peck Condon makes a difference http://tinyurl.com/26qljzz

Lois Szymanski, Carroll County Times, volunteer, Babs Peck Condon, GFWC, Junior Woman's Club of Westminster, Maryland, 

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Lemon the Duck Banned from Classroom

Lemon the Duck Banned from Classroom

Superintendent says therapy duck is no longer allowed in classroom after finding feathers in the ventilation system.
By Sandy McGee | Email the author | August 27, 2010


At least one popular member of Hathaway Elementary Schoolwill not return to the classroom this year.
Lemon the Duck, the well-known Pekin duck born with a neurological condition, will not be housed this year inside the second-grade classroom of Laura Backman.
The superintendent has asked Backman, who is the owner of Lemon and a second-grade teacher, to house the duck outside after discovering feathers in the school's ventilation system. Some of the feathers have traveled to other classrooms, said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susan Lusi.
"It (the feathers) travels to the other rooms," Lusi said. "We would have no problem with Lemon being at the school, as long as she is kept outside."
According to Lusi, Lemon was housed several years ago in an outdoor pen at Mellville Elementary School due to another teacher's allergy to duck feathers.
At the time, Backman says, she had many opportunities to visit with Lemon and take children out at recess to visit. At Hathaway, that is simply not the case.
"I'm happy they are willing to have her outside, but that's not good enough," Backman said. "They don't understand the positives of having her in the classroom."
Lemon the Duck is not a classroom pet, but a pet-assisted therapy duck who has become an active part of the classroom curriculum, according to the second-grade teacher...  http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/lemon-the-duck-banned-from-classroom

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