20050620 Carroll County Times: New mayor eager to work with employees

By Robert Brodsky, Times Staff Writer

Monday, June 20, 2005

Q&A

Name: Thomas Ferguson

Residence: Westminster

Age: 63

Job: Mayor of Westminster

Reason for becoming involved in city government: Was involved for many years in civic and community groups, but, following his retirement, he wanted to provide a greater contribution to the city.

On May 9, Thomas Ferguson was elected mayor of Westminster, besting former Mayor Kevin Dayhoff by more than 120 votes. Ferguson, a retired bank executive, served nearly four years on the Westminster City Council before taking over as mayor.

Q: How has life changed since becoming mayor of Westminster?

A: I still take the garbage out and still have to walk the dog. Obviously, it hasn't been a dramatic change for me. I've only been retired for about a year. I was used to keeping a regular schedule, and I intend to maintain regular hours here. I've been spending a lot of hours here in the initial days and weeks just to get up to speed about what's going on. But not a lot has changed. I guess the only difference now is that I get to sign things.

Q: What changes have you put in place since taking office and what other changes are on the immediate horizon?

A: I started a regular staff meeting with the folks that report directly to me. We had our first staff meeting last week, and we're going to do that on a monthly basis. It's something that's important and needed, and it's new. Most of the first month has been spent figuring out how this place operates and getting a better understanding of the decision-making process.

Longer term, I want to start a formal strategic planning process. We are going to do a citywide employee opinion survey to get an understanding of how they feel about their jobs. That's the basis for another part of the strategic plan. What is it that employees need and want and what improvements do we need to make as an employer? It's a 360-degree look at ourselves. My experience in all the years that I have been doing this kind of stuff is that the best place to get information is from employees. They'll tell you the truth as long as their opinions and comments are protected and confidential. Sometime - I suspect this summer - we are going to do a citywide analysis of how our jobs are ranked; how we evaluate our jobs and whether or not our job categories are properly structured.

Q: Keeping with the subject of employee relations, you expressed concern during your campaign about the morale of city workers. Do you believe that your concerns were accurate and, if so, what can be done to improve the situation?

A: Part of the purpose of the opinion survey is to get to that question. Is morale an issue and, if so, what are the factors causing concerns among morale? I think my instincts are going to be true and that employees are looking forward to getting their opinions out. ... We are going to get the answer to that in the next few months.

Q: How will your administration be different than that of your predecessor, Kevin Dayhoff?

A: I am going to be here on a regular basis and be accessible for citizens and employees. I tend to be involved with what's going on in city government. Not to the degree of doing any micromanaging. That's what we hire experts to do. But to understand how we operate and ask questions about why we are doing what we are doing and is there a better way to do it? I am very interested in finding ways to make this place more efficient and more cost-effective. I am confident the employees will help us identify areas where we can find some productivity improvements and cost savings. So, I am going to be very much interested in getting employees involved in their day-to-day work life here and telling me and the council and the supervisory management staff what they think can be improved.

Q: What are some of the biggest issues facing the city of Westminster?

A: We have a flood of lots outside the city limits of Westminster that have an awful lot of potential development. I think the pressure the city will be facing is the question of annexation. How big do we want the city boundaries to become? Because the number of available building lots is going to be stunning. I think that's a big issue and one we have to get our arms around pretty quickly. That's why we need to have a full-blown strategic plan that talks about where the future city boundaries should be. We have this thing on a map now. There's this hypothetical line - and literally it's a line on the map - that says "future city boundary." And we have the city water and sewer service area and then we have the actual boundary. We need to ask ourselves a question: Where did that come from and is that what we want? Do we want the boundaries of the city of Westminster to be as big as that? And what are the implications for services and taxpayers? And along with that comes growth and questions about water and where it is going to come from.

Q: How does the city balance continued residential and commercial growth while also remaining a small Main Street town?

A: First of all, we need to make a decision on size and what we are going to look like. Get that down in the form of a document that everybody has bought into and then stick to it. How much more annexation do we want to do? And where do we want that to occur? The whole question of planning for growth and where we want that to occur has to be part of our overall plan. And what kind of growth? Do we want all our neighborhoods to look alike? I live in a neighborhood that is mixed. Different-style houses. Different architectural features. Multifamily, single-family, small houses and big houses. That's the kind of neighborhood that used to be typical. Mixed use has sort of gotten a bad name somewhere along the line. But that's kind of how we all grew up in small-town America. We can't turn the clock back, but I think there's something we can be doing better in our planning process to make the neighborhoods look less homogeneous.

Q: What do you envision Westminster will look like 20 to 25 years from now?

A: Well, growth is inevitable. We're blessed in many ways. We are in a beautiful part of the state, geographically convenient to places like Baltimore, [Washington] D.C., Philadelphia, Gettysburg and, for that matter, even New York. It's three hours to the ocean and four hours to the far western part of the state. Geographically, we are in a wonderful situation. We still have an awful lot of open farmland that is very attractive to people, so we are going to be a magnet for growth. And we're not going to be able to avoid that. I am hoping what we can do is deal with that in a way that doesn't turn this community into something that looks like everything else.

We have beautiful architecture in these older neighborhoods. You see some of that late 19th-century, early 20th-century architecture that's still very visible, particularly in some of these older neighborhoods on Main Street. These are things worth preserving. I would like to see more and more opportunities for people to live here and to work here. Not much in that regard the city can do by itself. But we need the help and cooperation of the county. I am hoping we can find ways to make it affordable.

Reach staff writer Robert Brodsky at 410-857-7865 or RBrodsky@lcniofmd.com.

20050620 Baltimore strength liability for O’Malley

“Baltimore strength liability for O’Malley”

by David Nitkin on June 20^th, 2005,

with a preface written by me on September 21^st, 2005.

Kevin Dayhoff

This hyperlink is dead. The Baltimore Sun does not use permalinks. Sept. 21^st, 2005 - - KED: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.mayor20jun20,1,4891366.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

The article pasted below belongs to Baltimore Sun writer David Nitkin, the preface belongs to me.

Today, there was an article in the newspaper that Mayor O’Malley will soon announce his candidacy for the Maryland State House in Maryland’s next gubernatorial contest in November 2006.

I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Mayor O’Malley.

I would just as well he not run and stay in Baltimore.

Perhaps the only reason that he is declaring this early is to give the indolent dominant Maryland Democrat Party an opportunity to make Governor Ehrlich as miserable as possible during the upcoming Maryland General Assembly - - in the hopes that he can be “disqualified” in the upcoming contest.

What do I mean by disqualified? The Democratic Party will increase its partisan obstructionist politics and play “get the governor” in everything they can. Nothing will get done for the Maryland citizen this upcoming session, except the thrill of watching a gladiator contest to the death.

It ain’t leadership and it ain’t right, but it is what it is and until we elect many more Republicans to the Maryland General Assembly, the Democrats will continue to do what they can do because they can do it.

On June 20^th, 2005, Baltimore Sun writer, David Nitkin wrote a soft-ball fluff piece for the Mayor O’Malley campaign called: “Baltimore a strength and liability for O'Malley - - Mayor focuses on recent positive news after FBI report of more violent crime; Statistics could hurt expected run for governor.”

Actually, it is another example of excellent writing by a very talented Mr. Nitkin, except for one problem; it may have been a nice column, but it was not “straight-down-the-middle news article.

It was a white paper analysis for the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and dangers that lay ahead for a Mayor O’Malley gubernatorial bid.

It is a wonderful example of everything for which the Baltimore Sun deserves the highest of criticism.

The Baltimore Sun does not use permalinks, so I cannot link you to the article.

Since it is an excellent subjective analytical piece on the challenges of running for higher office after serving as a mayor of a city, I will post it on the blog.

It is a must read. And it will give you some insight as to why I respect Mayor O’Malley so much and enjoy his company and look forward to working with him in the future after Governor Ehrlich wins a second term as governor.

_____

Baltimore a strength and liability for O'Malley

Mayor focuses on recent positive news after FBI report of more violent crime; Statistics could hurt expected run for governor

By David Nitkin, Sun Staff, June 20, 2005

The rush of recent good news about Baltimore - its ranking as a top international travel destination, an uptick in how Wall Street views the city's fiscal future - seemed too good to last.

And sure enough, what many consider to be the reality of Maryland's largest city hit home this month. Violent crime rose last year for the first time in five years, according to the latest FBI statistics.

Those are the kind of numbers that haunt big-city mayors as they attempt to advance in politics.

As Mayor Martin O'Malley prepares for an expected run for governor, he must persuade voters to concentrate on the positive - such as Time magazine ranking him in April as one of the country's five best mayors - and brush aside negatives such as the city's high homicide rate and struggling classrooms.

In short, he must buck a trend in modern American politics: the career stagnation of city mayors.

Cities can be tough places to live in, and even harder to govern. Blight, crime, substandard housing and poor schools have stymied generations of policy-makers. Residents with means move to the suburbs, leaving behind a population often mired in poverty and addiction.

"No matter how successful a mayor you might be in a big city, you have an awful lot of problems that remain," said Stephen Goldsmith, a former mayor of Indianapolis who was defeated in a run for Indiana governor in 1996, and is now a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "You can be very successful in a lot of areas, but it doesn't take a genius as a political opponent to come up with almost an endless list of things you haven't fixed and mistakes you made."

School testing results released this month offer a prime example. O'Malley can rightfully claim that Baltimore schools have made impressive academic gains that rival those of any big city, according to the latest Maryland School Assessment results. But his opponents are sure to note that they remain the worst-performing in the state.

For most of the past century, big-city mayors have been larger-than-life figures, characters who dreamed big and lived large - Fiorello LaGuardia in New York, Richard Daley in Chicago, Frank Rizzo in Philadelphia.

But none of them moved on to higher office. Roads to state houses are lined with the failed candidacies of supremely popular mayors. Consider Ed Koch in New York, who won a second term in 1981 when three of every four voters in the nation's largest city cast a ballot for him and lost a gubernatorial primary the next year to Mario Cuomo.

A variety of factors explains the phenomenon, from tension among cities and rural and suburban sections of a state in the battle for tax dollars and other scarce resources, to racism and xenophobia as cities have grown more ethnically and racially diverse.

"In the age of sprawl, cities that cannot expand - Baltimore's last annexation was 1917 - become filled with high concentrations of poor people," said David Rusk, a former mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., and an urban government expert who has studied Baltimore and its suburbs. "They are looked upon as having city problems. And that is just a euphemism for poor blacks."

For O'Malley, there is hope: Baltimore and Maryland have shattered the rules before.

William Donald Schaefer rode the success of Inner Harbor redevelopment to Annapolis. Before him, Theodore R. McKeldin was a Republican mayor and then governor.

"I think every state is different. ... I think people in our state are smart," O'Malley said in an interview. "They expect their leaders to be effective and make progress."

In Maryland, county governments are preeminently important - more so than in most other states - and Baltimore functions much like one of the state's 23 other counties, said Rusk.

Seen in that light, Maryland has been governed for 16 of the past 19 years by a mayor, covering the tenures of Schaefer and Parris N. Glendening, the former county executive of Prince George's County.

"But that is relatively rare," Rusk said.

Inevitably, mayors who seek higher office must campaign on a theme that they have a successful legacy, that they will do for the state or the nation what they have done for their city.

That's how former Philadelphia Mayor Edward G. Rendell became governor of Pennsylvania. An accessible leader who regularly appeared on sports television shows promoting the region's beloved Eagles, Rendell was embraced in the Philadelphia suburbs as a politician who could grapple with the city's problems.

O'Malley might be following a similar route. His visibility as the lead singer in an Irish band gave him a sort of star quality that eludes many leaders.

The Baltimore television market permeates most of the state, so even Marylanders who rarely cross the city's borders can follow his exploits nightly.

And in Maryland, much of the state is populated by ex-Baltimoreans who still think fondly about their hometown.

Ocean City Mayor Jim N. Mathias Jr. was born in Hampden, and lived in Baltimore and Carroll counties before settling in the resort town in 1972. He's a tireless cheerleader for his small city, but like many in Maryland, harbors a soft spot for his hometown.

"An objectively thinking taxpayer and resident of the state says to themselves, 'As goes Baltimore, as goes Rockville, so goes the state,'" Mathias said. "And if you have a leader that is putting those tax dollars at work, they give that person a chance."

Karen Reaver, 47, a registered Democrat from Carroll County, likes what she sees of the mayor from afar: "I like his style. I like what he does," she said.

A retired small-business owner, Reaver moved to Maryland three decades ago from the mountains of North Carolina and relishes in her peaceful lifestyle.

"I would not want to work in the city, and I would not want to live in the city," she said.

But still, she would vote for O'Malley in the primary, and, if he gets that far, against Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

"I think he's made improvements," she said. "Because of that, as far as a governor, he would work for the state as well as he's worked for the city."

That's why school and crime statistics such as those released this week are so crucial, because O'Malley must do what he can to show voters that he manages a well-functioning metropolis. And that's why O'Malley tried so hard to cast the statistics in the best possible light.

Baltimore's schools may be the worst in the state, but their improvement constitutes "one of the biggest turnaround stories of any urban school system in the United States of America," the mayor said in a burst of hyperbole that he could not immediately prove.

Violent crime rose 4 percent last year, but it has dropped nearly 40 percent since the mayor took office, he said.

O'Malley said he is willing to stand behind statistics that show the city's progress, even if he hasn't been able to meet all his goals, such as reducing the homicide count to below 200 yearly.

"We're not successful every week. And we're not even successful every year. But over the course of six years, we've been more successful than any city in America in reducing violent crime," O'Malley said.

In an attempt to emphasize the city's momentum, Jonathan Epstein, O'Malley's campaign manager, sent out a packet this month that included feel-good clippings from the past several weeks, including a Wall Street Journal article about the city's real estate boom. Epstein said he simply wanted to note the city's progress.

The most recent poll conducted for The Sun, taken in mid-April, revealed little anti-city backlash against O'Malley.

The poll showed the mayor ahead of Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan in a Democratic primary, 45 percent to 25 percent; and leading Ehrlich, 45 percent to 39 percent statewide.

Still, O'Malley, a Democrat, seems less popular than the governor in many areas of the state outside Baltimore.

In Baltimore County, a critical swing jurisdiction that surrounds the city, Ehrlich led O'Malley, 46 percent to 40 percent, the poll showed. But in another measurement, Baltimore County voters were just as likely to have a favorable impression of the mayor as they were the governor, who represented the county in the state legislature and in Congress. Sixty-three percent of county voters surveyed said they felt favorably about Ehrlich, and 61 percent said they had a favorable impression of O'Malley.

In Anne Arundel and Howard counties, the governor led, 50 percent to 46 percent; and in rural areas, Ehrlich was ahead, 51 percent 30 percent.

O'Malley, who has not declared his candidacy, is traveling the state, trying to build support. But as he embarks on a campaign, he must always keep an eye on Baltimore, where some headline-grabbing crime or crisis of the week will always await.

"It presents a particular problem for mayors to govern and run at the same time," said Goldsmith, the Harvard professor. "Helping a city succeed and helping it avoid catastrophe are not an automatic-pilot deal. The chances of something going wrong are not inevitable but significant."

Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun

20050615 Westminster Eagle: Pecoraro returns to council by Alex Gayhart

Westminster Eagle: Pecoraro returns to council by Alex Gayhart

June 15, 2005

The other night at the Westminster Common Council meeting, the Council appointed former Westminster Common Council member – and arguably one the brighter public policy analysts and political scientists in Maryland – to fill the seat vacated by Tom Ferguson when he took the office of mayor.

Councilman Pecoraro is almost a necessary decision – to join a council that, with exception of Councilwoman Suzanne Albert, has little institutional memory or municipal public policy experience. Whether the balance of the Common Council has the skills and abilities to continue a tradition of excellence in governance in Westminster remains to be seen…

Pecoraro returns to council 06/15/05 by Alex Gayhart

Monday night saw the end of Westminster City Council's election season.

Sure, the votes had been tallied back on May 9 - putting Roy Chiavacci back in office, Kevin Utz on the council for the first time and placing Tom Ferguson in the mayor's seat.

But Ferguson's move from the council to the mayor's position left a hole - that is, until Monday evening, when the four council members unanimously voted to put Greg Pecoraro in that seat.

Pecoraro ran in the May 9 election, one of five candidates for two seats, but came up just a bit short.

In fact, he was just 69 votes shy of the second place vote-getter.

"I plan to work as hard as I can to justify your confidence in me," Pecoraro told the council Monday night, shortly after being appointed and sworn in.

He called the experience humbling - humbling enough to have put himself on the line in an election, not to mention having to go through it again a month later for the appointment process.

Last week, the council held a special meeting where members "interviewed" the seven candidates who applied to fill Ferguson's vacant seat. Pecoraro was unable to attend that meeting due to a business trip.

He did, however, send a letter, which was read by Westminster City Clerk Laurell Taylor, expressing his desire to be on the council and his qualifications to be chosen.

Pecoraro, 45, served on the Westminster city council from 1994 until 2003.

During his campaign, Pecoraro discussed the issue of growth in Westminster and the need for the city to grow wisely while ensuring that adequate facilities are provided.

Monday evening saw Pecoraro's appointment not only to the council, but to the position of chairman of the public works committee.

"Which is the one committee that I haven't served on," Pecoraro said after the meeting, expressing amusement in the fact that he will have served on all of four standing committees between his last tenure on the council and the next two years.

Before a motion was made to appoint Pecoraro Monday evening, Councilman Robert Wack made comments on the difficulty of his decision in choosing an appointee.

"I seriously considered abstaining from this vote," Wack said. "(But) we are elected to these positions to make these types of decisions."

Wack called attention to discussion outside of public meetings, which suggested the need for racial and/or ethnic diversity on the council.

"We need to be sensitive to racial, cultural and ethnic issues," Wack said. "We do have some folks (of) various backgrounds in leadership positions in this county, but we don't have enough."

That being said, however, Wack said race and ethnicity did not play a part in his decision.

"All of our candidates are excellent candidates and stand on their own (regardless of race and ethnicity)," he said.

He then made a motion to appoint Pecoraro.

After the meeting, Wack went on to discuss his reasoning. "Because all the candidates ... were all so qualified - it sort of took ethnicity off the table for me," he said.

####

20050615 Westminster Eagle: Pecoraro returns to council by Alex Gayhart

20050612 Seattle Coffee Shop Turns Off Weekend Wi-Fi

Digital Culture: Seattle Coffee Shop Turns Off Weekend Wi-Fi by Jennifer Ludden

All Things Considered, June 12, 2005 · A Seattle coffee shop pulls the plug on its wi-fi network. How have the caffeinated Internet-junkie customers reacted? David Latourel, the manager of Victrola Coffee, fills Jennifer Ludden in on the details.

Web Resources: Victrola Coffee Web Site

From the Victrola Web site:

Apparently it's one of those sign of the times stories and is inspiring ridiculous amounts of attention from the press. We're not the first cafe to do it (our friends at Joe Bar started limiting wi-fi hours some time ago). Victrola has always been a tough place to find a table, especially on weekends, so limiting the wifi is pretty much a no-brainer.

Nonetheless, the news stories we're seeing are full of controversy and hand-wringing about the demise of cafe culture and the menace of wi-fi zombies. It's all pretty overblown. All this attention for something other than our awesome coffees is rapidly losing its charm. Reporters keep calling, emails are flooding in, and people are getting into some mean spirited debates in online forums.

Isn't there a war going on or something more important we should be worrying about…? Like coffee…?

Victrola Coffee is located on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Victrola Coffee

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4700256

Wi-Fi, Washington State – Seattle, Information Technology, Media Commentary

20050610 Comparing the academic record of Al Gore, John Kerry and George W. Bush

Comparing the academic record of Al Gore, John Kerry and George W. Bush

Kerry’s grades shed new light on campaign

SpokesmanReview.com

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=4149

Commentary By Richard Benedetto, Gannett News Service, June 10, 2005

WASHINGTON - While the general impression during the 2004 presidential campaign was that Democrat John Kerry was the intellectual superior to President Bush, it turns out that their grades while undergraduate students at Yale were remarkably similar.

In fact, Bush’s were a tad higher. His four-year average was 77; Kerry’s 76. Both were C students. Kerry graduated from Yale in 1966; Bush in 1968.

[…]

… Bush’s mediocre college record was trumpeted by Gore backers as proof that the Republican candidate was a dummy. But in the spring of 2000, The Washington Post published Gore’s college grades at Harvard. Like Kerry, he was hardly an honor student, either.

Nonetheless, Gore backers kept up the “dumb Bush” mantra…

[…]

Kerry’s grades were made public this past week by the Boston Globe… During the campaign, Kerry refused to waive privacy restrictions for the full file… The transcript showed that he got four Ds in his freshman year, Bush received one D in his four years, in astronomy. At the time, Yale considered grades between 70 and 79 a C and 60 to 69 a D.

And there’s more. Read the rest of Mr. Benedetto’s commentary here: Kerry’s grades shed new light on campaign

####

Mark Felt is no hero

How will History Treat Mark Felt?
Mark Felt is no hero.

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2005/06/mark-felt-is-no-hero.html
Kevin Dayhoff June 1st, 2005

WESTMINSTER – So Mark Felt, once the second highest-ranking FBI officer in America, has decided to come clean 32 years. In a Vanity Fair magazine article, he wore his best pair of flip-flops and now admits that he was, after all the denials for over three decades, “Deep Throat”. (Remember his remarks in 1974: "It was not I and it is not I.") By this turn of events, one of the very last pieces to 30-year-old political mystery puzzle has been put in place; but what do we make of the big picture the puzzle depicts?

I remember well the events of that turbulent period in the early 1970s. For those of you who were born after June 17th, 1972, the day of the break-in at the Watergate apartment complex and headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, “Deep Throat” is the anonymous source who leaked information to The Washington Post.

In a world where fact is often stranger than fiction, isn’t it ironic that this revelation comes, just weeks after the media pundits have been greatly exercised over the use of an anonymous source in the flawed May 9th, 2005 article in Newsweek, in which an anonymous source disseminated false information that U.S. investigators found evidence interrogators at Guantanamo Bay had desecrated the Quran.

Newsweek had to retract the story. Unfortunately, the retraction did not occur until after more than a dozen people died in rioting in the Muslim world. Just as “Deep Throat” and the Washington Post thought that they were doing the right thing in the early 1970s – and lucked out that their anonymous source was betraying accurate information; I can only be sure that Newsweek thought they were doing the “right” thing. Look this up in the dictionary and it is called cynical moral relativism and situation ethics and it gave birth to decades of the media looking to be the next Woodward and Bernstein.

Perhaps no greater disservice has ever been done to government, except perhaps, the 1939 Frank Capra – Capra-corn Classic, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." I have never liked this gooey cinemagraphic liberal drivel of a movie. Inspired by schlock like this out of Hollywood, today's Americans are more cynical than ever about government and politics. If you will recall, in this movie, Jefferson Smith saves the day in cinematic climax by acting like a crazed lunatic. Such unfortunate motivators as "Mr. Smith" has encouraged subsequent generations that they can make a difference and promote their agenda by being rude, loud, impolite, bizarre and disagreeable.

Credibility and integrity are the key operative words in this historical Kabuki morals play called Watergate. According to a statement read by his family, Felt indicates that he has always been “conflicted” as to whether his role as an informant was one of “a hero” or “dishonorable”.

As best as possible, let’s break down this discussion into what, on face value represents inseparable parts of this history. Nixon was a rogue President whose actions are indefensible. Nixon and his White House cronies engaged in a series of criminal acts, which included, but were not limited to, breaking and entering and obstruction of justice.

The question remains for a future generation of historians; did the end justify the means? Certainly for Nixon, it did not. But in an age of fuzzy-wuzzy moral relativism and situational ethics, was it necessary for Felt to betray his oath of office, the FBI, his President and the country, in order for a greater “right” to be achieved? Do two wrongs make a right?

There is a body of belief that Felt certainly did not act out on some great belief that he was single-handedly saving the country, but rather acting out on an opportunistic vindictive personal crusade against Nixon. In this same time frame, right after Hoover's death in May of 1972, Felt, a Hoover clone was considered the heir apparent to take over the FBI. Nixon passed him over and appointed Patrick Gray, instead.

Make no mistake about it, Felt, nor Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein did not single-handedly or collectively, bring down the Nixon administration. But they certainly helped give President Nixon a much-deserved shove. Nixon, mercifully resigned Aug. 9, 1974. Nixon has no one else to blame for his demise, than himself. He was doomed by his own Shakespearian personality flaws. The criminal behavior of President Nixon was not sustainable and my view of history is that Nixon would have been eventually “found-out” and held responsible and accountable for his behavior; with or without Felt, just as much as the United States would have pulled out Vietnam, with or without Jane Fonda’s help.

If you believe in karma, in another twist of the plot, Felt, himself, was indicted in 1978 for illegal break-ins in New York and New Jersey carried out in 1972 and 1973 on the Weather Underground – in the very same period in time, in which the Watergate scandal played itself out. He was convicted in 1980, only to be pardoned by President Reagan in 1981.

Will history pardon Felt for betraying his oath of office? A famous historian once said, “History is the inaccurate reflection of events that ought not to have happened to begin with.” Clothed in the righteousness of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons may indemnify Felt in history, but many believe his reasons for being “Deep Throat” were not necessarily noble or patriotic. Lets hope that when the history books are written about Felt, his actions are at least put into context and not revised to suit a moral and ethical relativism pervasive in our contemporary society three decades later. What do you think?

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.
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SDOSM 20050602
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://www.westgov.net/

20050526 The Night Train Foundation

The Night Train Foundation

May 26, 2005

The purpose of this Fund shall be to honor the memory, life and work of Jeff Graham and to honor his friend, Steve Shatzer. It was/is the goal of each of these men to always do the best in his career and to encourage others, especially youth to do the same. They are both good examples of the importance of honesty, hard work and friendship.

The purpose of the Foundation is to award two Scholarships for a male or female student seeking education in the fields of 1) Automotive/Motorcycle Mechanic and 1) Law Enforcement. A key elements of the Foundation is to commit funds for programs with children in mind. Consideration will be given to Shop with a Cop, the Literacy Council, COPS: Concerns of Police Survivors and other funds as deemed by the advisors.

####

20050525 Westminster Advocate Election Concession

Westminster Advocate Election Concession

by Former Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

May 25th, 2005

It has been a great honor to serve the citizens of Westminster as your Mayor for the past four years as Westminster has continued to adjust to positive changes and prosper. Indeed, it has been a special privilege to serve as a Westminster elected official for the last six years and work with so many dedicated and talented elected and appointed officials, Westminster Boards, Commissions and Westminster employees.

A personal thank you goes out to each and every citizen, Westminster employee, community organization, Home Owners Association, business, service organization, and faith institution; with which I had the distinct pleasure to work. I have been truly blessed to have been a part of your efforts in our community. Thank you.

I congratulate Tom Ferguson, Roy Chiavacci and Kevin Utz on their election victory. I would like to take this opportunity to applaud all the hard work and efforts of not only the winning candidates, but also Greg Pecoraro, Josie Velázquez, Jeff Dixon, Kevin Alt and their families; all of whom worked hard and greatly contributed to getting out the vote and raising and discussing important issues about our community’s future.

A public thank you is also appropriate to Damian Halstad and his family for his 12 years of service to our community.

Everyone is a winner for getting involved and Westminster is the winner because of their involvement.

Westminster is only as strong as the citizens who are involved and participating in shaping our shared future. It is therefore equally important to celebrate the active participation of so many friends, family members, citizens and community organizations; who gave of their time and effort to actively participate in everyone’s campaigns.

The Carroll County Landlords Association, WTTR, Adelphia Channel 3, the Community Media Center, the Carroll County FOP and all of our local newspapers, worked hard and played an important community leadership role in getting valuable information out to the public so that citizens could make an informed decision about our future leadership.

It was exciting to see that 1106 local citizens took time out their busy day to vote and play a key and critical role in determining how Westminster will continue to prosper. Voting in the City of Westminster has been a time-honored tradition since our community’s first election on April 5th, 1819. Voicing our opinions, voting and participating in choosing our leaders is a right that none of us should take for granted. As Memorial Day approaches, it is important that we recognize that many have gone before us and made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can go to the polls and vote.

I deeply appreciate the support of all those who voted for me, and worked hard for my re-election campaign. I urge everyone to join me in supporting the new mayor and council. There is much more work to be accomplished and by staying positive and working together, we will all do better.

Meanwhile, my wife has given me a long list of things to do around the house as I personally look forward to other opportunities to stay involved in our community. Please join me in sharing my excitement and enthusiasm for Westminster’s future.

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Terms of office of the Burgesses and Mayors of Westminster

Terms of office of the Burgesses and Mayors of Westminster

May 2001 Updated May 2005

The following is a list of the distinguished citizens who have served Westminster as its Mayor.

The dates following each name indicate the period of office.

Incorporated 1818 (Chapter 128, Acts of 1818)

A communication, signed many voters, gave notice that on the 1st Monday of April the following gentlemen would be voted for:-

For Burgess, John Fisher;

For Commissioners, Ludwig Wampler, Jacob Sherman, Jacob Frenger, Isaac Shriver, John C. Cockey and Jacob Yingling.

The Westminster Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser, vol. I No. 17. The paper bears date "Westminster, Frederick County, (MD.) Friday, March 26, 1819.

BURGESSES (Chapter 418, Acts of 1838)

Westminster was incorporated as a town by chapter 418 of the Acts of 1838 under the name of the Burgess and Commissioners of Westminster. That charter was amended by chapter 335 of the Acts of 1856, which characterized the municipality as a city by changing the name to The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster.

James M. Shellman May 6, 1839 – May 6, 1840
William Shipley May 6, 1940 – May 6, 1841
George Trumbo May 6, 1841 – May 6, 1844
David Keefer May 6, 1844 – May 4, 1850
Elisha D. Payne May 14, 1850 – May 19, 1851
Abner Neal May 19, 1851 – May 13, 1852
Jacob Grove May 13, 1852 – May 10, 1853
Francis Shriver May 10, 1853 – 1856

MAYORS (Chapter 335, Acts of 1856)

Francis Shriver 1856- May 6, 1858
R. R. Booth May 6, 1858 – May 10 1859
John M. Yingling May 10, 1859 – May 12, 1860
Dr. Samuel L. Swarmstedt May 12, 1860 – May 20, 1861
Michael Baughman May 20, 1861 – May 12, 1864
Jacob Grove May 12, 1864 – June 1, 1865
Joshua Yingling June 1, 1865 – May 28, 1866
Hashabiah Haines May 28, 1866 – May 22, 1867
A. R. Durbin May 22, 1867 – May 18, 1868
David Fowble May 18, 1868 – May 13, 1869
Jacob Knipple May 13, 1869 – May 15, 1871
Daniel H. Leister May 15, 1871 – May 22, 1872
Henry H. Harbaugh May 22, 1872 – May 19, 1873
E. K. Germand May 19, 1873 – May 18, 1874
David Fowble May 18, 1874 – May 15, 1876
P. H. Irwin May 15, 1876 – June 4, 1883
William B. Thomas June 4, 1883 – May 18, 1885
Andrew B. Stephan May 18, 1885 – May 17, 1886
Milton Schaeffer May 17, 1886 – May 20, 1889
Frank K. Herr May 20, 1889 – May 16, 1892
Joseph D. Brooks May 16, 1892 – May 20, 1895
Milton Schaeffer May 20, 1895 – May 18, 1896
Joseph W. Smith May 18, 1896 – May 17, 1897
Nelson Gilbert May 17, 1897 – May 16, 1898
Fred D. Miller May 16, 1898 – May 21, 1900
Oscar D. Gilbert May 21, 1900 – May 18, 1908
John D. Saylor May 18, 1908 – May 16, 1910
Ernest J. Sponseller May 16, 1910 – May 20, 1912
David E. Walsh May 20, 1912 – May 15, 1916
Howard E. Koontz May 15, 1916 – May 17, 1926
George E. Matthews May 17, 1926 – March 15, 1938
Walter H. Davis March 15, 1938 – May 16, 1938 61 days
Frank A. Myers May 16, 1938 – May 18, 1942
Joseph L. Mathias May 18, 1942 – December 3, 1963
Scott S. Bair December 3, 1963 – May 18, 1964 5 months
Joseph H. Hahn, Jr. May 18, 1964 – May 21, 1973
LeRoy L. Conaway May 21, 1973 – May 1989
W. Benjamin Brown May 1989 – November 1994
Kenneth A. Yowan November 1994 – May 21, 2001
Kevin E. Dayhoff May 21, 2001 – May 16th, 2005
Thomas K. Ferguson May 16th, 2005 - present

Of the 46 Mayors of Westminster previous to May 2001 – 22 served only one year or less (Walter H. Davis served for only 61 days, March 15, 1938 –May 16, 1938; and Scott S. Bair only served for 5 months, December 3, 1963 – May 18, 1964).

Six served two years.

Five served three years.

Only thirteen of the previous 46 Mayors have served for four or more years.

Only one mayor has served two non-consecutive terms - Milton Schaeffer, who served from May 20, 1895 – May 18, 1896 and then May 17, 1886 – May 20, 1889.

May 2001 Updated May 2005: A Westminster Informational Brochure - assembled from multiple sources – no claim to original authorship is either claimed or implied. Westminster Mayor Kevin E. Dayhoff P. O. Box 1245 Westminster, MD 21158-1245

20050517 Terms of office of the Burgesses and Mayors of Westminster
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20050516 199905 Maryland Municipal League Disclosure

Monday, May 16, 2005

20050516 199905 Maryland Municipal League Disclosure

Maryland Municipal League Disclosure

May 1999 to May 16, 2005

Please find an overview of the organization here: http://www.mdmunicipal.org/about/overview.cfm

Briefly: The Maryland Municipal League, founded in 1936, works as a advocate for municipalities throughout the State of Maryland, strengthening the role and capacity of municipal government through research, legislation, technical assistance, training and the dissemination of information for its members.

MML is a statewide organization in Maryland composed solely of municipal officials.

The Maryland Municipal League represents 157 municipal governments and 2 special taxing districts throughout the state of Maryland. The MML is a voluntary, nonprofit, nonpartisan association controlled and maintained by city and town governments.

Disclosure: I served on the Maryland Municipal League Board of Directors annually for five consecutive years, from June 2000 to May 2005.

I graduated from the University of Maryland Academy for Excellence in Local Government in June 2001.

I served on the Maryland Municipal League’s Legislative Committee in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.

I served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Carroll County Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League for five years (12/07/1999 – 05/16/2005).

I was first elected to the Westminster City Council in May of 1999 and served as the Mayor of Westminster from May 2001 until May 16th, 2005.]

Posted by Kevin Dayhoff at Monday, May 16, 2005

20050513 The Maryland Unemployed Mayor’s Association MMLUMA

The Maryland Unemployed Mayor’s Association MMLUMA
Main Street
Anywhere Everywhere, MD 21158-1245

Exulted Ruler elect: Presently Unemployed
Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

Exchequer of the Treasury elect: Presently Unemployed
Berlin Mayor Rex Hailey

Exceptional Secretary elect: Presently Unemployed
Forest Heights Mayor Paula Noble

May 13th, 2005

MML President Barrie Tilghman
Maryland Municipal League
1212 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401-3635

Dear Maryland Municipal League President Barrie Tilghman,

Unemployed Berlin Mayor Rex Hailey, Unemployed Forest Heights Mayor Paula Noble and myself would like to take this opportunity to petition the MML for the formulation of a new Maryland Municipal League Department to be so entitled “The Maryland Unemployed Mayor’s Association” (MMLUMA).

The MMLUMA could be of invaluable service to elected and appointed Maryland public officials, although, we would agree to not ever give anyone, any election advice. We anxiously await your decision, please advise.

Meanwhile, as I am sure you are aware, Tom Ferguson was elected Mayor of the City of Westminster on May 9th, 2005. Mayor Ferguson will do a fine job for our community. Please join me in welcoming and wishing Mayor Ferguson, Godspeed and the best of luck. Please take every opportunity to speak with Westminster Mayor Ferguson about the benefits and value of the MML.

It is with deepest regret that I resign my position as Member at Large of the Maryland Municipal League Board of Directors.

I was first elected to Maryland Municipal League’s Board of Directors, Member-at-Large on June 13th, 2000. I have had the honor to serve on the Board of Directors for the past five years.

It has been a great pleasure working with you, the other Board members, MML Executive Director Scott Hancock and the wonderful, capable and competent MML Staff, elected and appointed public officials throughout the State of Maryland.

It has been an enormous joy to have witnessed the MML continue to grow, prosper, and make an invaluable contribution to all the citizens of Maryland, for whom we have the honor to serve.

If the Board should decide to appoint a replacement for my vacated Member at Large seat, I highly recommend Mt. Airy Council President John Medve.

As I look forward to taking some time off to spend with my family and look forward to whatever opportunities await in the future. I will greatly miss working the MML.

Again, it has been my pleasure to work with you and I wish everyone associated with the MML the very best future. Thank you for all your work.

With best regard, I am

Very truly yours,

/s/

Kevin Dayhoff

Kevin Dayhoff, P. O. Box 1245, Westminster, MD 21158-1245

20050509 City of Westminster Statement Of Return Of Election

City of Westminster Statement Of Return Of Election

May 9, 2005

The meeting was then reconvened as Chief Election Judges Nancy Smelser and Susan Thomas submitted the 2005 election results for the Westminster Common Council. The following Statement of Return of Election was read aloud by Mrs. Smelser:

STATEMENT OF RETURN OF ELECTION

Mayor Dayhoff and Members of the City Council

Today’s election results are as follows. The total number of votes cast is 1,106. Of that number, the votes cast for each candidate are as follows:

FOR MAYOR: NUMBER OF VOTES:

Kevin J. Alt 48 or .043% of the vote

Kevin E. Dayhoff 467 or .422% of the vote

Thomas K. Ferguson 588 or .531% of the vote

Margin of Victory is [588 – 467] divided by [588 + 467] or 121 / 1,055 = 11.5%.

The candidate with the highest number of votes for the office of Mayor is Thomas Ferguson.

FOR COMMON COUNCIL: NUMBER OF VOTES:

Roy Chiavacci 536

Jeffery Dixon 248

Gregory Pecoraro 436

Kevin Utz 505

Josephine Velazquez 305

The two candidates with the highest number of votes for Common Council are Roy Chiavacci and Kevin Utz.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Smelser and Susan Thomas

20050508 Carroll County FOP Lodge # 20 endorsements

Carroll County FOP Lodge # 20 endorsements

May 8^th, 2005

Westminster May 9^th, 2005 mayoral election

Perhaps you may want to read:

20050429 CC FOP Lodge #20 Candidate questionnaire

and

20020414 Police object to pension proposal

and make you own decision...

Ad for Art in the Park June 4 2009

Ad for Art in the Park

Carroll County Arts Council annual Art in the Park

June 4, 2005 10 AM to 5 PM on the grounds of Westminster Maryland City Hall, Westminster Maryland

20050604 Ad for Art in the Park
20050504 SDOSM

http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/85754.html

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

20041102 West Green St Wster Liberals by Justin Palk for the Carroll County Times

West Green St Wster Liberals by Justin Palk for the Carroll County Times

Webmaster’s note: In all three of my elections in Westminster in the past – May 1999, May 2001 and May 2005 - almost every one of my campaign signs, folks placed in their yards in the West Green Street area, were promptly removed…

Whatever… Oh there is no doubt that there are many really nice folks in the neighborhood. However, the perception of the Westminster community is that perhaps there are idiosyncratic examples of tolerance, but this area of town has a reputation for being elitist and condescending – and intolerance for anything or anyone who dares not believe as they do… May 2005/ked

Differences in politics don't prohibit folks from being friendly

By Justin Palk, Times Staff Writer, Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Lawns on West Green Street in Westminster are dotted with more Kerry-Edwards signs than might be expected, given that registered Democrats make up only one-third of registered voters in the county.

But the area is in a pretty progressive precinct, said resident Lloyd Helt.

However, with half the county's electorate composed of registered Republicans, it shouldn't be too surprising that some of those Kerry backers find their neighbors posting their own signs, urging passers-by to vote for the Bush-Cheney ticket.

Take the case of Helt and his wife, Ruth Gray, and their next-door neighbors, Jim and Mary Judge.

Helt and Gray have lived on Green Street for 10 years, and the Judges have lived there for five.

The Judges have a Bush-Cheney sign in their yard, while Helt and Gray have two signs in theirs - one supporting the Kerry-Edwards ticket, the other calling for the defeat of President George W. Bush.

Despite their differing political views, all four of them agree that they're pretty friendly neighbors. For the most part, the couples said, they don't even talk about politics.

"It's wonderful," Gray said. "It's America, it's democracy. Only through our signs do we communicate our politics."

They haven't even discussed it enough to agree to disagree about it, said Jim Judge.

"We don't have anything in common there," he said. "We just remain friendly neighbors."

Both couples said they usually have signs out.

This year, the signs are less of a mismatch than they could be, Helt said. In a year with local and state elections, the couple's lawn has signs for all the Democratic candidates. This year, with only federal races, things are a little less pronounced.

Reach staff writer Justin Palk at 410-751-5909 or jpalk@lcniofmd.com.


Politics Carroll County Democrats and Progressives

Westminster Scrapbook Green St W

20050430 Orenstein Hammond Sims Get together for Tom Ferguson

Orenstein Hammond Sims Get together for Tom Ferguson

April 30^th, 2005

You are invited to a meet and greet for Tom Ferguson at the Westminster Riding Club on April 30^th, 2005. Sponsored by Phyllis Hammond, Deb Sims and Rebekah Orenstein…

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20050429 CC FOP Lodge #20 Candidate questionnaire

Fraternal Order of Police Carroll County Lodge No. 20 candidate questionnaire

2005 Mayoral/City Council Candidate Political Survey - Due April 29th, 2005

Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

Fraternal Order of Police Carroll County Lodge No. 20

P. O. Box 302, Westminster, MD 21158 (410) 876-0115

April 8th, 2005

2005 Mayoral/City Council Candidate Political Survey

Due April 29th, 2005

Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

P. O. Box 1245, Westminster, MD 21158

April 29th, 2005

1. What do you feel is the most positive strength you would add to the City of Westminster as Mayor?

Experience and the energy, drive, accessibility and ability to make that experience work for positive change.

2. What has been your most positive non-work related leadership experience?

The Civil Rights Movement in the south in the early 1970s.

3. What role, if any, do you see public safety playing in the future economic development of the City of Westminster?

How would that affect the Police Department?

The Westminster Police Department plays a critical role.

4. Do you support rank and file negotiations for benefits? Please expand on your answer.

No.

5. What do you feel can be done to support public safety in the City of Westminster?

Public Education. Accreditation. Technology. Landlord Training Program.

6. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken a positive step towards recruitment of police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help recruit quality police officers for the City of Westminster?

Officer to Officer contact, recruitment and promotion including FOP promotion.

7. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken several positive steps to retain qualified police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help retain them?

Shift differential pay. Self-actualization. Esprit de corps. Degree of Openness.

8. What do you feel is the most pressing issue relating to the City of Westminster Government as a whole? How will this issue affect the Police Department?

Pay and strategic planning.

1. What do you feel is the most positive strength you would add to the City of Westminster as Mayor?

Experience and the energy, drive, accessibility and ability to make that experience work for positive change. I love my job. I have a passion for Westminster and its citizens and employees. I will continue to make a difference and contribution. Championing quality of life, family values and change in Westminster requires leadership, tenacity and a lively step. There is much more to achieve and with your help.

I have the unique qualifications to positively affect the day-to-day quality of life for Westminster and its citizens and employees. I have been involved in government for 25 years and I have 25 years of business experience as a small self-employed business owner. As an elected official for the past six years, I have worked hard to bring informed opinions, raise creative new ideas, and make us think innovatively and differently on many community and government issues.

Change can be difficult, but over the years, by working together with other community leaders and Westminster’s employees, we have formed a bright, energetic and passionate team, that knows how to execute ideas and plans. Rest assured that Westminster is not only taking actions to be successful today, but we are seizing all opportunities to remain relevant and ready for tomorrow.

I offer the citizens of the City of Westminster experience, energy, accessibility and vision. It would be an honor and a privilege to serve another term as Mayor.

2. What has been your most positive non-work related leadership experience?

Working in the Civil Rights Movement in the very early 1970s in the south. It taught me discipline, perseverance, tolerance for physical, psychological and verbal abuse and focus. It taught me patience (don’t sweat the small stuff) and to keep in mind the big picture in working towards positive social change.

3. What role, if any, do you see public safety playing in the future economic development of the City of Westminster? How would that affect the Police Department?

The Police Department plays a key and critical role in future economic development. As you know, 40% of the tax base in the City of Westminster is commercial, industrial or retail. This gives Westminster a great revenue stream and keeps residential tax rates from increasing. In order for Westminster to have the revenue it needs to keep up with increasing demands for service, to address the increasing complexity of government and unfunded mandates from the State and Federal government, we simply must continue to aggressively attract more economic development.

Potential businesses look at many factors when choosing to move to a municipality such as Westminster. Of course, they first look at sustainable statistics and demographics. Potential businesses also look for a viable workforce and appropriate tax base and necessary infrastructure which includes, but is not limited to; roads, water and sewer, recreational, artistic and cultural opportunities and the health of the non-profits and charitable organizations.

It will affect the Westminster Police Department by requiring more innovative and cutting edge customer service oriented policing (such as Community Policing and S.E.R.A.) out of the officers and the department. Westminster Police Officers are our 365/24/7 ambassadors for Westminster.

It will also require more police officers. However, economic development usually pays for itself. That stated, I have suggested for several years that Westminster explore a Public Safety Benefit Assessment (Fire, EMS and Police Impact Fee) to be applied to growth to provide non-tax revenues to go towards the accompanying additional demands placed upon public safety protection. Apparently, there are some legalities that have to worked through in order to move that initiative forward.

How can the FOP play a role in economic development, and attracting more jobs and businesses, to the City of Westminster?

4. Do you support rank and file negotiations for benefits? Please expand on your answer.

I’m curious – what do you mean by “rank and file negotiations for benefits”? If this is double-speak for collective bargaining or bringing a union into the City of Westminster - the answer is NO. You tried that before with IUPA in 2001. IUPA just took money out of your pocket and didn’t do anything for you. I do not support collective bargaining in the City of Westminster for any of our employees.

Pay and benefits are one area of personnel where the City has to speak with one voice and have a clear consensus. When it doesn't happen that way, false hopes are created and disappointment is sure to occur. It is also one thing to understand that pay and benefits must increase in order for the City to stay competitive and remain on the cutting edge of providing customer service for our citizens and it is another thing for the employees to have an ownership stake in the organization and understand that we often have finite resources with which to work.

It has been my experience that often Unions do not understand the big picture and instead they foster friction, dissension and acrimony among the very folks who are already pre-disposed to do everything possible to provide the best for the employees. Unions pit employee against employee and employee against management. I have no interest in anyone or any organization getting between me and the employees whom I serve.

I urge the rank and file to continue to work through the chain of command to articulate what is needed and what can be done. If the chain of command is not working to facilitate getting the rank and file’s message to me then I need to know about that. Otherwise, I have yet to find a Westminster Police Officer who has not found me anything but accessible, ready and eager to listen, at all hours of the night and day, 365/24/7.

What additional benefits does the FOP think are needed by Westminster Police Officers? I worked hard in the past for Westminster Police Officers and I understand that there is more to achieve. By working together, we can all do better. Meanwhile, I have heard you in the past and worked hard for minimum court overtime, minimum emergency call out overtime, expanding the take home car policy, LEOPS, more training opportunities and I supported the expansion of the CRT to a countywide team; among many initiatives in which I heard you and went to work for you.

5. What do you feel can be done to support public safety in the City of Westminster?

Public Education, Accreditation, Technology and Landlord Training Program are some ideas that quickly come to mind.

Public Education is self-explanatory. The local public has long since begun to take for granted that we have an excellent police department. By putting our heads together, perhaps we can arrive at some innovative approaches to letting the public be aware of the excellent policing that everyone in Westminster has long since come to expect.

Accreditation. With a long term goal of accreditation comes an emphasis on additional training opportunities beyond certification standards, including Executive Development Training, Incident Management, advanced Crisis Response Training.

Technology. Stronger emphasis placed upon the use of available technologies including the use of computers and other modern advances.

Landlord Training Program. By working directly with the Landlords we have found that they are a very effective key to the solution. Criminals when arrested are normally released pending trial and when sentenced serve little or no time and then return to what they consider is their home. It is important that we collectively work with the landlords to screen tenants, and put into place strict rental agreements proscribing an intolerance of crime or drugs, along with advocacy that landlords proceed quickly with the eviction process to help eliminate the ability of the criminal to return to live in the neighborhood and increase our calls for service.

What does the FOP think needs to be done to support public safety in Westminster?

6. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken a positive step towards recruitment of police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help recruit quality police officers for the City of Westminster?

The issue of Take Home Vehicles has recently been addressed. Issues such as pay are being addressed immediately by the proposed FY 2006 budget and a salary study is in that budget. LEOPS is in place… A signing bonus is in place.

Officer to Officer contact, recruitment and promotion. One idea that I’d like to share with the rank and file and the Chief is how can we get the rank and file to participate in attracting additional police officers to the Westminster Police Department. With an emphasis on laterals, how can we empower the rank and file to have a stake in the recruitment process? The best advertisement for the Westminster Police Department are the officers out there talking up the Department and the City of Westminster.

How about the FOP participating? Perhaps the FOP could run some ads for all the agencies in the County and talk up our Carroll County quality of life, good schools, low crime rate and a great working environment where Police Officers and their work is greatly appreciated by the general Carroll County population.

What does the FOP think needs to be done to recruit quality police officers for the City of Westminster?

7. The current administration of the Westminster City Police Department has taken several positive steps to retain qualified police officers. What idea(s) could you give the Chief to help retain them?

Shift differential pay. Self-actualization. Esprit de corps. Degree of Openness.

Above and beyond issues such as pay, better equipment, LEOPS and more training opportunities…

Degree of Openness. Continued change towards a more open system of management where information and explanations flow from the bottom to the top and the top to the bottom fluidly and easily. Understanding that there must be a clearly defined chain of command, it is possible for lower ranking officers to be provided the opportunity to give additional feedback and be a part of the future planning of the department. I believe that the greater the amount of information shared by a policing system with its environment (command staff and the Chief and the Mayor), the greater the degree of openness and opportunities for change.

Esprit de corps. By team building, officers can take pride that they are part of one of the finest police agencies in the region.

Self-actualization. Creating and giving police officers more opportunities to access responsibility for the future of the department

Shift differential pay. I believe that shift differential pay is important for all nightshift employees in the City of Westminster, including Police Officers.

I would like to hear what ideas does the FOP have to better recruitment and retention of Police Officers in the City of Westminster?

8. What do you feel is the most pressing issue relating to the City of Westminster Government as a whole? How will this issue affect the Police Department?

Pay. In my FY 2006 Budget, I have included money for a comprehensive administration and salary study. To the best of my knowledge, this has not been done since the late 1980s. I don’t think that the salaries of Westminster employees has kept pace with the upward pressure and stressors on pay for public sector employees. In recent years gifted and skilled management has gravitated from the private sector towards leadership in local and state government. With this talent pool focusing on employment with local and state government, there has been the commensurate pressure on local and state government to increase the compensation packages that are offered to this leadership in order to remain competitive.

How will this issue affect the Police Department? It is my goal that you will be paid more.

What does the FOP feel is the most pressing issue relating to the City of Westminster Government as a whole; and how does the FOP think that this issue will affect the Police Department?

Kevin Dayhoff, Westminster Mayor April 29th, 2005.

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