20051019 WE Politics of personal destruction puts limits on future leaders

Politics of personal destruction puts limits on future leaders

A reprint of my October 19th, 2005 Westminster Eagle column:

Politics of personal destruction puts limits on future leaders

By Kevin Dayhoff

10/19/05

In the scalding criticism and politics of personal destruction that passes for contemporary political realism and the social commentary of the day, not a day passes when we don't read scathing criticism of someone who has taken time away from his or her family to try and make our community, county or nation a better place.

One can be sure that this certainly doesn't encourage other good folks to step forward and contribute time for our community.

On an equally disturbing note, I recently read a letter to the editor that criticized Spanish-speaking workers in our community. Ultimately, we are talking about are fellow human beings who have come to this country - just like us - to make a better life for their families and work hard in a foreign land.

In October 1833, in the area we now know as Carroll County, a vote was taken as to whether or not we should form Carroll County. Did you know that the ballots for that vote were printed in German, and English, for all the non-German speaking citizens?

Our Spanish-speaking workers will learn English, just as German-speaking Carroll Countians eventually did. Perhaps we should extend a helping hand, instead of backhanding them.

Many were aghast to read a recent letter to the editor that contained an unkind and unflattering critique of a community leader that had recently passed away. Have we no humanity? Are we so insecure with our beliefs and our feelings that we have to malign the dead in order to promote ourselves?

Recently the mainstream media has begun to run articles about the incredibly flawed reporting that quickly became the accepted "truth" about the response to Hurricane Katrina. When will we start hearing apologies from the newspaper newsrooms and anchors of broadcast news for maligning local, state and national leaders trying to respond to an historic disaster? How can we measure the damage that has been done to all us for reporting hyperbole, exaggeration and rush to judgment? Why would anyone want to assume the difficult roles of leadership in the wake of such treatment?

Any community leader, whether we agree or disagree with his or her ideas, needs to be respected for sticking their head above the crowd and trying to make a difference and contribution. It is important to confine our disagreement to their ideas - and leave the personal attacks out of it.

Selective quotations and trivialities trumping substance in an obvious attempt to distort the facts seem to be the rule of the day. It is always the source of amazement to observe folks who, in the same utterance, plead for understanding and tolerance of their views, then demonize anyone who doesn't agree with them.

A rule among classier community leaders prohibits promoting oneself by personally sniping at someone or a group of individuals who hold a different point of view than yours. It's not only bad form, but smacks of bullying and could wind up hurting your own cause, as you only look like someone with the warmth and humanity of a water moccasin.

Discussion, dialogue and honest disagreement in the pursuit of resolving political, social and economic problems enhance the strength, transformation and stability of a community. Our families and community cannot prosper if individual leaders fail to step forward to lead.

Martin Luther King said it best; "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

The worst thing that can happen to a community is that everybody thinks the same way all the time. It will be catastrophic if potential leaders are unwilling to step out of the comfortable cocoon of their lives to assume a leadership role or proffer a different point of view for fear of the politics of personal destruction.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org.

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20051015 Mar-Va Theatre Pocomoke City Maryland – October 15 2005

20051015 Mar-Va Theatre Pocomoke City Maryland – October 15 2005

October 15, 2005 by Kevin Dayhoff

Former Pocomoke City mayor Curt Lippoldt, a member of the Mar-Va Theater Board and former Westminster mayor Kevin Dayhoff talk over the progress of renovations of the old theater in downtown Pocomoke City. © Caroline Babylon photo – October 15, 2008.

Former Pocomoke City mayor Curt Lippoldt, a member of the Mar-Va Theater Board and Caroline Babylon look over the old Pocomoke City Mar-Va Theater. © Kevin Dayhoff photo - October 15, 2005.

The Mar-Va Theater which opened in 1927, with 720 seats, for vaudeville and silent movies; is being renovated. Once it re-opens it is sure to be a cultural and entertainment showcase for the Delmarva Peninsula. For more details go to http://mar-vatheater.org/.

Caroline and I visited the Pocomoke City to review the renovation of the old theater on October 15, 2005, in order to prepare for making a presentation on the economic benefits of art and culture venues and programming, February 25, 2006 at the annual famous chicken and dumplings membership dinner, at the Pocomoke Fire Hall.

Everyone has a role to play in “Setting Delmarva's Stage for a Brighter Tomorrow.” Bringing to life the 1927 art-deco Mar-Va movie theater as an arts and cultural center in Pocomoke City can play a key and critical role in economic development, revitalization, and attracting community employment and tax base to the lower shore.

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net October 15, 2005

20051015 Mar-Va Theatre Pocomoke City Maryland – October 15 2005

Kevin Dayhoff: Many forms of government in Carroll County Maryland’s history

Many forms of government in Carroll’s history

October 12, 2005 by Kevin Dayhoff

Throughout Carroll County’s history we have faced many challenges and had many different forms of government. Through it all we faced our challenges by coming together, rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.

Much of this column came from old notes in my files, of which unfortunately, I had not cited the source of the information.  However, I used two great books for fact checking: “Carroll County Maryland – A History 1837-1976” by Nancy Warner et al, and “Legacy of the Land” by Carol Lee.

From 1659 to 1837, the eastern half of Carroll County was governed by Baltimore County.  From 1695, Prince Georges County governed the western portion of Carroll County until 1748 when Frederick County was formed.

When the property, “Whites Level”, that later become part of Westminster was first purchased in 1733, it was in Prince Georges County.

As early as 1785, citizens petitioned Maryland Governor William Paca to form “Paca County” from parts of Frederick and Baltimore Counties.  In the November 25, 1813 issue of the “Engine of Freedom,” a newspaper in “The Forks,” later to be known as Uniontown, wrote that a petition was being forwarded to the Maryland General Assembly to form “Union County,” with the county seat in Uniontown.  Both petitions were rejected.

On March 2, 1833 a bill passed the Maryland General Assembly authorizing a vote on the issue of forming Carroll County in October 1833. The vote failed, 593 to 554; although it was later speculated that it failed because of voter irregularities in the Baltimore County portion. 

Manchester, which had been against the idea of forming a separate county, “exultantly fired [a cannon] in the direction of defeated Westminster” after the vote was taken.

Finally a bill was introduced in 1835 and passed the General Assembly on March 25, 1836 to form Carroll County.  This act was confirmed on January 19, 1837. It only took about fifty years, but Carroll Countians had finally changed their government.

From 1837–1851 the governing body of Carroll County was called the “Levy Court.”  It consisted of nine individuals; one from each of the nine existing election districts in Carroll at the time and they were appointed by the governor of Maryland.

The Maryland Constitution of 1851 changed the “Levy Court” to the “Commissioners of Tax” and from 1853 to 1891, there were three at-large commissioners elected to two-year terms. 

From 1893 to 1921, according to Charles W. Albert’s excellent reference book, “Carroll County Election Results 1837-2000,” the county elected one commissioner every other year for a six-year term.

After another transition, in 1926, “the county went to electing three commissioners for four-year terms.”

In 1968, the voters of Carroll County rejected both charter government and code home rule. In 1984, code home rule was defeated. In 1992 charter government was defeated at the ballot box. In 1998 the voters rejected a referendum to increase the Board of Commissioners to five at-large members and rejected a charter form of government. 

On December 8^th, 1999, Delegate Don Elliott brought the five-commissioner idea back up at a joint meeting of the county's state delegation and the commissioners. On November 2^nd, 2004, the voters of Carroll County approved the idea. 

Change in Carroll County seems to take a long time. At least we have whittled the time to implement change down from fifty years.

Most agree that the voters in Carroll County are a lot smarter than many give them credit.  Carroll Countians have discussed a change in government for thirty-six years and we have finally made a decision to change it.  Perhaps, by now, we should be ‘getting it’ and respect that the voters have an interest in a change.

We face many serious challenges in Carroll County. The voters have made a decision.  Let’s get on with it and get to work. 

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.

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Labels: Carroll Co 5 Commissioner Dist plan, Carroll Co Delegation to Annapolis, MD Gen Assembly 2008 425, Police Carroll Co Police Dept

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2004/09/my-thoughts-on-five-commissioner-form.html

Kevin Dayhoff: Many forms of government in Carroll County Maryland’s history

*****

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20051012 Evergreen Tree Canker Diseases

Evergreen Tree Canker Diseases

Downloaded 20051012

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/USERS/HGIC/diagn/needle/evergreen_cankerdiseases.html

A large number of cankers occur on evergreens that cause dieback. These are more common on stressed trees planted in marginal sites or infect poorly maintained trees. Young cankers are slightly darker in color than adjacent bark and appear slightly sunken.

As cankers enlarge they kill the living woody tissue within the trunk or branch. Canker growth may cause the bark along the edges to crack and fall away, exposing the dead wood underneath. After a canker enlarges enough to girdle a branch or trunk, the portion beyond the canker dies. Small twigs are killed more quickly than larger branches. Symptoms may include progressive upper branch dieback, disfigured branch growth, or target shaped areas on trunks with concentric rings of dead bark.

Seiridium Canker

Seiridium canker is a fungal disease that can attack cypress and junipers. The most common landscape plant in Maryland that is infected is Leyland cypress.

This disease is caused by the fungus Seiridium cardinale. The first symptoms usually appear in the spring or early summer, as a fading or yellowing of the foliage on branches, or the tops of trees. These symptoms gradually lead to browning of affected parts. The fungus causes girdling lesions around the bases of branches or main stems, and these lesions characteristically exude large amounts of resin. Trees may be killed if many small cankers occur or if large enough to girdle the main stem. The reproductive spore forming structures (acervuli) appear as small black dots embedded in the bark near the canker margins. During wet weather the infective spores are dispersed by rain, but they can also be spread by wind, insects and pruning tools.

Management: There are no chemical controls for this disease. The best strategies for disease prevention are avoiding stresses to the plants. Provide adequate water during dry periods, avoid over crowding of trees, and don't over mulch or plant too deeply.

Cytospora canker

A common canker disease of both blue and Norway spruce trees is Cytospora canker. Typical symptoms include poor growth, profuse sap flow and pitch accumulation (white resin patches) on lower branches, and eventual dieback of lower branches. Diagnostic symptoms are revealed after cutting into pitch coated bark and finding dark resin soaked wood along with small black dots just under the bark. These small black dots, are the spore producing structures. In wet weather, the infectious spores ooze out as small yellowish threads, that can be spread by rain to other branches in the tree.

Management strategies: There are no chemical controls for cankers and they cannot be stopped once they become extensive. Pruning off affected branches back to healthy wood is the only control measure available. Drought stressed trees should be watered during dry weather to promote better tree vigor.

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Agriculture Nursery Stock and Landscaping Plant Diseases

20051011 What is a Consumer Confidence Report?

20051011 What is a Consumer Confidence Report?

What is a Consumer Confidence Report?

http://www.mde.state.md.us/programs/waterprograms/water_supply/ccr_links/index.asp

Retrieved October 11, 2005

Consumer Confidence Reports

What is a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)?

The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments require all community water systems to report annually to their customers regarding the quality of their drinking water and any risks associated with contaminants detected in the water. Water systems must report data for the previous calendar year by July 1 of each year.

What Information Does a CCR Contain?

Water systems may include any appropriate information to enhance their reports, however the reports must contain the following information:

• the lake, river, aquifer, or other source of the drinking water;
• a brief summary of the susceptibility to contamination of the local drinking water source, based on the source water assessments that states are completing over the next five years;
• how to get a copy of the water system's complete source water assessment;
• the level (or range of levels) of any contaminant found in local drinking water, as well as EPA's health-based standard (maximum contaminant level) for comparison;
• the likely source of that contaminant in the local drinking water supply;
• the potential health effects of any contaminant detected in violation of an EPA health standard, and an accounting of the system's actions to restore safe drinking water;
• the water system's compliance with other drinking water-related rules;
• an educational statement for vulnerable populations about avoiding Cryptosporidium;
• educational information on nitrate, arsenic, or lead in areas where these contaminants are detected above 50% of EPA's standard; and
• phone numbers of additional sources of information, including the water system and EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

In addition, some water systems may include public notifications for violations of monitoring or other requirements.

How Do I Obtain a Copy of My Water System's CCR?

Most water systems mail the reports to their customers before the July 1 deadline each year, however systems may deliver their reports through newspaper advertisements or other means.

Some systems make their reports available on their internet websites. Website links for some larger systems are available below. If your water system is not listed, please contact the system directly for a copy of the report.

Allegany County

• City of Cumberland
• City of Frostburg

Anne Arundel County

• City of Annapolis
• Glen Burnie-Broadneck
• Broad Creek
• Crofton-Odenton

Baltimore City

Charles County

• Waldorf

Dorchester County

• Cambridge

Frederick County

• New Design
• City of Frederick
• Lake Linganore

Harford County

• Aberdeen
• Chapel Hill
• City of Havre de Grace
• Harford County DPW

Howard County

• Howard County DPW

Montgomery County

• City of Rockville
• WSSC

Prince George's County

• City of Bowie

Talbot County

• Easton

Washington County

• City of Hagerstown

Worcester County

• Ocean City
• Salisbury

Questions?

If you have additional questions, please contact the Water Supply Program at watersupply@mde.state.md.us or 410-537-3729, or call EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act Hotline at 1(800)426-4791.

20051005 Three Tentacle columns on Hurricane Katrina

Three Tentacle columns on Hurricane Katrina

October 5, 2005
Kurosawa's History of Hurricane Katrina
Kevin E. Dayhoff
American Anthropologist Ernest Albert Hooten once said: "History is principally the inaccurate narration of events which ought not to have happened." How will history record Hurricane Katrina? …

September 14, 2005
Katrina – Who Did What and When?
Kevin E. Dayhoff
The intemperate criticism directed at the Hurricane Katrina response – the rescue and recover efforts – is more polluted than the floodwaters of New Orleans and contributes nothing to a noble American tradition of coming together at a difficult time and helping fellow Americans in a time of need…

September 9, 2005
Shut up and call the cavalry
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Compassion exceeds all else in importance on the Gulf Coast in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. Only the truly heartless can be left untouched. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and the rescuers…

2005 Aug 23-30 2005 Hurricane Katrina

20051005 Three Tentacle columns on Hurricane Katrina

2005 Aug 23-30 2005 Hurricane Katrina

Urban sprawl is no good for all, but don't ignore the legal realities

Urban sprawl is no good for all, but don't ignore the legal realities

10/05/05 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

Recent articles and letters in local publications regarding water allocation, land use and municipal annexation are well intentioned - but clearly indicate a basic lack of understanding of the laws and past court decisions that govern these activities.

That's understandable, because since the early 1950s these areas of law in Maryland have be-come complex by bizarre, byzantine proportions.

In reality, many public officials don't understand the labyrinth of land use law, or they would be more careful about posturing in front of a public that is understandably clamoring for relief. Many pronouncements and promises are great for applause and votes, but woefully short on being legally possible.

In the end, often there is little a public official can do, retroactively, about water or property rights assigned to a property by a legal process put in place decades ago - unless they opt to spend valuable taxpayer dollars (losing) in court.

The next time anyone considers criticizing the City of Westminster about water allocation, bear in mind that you are preaching to the choir. Westminster painfully understands that it must find more water.

Also, understand that you are criticizing the wrong branch of government. For the most part, allocating Westminster's water was taken out of the hands of local officials, by the courts, almost 40 years ago.

In 1964, the city purchased the water system from a private company, which had historically provided water outside the city limits.

In 1966, the Maryland Court of Appeal (Bair v. Mayor and Council of Westminster, 221 P.2d 642 1966) declared the water system a "public utility" as opposed to a "municipal water supply" and made a ruling that forces the city to provide water to any property near any existing water line or "reasonably within its range of performance" - whether or not that property is annexed or in the city limits.

The 1966 Westminster water case is unique and is still used as national precedent. (In fact, it was used as recently as 1995 in a case before the Florida Supreme Court.) Attempting to overturn it may very well not be a wise use of taxpayer dollars.

As far as future land use, growth and development in Carroll County, planning needs to take place long before the housing development is in the public hearing stage or the subject of a costly moratorium.

A discussion needs to take place long before the business of a farm has been rendered unprofitable.

The debate needs to occur before a property owner has been awarded certain legal development rights - which can take the form of a legally enforceable contract, or in any event usually involves at least an implied contract between government and a property owner.

Sadly, the reactionary conversation - often involving unpleasant public hearings, uninformed conspiracy theories, political spinelessness and personal attacks - distorts and polarizes the collective discourse to such an extent that it renders many citizens skeptical about any discussion over growth and development.

The reality is this: You cannot take away a person's property rights or void a legal contract by plebiscite, politics or screaming mob.

That's just one of the reasons it is important that folks attend the community Grassroots Gatherings (http://www.carrollpathways.org/) that are scheduled for residents to get involved in the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan. Go, and ask questions. Many of Carroll County's public servants are the brightest land-use experts in the state.

We may not be able to do much about past land use contracts and court decisions, but the future is up to us. For the sake of that future, a majority of Carroll County residents long for a sober, clearly-worded, intelligent and nonpolitical explanation of farm profitability and the legal issues involving development and growth.

If we don't have that discussion now, our environmental future and the future of our green Carroll County way of life will be history.

Kevin Dayhoff may reached at kevindayhoff AT gmail.com or visit him at www.westminstermarylandonline.net

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20051005 WE Urban sprawl is no good for all weked

Agriculture’s new social contract

Agriculture’s new social contract

September 29, 2005 by Kevin Dayhoff

More than ever, agriculture in Carroll County understands that, like it or not, it now has a new "social contract" with the greater community to operate.

Agriculture understands that simply feeding us, at prices below the cost of production, is not enough and that in today’s world; farmers are obligated with paying for and providing non-farming Carroll Countians with a great view and open space.

Well, I have a surprise for you. There is no such thing as a free lunch or a free view. This is a two way street and non-farmers also have a social contract obligation to become better informed about state mandated water and sewer master plan allocations, land use, zoning laws and the comprehensive planning process.

Economics, population pressure and market forces from outside of Carroll County are going to continue to drive up the value of farm land and ultimately we are all going to have to dig into our pockets and put more money into agricultural land preservation or pay for roads and schools and infrastructure. Read: Roads, schools and other infrastructure costs a great deal more then investing in agricultural land preservation.

For more information on these dynamics, please see two excellent columns written in the Carroll County Times by columnist Tom Harbold on August 30, 2005 and September 27, 2005.

The time to discuss future land use, growth and development in Carroll County needs to take place long before the housing development is in the public hearing stage or the subject of a moratorium. The discussion needs to take place long before the business of a farm has been rendered unprofitable or a property owner has been awarded certain legal development rights.

It is important that folks attend the community meetings, entitled Grassroots Gatherings (http://www.carrollpathways.org/), which are scheduled for residents to get involved in the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan. Go and ask questions. Many of Carroll County’s public servants are the brightest land use experts in the state.

Folks need to comprehend that a contract is an agreement between two parties in which both parties have obligations. Unless we want many of these great views to become great houses, we are all going to have to contribute.

The end users of agricultural products are now so far removed from the actual production of food that the public is no longer familiar with the day-to-day struggles of food production.

Non-farmers seem unwilling to give farmers any logical leeway in understanding a farmer's stewardship for the environment; the impact on profitability of increased regulations and bureaucratic expense or how a farm is to remain profitable in the face of increased urbanization.

Many agree that Carroll County is no place for urban sprawl development in the middle of farmland, far from any municipal infrastructure. Not only for the obvious reasons, but because most of the folks who move into these developments are horrible neighbors for farmers and contribute to the domino affect of the farm next to it becoming unprofitable and ultimately sold, for you guessed it, more houses.

We can start by increasing the funding for agriculture land preservation and increasing the funding of the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, both of which are the immediate life preservers for the business of agriculture in the state.

If we can fully fund the $1.3 billion Thornton school aid plan, we can fully fund the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and agricultural land preservation. If Maryland can use its bond rating for a low interest loan program for first time homebuyers, we can bond out a low interest-borrowing program for first time farm buyers.

Most Carroll Countians certainly understand that “more” houses means more schools, roads and infrastructure, and increased demand for government services and before too long, someone wants into our pockets to raise our taxes to pay for it all.

Market forces and population pressure from outside of Carroll County are going to continue to drive up the value of the land and ultimately we are all going to have to dig into our pockets and put more money into agricultural land preservation or spend a greater amount for roads and schools and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the more farms that are put out of business, the more we increase development pressure by way of putting that many more acres of land on the market for growing houses instead of food.

In the next 20 years, Maryland's population will increase by another million. Not all one million new folks have to live in Carroll County, but if we make the land available, they will come.

Here’s where the conversation slips into “The Twilight Zone.” Friends take me aside and tell me; “Kevin, people gotta live somewhere.” My response is that they all don’t need to live in Carroll County. Development needs to take place in municipalities because that is where the infrastructure is but the new houses don’t pay for the increased infrastructure needed and the increased demand for services.

I believe that incentives, such as fast-tracking need to be in place to encourage commercial and employment tax base development in the municipalities so as to provide revenue stream. But when one approaches Mr. or Mrs. Nimby and say how about an employment campus so that you don’t have to travel so far on inadequate roads for a meaningful job, the answer is I want it to be a farm. Well, the tract of land in question, farming is not profitable and can’t pay the bills so that it can remain a farm. Most likely because you hassled the farmer or killed a bunch of her cows by throwing your trash into her hayfield.

You go to the developer and say, how about developing an employment campus, with high end architectural and design standards and lots of trees and landscaping. The developer says I can’t because it is not zoned for that and I can’t get the zoning changed because the neighborhood became an angry mob when that idea was suggested.

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(Originally from: 20050909 Outtakes Civility Listening session Gathering Places - C:\Media20040630WE\20051005 WE ListSessionP2 Urban Sprawl Hurts us All)

20050929 Agricultures new social contract

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Mr Moose with bagel flying home from San Diego CA

Mr Moose with bagel flying home from San Diego CA

September 23, 2005 Kevin Dayhoff

Mr. Moose enjoys a bagel while flying home from San Diego, California.

20050923 Mr Moose with bagel flying home from San Diego CA

20050921 Carroll Airport outlook good

Carroll Airport outlook good

Westminster Advocate: http://westminsteradvocate.com/

Historical Perspective: Carroll Airport outlook good

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

(586 words)

One board of commissioners after another, since the 1940s, has helped bring the Carroll County Regional Airport to the first-class facility that we know today, worthy of being named Maryland “Airport of the Year.”

The journey has been hard and not without controversy.

In the early 1970s, I would tag along to breakfast at Baugher’s with community leaders such as Bobby Warner, Scott Bair Jr., Jim Erb and Tom Senseney Sr. The airport was the often the center of contentious debate.

The Democratic Advocate reported on July 15, 1971, private developers wanted to take it over, and Commissioner John D. Meyer would have nothing of the idea. In September 1971, Meyer went on WTTR and said the county intended to develop its own land for an airport. On November 29, 1971, the Advocate said developers offered the commissioners $150,065 for the airport.

In a controversial decision, the commissioners said no.

Meyer announced: “I feel the county needs an airport for the proper economic development of the county … Nothing we do benefits everyone, and there are those that will disagree. But I feel aviation is just like TV; it’s here to stay. I feel it’s very important to the future growth of the county.”

The county forged ahead, and by the late 1970s, a 2,290-foot runway was constructed. In the mid-1980s, a 20-year master plan was adopted. The runway was extended to 5,100-foot runway by 1994.

Vivian Laxton and Gary Horst helped me bring the airport story up to date. I also interviewed some pilots. Horst has done an excellent job shepherding the airport to profitability and excellence in the last number of years.

In one of my favorite stories about Horst, on April 9, 1997, Max Bair, Horst and I flew out of the airport to do a site visit on a solid waste bioconversion facility in Tennessee. We flew down in a very small plane, sort of like being strapped to a surf-board with two lawn mowers attached for propulsion …

Today, the 5,100-foot runway is the sixth largest non-military runway in Maryland and handles about 100,000 flights a year. The airport has struggled financially in the past, but any initiative of this significance will have its setbacks. The airport is operated from its own enterprise fund, not through the county’s general fund, and a profit is projected for the 2006 fiscal year from nearly $2 million in gross revenues.

What is to be applauded is the perseverance on the part of the commissioners to plow ahead. Forget about any past mis-steps, real or imagined, and let’s concentrate on the lessons learned, the achievements and the future.

For Carroll to continue to attract economic development in today’s extremely competitive landscape, it is imperative that we capitalize on niche assets in place. The airport is a huge draw for new tax base and high-paying jobs.

I am looking forward to the completion of the airport’s Technical Advisory Committee’s new master plan. Carroll will greatly benefit from more corporate hangars, replacing the 20 by 80 foot retrofitted tin construction shed that currently serves as its terminal and extending the runway to 6,500 feet.

This committee, comprised of Martin Pittenger, Donald Vetter, Douglas Pollard, Brian Stites, Bonnie Jones, Jeffrey Smith, Edward Goldman, Peter Welles, Kevin Utz, Wray Mowbray, David Taylor and Tina Thomas, has worked hard for all us, and we owe them a big “thank you.”

The airport is critical to our economic future, and we must move forward, with all due, well-planned and thoughtful speed.

Cross posted.

— Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.

E-mail him at kdayhoff(at) carr.org

Kevin and Mr Moose in San Diego California

Kevin and Mr Moose in San Diego California

The Adventures of Mr. Moose

September 18, 2005

Kevin and Mr. Moose take a moment to rest in the shade in San Diego, California, September 18, 2005

20050918 SD Southpark KED Moose

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

20050908 Loose pigs no longer terrorize Marston

Loose pigs no longer terrorize Marston area

By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer

Carroll County Times

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Residents in Marston say they haven't seen any loose pigs in their neighborhood since the county Right to Farm Reconciliation Committee made its ruling five months ago stating that the loose pigs were probably wild.

Elizabeth Cavey, of Bowersox Road, said she had seen the pigs last winter when they were running loose and tearing up people's lawns, but said she hasn't seen any since the reconciliation committee meetings. Cavey, who said she never believed the pigs were feral, thinks local landowners may have shot and killed all of the loose pigs.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited the Marston area about six weeks ago in search of feral pigs, said Bill Powel, county ag preservation administrator and supervisor of the ag reconciliation committee. Four people searched the woods and farms in the area for several hours and were unable to find any pigs or recent evidence of pigs, he said.

The USDA officials have offered the county to search the area again later this fall to look for more evidence. Powel said the date of that investigation has not been set.

Powel said that he has not had any residents call him to report loose pigs or other livestock roaming through their yards. He said it's possible that between the Humane Society of Carroll County trapping the pigs and the local landowners shooting them, there may not be any more feral pigs.

Richard Spriggs, a Marston Road resident, said he has lived in the area for more than 30 years and he had never heard of wild pigs living in Marston before this case came up last winter. Spriggs said that regardless of where the pigs came from, he hasn't seen any in a long time.

While Marston residents haven't reported any more problems with loose pigs or other livestock coming from the Schisler farm, the Schislers have still had problems with their neighbors. On Aug. 28, the Schislers reported to the Maryland State Police that someone had shot one of their cows.

According to the police report with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Carroll Schisler Sr. said he was walking through his field at about 2:20 p.m. on Aug. 28 when he saw a calf standing near a Brahman cow that was lying on its side. Schisler told the police he approached the cow to investigate its health and saw that it had been shot in the head. He called the police to report the incident, which is still under investigation.

The Schislers could not be reached for comment regarding the incident, but Carroll Schisler Sr. did testify during the ag reconciliation meetings that he had had problems during the winter with neighbors shooting his livestock on his property.

Powel said he had not heard about the Schisler's cow being shot, and said he was sorry to hear that the incident had happened. Assistant County Attorney Tim Burke said that the law states that people may not shoot trespassing animals unless the property owners are in imminent danger, and shooting animals that are not trespassing is not allowed.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call Deputy Sherri Martin at 410-386-2900.

Story so Far

More than a dozen residents gave testimony to the Right to Farm Agricultural Reconciliation Committee between January and March about loose pigs trespassing on their property, uprooting their grass with their snouts and chasing the homeowners and their children.

Residents testified that they believed the pigs were coming from Carroll Schisler Sr.'s farm in the 2500 block of Marston Road. Several residents said they had confronted the Schislers about the pigs and the Schislers offered to shoot the pigs for them, which residents took to mean that the Schislers owned the pigs and were responsible for them.

Agricultural experts from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension testified that the pigs in the photographs provided by neighbors did not look like the quality of pig a farmer would raise to make money from, and said that the pigs possibly were feral, probably having escaped from a farm at some time and reverted to a wild state.

In addition, the two experts visited Schisler's farm and examined his pigpen. They determined that it was an adequate pen that should be able to contain his pigs.

The reconciliation committee decided that the pigs were likely feral pigs. However, regardless of whether the pigs belong to Schisler, the committee ordered the Schislers to repair their fence to the standards appropriate for the types of animals he pens - sheep, goats, horses and cattle - to the recommendations of the cooperative extension.

20050907 If technology Available Why Not WiFi?

If technology available, why not Wi-Fi?

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpid=978&show=archivedetails&ArchiveID=1132527&om=1

Westminster Eagle

09/07/05 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

I've been fascinated with public Wi-Fi and all the possibilities it can provide Carroll County.

On Aug. 15, Silver Spring, in Montgomery County, announced that it now has public Wi-Fi - this put my random access memory into overdrive.

Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) is a wireless high-frequency local area network that provides Internet access.

In June 2004, Newsweek previewed a sampling of 10 places in the world that are currently utilizing Wi-Fi. What caught my attention was the example of Hermiston, Ore., where the service covers 600-square-miles for a population of 13,200.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be anywhere in Carroll County and be able to go online for directions, restaurant menus or just to have access to information about all the exciting shops and businesses in the area?

Or download the latest corrections to your PowerPoint presentation from Bangalore, India, just before a meeting - just by powering up your laptop, Web browser enhanced cell phone, PDA or even a hand-held game device?

With the talent we have in Carroll, I would say that if it can be done in Hermiston, Oregon or Montgomery County, we could do it too.

Montgomery County is in the middle of an aggressive Wi-Fi initiative. The county is starting with the higher population areas first and then steadily expanding the coverage. The same approach would work in Carroll.

Alisoun Moore, Montgomery County Department of Technology Services Chief Information Officer, said that in Silver Spring, 10 unobtrusive antennae located on traffic signals, light poles and buildings provide the Wi-Fi service. This serves all downtown Silver Spring, (which is larger than the Main Street area of Westminster from Washington Road to McDaniel College).

Remember years ago when Silver Spring was a nondescript stretch of bypassed suburbia? Not so anymore. Go visit www.silversprung.com/home.html and see for yourself.

An Aug. 15, a Montgomery County press release stated, "The redeveloped Downtown Silver Spring, known as a hotspot for entertainment, dining and shopping, now is also a hotspot for wireless internet accessÉ

"The Community Wi-Fi initiative is designed to É (provide) no-cost community Internet access where it currently does not exist - in our open-air public places. É This endeavor demonstrates Montgomery County's commitment to the substantial benefits that broadband information access bringsÉ"

When I asked Moore how Montgomery County did it, the first words out of her mouth were music to my ears: "It's a private-public partnership. The county has very little money in it."

Atlantech Online provides the technical component in return for a $1,700 per year fee from the county. Atlantech is a local Internet Service Provider and for them it's a marketing piece.

Moore noted that, "Montgomery County did not want to get anyway near É competing with the private sector." This service is for public areas only.

Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan said in a release, "The successful revitalization of downtown Silver Spring is a national model for urban redevelopment. After years of delays, I am proud that we were able to break the gridlock and get this project moving.

The area is now an arts and entertainment destination in the Washington, D.C. region, and our Wi-Fi agreement ensures that Silver Spring will remain on the cutting edge."

The consensus of an informal survey conducted locally was, yeah, there are questions to be answered; but let's roll up our sleeves and do it.

Wi-Fi presents unlimited opportunities for Carroll County.

Since the initiative would need to start in Carroll's municipalities, I contacted the Carroll County Maryland Municipal League Chapter President, Hampstead Mayor Haven Shoemaker.

Haven put it best: "I have many questions, but I'm willing to investigate any cost-effective private-public technology initiative that will stimulate economic development and quality of life for our citizens."

Taneytown Mayor Pro Tem Darryl Hale agreed, and Mount Airy Council President John Medve added that, "anything which enhances communication and access to government is a good thing."

I couldn't agree more.

Opportunities multiply once they are seized. The future is here, and Wi-Fi is a great opportunity for Carroll County.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org.

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20050828 Politics fills space around judicial vacancy by David Nitkin and Jennifer Skalka

Some say Ehrlich wants friend on list of nominees; Allegany seat empty since 2004

Politics fills space around judicial vacancy

Criminal cases are piling up in Allegany County, where a political standoff has left the District Court operating with one full-time judge since late last year.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who selects judges, was given the names of three candidates for the county's judicial vacancy by a nominating panel in December. But nine months later, he has yet to interview any of the finalists. As a result, Allegany County now has the longest-standing judicial vacancy in the state.

Some Republican leaders and court officials in Western Maryland say the holdup isn't because of who was nominated but who was not. The list does not include the name of Kevin Kelly, a Democratic state delegate from Allegany County and a longtime Ehrlich friend. Kelly applied for the position, but his candidacy was rejected by the panel.

[…]

John N. Bambacus, a former Republican state senator who teaches political science at Frostburg State University, called the District Court situation "a circus."

[…]

The episode provides a glimpse into the often-hidden world of judicial politics. On one side is a local power structure that has coalesced around a favored candidate. On the other is a first-term governor who does not back away from fights and rarely demonstrates a taste for compromising or deal-making.

Stuck in the middle are the users of the court system in Allegany County. The criminal docket is being scheduled into January, when normally cases would be heard in November, court officials say.

"The governor's first responsibility is to serve justice, not his friends," said Del. Kumar P. Barve, the House majority leader from Montgomery County. "He needs to appoint someone qualified very quickly. If he's delaying appointing somebody because he wants Kevin to be a judge, that's wrong. I can't think of any other reason why he hasn't appointed somebody by now."

[…]

"It would appear that Governor Ehrlich has lost control of the judicial nominating commission," said Bambacus, the Frostburg professor.

[…]

Sun staff writer Jennifer Skalka contributed to this article.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.judge28aug28,1,6997695.story?coll=bal-local-headlines

20050828 Politics fills space around judicial vacancy by David Nitkin and Jennifer Skalka