Main Street Westminster on a lazy late summer afternoon. This photo was taken from near Giulianova Groceria at 11 East Main Street looking west to the railroad tracks (c) Kevin Dayhoff 09/07/2006
Sunday, September 10, 2006
20060909 KDDC Main Street Westminster on a lazy late summer afternoon
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Main Street Westminster on a lazy late summer afternoon. This photo was taken from near Giulianova Groceria at 11 East Main Street looking west to the railroad tracks (c) Kevin Dayhoff 09/07/2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
20060908 KDDC So just what are the facts
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So just what are the facts?
In regard to the recent deluge of negative ads and fliers (see the previous post below) - - just in time for the Carroll County Primary election next Tuesday, September 12th, 2006, just what are the facts? Best government is facilitated by an informed electorate. It is important that accurate information be disseminated in order for you to make the best vote possible for the future of
Just say NO to negative advertising.
When you receive a negative flier or read a negative ad, please compare it the flowing information obtained by KDDC – and spread the word:
Education
In the last four years, seven major educational buildings have opened or begun the construction process. Parr’s Ridge Elementary – open
New high school in North Carroll – site under negotiation
New middle school in South Carroll – site under state review
Nursing and Allied Health Building,
Classroom #4,
Finksburg Library – under construction
*More than $20 million spent to provide full-day kindergarten countywide
Roads
In the last four years, the Commissioners have spent or committed more than $36 million to resurface or rebuild 216 miles of roadway, including new roads and bridge projects. Included are:
Rt. 32 between Rt. 26 and Malcolm Drive/Piney Ridge Parkway (County is paying $2.5 million, or half of the total cost); South Pleasant Valley ($2.3 million), Obrecht Road, from 97 to White Rock ($2.3 million); Piney Ridge Parkway ($400,000); Shepard’s Mill Road ($4.77 million); Gorsuch Road roundabout
Commissioners also facilitated construction of the Hampstead Bypass.
Parks
In the last four years, more than $11 million has been approved for new recreational facilities. Large projects include: Leister, Krimgold, West Carroll Regional parks, as well as Bark Hill ball fields and a gymnasium for the new
Other projects:
Ball field improvements at 20 parks or schools
Playgrounds at 5 elementary schools
Walking trails at 3 parks
North Carroll Senior and Community Center
Piney Run new pavilion
Hashawha renovations
Equipment for the
Water
Once system expansion is complete, the county will have an additional 4.5 million gallons of water capacity from Liberty Reservoir and new wells. In addition, the Commissioners are seeking required state and federal support for
Salaries
Department heads in
In 2002, two people served as chief of staff (executive assistant and special assistant). Together they earned $155,377. In 2006, the sole chief of staff earns $116,439.
Pension plan
Under the Carroll County Pension Plan, a person with 30 years of service earning $30,000 would receive an estimated $525 a month. A State of
Hotels
County employees who attend conferences that require overnight stays are allotted $240 per night. Any expense over that amount is reimbursed by the employee. (Copies of personal reimbursement checks are attached to credit card statements for verification purposes.)
Special assistant Tim Feeser has never stayed at the Hyatt in
Credit cards
Credit cards have been issued by the County since the 1980s. They are not for personal use. They are for the sole purpose of paying for budgeted items. The Comptroller monitors and approves all payments.
$119 spent at the Treat Shop was for a hospitality basket purchased by the Department of Economic Development to welcome a new business.
The County paid for representatives of Standard & Poor, Moody’s, and Fitch bond-rating agencies to eat at the Antrim in Taneytown. The bill for 17 people totaled $1,579.43. The county’s positive bond rating allowed taxpayers to save at least $1.5 million in interest that year.
Travel
The County has not funded any oversees travel by Commissioners in the past four years. As an elected officer of the National Association of Counties, Commissioner Gouge represented
Access to public records
As required under
Taxes
The Board of County Commissioners lowered the amount a homeowner’s property taxes can increase by 3 percentage points. They instituted a tax credit for senior citizens. They have never proposed legislation for a personal property tax.
Growth
20060908 KDDC Negative ads and fliers plague Carroll County primary election
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Negative ads and fliers plague
September 8th, 2006
In the last week a number of negative ads have appeared in the Westminster Eagle and the Carroll Standard newspapers. Additionally negative fliers have appeared in mailboxes.
Both the Carroll County Times and the Westminster Eagle and Eldersburg Eagle have written about this.
In a statement released late Friday evening, September 8th, 2006, by current incumbent Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnick, he stated:
“On Monday morning, I will formally ask Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes to pursue all means of investigating the possibility of criminal action behind the recent spate of malicious campaign literature published in one weekly newspaper and mailed to thousands of county voters in their homes. I believe that we have more than violations of election laws at issue, and I will request an investigation into the possibility of conspiracy and racketeering. The misrepresentation of facts that have been disseminated go beyond differences of opinion or mere ideology. They are the calculated attempt to destroy reputations and derail the electoral processes by which people choose their leadership. It cannot go unchallenged.” Dean Minnich Vice President, Carroll County Commissioners
In a telephone interview with commissioner candidate Doug Howard this Friday afternoon; he said what lots of Carroll County Republicans are saying; “These are not the values of our party.” A statement which was repeated in a piece of campaign literature advanced to KDDC by Mr. Howard. His campaign literature, slated to be released September 11th, 2006, also said; “Throughout this campaign we have presented our ideas without attacking other candidates or existing commissioners. I do not subscribe to or support the methods of personal attack or mudslinging that we have seen. Such negative campaigns undermine the serious business of choosing our elected officials.”
In a Justin Palk article in the Carroll County Times on Friday, September 8th, 2006:
Although Shewell and Stocksdale said they had not seen the ads or not reviewed them in detail, respectively, both distanced themselves from negative advertising generally.
"I've tried to stay on the high road," Shewell said. "Certainly a lot of the nastiness makes it a disincentive for the good people to run."
Stocksdale echoed those sentiments.
"I do not do negative campaigning," she said. "I don't think people appreciate negative campaigning."
You can read the rest of the article here.
Meanwhile - - I’d like to call upon all credible candidates for elected office in next Tuesday’s primary to condemn the negative campaigning. Please send KDDC your statements at kdayhoff@carr.org and I will be more than happy to post them on KDDC.
In the last issue of the Westminster Eagle and the Eldersburg Eagle, both Editor Jim Joyner and I wrote columns addressing this last minute dynamic in what many recall as one of the most unpleasant election years in 16 years.
The title of my column is: “Just so no to reality TV in Carroll County election campaigns.”
The title of Mr. Joyner’s column is: “Final daze Voters should be aware of wild political finish.”
I also have a Tentacle column addressing this issue of negative campaigning. “Why go negative?”
The Eldersburg and Westminster Eagle sent out the following e-mail alert calling attention to an article Editor Jim Joyner has placed on the web sites of the two county publications.
“County refutes ads mailers attacking commissioners”
You have been sent this e-mail alert from The Eldersburg and
“County refutes ads, mailers attacking commissioners”
Carroll County officials this week refuted several claims made in political ads this past week by a group called the Carroll County Republican Club, saying the bulk of the organization's accusations are false or misleading.
The group has distributed mailers, placed paid advertising in county newspapers - including The Eagle - and is reportedly also operating an automated messaging campaign, phoning homes in the county.
The bulk of the campaign is aimed at unseating the incumbent Board of
Various aspects of the ad campaign claim that the current commissioners - Republicans Julia Gouge, Dean Minnich and Perry Jones - have spent money on extravagant travel, allowed multiple housing units with single building permits, have declined to spend money to build schools; and are proposing legislation that would allow the county to impose a personal property tax.
County officials say all those allegations - and others - are false.
Read the rest of the article here or here.
_________________
Meanwhile, Justin Palk, writing for the Carroll County Times has written two articles thus far.
On Thursday, September 07, 2006, Mr. Palk wrote a piece entitled: “State probing election adverts.”
An organization calling itself the Carroll County Republican Club, which has sent out mailings to county residents, among other advertising, is not registered with the state as a political action committee, said Jared DeMarinis, director of the State Board of Elections' candidacy and campaign finance division.
DeMarinis said he could not comment further on the matter because the board is reviewing it.
In general, organizations that raise or spend money for a specific candidate in an election do have to register with the state, he said.
You can read the rest of this article here.
And then on September 8th, 2006, Mr. Palk wrote: “Candidates deny contact with group.”
Some of the Republican candidates being supported in ads being investigated by the State Board of Elections said they have had no contact with the group responsible for the advertisements.
Dave Greenwalt and Michael Zimmer, both candidates for Carroll County commissioner, and incumbent Dels. Tanya Shewell and Nancy Stocksdale, both seeking to retain their seats in District 5A, said they have no connection with and have no information about the group, which identifies itself as the
You can read the rest of the article here.
E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org
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