[RP TownTalk] FW: A view from the Ravenswood nest
Yorkedial at aol.com
Yorkedial at aol.com
Mon Apr 13 15:35:01 UTC 2009
I second Marc on this. I have been impressed with the communication skills
of the two council members I have contact with, and with Mayor Archer's
outreach. Our council member Alice Ewen Walker, along with Ward 2's David
Lingua, have been extremely responsive to our questions on any town matter.
Ms. Walker regularly sends emails giving details about developing issues and
follows up those incredibly dry council meetings with informative notes.
Just last week when I mentioned an issue with town lighting in front of our
properties at 6201 and 6205 Natoli Place, both Ms. Walker and Mayor Archer
immediately responded to my concerns, addressing the problem and prompting
former council member Rob Oppenheim to retrieve his own two-year-old notes
that precisely detailed the council's discussion about the problem in 2007.
Mr. Oppenheim's input was very helpful in getting the matter moving.
Talk about service!
And it is not like these folks are being paid hefty sums to do this work
or that they wield great power. They are, in my opinion, the Mother Teresa's
of local politics.
At some point, the citizens' civic duty must go beyond armchair
participation.
Or not.
By the way, Don (Lynch), I appreciate the info you included about on The
Pink House: Dr. S. M. McMillan was elected as the first Mayor, his house is
across from Mable Munch Park.
Also, we still have two apartments available for rent, a one-bedroom and a
furnished two-bedroom, both in The Brick House. And three other
one-bedroom apartments in the fashionable Eastport section of Annapolis. Go to
_www.YorkeRents.com_ (http://www.YorkeRents.com) or call 301-502-1243 for more
information.
Best,
Jeffrey Yorke
Yorke Partners
Natoli Place
301-502-1243
_www.YorkeRents.com_ (http://www.YorkeRents.com)
In a message dated 4/13/2009 10:14:52 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
mmolino54 at hotmail.com writes:
I meant to copy my reply to Don to the whole list because I'm curious as
to how others feel about their representatives, the opportunities to be
informed and involved, and the overall level of citizen interest and
participation in Riverdale Park.
-Marc
____________________________________
From: mmolino54 at hotmail.com
To: dlynch at garretroomstudios.com
Subject: RE: [RP TownTalk] A view from the Ravenswood nest
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:36:45 -0400
Don,
I've lived in Riverdale Park for about 8 years now and have actually been
impressed with the degree to which RP citizens are invited and welcome to
participate in local government. I think we do a disservice to our present
and former mayors and councilmembers to portray them as some sort of cabal
acting independently of the citizens needs and wishes. Since I've been here
in Ward 2, my council members have held open houses and/or informal
gatherings at their homes to seek feedback, talked to me in person (as well as in
person and by e-mail), and frequently attend every public event where they
are accessible and welcome feedback (Riverdale Park Day, the Holiday
Festival, the ArtsFest, etc., etc.).
Sarah mentioned the many meetings that are open to the public--I think
some of these are even available on a cable access channel, as well.
I'm curious as to how the council members in the past "... would inform
and discuss these issues with the people within their wards", and whether
those methods are still feasible given the present day size of the wards. I
think you've raised some good issues in terms of how council members gauge
and represent the interests of each ward. I don't have a lot of experience
with town politics, but RP actually seems like one of the most engaged and
transparent from what I've seen and heard.
All that being said, it's the citizens that seem least interested. Whether
it's on this discussion list or at actual council meetings, it's usually
the same, small dedicated handfull of people who are active and involved.
Don't get me wrong, these folks (like yourself) are great, but the majority
of the RP citizens are uninvolved. Is that a matter of interest, time,
and/or access? I personally think it's mostly lack of time and/or interest.
How would you like to see it change, Don? Now would be a great time to
pass these ideas along to those running for office ; )
-Marc
> From: dlynch at garretroomstudios.com
> To: TownTalk at riverdale-park.org
> Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:59:05 -0700
> Subject: [RP TownTalk] A view from the Ravenswood nest
>
> Gone are days.
>
> Riverdale Park is one of the country's oldest railroad communities,
established in 1887. It was incorporated in 1920. Dr. S. M. McMillan was
elected as the first Mayor, his house is across from Mable Munch Park.
>
> There was a time when council members were elected by the various wards
within this community with the intent to represent the collective opinion
of the people from their respective wards.
>
> When issues concerning the town came up, the council members would
inform and discuss these issues with the people within their wards and then
report to the town council the findings of these discussions.
>
> That was then and where are we today?
>
> >>From issues such as the Purple Line, art murals to 4+ story apartment
buildings being approved within the historic district of Riverdale Park,
are being discussed amongst the council members without any discussion
amongst the wards in this town.
>
> No local ward meetings, discussions, comments or opinions requested.
>
> Just six individuals and a Mayor, making it seven individuals, acting
independently of the rest of the town, making decisions and reporting the
results weeks later in a Town Crier, with little additional information to go
along with the decision making process.
>
> Is this the status quo for Riverdale Park?
>
> Will any council member begin to take stock in what it means to
represent the people of their ward by keeping them informed with issues that
directly affect them?
>
> Will the mayor make sure that the council members communicate the
important issues to the wards and demand a collective opinion from each ward?
>
> Will we ever get back to a town where everyone feels their interests
have been heard and weighed against the majority?
>
> If not, as I say, gone are the days.
>
>
> Don
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> TownTalk mailing list
> To post to the list, send mail to TownTalk at riverdale-park.org
> TownTalk-request at riverdale-park.org is for automated subscription
processing only
> http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk
>
> For more information about Riverdale Park, visit
http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info
____________________________________
Rediscover Hotmail®: Get quick friend updates right in your inbox. _Check
it out._
(http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Updates1_042009)
____________________________________
Rediscover Hotmail®: Get quick friend updates right in your inbox. _Check
it out._
(http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Updates1_042009) =
_______________________________________________
TownTalk mailing list
To post to the list, send mail to TownTalk at riverdale-park.org
TownTalk-request at riverdale-park.org is for automated subscription
processing only
http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk
For more information about Riverdale Park, visit
http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info
**************The Average US Credit Score is 692. See Yours in Just 2 Easy
Steps!
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221621489x1201450100/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26h
mpgID%3D62%26bcd%3DAprilAvgfooterNO62)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20090413/6ff03633/attachment-0002.html>
More information about the TownTalk
mailing list