[RP TownTalk] Signs on our northern boarder
Don Lynch
dlynch at garretroomstudios.com
Wed Aug 19 17:45:07 UTC 2009
Well this is indeed, a sad day for Riverdale Park.
To receive word, late in this discussion, about a very important issue
from one of the town's officials.
We asked College Park about this issue and got an immediate response. It
took a day later to hear from our own elected official.
Now we hear that some officials are reciting the exact definition of
transparency.
Well, anyone educated in the civics, knows that there is a term called
intent. Contracts, legal documents, etc. inherently have an implied
clause called intent.
To have transparency in government means that it is incumbent upon the
leadership to keep its constituency informed.
It is obvious to everyone in this town that this listserve, which was
mandated by our town government, is a viable and valid form of
communication.
So now I'm quoting chapter and verse:
*§3-2. Letters to the Editor.*
(a) General Rule - The newsletter shall accept for publication letters
to the editor from
town residents who are not elected officials of the town. Any letter
must include a name, address
and telephone number of the person submitting the letter and be signed
by that person. Any
person writing such letters shall be limited to one letter of two
hundred and fifty (250) words or
less per edition of the town newsletter. Such letters must relate to
administrative, regulatory or
Legislative functions of the town, or be of some matter of unique
concern to the town or
its residents (e.g., obituaries, events of town groups or town-sponsored
organizations, history of
- 301 -
Revised 01- 08
the town, etc.). Such letters may promote a position on matters of
public policy, but may not
advocate support or opposition for any candidate for public office. Such
letters shall be directed
to the Editor-in-Chief of the newsletter and shall be printed in the
next issue of the newsletter
after it has been received.
(B) Time of Submission - A deadline of the 15th day of the calendar
month shall be set
for any submission to be printed in the next edition. If a letter to the
editor is received after the
submission deadline, it shall be printed in the following edition. In
the event multiple
submissions are received for an upcoming edition, the Editor-in-Chief
shall set forth two (2) full
pages for such letters and if ample space is still not available,
provide a written rationale for why
some letters were printed and others were held to the subsequent
edition. No letter deemed
appropriate under the guidelines may be held for any reason for more
than 45 days before
publication.
(c) Editing for Length and Content - In the event a letter exceeds the
two hundred and
fifty (250) word length, it shall be subject to editing by the
Editor-in-Chief who shall shorten its
length by removing or replacing words, but who shall not change the
intent of the letter writer.
In the event any portion of the content shall include curse words
inappropriate for publication,
the Editor-in-Chief shall have the authority to remove or replace such
words at his or her
discretion.
==========================================================================
So, it seems that this administration is in violation of town ordinances
requiring an editorial section of the Town Crier., which has not existed
for some time.
I request that the ordinance staff serve this administration a citation
to this effect which is proper under the balance of powers.
It would be nice if for once this current administration would focus on
the needs of this town.
We recently had a business fail in town center and not one council
member or mayor bothered to make a comment.
Again, it is a sad day in Riverdale Park.
Don
================================================
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vernon Archer wrote:
> To all concerned about the signs marking our boarders, and related
> issues,
>
> Having had the time now to clarify with our public works department
> exactly what transpired regarding our sign in the proximity of our
> boarder with College Park I will share the following relevant facts:
>
> The town had worked an agreement with College Park sometime prior to
> June 2005 to place our welcome sign slightly within the boundaries of
> College Park. This was a courtesy from College Park not a permanent
> right. When CP decided to follow the example we set some years ago and
> place signs on there boundaries, they removed our sign, withdrew their
> permission to post our sign on their territory and returned the sign
> to us.
>
> Riverdale Park's public works is systematically refurbishing all of
> our town signs that need it--not just the boarder welcoming signs, but
> all signs--as time and resources allow. Our welcome signs went up in
> the proximity of 10 years ago and have shown the ware so are being
> refurbished. I mistakenly assumed that the one that came down on
> College Park's boundary was removed by RP workers, but in fact it was
> removed by CP workers--this level of detail as to who actually
> physically performs tasks that are directed by me to be carried out
> are rarely reported to me in detail for what I assume are obvious
> reasons, I just want the signs cleaned up and looking good.
>
> Public works informs me that this sign should be back up, in its new
> location within the boundaries of Riverdale Park by the end of next
> week.
>
> I thank Audrey Bragg for volunteering to beautify the new location and
> Mr. Addison will contact you directly to coordinate with you.
>
> There also seems to be some confusion about the property ownership
> along our boarder with CP. The property to the immediate south of
> Albion Street is owned by WMATA, not the Cafritz interest. The
> Cafritz property is solely within the boundaries of Riverdale Park--at
> least in the proximity of Route 1. I cannot swear the the Cafritz
> family does not own property in CP in the area, whoever the "Cafritz
> Property" that is currently zoned for single family houses that they
> wish to rezone and develop in a mixed use fashion along Route 1 is
> entirely within the boundaries of Riverdale Park.
>
> I certainly do not have time right now to give a complete review of
> where the Cafritz effort to gain rezoning stands. However, it is safe
> to say that all four relevant governments, Prince George's County,
> Riverdale Park, College Park and University Park are waiting, and have
> been waiting for some time now, for the Cafritz team to come back to
> us with a revised traffic impact mitigation plan that is acceptable.
> Until this happens there in no possibility of the rezoning that the
> Cafritz seek ever being granted.
>
> Lastly, I wish to remind all of you that "Town Talk" is not an
> official means of giving information to the public. Transparency as
> defined by state law and town charter comes from two sources: 1)
> reports in public meetings (which all are invited to attend and
> participate in); and 2) reports and postings published in periodicals
> of general circulation--such as the Town Crier and The Gazette. I
> ordered the creation of Town Talk to facilitate the free flow of
> information to the public and I think it definitely helps to keep the
> public informed, but it is neither the correct way to report problems,
> nor is it reasonable to expect quick or flawless answers to every
> question or concern every subscriber has.
>
> That being said, I hope that any concerns about the marking of our
> northern boundary are now satisfied, but if not please bring questions
> or comments to the next work session on August 31st at 8 PM at Town Hall.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Vern
> --
> Vernon Archer, Mayor
> Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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>
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