<div>Adrianne, </div>
<div> </div>
<div>You can get the results of all votes from town staff. Send email requests to <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:riverdaleparkmd@comcast.net" target="_blank">riverdaleparkmd@comcast.net
</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Best wishes,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Vernon</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 4/17/07, <b class="gmail_sendername"><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:euniverz@aol.com" target="_blank">euniverz@aol.com</a></b> <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:euniverz@aol.com" target="_blank">
euniverz@aol.com</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
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<div>If free press means hand bills and lawn signs, one wastes trees and the other amounts to eye litter (don't get me wrong, I'm all for free press!). I believe they are both useful vehicles for information but they are certainly not enough. I say, more electrons, less trees!
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I work late, am not home weekends, and have a loud dog (as David can attest). While I appreciate the time it takes to canvass neighborhoods, my schedule makes it an impractical way for me to learn about candidates. I am sure there are others like me who have similar constraints.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Also, there is often a question of not knowing enough of what is going on to even know to ask about it. That's why I consider the idea of an organized candidates forum, even in tiny Riverdale Park, to be a valid one. I'm sure there is a way to make it effective for candidates to use TownTalk without becoming unbearable. I'm not sure I understand how we as a community can afford to be distant from town politics! It almost sounded like the town legislators, perhaps unintentionally, threw up some barriers to discourse thinking there was a lack of interest on our parts.
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<div>Since we're going to have to find out the information ourselves, I would like to know how the individual councilmembers voted on this issue. Do I contact Town Hall for that information, or can that information be disseminated here?
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Adrianne Lefkowitz</div>
<div>Madison Street</div>
<div> </div>
<div><span style="DISPLAY: inline-block"></span>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 3<br>Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:56:11 -0400<br>From: "Vernon Archer" <<a>varcher@gmail.com</a>><br>Subject: [RP TownTalk] Forum--in person debate and via Town Talk
<br>To: TownTalk <<a>TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a>><br>Message-ID:<br> <<a>f86ada2a0704160356x25eb7983s1c3f0e1cb158121c@mail.gmail.com</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<br><br>
Voters of Riverdale Park,<br><br>There has been a variety of comment over the last several weeks about using<br>the Town Crier, and Town Talk for publishing statements from candidates for<br>office, and also about having a separate "forum" of candidates. I would
<br>like to express some thought on these matters and clarify some of the<br>official actions taken by the town.<br><br>First, regarding the idea of a Town Crier "forum." The Charter of our town<br>forbids using any town resources for "electioneering" without the express
<br>permission of the Town Council. This is in keeping with both the tradition<br>of Federal and Maryland Election Law. We have a free press, and the freedom<br>of speech to allow us to get out our message. I recommended to the Council
<br>as they debated the issue of allowing electioneering via the Crier and Town<br>Talk, to only allow this if there is no reasonable way for candidates to get<br>their message out to voters via the private press, or individual action.
<br><br>The council decided that publishing the names of candidates, with their<br>email addresses, and any web or blog site was adequate to provide potential<br>voters with information about candidate positions. In a town as small as
<br>ours we do not get much press coverage, however it is easy to get in touch<br>with individual candidates/office holders via phone, email, or personal<br>contact. We also have a strong tradition of candidates going door to door
<br>to meet with constituents face to face.<br><br>My read on the Council position is this: if you want to know a particular<br>candidates position on a particular issue, you can get it with very little<br>effort. If you find a candidate difficult to get a response from, that
<br>probably tells you something right there ;-} Therefore, the Council decided<br>not to break with the clear intent of the Town Charter, Maryland and Federal<br>Election Law.<br><br>Town staff should have the list of candidates, with contact information
<br>posted today. I would also like to point out this is earlier and more<br>widespread than has ever been the case in previous elections.<br><br>Before leaving this topic, I want to say when I created Town Talk by<br>executive order, I intended it as a means of residents sharing information
<br>about topics of common interest that would be as distanced from electoral<br>politics as possible. The fact that residents are clearly interested in<br>politics makes it a very hard line to draw, and I thank the council for
<br>taking up the responsibility of making policy for Town Talk.<br><br>Regarding a live candidates forum, the issues are similar. In elections<br>recently past, there have been only candidate forums under the auspices of
<br>private organizations or persons. The town only allowed the use of town<br>hall space after council action and under the control of a non-government<br>organization/private citizens. Under such circumstances, a forum would
<br>clearly be a positive and welcome idea.<br><br>The Council could act on a motion to provide a space for a forum on our<br>April 30 meeting, but in order to make that happen, private organizers would<br>have to get everything lined up very soon.
<br><br>Best wishes,<br><br>Vern<br><br>----<br>Vernon Archer, Mayor<br>Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland<br> </div>
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</b></a>.<br> </div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>TownTalk mailing list<br>To post to the list, send mail to <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org" target="_blank">
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<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/" target="_blank">http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Vernon Archer, Mayor
<br>Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland