<div dir="ltr">It's unclear to me how any of this was missed by the public. That us, unless you didn't attend any of the seemingly endless public meetings on the Cafritz property proposal over the past year. At no time was there a sense that the Cafritz proposal would breeze through to a council approval.There was often terse questioning of the smallest detail by Riverdale Park Town Council members who ALWAYS put Cafritz representatives on the hot seat. In fact, there were moments where I thought some members of the Town Council were absolutely rude, embarrassingly rude, in their questioning of Jane Cafritz about her plans. I was concerned that she might turn on her heel and walk. I even made my own complaint about the council's tact to Town Hall. So the rude behavior went away but the questioning just got tougher. As a former newspaper reporter, I liked that. The council members did not let the Cafritz team up for air or get away with anything they shouldn't have. But it was all respectful, public and transparent. <div>
<br></div><div>And, there was no end to the Town Council's soliciting public opinion for the record. Night-after-night, meeting-after-meeting, anyone with a temperature was encouraged to say what they thought about the Cafritz plans, to make suggestions, offer ideas and solutions. And all of it was honestly taken into consideration and recorded in the record. In fact, it was the opinion of the people that forced the bridge deal -- no bridge over the tracks, no deal on the development. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The council was so thorough in its discussion that the idea of a new development soon lost its sex appeal and became boring. Everything was pondered to a pulp. So, if someone feels they didn't get an opportunity to lodge their opinion about the project, it's simply because they didn't bother to leave their house. So, stuff a sock in it with this "I didn't get a chance to express my opinion" and "everything was done in private (or, "privet")." That's just inane silliness.</div>
<div><br></div><div>And, of course, inaccurate. </div>
<div><div>
<br></div><div>The fact of the matter is that the Riverdale Park Town Council, and the University Park Council, worked well together and ultimately worked well with the developers to hammer -- and there a lot of public hammering! -- out a plan that works best for all surrounding communities. (Most folks in College Park also support and want the Cafritz development but they were drowned out by a few super-loud folks committed to their own unhappiness. Perhaps they should focus on their on fast-spreading sprawl.) </div>
<div><br></div><div>Each member of the RP council worked hard to change the shape of the Cafritz plan to fit the needs of the greater Riverdale Park community. They worked so hard in fact that several of them stressed their own personal family relationships over the Christmas (2011) holidays because they agreed to squeeze in meetings on Calvert Tract, LLC. It's not stuff they want to talk about so let's not press them on it but they all paid a personal price for their efforts. Their hard work produced a much improved plan that will serve the Town and greater community well for the next 100 years. Yeah, that's what they are supposed to do. But what's unusual is that they DID so well do what they were elected to do. That in itself is remarkable. </div>
<div><br></div><div>And remember, members of the Town Council are not all friends. They did and continue to have disputes with each other. But they all are mature and responsible adults and they respect each other and worked well together to make this development success. They deserve our respect, too. They have earned that. Any suggestion -- and there have been a number of baseless, senseless, just plain mean spirited attacks -- that deals were made in private to benefit a few is grounds for a check up from the neck up. (Better produce hard evidence of wrongdoing if you are going to continue making spurious accusations that annoy everyone with common sense.)</div>
<div><br></div><div>As for the save-the-trees crowd, they are not your trees to save. Buy yourself your own park if you want trees but don't tell someone else what they grow and not grow. Take a stroll through that compound and you'll find no heritage trees there at all, just acres of mosquito scrub that serves as refuge for the homeless (not all the droppings are made by deer!) And, if you are looking for your kid's stolen bicycle or the missing family lawnmower, chances are good you'll find them on the Cafritz property. And, by the looks of it, at least three liquor stores have been emptied on the property. It really time to welcome the parade of the bulldozers!</div>
<div><br></div><div>Let's not forget that every year since 1958 -- that's 54 years! -- someone in the Cafritz clan has stroked a significant property tax check to PeeGee County and got nothing in return. No streetlights, no trash pick up, no police service, nothing. Now is Cafritz' turn to do what they want with their own property. And what they are about to do will benefit everyone who wants to see the benefits of smart growth. The rest can continue to whine among themselves. Like the College Park white-haired dames who dramatically declared on the evening of the College Park Council's vote that development "will change our lives forever!" Oh, come on, gals, we are all out of Daytime Emmy Awards! Call the moving van, you all are headed for Florida anyway...</div>
<div><br></div><div>On the Flip Side... </div>
<div><br></div><div>As for the County Council's month's long delay on voting on this proposal, I do think they are a shameless lot of fumbling boobs. All of them. Whether for or against the Cafritz development, the council should have been responsible and taken a vote a long time ago. Instead, they kicked the can down the road until July 9. By delaying important business, the Council, sitting as the District Council, sent a clear message to businesses considering opening in Prince George's County that says: "stay out. We're incapable of making decisions that will affect your future, our future." </div>
<div><br></div><div>What a bunch of bums! All of these council members should get off the government dole and look for work elsewhere when their current terms are over. Maybe they can open a business in the county and practice under the terms they preached? </div>
<div><br></div><div>Desperately Seeking Elected Officials ...</div><div><br></div><div>You musta bumped your head! Accusing Riverdale Park elected officials of not being available, not seeking public opinion is laughable. Take David Lingua. Ten days ago when the roof was ripped off the top of Park Tanglewood Apartments where Councilmember Ray Rivas resides, Council member Lingua was there in an instant to help. All day Saturday, all day Sunday and checking in all the following week. He also made the rounds at Town Center Market where he ran into Council Member Alan Thompson and his wonderful family. Rivas, for his part, spent several sleepless night in the shelter at Northwestern High with his tenants before convincing the County inspector to open up as many apartments that could be deemed safe to get his residents back in their homes. Now, Ray and the rest of the council members, along with Code Enforcement Officer Colleen Ferguson and the town's office staff are trying to find places to stay for the 34 families that have temporarily lost their homes. Mayor Vernon Archer regularly responds to comments on Town Talk, offers his thoughts and opinions and seeks those from the community, and can be found visiting town businesses and at the weekly farmer's market. You cannot miss Vernon with that wacky hat and colorful clothing, he often looks like a Guatemalan rodeo clown.</div>
<div><br></div><div> And look how much time, effort and interest Council Member Jonathan Ebbeler has invested just in the past two days fielding one accusers' outlandish claims. (Time for a rubber biscuit, Jonathan?) In fact, she's gotten more local government attention than ANY taxpayer could every wish for and she doesn't even live in Riverdale Park -- she rents in another community. </div>
<div> </div><div><br></div><div>-- Jeffrey Yorke</div>
<div><br></div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jul 11, 2012 at 11:34 AM, Melissa Avery <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:m.avery@rocketmail.com" target="_blank">m.avery@rocketmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><div><span>This seems so strange to me because every thing I ever heard from MUTC council and the town council was that they were all for the development, closed sessions where the public was not allowed to be involved or express opinions even family members of town council and MUTC members all for the development.</span></div>
<div><span>What exactly is going on here?</span></div><div><br></div> <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"> <div style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:12pt">
<div dir="ltr"> <font face="Arial"> <hr size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold">From:</span></b> Alan K. Thompson <<a href="mailto:akthompson@riverdaleparkmd.gov" target="_blank">akthompson@riverdaleparkmd.gov</a>><br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> <a href="mailto:jebbeler@efusionconsulting.com" target="_blank">jebbeler@efusionconsulting.com</a> <br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Cc:</span></b> <a href="mailto:towntalk@riverdale-park.org" target="_blank">towntalk@riverdale-park.org</a> <br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, July 10, 2012 10:24 PM<div><br> <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> Re: [RP TownTalk] Cafritz Vote<br> </div></font> </div><div>
<br>
<div>I will confirm Jonathan's statement below that this project was never (and still is not) a "done deal." I came to at least one council meeting in early January with a pre-written letter recommending denial of the rezoning. We had very long, intense negotiations, and I voted for it because the final package had everything I thought the Town needed, and a lot of things we wanted.<br>
<br><div>On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 2:18 PM, Jonathan W. Ebbeler <span dir="ltr"><<a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:jebbeler@efusionconsulting.com" target="_blank">jebbeler@efusionconsulting.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-US"><div> </div><div><u></u></div><div>
It is unfortunate that the Council’s position on this question was seen that this was a done deal – it wasn’t – at least from the single vote I cast. I had very clearly communicated to the developers what it would take to get a Yea vote and up until the last day or two before we voted that had not materialized. I voted Yes because the Developers acquiesced on key and critical components of the negotiation. I cannot speak for the rest of the Council but I saw no indication from those that voted that their positions were any different. We would have voted to support the project in November/December vs. giving up our holiday seasons to sit in almost nightly meetings and negotiations if this was all a forgone conclusion. <u></u><u></u></div>
<div><br><u></u></div></div></blockquote></div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>Jeffrey Yorke<br>Yorke Property Management, Inc.<br>Yorke Partners<br>Jeffrey@YorkeRents.com<br><a href="tel:301-502-1243" value="+13015021243" target="_blank">301-502-1243</a><br>
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