Voting is the Best Way to Register Your Opinion

Voting is the Best Way to Register Your Opinion

There’s a lot of negative campaigning going on out there. And its getting pretty unsavory. The latest volley was a particularly disgusting mailing sent out by ”17 Anonymous Taxpayers” against Mike Sarich that for my money (and a lot of theirs, too since evidently they printed and mailed a 4 pager to 10,000 voters) hit a new low. A thought for those who write such stuff: you’re hurting your cause more than the people you oppose. For more on anonymous comments see Rick Wilson’s blog.

However, this isn’t going to be about the low levels our political campaign in Laurel has reached. It’s to remind voters that they have one sure way of making sure their opinions on the candidates and the process make a difference: and that’s voting Nov. 1 (early voting ends October 29).

Voting turnout in our city is notoriously low. In the last special referendum fewer than 1000 voters decided on voting wards, terms and salary issues for a city of 25,000 with something like 10,000 registered voters. That’s 10% deciding for everyone. This year for the first time in a long time, there are 2 polling sites, so folks have no excuse that there isn’t a voting place close by. So be sure to vote. For information on where and when: http://www.cityoflaurel.org/sites/default/files/u17/Voting%20Guide%20Oct%202011.pdf

Parades are Political, Recalcitrant Politicos and More.

Just some random political thoughts.

Laurel’s 4^th of July Parade was a bi-partisan affair, -- and contrary to Harvard polling, had lots of democrat spectators and participants. Laurel’s City Council, and delegation were on hand, as were some others to note.

David Murray, who is making another run for the school board – good to see young people persevering and going for it.

Ken Ulman who is clearly prepping for a run for the governorship. The HOWARD COUNTY executive was walking and shaking hands at the Laurel (PG COUNTY) parade. Asked if he was running, Ulman was non-committal and made a reference to just making friends. He was walking along with Laurel Mayor Craig Moe (also making a run for a 3^rd term in office.) Is Mayor Moe giving an early endorsement?

Kudos to Delegate Mary Lehman (also at the parade) for standing up for taxi drivers in her Washington Post op-ed piece.

Hopefully the groundswell for Leslie Johnson to resign is growing. Lots of comments on the Patch story, and people are hopefully writing their Council members, Johnson and Council Chair Turner. As former Councilmember Tom Dernoga noted in his comments from the Gazette but quoted in the Patch story “If Ms. Johnson wants to move on beyond her ‘mistake’, she must step down immediately,” Dernoga wrote. “No public benefit, only personal benefit, can derive from Ms. Johnson holding on to the council seat. Failure to do so would demonstrate lack of remorse, which the judge should consider at sentencing.”

Is there anyone but Johnson and, inexplicably, Council Chair Turner, not calling for Johnson’s resignation? Do we all need to go to Council meetings and wave signs, or ask at the public comment sections for her to step down?

Mr. Mayor: Tear Down That Wall!

The Laurel Museum’s 15^th Anniversary event offered me a reminder of what’s good about a small town. A recent visit to Laurel City Hall suggested that we may have lost an important element of that.

The Museum’s 15^th brought together 90+ folks to celebrate a local institution that’s been a great partnership between the LHS and the City of Laurel (disclosure, I’m very active in the LHS). There were past LHS members, representatives of the 1996 Mayor and Council, and also the current LHS officers, and Mayor and City Council. Conversations were fun, polite and the pols – past and present – were all very accessible.

My visit to Laurel City Hall last Friday to pick up the generously loaned sound system for Sunday revealed something else. The City has installed an intimidating glass/Plexiglas wall right inside the reception area that runs along the front desk and ends in a floor to ceiling wall with an electronic door. There’s not even room on the reception desk to leave an envelope bigger than a letter. Anyone wanting to go past the front reception desk now has to talk through a small cut-out and push ID through it, to get a badge.(which you needed before). Visitors, once approved, have to be buzzed in to enter. I’m sure the City feels security reasons required this.

Personally, I found this sad, and disturbing. Something important has been lost – for both residents and city employees with this wall’s installation. In a small town like Laurel officials and city employees are people you know, and to whom you can talk. There is a feeling that we’re all in this together. This new entrance is a both a physical and psychological barrier, locking out the public and essentially dividing elected officials and city employees from their constituents. The new barrier at City Hall sets up a we v. them feeling. With the public being the “them” on the outside. The goal may be security, but the fact is a wall like this says “we think you are a threat, and we don’t trust you to come into OUR building.”

Laurel is a better place than that. It shouldn’t divide its citizens from their government. So, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan I say: “ Mr. Mayor, tear down that wall!”