HoCo Watchdogs Newsletter
Issue # 4
Welcome to the fourth issue of the HoCo Watchdogs newsletter! This newsletter provides a concise list of articles, videos & social media posts for you to stay well informed about important Howard County, Maryland issues such as public school policies, land use & development, and county governance.
Staying informed is a community effort! If you have content to recommend for a future HoCo Watchdogs newsletter, please send the title & link to hocowatchdogs@protonmail.com .
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Articles / Blog Posts
authored by HoCo Watchdogs, 02/17/2022
Should a sitting Maryland state delegate be allowed to simultaneously work for a County Executive, managing business relationships & major county-level decisions between special interest groups that donated generously to that state delegate’s own election campaign?
authored by Lisa Markovitz, 01/31/2022
A discussion about the narrowly-avoided recent controversial delays to disbursement of the Citizens’ Election Fund and its impact on Howard County voters.
published by Hiruy Hadgu, 01/10/2022
A highlight of the eight county council and county executive actions that had the largest adverse impact on the budget. The eight actions listed below led to $288 to $317 million in adverse impact on the county’s budget. Every single one of these actions provide an outsized benefit to Howard County developers at the expense of taxpayers.
authored by Bennett Leckrone, 02/11/2022
The Maryland Court of Appeals on Friday pushed Maryland’s 2022 primary campaign candidate filing deadline back by a month after several petitions were filed against the state’s new legislative districts.
authored by Amy Simpson, 02/11/2022
Public school students in Howard County will see adjustments to morning bell times in the next two years. The Howard County Board of Education voted unanimously to move forward with implementing changes to school start times at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
Videos & Social Media Posts
Civility Abandoned at Recent Howard County Zoning Board Meeting
Excerpts from a concerning email sent to the County Council by a local land use attorney are read by County Councilwoman Liz Walsh. The author of this email joins the Zoning Board meeting and publicly calls County Councilwoman & Zoning Board Chair Deb Jung “not a fit Zoning Board Chair”, stating that she “should not be a barred attorney”.
This is the same developer attorney who recently declared at a County Council hearing that requiring affordable housing in the Turf Valley Golf Course community would “destroy the neighborhood” (see the ‘Videos’ section of HoCo Watchdogs Newsletter #3 )
The full 10 minute video segment is recommended viewing, but the highlight sections are from the beginning through the 3 minute 30 second mark and from about the 8 minute 13 second mark through to the end.
UPDATE: Here is the full email read by Councilmember Walsh, obtained via MPIA:
How to make a school building disappear…
a HOCO APFO Facebook Post
Excerpt
“How to make a school building disappear…
Last night, the HCPSS board of education elected to create a system that removes 1,250 kids from classrooms and places them in their parents’ basement…”
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1806754486186704&id=312218178973683
a HOCO APFO Facebook Post (1/27/2022)
Excerpt
“Nothing draws more anxiety in Howard County than the word redistricting. The process affects large swaths of the population directly and indirectly involved in the day to day operations of the school system. The technical process has layers upon layers of decision points which are settled politically in large public events rather than by a predictable process. It’s the perfect storm in a election year. “
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1787715978090555&id=312218178973683
HoCo Watchdogs Newsletter Archives
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