Town Center Election Results

I just got word of the Town Center election results. Gail Broida is the new Town Center CA Rep.

For Village Board the winners are Burt Knauft and Linda Wengel.

Congratulations to all of you!

I think the important thing to take away from this election is that voters want their representatives to stand up for the community and they want the downtown plan revised to be a livable, economically sustainable development that reflects the Howard County values of mixed income housing, preservation of greenspace, and well thought through planning before it is built so that the infrastructure will meet the communities needs as the community consistently worked for during the charrette and which was not reflected in the current plan. As I have said from the start I will support the plan as soon as I am satisfied that the plan will achieve a livable, economically sustainable development that reflects the Howard County values of mixed income housing, preservation of greenspace, and well thought through planning before it is built so that the infrastructure will meet the communities needs. I have suggested some potential solutions to some of the current problems and have consistently worked -- as have others in the community -- for the plan to be improved so that it meets the basic needs of the community. No one I know other than Harry Dunbar has been against redevelopment, they just want it done well and that means in a livable, economically sustainable way that reflects the Howard County values of mixed income housing, preservation of greenspace, and well thought through planning before it is built so that the infrastructure will meet the communities needs. If the plan is changed to satisfy these needs it will help to rebuild the trust that has been squandered so far. I want to see a good plan and I and many others have repeatedly offered to work in partnership to improve the plan, yet it is games like what was tried to be pulled at the last focus group meeting that have broken down the trust. Let's end these games. Let us end the strawman arguments that there is some sinister group out there trying to stop the redevelopment. Harry Dunbar is not competent enough to be sinister nor is he a group. There is in this situation that rarity in politics: a passionate center. If the plan is fixed to be a livable, economically sustainable development that reflects the Howard County values of mixed income housing, preservation of greenspace, and well thought through planning before it is built so that the infrastructure will meet the communities needs, then we can all move forward faster and easier. General Growth has new leadership and I truly hope that they will realize that they will get a profit sooner if they work as a partner, support the changes the community wants, be a responsible member of the community and not push the costs associeted with them making that huge profit onto the community, and not preasure county officials to play games on their behalf. We are a politically savy community and such games are only going to backfire on those who play them. The power of a quick resolution to these issues is in the hands of those who can fix the plan to reflect what the community has been saying. Let's start seeing the plan fixed.