Peter Franchot Interview

For those of you who couldn't make it to our May 11th Garden Party, HERE is an interview with Comptroller candidate Peter Franchot. Peter is running an excellent campaign, has been successful in raising money, and has real plans to improve the function of the Comptoller's office and act as a true check on the power of the Governor.

Quarry Lake Development and Traffic

The Sun ran an article today about the massive new development going up at the Arundel Corp. Quarry on Greenspring Avenue. It was all about the lake and how wonderful it would be when it is finally filled with rainwater. While it does mention a bit about the size and scope of the development, it does not touch on the fact that a huge amount of commuter traffic will flow directly through Mt. Washington. Read the article HERE. We need to come together as a neighborhood to lobby for the construction of a new set of ramps to allow access to I-83 at Old Pimlico Road to have this traffic to bypass our narrow old streets.

This would be a great topic for your very first Letter to the Editor. Send it HERE. You could also share your concern with Del. Sandy Rosenberg, who already has a very good understanding of the situation.

Neighborhood Scupture Spotting

Howard Crise emailed me about something he is doing that I wanted to share. Howard is putting together a photo collection of scuplture and statuary that is visible to the public in Mt. Washington. If you know of something that Howard should see, please email him HERE and let him know.

HERE is a link to more pictures. You will need to create a password to access the photo gallery.

41st District Unity Team Event

We had Delegates Sandy Rosenberg and Nathaniel Oaks, along with Senator Lisa Gladden join us at our last Thursday night Garden Party. The big issue was clearly the BGE 72% rate hike. The delegation wrote a letter to Gov. Ehrlich, House Speaker Busch, and Senate President Miller requesting a special session to deal with the insanely complex deregulation issue.

Clearly this has been something that everyone in the delegation has been working very hard to understand and resolve. But compounding the complexity of the issue is the fact that BGE has become a political minefield as we approach the heart of the election season. Some feel that the best political strategy is simply to point angry voters to Ehrlich and his toothless Pubic Service Commission. To their credit, our delegation is working hard to actually do something to help the people of Maryland rather than just playing the politics of the whole mess.

I want to reiterate that I feel that Sandy, Lisa, Nat, and Jill are a great asset for us and deserve our help in their re-election bids. The four of them have come together to form a ticket that really reflects the district in a lot of ways. So I am asking you to consider supporting their effort.

1) Consider sending a contribution to:

41st District Unity Team, c/o Charles Thomas
4505 Kenilworth Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21212-4656

2) Contact Sandy to volunteer your help. I would love to see a Mt. Washington coordinator who could help distribute information in the neighborhood and help out on election day. As campaign work goes, this should be fun and easy. And this truly is a great cause. Keeping these guys in Annapolis may be the most important thing you can do for Mt. Washington!

Garden Party Coming Up

Don't forget this week's Thursday Garden Party. Feel free to drop by at 6:30. Speakers wil get started at 7. 2205 Crest Road. See details in THIS previous post.

See you there.

Duncan table at Farmer's Market--HELP.

I have committed to helping set up and staff a table for Doug Duncan at the Baltimore Farmer's Market. The market runs from eight to noon each Sunday. There are 16 Sunday's between now and the primary election.

The first person I asked thought I was asking him to sit in a "dunking booth." Duncan Table, NOT dunking booth!

So at this point I am looking for volunteers who would be willing to staff the table for a two-hour shift one Sunday. Responsibilities will be handing out campaign literature, bumper stickers, and lawn signs. A friend of mine ran the Kerry/Edwards table down there in 2004 and had a lot of fun.

Email me if you would like to learn more about doing this.

Thanks!

UPDATE: The Volunteer Schedule is posted HERE.

UPDATE II: We set up our table and handed out tons of Duncan lit, bumper stickers, and lawn signs. Things were going well, and then all of a sudden Doug Duncan and Stu Simms arrived--a total suprise for all of us. They spent 45 minutes talking to voters and shaking hands. The response out there is great. Sign up for a shift--it's really a lot of fun.

If the Farmer's Market is any indication, people are desperate for a new governor.

Swim Club Opens Saturday

A quick check of the weather tells me that we will see 80 degrees this week. Pool weather--just in time. The Mt. Washington Swim Club opens on Saturday morning (5/27) at 10 am.

If you are a member of the pool, you already know that the Swim Club is an oasis and one of the best parts of life in the neighborhood. If not, time to read up on it. New pools were constructed for the start of last season, so the pool is better than ever. Dial 367-EATS and have your pizza delivered poolside.

Sunday Clean Up Scheduled

A follow up to the Preakness Survival Guide from Jeff Call:

Ken Oak between Pimlico and Greenspring. Sunday @ 9:00, bring gardentools and garbage bags to bag leftover Preakness trash. Anything you find you can keep. Money, cell phones, iPODs, or other sundries. I'm anticipating an easy morning. Kids can play @ the end of the St. on the Church lawn.

UPDATE: What a mess! Thanks to everyone who turned out to help, and thanks to Jeff for his tireless efforts. The haul included countless beer cans and three grocery carts.

Duncan Event a Big Success

We had 68 people and tons of kids show up for the third in our series of Garden Parties.

Doug Duncan, Montgomery County Executive and candidate for governor, explained to the assembled masses his vision for Maryland's future.

In terms of Mt. Washington, Duncan is firm in his support for Project Open Space. Imagine how great it would be if funding were available to purchase and preserve the UB fields as green space on a permanent basis. You can't spend five minutes with Doug without hearing the words "Education First." To see his education plan, click here. To support his campaign, click here. There is an organizing event for Duncan volunteers on Monday in Pikesville. Email me if you want more information.

Our next event is Thursday May 25 at 6:30. For details, see the first blog entry at the bottom of this page.

Preakness Survival Guide

Preakness is this Saturday, May 20. This provides a certain level of comedy/tragedy in the neighborhood, but you can survive if you are prepared.

If you live anywhere near the track (MWIA Areas 1 and 2 especially) you can expect to have parking problems. Rope off any spaces you want to use during the day. It's like a snowstorm, but warmer.

There are kids who help the soon-to-be drunks carry their coolers to the track in purloined grocery carts. These end up scattered around the neighborhood after the fact. Be on the lookout for passed out revelers actually being returned to their cars IN the carts. That's not something you see every day.

Which leads us to the inevitable traffic situation. Expect to see people driving like morons in the neighborhood. You want to take some extra precautions to keep your kids out of the street. Remember, typical Preakness patrons will not be entirely sober and may not be respectful of the speed limits. I am not aware of any serious incidents over the past decade, but use some caution and common sense.

There is always some litter that goes along with Preakness. Expect to see some beer cans around the neighborhood. Again, not a big deal and part of the Preakness every year.

If you are having any problems that you feel the track should be dealing with, please take a few notes and let me know. I am on the MWIA Pimlico Committee and there may be something we can do. If you observe anything that makes you feel uneasy or unsafe, PLEASE CALL 911. The whole area will be teeming with police who are there to deal with problems.

Lastly, the key is not to get too wound up about it. It's a bit of a pain in the neck, but it is part of the neighborhood. Fifty years ago the track was packed all summer--today we only have to put up with one day a year.

Relax and try to enjoy.

If all else fails, do what I do: Muddle 15 large mint leaves and 1 Tbsp. simple syrup in the bottom of a chilled glass. Fill glass with ice and 1-1/4 oz. Bourbon. Garnish with mint leaves. Imbibe. Repeat as necessary.

Aaron
Aaron@Meisner.net

Meet our Annapolis delegation on 5/25

Thursday, May 25^th

Meet the members of the 41^st District Legislative Delegation.

These are the folks who represent you and your neighborhood in Annapolis. Join Senator Lisa Gladden and Delegates Jill Carter, Nathaniel Oaks, and Sandy Rosenberg for a conversation about the local and state issues important to you including schools, open space, development pressure, and utility rates.

When: Thursday night, May 25th from 6:30 to 8:00 PM

Where: 2205 Crest Road in Mt. Washington

Babysitting: Yes, babysitting! There will be supervised fun for the kids.

Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be served.

More information: Call Aaron Meisner at 410-963-7718 or Party@21209.org