Commentary: Prince George's County residents and officials, and especially African-American Democrats in the county, have long and bitterly complained about the lack of upscale shopping and restaurants in the county.
Hardly a day goes by without some complaint about how the richest majority African-American county in the country has been ignored by most upscale chains and about how awful it is to have to drive to Montgomery or Anne Arundel Counties or to Virginia to find nice stores.
One of the most vocal advocates of real action to bring better stores to the county has been Democratic Central Committee Vice Chairman Arthur A. Turner Jr.
Mr. Turner, whose sincere desire to improve the quality of life in the county is obvious in almost every sentence he says or writes, was delighted when Wegman's announced plans to build in a new shopping center in the county, not far from FedEx field and across the Beltway from the demolished Landover Mall.
He apparently felt blindsided when an official of Local 400 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union tried to stop the whole project. So, Mr. Turner spoke with press and sent out e-mails, asking why the union official was "fighting against those who live, work, play and pray in our beloved Prince George’s County? Why is he acting to keep us in a subservient, second-class, substandard, marginal state?”
That apparently was the wrong thing to do. Organized labor at higher levels has come down very hard on Mr. Turner and the chairman of the county's Democratic Central Committee, Terry Speigner, demanding their resignations. One AFL-CIO official even "declared that 'a state of war exists' between the two groups."
So, we have a well-to-do African-American constituency, blindly loyal to the Democratic Party and to labor unions, being frustrated and even attacked by those unions. What has that loyalty gotten us? It is rarely reciprocated.
Union at odds with Democratic Central Committee; Dispute over Wegmans spurs call for change in committee leadership.
Gazette, 1 Nov 2007 (Valentine).
Pr. George's Democrats, Labor Spar Over Grocery.
Post, 1 Nov 2007 (Helderman).
Showing posts with label Upscale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Upscale. Show all posts
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Anti-upscale-shopping union attacks Arthur Turner and Prince George's Democrats
(Posted 1 Nov 2007)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
County development tax soaks middle-income seniors, not rich developers
Victoria Falls riled by tax bills; Residents say they were misled, promise to fight
Laurel Leader, 18 Oct 2007 (Glenn).
Laurel Leader, 18 Oct 2007 (Glenn).
Residents at Laurel's upscale Central Parke at Victoria Falls community have vowed to overturn a special tax approved by Prince George's County for their development, claiming they were not aware of the tax until they received their first bills in July.
More than 300 outraged residents showed up for a standing-room-only meeting at the Contee Road development's community center Oct. 9 to voice their opposition to the special tax bills, which ranged from $1,100 to nearly $1,600.
"The county sees us a cash cow and are trying to milk us, but we will put a stop to this," said Stan Okumura, president of the Political Interface Committee, formed by the residents in response to the tax. "There is a place for this (special tax assessments), but not for senior citizens."
Victoria Falls is a 55-and-older residential community that, when completed, will consist of 609 homes. Its condominiums, villas and single-family residences range from the mid $200,000s to the low $500,000s.
In 2005, the Prince George's County Council approved legislation that created a special tax district for Victoria Falls, at the request of County Executive Jack Johnson. This allowed the county to issue $12 million in bonds for the developer of the complex, Slenker Communities, to use for public infrastructure, such as sewer, water, streets, curbs and gutters.
In a June 23, 2005 letter to the County Council urging members to favorably and expeditiously review the legislation creating the tax district, Johnson said the bonds would ensure that the project would be "first- rate."
He added: "This legislation reflects my Administration's strong commitment to building strong, viable and dynamic public/private partnerships."
But Victoria Falls residents say they did not know they would end up footing the bill for that partnership, a bill that can increase by up to two percent each year over the next 30 years.
"I was misled," said resident Nathanel Pollard. "The first time I knew anything about it was when I got the bill. ... I think it's fraud. I've dealt with special tax districts and you have to spell that out at the time of purchase."
Slenker Communities President Bill Slenker said residents were informed they were purchasing property in a special tax district.
Slenker added that residents did not receive tax bills from the county until this year because the taxes were paid through the bond funds for the first two years.
He also has said that 100 percent of the bond funds were used on public infrastructure needs in the community. The funds, Slenker added, allowed him to build Victoria Falls' private facilities in the early stages of the project, with company funds, and resulted in lower home prices.
During the meeting, residents questioned the need for the bond, since the developer was responsible for building the community's public infrastructure projects anyway.
"The developer got a gift from the Prince George's County Council, a $12 million back door gift, and we're here to repay the tax bill of that gift," said Frank White, a resident and committee member.
Some residents called for County Council member Thomas Dernoga, who represents the Laurel area, to work to rescind the tax, noting that he introduced Johnson's bill.
But Dernoga said he only did so after the legislation was submitted by Johnson and unanimously approved by a council committee.
"Since this property is in District 1 (Dernoga's district), it was up to me to introduce it and I did," Dernoga said in an e-mail message.
Johnson was not available for comment, but spokesman James Keary, while declining to comment on Johnson's justification for supporting the legislation, defended it.
"We proposed it to the County Council and they accepted it," Keary said. "The council has rejected things in the past that we've asked for, but the tax was supposed to be properly disclosed to people."
Pressure on Dernoga
Sam Rosenzweig, a retired air traffic control manager, said at last week's meeting that Dernoga, at a previous community meeting, admitted to making a "mistake" in supporting the legislation, an assertion supported by other Victoria Falls residents.
"Let's get him to pass an amendment and fix this," Rosenzweig said. "We're seniors on fixed incomes and when they passed that special tax district, it went counter to what is being done nationally to give tax breaks to seniors."
Dernoga did not respond to a request to comment on the suggestion that he considers the legislation a mistake, but he has requested an investigation by the county's Audits and Investigations Office to determine whether any bond funds were spent improperly, as some residents have charged. Until that investigation is completed, Dernoga said in his e-mail response, "It is not appropriate to comment."
Victoria Falls is not the only Prince George's community where a special tax district has caused a stir.
Residents of Dunbar Hills, a 55- and-older community off of Lottsford Road west of Bowie, also are upset over their special tax district, saying they were not aware of it until they received bills.
County Council member David Harrington, whose district includes Dunbar Hills, introduced a bill Oct. 9 that will require developers and sellers to inform buyers of special tax assessments through brochures and signed documents.
"The only obligation the builder has now is in the closing stage and I'm trying to do something way before that in the sales process," Harrington said. "At closing, you're bombarded with papers and could easily miss it."
By the end of the Victoria Falls meeting, residents had donated more than $5,200 to hire an attorney to research their rights on the case. If all else fails, they said, they will file a lawsuit.
"We're not people in walkers, but engineers, scientists and smart government people who are highly accomplished and trained not to sit back and accept what we're told," said resident Arthur Chausmer, an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. "We want them to rescind this tax and I'm optimistic that we'll make it happen."
E-mail Gwendolyn Glenn at gglenn@patuxent.com
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
News Briefs (Tuesday and Wednesday)
(Posted 15 Feb 2006)
Prince George's Hospital Center
Prince George's Hospital Center
- Examiner Editorial - Hospital needs more than a cash transfusion.
- Examiner, 15 Feb 2006 (Editorial).
With health care so ridiculously expensive, how can Prince George's Hospital Center be losing so much money that without a massive $2.5 million a month transfusion, it will be forced to close in April?
[. . .]
Dimensions Healthcare Systems - which has managed the hospital and other county-owned medical facilities in Laurel and Bowie for the past 23 years - only hastened its deterioration. Despite a $54 million torrent of red ink requiring a $45 million public bailout, one former chief executive was paid an obscene half-million dollars in consulting fees for just one month's work. As the lifeboat was sinking, Dimensions executives were drilling more holes in it.
[. . .]
Saving Maryland's only public hospital system will require a lot more effort - and expense - than county officials seem willing to acknowledge.
- Ehrlich, Johnson discuss ways to keep hospital open.
- Examiner, 15 Feb 2006 (Anna Bailey).
- Duncan courts black PG voters.
- Times, 15 Feb 2006 (by Jon Ward, The Washington Times).
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, in a close race for governor, knows he must work hard to win votes in the primarily black Democratic stronghold of Prince George's County.
[. . .]
Mr. Duncan took advantage of the breakfast to continue his attack on Mr. O'Malley for apparently falsifying reports on how he reduced crime in the city.
"What do people want in Prince George's County?" Mr. Duncan asked. "They want better schools and less crime. The mayor has been absent on those issues. Now we're hearing that the mayor is cooking the numbers on crime."
[More] .
- Stem cell research accord sought; Senators seeking to avoid filibuster.
- Sun, 15 Feb 2006 (by Jennifer Skalka, Sun reporter).
Hoping to push Maryland to the forefront of cutting-edge science, key senators and leading medical researchers are negotiating a revised stem cell research plan in an effort to avoid a threatened GOP filibuster and win the backing of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
[. . .]
"We're looking at some form of compromise to move the issue forward," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. . . .
[. . .]
But Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr., a Prince George's County Democrat and a Roman Catholic who would otherwise support a filibuster, expressed support yesterday for a modified version . . .
[. . .].
- Inner Suburbs Fall Through the Cracks; Study Says Cities, Exurbs Get the Help.
- Post, 15 Feb 2006 (by D'Vera Cohn, Washington Post Staff Writer).
The nation's inner suburbs, including those around Washington, face critical challenges from aging neighborhoods and growing numbers of poor, elderly and immigrant residents, according to a report to be released today. In some cases, it says, the fate of those communities could undermine their regions.
[. . .]
Nationally, one in three residents in the inner suburbs is a member of a minority group, compared with one in six in 1980. In the Washington area, the figures are higher, ranging up to 76 percent in Prince George's County.
[. . .]
In Prince George's, crime and deteriorating housing are long-standing problems for some inner communities, but other parts of the county are attracting upscale development. For many residents there, "the older communities serve as the affordable housing stock," said County Council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly), who is concerned that rising real estate values could make it hard for longtime owners to be able to pay property taxes.
[More].
- Ehrlich to veto bill on felons.
- Times, 15 Feb 2006 (by S.A. Miller, The Washington Times).
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday vowed to veto a bill that would restore voting rights to felons, including the state's most violent criminals, immediately upon their release from prison.
"I don't think you reward the franchise to those who commit the most horrific crimes," Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican, told The Washington Times. "Full restoration of every right is inappropriate."
Dozens of House Democrats have co-sponsored legislation that would allow about 150,000 murderers, rapists, robbers and other felons to vote this year, and the state Democratic Party has endorsed the bill.
[. . .]
Mr. Ehrlich said he is convinced that some Democrats are backing the bill for "purely partisan purposes."
"The vast majority of Marylanders would share my concern with the issue [and] would support my veto," he said.
[. . .]
"Once they have paid their debt to society, clearly they should be able to vote," Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., Prince George's Democrat, said yesterday.
- Victims outraged that admitted shooter walks free; Gunman was released with no bond.
- Examiner, 15 Feb 2006 (by Anna Bailey, Examiner Staff Writer).
A Capitol Heights man charged with two counts of attempted murder after shooting two repo men in November is freely walking the streets while awaiting his trial. . . .
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Gory Prince George's News
(Posted 2 Feb 2006)
In some cities, newspapers have online homicide maps; not here
In some cities, newspapers have online homicide maps; not here
- Using the Google Maps API to chronicle homicides.
- googlemapsmania.blogspot.com, 2 Feb 2006.
Tech savvy papers like the Toronto Star, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and the Star-Ledger are employing the Google Maps API in their online depiction of homicides and murders within their reading areas. This is a great way to visually show the concentration and locations of these incidents. The mapping user interface is also becoming more common for people which is removing some of the learning curve for a visitor. It's also easier and more cost effective for online editions of news organizations to employ this technology rather than alternatives that offer no user interactivity with the map. Here they are:
- Experimental map of 2006 Prince George's County homicides
- Requires javascript
- Allows zooming in
- Allows overlaying satellite imagery
- Individual pins lead to pages with data about each homicide
- Families pay tribute to homicide victims; Prince George’s 173 victims from 2005 honored during dedication.
- Gazette, 2 Feb 2006 (by Lester J. Davis, Staff Writer).
Leaning against a biting January wind, William Ballard Jr. and dozens of other family members touched by violence came together for the dedication of the ‘‘Remember Memorial” Tuesday night, honoring last year’s 173 homicide victims.
About 150 mourners gathered on the greenery in front of Riverdale Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro for the dedication ceremony. They clutched folded obituaries, old pictures and T-shirts emblazoned with the images of their sons, daughters, mothers and friends, who were among Prince George’s County’s record number of homicides in 2005.
[Full story].
- The politics of public safety.
- Gazette, 2 Feb 2006 (Editorial).
Almost two weeks ago, a town hall meeting was held to discuss crime in Prince George’s County. With a 13 percent increase in violent crimes overall and a record 173 murders last year, there was plenty for residents to discuss. The absence of Police Chief Melvin C. High and County Executive Jack B. Johnson only added fuel to the fire.
Again, during a memorial held Tuesday to recognize those killed in Prince George’s last year, High and Johnson failed to attend. A press release was sent out the day before the event stating Johnson would hold a forum to discuss the budget at the same time as the memorial.
County residents were rightfully outraged. The absence of the police chief and county executive while sending representatives to such important events is akin to having a family meeting without the presence of the parents – the ones most likely to make a difference and provide the support sought by those in need.
[. . .]
Room for improvement
Since The Star’s Jan. 19 story, ‘‘Our public has the right to know,” which highlighted incorrect information and inconsistent e-mailings of homicide press releases, the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Office of Communications is improving.
Although e-mail kinks are still being worked out, all homicides this year have been loaded onto the county’s Web site in a timely manner with consistent information.
However, The Star found that homicides are not being listed in crime blotters. In other words, when you look through the list of crimes provided by the police department to see what has occurred in your neighborhood, murders are not being included.
Police officials suggest residents call district stations where the crime occurred if they want more information.
This isn’t good enough. People read the blotter with the understanding that it is a listing of what crimes were reported in their areas. And it should be just that – a listing of all crimes..
- Pr. George's Bill Would Require Apartment Security.
- Post, 2 Feb 2006 (by Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post Staff Writer).
Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson said yesterday that he will create legislation within the days for the County Council requiring apartment complex owners to submit security plans that he said would help improve the safety of residents.
[. . .]
Johnson's announcement comes a year after he targeted 22 apartment complexes in the county that accounted for more than 19,000 calls seeking police help in 2004, or one of every 20 calls to 911 in Prince George's. In January 2005, Johnson vowed to shut down such troubled complexes if owners didn't make them safer.
Yesterday, he declared progress, saying that 17 of those complexes had fewer calls for police service last year. In total, the 22 complexes had 870 fewer calls last year, a decrease of less than 5 percent from 2004.
[. . .]
Data show that calls for police assistance generally include hang-ups, complaints about loud music and reports of robberies and violent crimes.
County officials yesterday did not provide details on what types of calls were reduced at the 22 complexes.
Rushern Baker, who has announced his intent to run for county executive against Johnson this year, said the reduction is minuscule for a county that had record homicide levels last year and a rise of 11 percent in overall violent crime, with robberies, assaults and carjackings up from 2004.
"As a resident, it doesn't make me feel any safer," Baker said.
[. . .]
Lesa Hoover, an apartment industry representative, expressed surprise yesterday at the proposed legislation, saying it was the first she had heard about it.
"Mr. Johnson has not been open with the industry representatives regarding this plan," said Hoover . . .
[Full story].
- County begins tearing down the Joel Apartments; Project to make way for new, upscale condos.
- Gazette, 2 Feb 2006 (by Jennifer Donatelli, Staff Writer).
By this time next year, 122 new families are expected to live in upscale condominiums at what used to be one of Prince George’s County’s most notorious apartment complexes.
[. . .]
Of the 22 apartment complexes County Executive Jack B. Johnson targeted on a list in March 2005 to improve service or face possible condemnation, the Joel Apartments received the most calls for police service per unit. Nothing could be done to improve residents’ safety because of the antiquated design, according to Johnson’s office.
[Full story (mentions other areas being rehabilitated)].
- Johnson says safety comes first, praises police actions.
- Examiner, 2 Feb 2006 (by Elie Anidjar, Special to the Examiner).
- Johnson: Public safety a priority in ’07 budget; Executive predicts increase of $181M over previous year .
- Gazette, 2 Feb 2006 (by Judson Berger, Staff Writer).
Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson pledged to highlight public safety going into fiscal 2007 budget talks as he announced a projected total budget increase of $181 million over the previous year.
[. . .]
Coming off a record year for homicides, Johnson cited downward trends in 2006, and announced he would drop ‘‘huge amounts of money” on public safety in the upcoming budget.
[. . .]
And Accokeek resident Judith Allen-Leventhal queried Johnson regarding increased police protection in her area.
‘‘We need additional police service in south county desperately,” she said.
Johnson earlier stated his ultimate goal would be to flesh out the police department to about 1,800 officers.
The forum was attended by county police chief Melvin High.
‘‘One thousand, eight hundred officers is about the right number,” Johnson said, ‘‘and we will be moving toward that direction.”
[More].
Friday, August 26, 2005
Luxury home developer pulls out of Brandywine area, blasts county officials
Emerge Homes Withdraws From The Pinnacle Project
Distribution Source : Market Wire
Date : Friday, August 26, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC -- (Market Wire - Aug 26, 2005) -- After what was heralded to be an unprecedented new luxury home development in the Brandywine area of Prince George's county languished in county bureaucracy for years and adjacent properties were bought up by production builders, Emerge Homes, Inc. made the reluctant decision to withdraw from the project. Located on the west side of North Keys Road and south side of Cross Road Trail in the county's rural tier, the Pinnacle with its 3-7 acre lots initially seemed to be a perfect location for the luxurious estate homes that Emerge specializes in. "We had to do it for our customers," said Michael C. Hill, President and CEO of Emerge Homes.
"To have a customer pay $2-3 million for a new home only to then have it surrounded by $800k 'cookie-cutters' would be a tragedy," he continued. "The original plan was to create a large area of upscale development and The Pinnacle was to be just the beginning. Originally arrangements had been set in place for Emerge to build not only 9 homes in the Pinnacle but to build dozens of luxury homes in the adjacent 23-lot Southridge subdivision, the 19-lot Turner's Trace subdivision and several other subdivisions that were in the pipeline. Brandywine was to become the most prestigious place to live in the region. Unfortunately, all of the parties involved, due to a variety of pressures, could not stay the course. We were left with nothing except the Pinnacle and then the county health department reversed a previous approval to leave only 8 lots for our part of the project. With all of that, we saw no alternative but to recommend to our customers a new location for their estates."
Woodmore, a long established upscale community within the county, is the location to which some of the prospective Pinnacle homebuyers have been redirected. Others are having their homes built outside of the county all together. Emerge is currently reevaluating its long-term interests in the county.
"I hope that this series of events sends a message to county officials who claim to support upscale residential developers like Henry Turner and me: if you don't support us, you only open the door to the national production developers to flock in and steam roll our attempts at building quality and distinctiveness with their machine of mediocre similitude. Right now Prince George's county has the greatest opportunity of any jurisdiction in the region to shape its future because it is the least developed county adjacent to the national capital. Development is inevitable. It can't be stopped, but it can be directed and controlled. This county is known for many things. It's a shame that luxury housing is not yet one of them. This was an opportunity missed and it is truly sad for the county."
Emerge Homes, Inc
Marketing and Public Affairs
1025 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 1012
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 857-9755
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Ready to shop upscale?
Over the past month, the Post and the Gazette have written about the lack of "upscale" retail stores in Prince George's County. The stories and an editorial have pointed out that income levels and the number of adults with college degrees are higher than in some nearby jurisdictions that do have "upscale" stores.
But all these pieces, and all the rhetoric spewing forth from Prince George's County officials and business leaders, ignore what may be the most telling factors keeping "upscale" retailers away.
Prince George's County has the highest murder rate in the Washington suburbs. Not only is it increasing, it is already substantially higher than all other Washington suburbs combined. If I were going to open a new "upscale" store, I would put it in a jurisdiction that is safe, not one where public safety is something to talk about, but not actually do.
Almost every time I go into one of Prince George's County's department stores (like Hechts), or discount retailers (like Target or Value City, etc.), I see security guards at or near the door, and often have an employee check to see if I have a receipt when I leave. When I go to Potomac Yards, or Springfield Mall, or Waldorf, I do NOT see the same level of security. Why? Is it racism? Or more likely, that Prince George's County shoppers have given retailers good reason to incur the higher costs of such security? If that latter, I would conclude that the shoppers are not "upscale" enough to warrant "upscale" stores.
Prince George's County schools have the worst results in the Washington suburbs and in the state of Maryland. Part of this is probably due to low attendance rates and poor truancy enforcement. If I were going to open a new "upscale" store, I would put it in an area with an appropriately educated workforce that could be counted on to come to work every day--not in an area where the schools fail to educate young people and absenteeism appears to be acceptable, if not the norm.
Prince George's County once had the first Washington area enclosed mall with three conventional department stores. Two of those companies are out of business, and the third store and the mall itself are closed.
Back at that time, the county had quite a few enclosed and strip malls with conventional department stores. For example, Woodward and Lothrop had at least four and possibly more locations in the county. Except for a couple of Hechts locations, all of those conventional departments stores are gone.
In most other Washington area malls, when Woodward and Lothrop and Lansburghs closed, they were replaced with other conventional department stores. In Prince George's County, that did not happen?
Why? Was it racism? Or ignorance of the wealth in Prince George's County? Or more likely, that the performance--sales and profitability--of the stores we did have in the past just was not sufficient to justify investment in replacement stores?
Am I the only person who finds the media coverage of this issue to be superficial and apparently based on propaganda from county officials andbusiness leaders?
But all these pieces, and all the rhetoric spewing forth from Prince George's County officials and business leaders, ignore what may be the most telling factors keeping "upscale" retailers away.
Prince George's County has the highest murder rate in the Washington suburbs. Not only is it increasing, it is already substantially higher than all other Washington suburbs combined. If I were going to open a new "upscale" store, I would put it in a jurisdiction that is safe, not one where public safety is something to talk about, but not actually do.
Almost every time I go into one of Prince George's County's department stores (like Hechts), or discount retailers (like Target or Value City, etc.), I see security guards at or near the door, and often have an employee check to see if I have a receipt when I leave. When I go to Potomac Yards, or Springfield Mall, or Waldorf, I do NOT see the same level of security. Why? Is it racism? Or more likely, that Prince George's County shoppers have given retailers good reason to incur the higher costs of such security? If that latter, I would conclude that the shoppers are not "upscale" enough to warrant "upscale" stores.
Prince George's County schools have the worst results in the Washington suburbs and in the state of Maryland. Part of this is probably due to low attendance rates and poor truancy enforcement. If I were going to open a new "upscale" store, I would put it in an area with an appropriately educated workforce that could be counted on to come to work every day--not in an area where the schools fail to educate young people and absenteeism appears to be acceptable, if not the norm.
Prince George's County once had the first Washington area enclosed mall with three conventional department stores. Two of those companies are out of business, and the third store and the mall itself are closed.
Back at that time, the county had quite a few enclosed and strip malls with conventional department stores. For example, Woodward and Lothrop had at least four and possibly more locations in the county. Except for a couple of Hechts locations, all of those conventional departments stores are gone.
In most other Washington area malls, when Woodward and Lothrop and Lansburghs closed, they were replaced with other conventional department stores. In Prince George's County, that did not happen?
Why? Was it racism? Or ignorance of the wealth in Prince George's County? Or more likely, that the performance--sales and profitability--of the stores we did have in the past just was not sufficient to justify investment in replacement stores?
Am I the only person who finds the media coverage of this issue to be superficial and apparently based on propaganda from county officials andbusiness leaders?
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