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On the article University Park Council Disapproves Cafritz Preliminary Plan
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On the article University Park Council Disapproves Cafritz Preliminary Plan
Michael Theis
3:15 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
Very well. I'll defer to your memory over mine. As a child growing up on 39th in Hyattsville, my parents used Queens Chapel Road to commute to Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on Sundays before the road was closed. They remain bitter about the whole shebang to this day, and the closure of the road was at least a small motivating factor for my family to move to Berwyn to be closer to the church.
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On the article University Park Council Disapproves Cafritz Preliminary Plan
Michael Theis
1:12 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
It was not always so narrow, however. It was once two lanes each way, if I remember correctly.
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On the article When Suffragettes Rallied in Hyattsville
Michael Theis
11:23 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Misspelled words bother me quite a bit. Which is odd, because I misspell so many of them.
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On the article University Park Council Disapproves Cafritz Preliminary Plan
Michael Theis
5:11 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
ReplyAs a journalist following the Cafritz development saga, I have heard a lot of talk from local leaders, notably on these boards Cron and Ebbeler, about using oversight to ensure that the development is "successful", but often the discussion ends there. How are the elected leaders on either side of the issue of the Cafritz development defining success once Cafritz is built out? I have a hunch that those who are now or were once opposed to the Cafritz project and those who support it have different visions for what a "successful" development on the Cafritz tract would look like.
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On the article County Planning Board Approves Cafritz Preliminary Plan, 4-0
Michael Theis
3:05 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
I don't know what to tell you, Scot Brown and Parachutec. Our moderation queue has no rejected comments from you guys.
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On the article Bike, Ped Improvements on Horizon
Michael Theis
10:02 am on Monday, May 6, 2013
Also, the Phase I Nicholson Street lane stretches from Ager Road to 42nd Ave.
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On the article Bike, Ped Improvements on Horizon
Michael Theis
10:00 am on Monday, May 6, 2013
There are a number of the yellow bike racks which have been installed in West Hyattsville. I can think of at least 4 racks installed at the Queens Chapel Shopping Center as well as others at Heurich Park.
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On the article Mapping Hyattsville Campaign Contributions
Michael Theis
12:14 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
According to a report by Sarah Nemeth, when she was working for The Gazette, the disclosure law (adopted only in 2007, before that city campaign financial contributions did not have to be disclosed) was instituted as a way to shed light on who's supporting who, with considerable attention given to concerns that a real-estate developer could essentially buy favor with a city council member. (Link: http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/040507/hyatnew190632_32322.shtml)
I think it helps make the election fairer by setting up guidelines for disclosure, in itself. Having a large amount of untraceable donations on your finance reports could be a political liability in a campaign, no?
Though you do raise an interesting critique of the statute. Perhaps the city campaign finance disclosure law should be amended to require itemization of aggregated donations from a single person if those donations match or exceed a certain amount?
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On the article Mapping Hyattsville Campaign Contributions
Michael Theis
3:07 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Well, no. Contributions above $100 have to be itemized and the donors have to be identified, per law. The presence of a few (one, I think) anonymous "big money" donors in this campaign financing is worth noting, because it does run afoul of disclosure rules, according to my reading. And I would dispute that there is no way to police it. The local boards of elections and a variety of county, state and federal law enforcement agencies are able to investigate violations of these rules. Their work has had impact recently at the local level. If I am not mistaken, after the last election, some council candidates were forced to file modified reports to account for undisclosed donations of services.
Michael Theis
3:26 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
Also true. I live right on Queensbury near 41st, and it's bumper to bumper between Queens Chapel and 42nd, but only during rush hours. But the thing is, I don't mind it. In fact, I love it. I have a bus stop practically at my front door for the 86 and F4 lines, serviced by about six buses an hour(four F4s and two 86s), and I love the idea that I can take 20 steps and be at a bar in Silver Spring in 15 minutes or Rhode Island Avenue NE in 30 minutes while spending the entire transit reading as opposed to driving.