don praisner wins district 4 special election

District 4's new councilmember is Calverton resident Don Praisner, widower of Councilmember Marilyn Praisner, who passed away during surgery in February. The Montgomery County Board of Elections' unofficial results report that Praisner, a Democrat, beat Republican Mark Fennel with two-thirds of the vote.

Turnout in District 4, which stretches from Derwood and Glenmont in the west to Burtonsville and Four Corners in the east, was about ten percent, slightly lower than during the special primary election last month. Don, who promised to carry on the legacy of his wife - who represented the district since its creation in 1990 - plans to finish what would have been her fifth term, which ends in 2010.

Just Up The Pike congratulates Don Praisner for his win. We wish him success in the County Council and hope he knows to expect us at his new office after he's all settled in.

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meeting place compromise goes before planning board

Developer Fred Nichols teamed up with Ashton residents to create this "compromise" plan for the controversial Ashton Meeting Place. The Planning Board reviews their proposal on Thursday.

After years of wrestling over how their village center should be developed, a group of Ashton residents and a local developer have come to a compromise on the Ashton Meeting Place, a proposed mixed-use complex on nine acres at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Route 108. On Thursday, the Planning Board will review plans for the once-controversial shopping center mockingly called the "Ashton Mall."

The current design, which grew out of drawings by Brookeville architect Miche Booz and resident Brooke Farquhar, is designed to resemble the low-rise, free-standing buildings that currently line New Hampshire and 108. A line of small buildings containing about 14,000 square feet of retail, 32,000 square feet of office space and a restaurant will hug both streets. They hide a large interior parking lot and a smaller, 18,000 square-foot yet-to-be-named grocery store. At the corner is a green intended to be the literal "meeting place" of the community. In keeping with the property's current mix of commercial and retail zoning, there will be seven new single-family homes.

"I think it takes a little imagination, and probably a financial risk," said Farquhar, a planner for the County's Department of Parks, of the compromise plan after its unveiling last summer.

so much more AFTER THE JUMP . . .

A year ago, Just Up The Pike attended a meeting of the Sandy Spring-Ashton Rural Preservation Consortium, whose aim is to "see the area remain rural," according to their website. They've clashed repeatedly with Ashton developer Fred Nichols, whose earlier proposals for the Meeting Place included up to thirteen condominiums, office space, and an approximately 60,000 square foot grocery store. That concept, which would have required an exception from Park and Planning for encroaching on wetlands, was rejected in July as being "out of scale" with the nearly three-century-old village.

The "compromise" plan for the Ashton Meeting Place, created by both residents, local architects and the developer. Click here to see a larger version, or check out the project's website. (Warning! PDF file!)

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district 4 votes for open council seat today

WHAT'S UP THE PIKE: Single immigrant men learn cooking and cleaning at home; Sandy Spring residents expect child care center to kick-start revitalization; Thayer Avenue proposes UFO commission for Silver Spring.

Today is Election Day! No, really! It's the special general election to fill the County Council seat left open by the passing of Marilyn Praisner, who passed away in February. While Democrat Don Praisner is the favored winner in left-leaning District 4 - which stretches from Derwood and Glenmont in the west to Four Corners and Burtonsville in the east - there is a growing concern that a paltry turnout could mean a win for Republican Mark Fennel.

The Praisner campaign, which until recently was "very quiet" according to Don himself, sent out a mailer to residents of the sprawling district warning that "the Republicans are counting on Democrats staying home" come Election Day. Last week, Maryland Politics Watch's Adam Pagnucco explained how Fennel could finish the deal with just a few hundred votes.

If you've got twenty minutes at some point in your day, why not swing by your local polling place and cast a vote? Our Republican readers might note this is the first time in a long time in MoCo your party's got a fighting chance; if you're a Democrat, you'll probably want to put the kibosh on that immediately.

ALSO: The Just Up The Pike camera tragically disappeared some time last week, possibly in Burtonsville, possibly in College Park, possibly at my house. If you happen to see a Nikon Coolpix S9 with a photo of Don Praisner in it at any of these places, please send it my way!

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what's not to like about a blog?

WHAT'S UP THE PIKE: Gazette and Maryland Politics Watch speculate on Fennel's ability to win special election; Burtonsville demands funds, attention for revitalization; Planning gives 814 Thayer condo project the go-ahead.

Ever since the 2006 elections, Montgomery County's politicos have been all over the burgeoning community of bloggers that's developed over the past couple of years. From County Executive Ike Leggett holding a special "blogger briefing" on the Fillmore to Council President Mike Knapp writing about the most mundane details of his daily life online, it's clear that Your Elected Officials have taken to blogs as a way to speak out but also listen to what their constituents have to say.

Which brings me back to Don Praisner's ice cream fundraiser at Seibel's last Saturday, where I found myself talking to Dale Tibbitts, Councilmember Marc Elrich's chief of staff, and former Planning Board Chairman Derick Berlage, both of whom had come out to support his bid for County Council. Berlage could not understand what Just Up The Pike was, and he fiddled with the business card I'd given him with a puzzled look on his face. "Columbia Pike?" Berlage says, frowning. "What is this? Is it supposed to be online?"

"It's a blog. A lot of people read blogs now," I say, attempting not to sound boastful. I turn to Tibbitts, who I first met trying to nail down an interview with his boss last spring. "You read blogs, right?" I ask.

Tibbitts is a large man with a commanding presence, and when he sighs, the whole room feels it. "No, actually, I don't," he replies. "There are a lot of things on Just Up The Pike I don't really agree with, so I don't read it. I don't read any blogs, not Maryland Politics Watch, nothing. Their beliefs are not in line with what I believe."

Now, I'm not going to complain that Marc Elrich's chief of staff doesn't read my blog, as he can choose to read or not read whatever he wants and, besides, I'm just a kid with an Internet connection. But I'm nervous that someone, particularly someone who works in government, would be so unwilling to hear opinions that differ from their own. (Note that when I interviewed him last year, Elrich went out of his way to say he does "read blogs" and back in 2006 he even kept one for a little while.) After all, aren't our elected officials - and the people they hire as aides - obligated to serve all of their constituents, not just the ones who voted them in?

Maybe you can pull that on the national level. President Bush's approval rating may be the lowest in recorded history but he's still satisfying a hundred million people. But here in Montgomery County - activist-driven, blogger-boosted, paralysis-by-analysis Montgomery County - you can't turn a deaf ear to anyone without them screaming even louder until you pay attention.

I'm especially curious about what Tibbitts finds so objectionable here at JUTP or Maryland Politics Watch. We strive for at least an impression of objectivity here, and God help me, if I've ever expressed an opinion here, I'll try never to do so again. Read more!

before election, praisner treats supporters to ice cream

County Council candidate Don Praisner, pictured here at IHOP last month, held an ice cream social this weekend for friends and supporters.

About sixty well-wishers came out to Seibel's Restaurant in Burtonsville Saturday for an ice cream social and fundraiser supporting Democrat Don Praisner's bid for his wife's former County Council seat.

"It's kind of continuing a tradition my mom had," says daughter Alison Praisner Klumpp, a teacher at Fairland Elementary School. While it wasn't a yearly event, the social was held "quite frequently" by Councilmember Marilyn Praisner (D-Calverton), who passed away in February.

The Praisner family reserved two rooms in the back of the restaurant to entertain a steady stream of family and friends, including a number of countywide elected officials. Councilmembers Phil Andrews (D-Rockville) and George Leventhal (D-At Large) came out, as did Dale Tibbitts, chief of staff for Councilmember Marc Elrich (D-At Large).

According to Don Praisner, who goes up against Republican Mark Fennel in a special election May 13, the event is a great opportunity to catch up with friends, family and well-wishers. "People seem to enjoy ice cream, and a little iced tea," he says. "The kids show up."

After a heated, six-week campaign between four candidates for the Democratic nomination, Praisner has dialed down his campaign considerably, saying it's "very quiet" since the primary April 15. He will be talking to the Democratic Club at Leisure World this week and has already participated in a televised debate on Channel 16. Praisner stirred up a minor controversy when he mentioned property tax advocate Robin Ficker, who worked on Fennel's campaign during the primary. "He got very upset," says Praisner, "and said 'Robin's not on my campaign anymore'."

In a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans "four-to-one" and his wife was extremely popular, Praisner says, he knows he'll have some explaining to do if he loses next week. "I'm telling people if I lose, I'll have to leave the country," he jokes. "[Fennel] has the problem of name recognition, except for signs."

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