Sunday, August 6, 2006

it's official: moco politics have gone south

The County Council Can-Can

I was really looking forward to a nice, clean fight this election year. It's only August and that great bastion of NIMBY ideals, the Neighbors for a Better Montgomery have already turned our County Council into cockroaches, or something like that. The animation's not clear enough to really tell.

You know how I feel about the Neighbors. There's no reason to go back into that. But things like this remind me of how vile this election season in Montgomery has gotten.

8 comments:

Dan Reed said...

Wow, Mr. Fustero. I'm sorry I edited the post so your comment is wildly out of context, but I appreciate the sentiment.

Anonymous said...

I just wonder where Neighbors PAC would get the idea for this. Its as if they are their own media firm.

Anonymous said...

Guys . . . that clip is funny. It's pretty clever and very well-produced. And the message, however much you might not like it, is important. Massive special-interest contributions are not good for government, be it on a local or national scale.

Dan Reed said...

It's clever but it's a waste of time. I'd rather we had an intelligent discourse on growth in Montgomery County than dancing cockroaches.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous wrote: "that clip is funny. It's pretty clever and very well-produced. And the message, however much you might not like it, is important...."

I have to agree with Anon on this. I don't always agree with NeighborsPAC, but their cartoon is brilliant!

Dan Reed said...

Mr. Ficker - "what happened to wedges and corridors?" Clarksburg is the last "corridor city" along the County's I-270 corridor. I mean, everything that's happening up there has been in planning for decades, but I'm curious how well the County will maintain the Ag Reserve between Clarksburg and Damascus.

Mr. Fustero - I think Clarksburg and other New Urban communities are a step in the right direction. The homes are on smaller lots, yes, but they do bring people closer to their neighbors - and a lot of the homes there are smaller than homes being built in conventional subdivisions.

Anonymous said...

Neighbors for a Better Montgomery has been providing a valuable service to the Citizens of Montgomery County for more than four years. I searched their web site thoroughly (http:www.neighborspac.org) and found NOTHING about their being for or against the ICC or Inner Purple Line. For that matter, I was unable to find any evidence that they are for or against any project. It seems that their only agenda is to make sure that there is a level playing field for all citizens. They certainly have a lot to say about “process” and citizen inclusion (or the lack of it) in that process. I also find it encouraging that they are not zealots, in that they don’t have a litmus test for the candidates they endorse. Some of their endorsed candidates receive no money from developer-types, some 25% or less and some 33% or less. If you read their questionnaire, that 28 out of the 38 executive and council candidates responded to, they are NOT solely focused on developer cash to candidates, but where those candidates stand on the issues and how responsive those candidates will be to average citizens. If you have any questions about the Neighbors for a Better Montgomery, their web site really does say it all.

Dan Reed said...

That was one of the most coherent and well-read comments that has ever been made on this blog. I appreciate that. I don't agree with what you're saying, but I appreciate it.

The fact of the matter is that Montgomery County is not "overdeveloped" in any sense and the fact that NBM insists on using that term is little more than a fear tactic. Where Are The Brakes? says a lot more to what they'd like to see in Montgomery County than something as benign and nonpartisan as "citizen input." Everyone wants that.