Protesters greeted Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) in Takoma Park last night with picket signs against slots, bear hunts and a District development project. And these people were Democrats.
“Tough crowd,” the governor quipped.
The crowd — more than 100 Montgomery County Democrats — filed into a school lunch room to hear O’Malley’s proposals to close a $1.7 billion budget deficit.
The governor’s game plan included less spending, reformed income taxes, and lower property taxes. He’d also hit up smokers for an extra buck per pack, and shoppers for an extra point in sales tax.
But it was O’Malley’s proposal to approve slot-machine gambling that drew hisses from the audience. According to state estimates, gambling grannies could plunk $425 million of their grandchildren’s inheritance into Maryland’s coffers. Six million of those bucks would be spent treating gambling addictions, the governor added.
“I’m not in favor of casinos, and I’m ambivalent to being wedded to gambling as a source of revenue,” O’Malley responded to his critics. “But I must get comfortable with the idea of compromise.”
O’Malley’s proposed sales tax increase also took some heat for hitting lower-income residents the most. The proposal would raise the state’s sales tax from 5 percent to 6 percent.
“I know it’s regressive,” O’Malley admitted. However, he said groceries and non-prescription drugs would not be taxed, and the state would hold tax-free shopping holidays before the beginning of the school year.
But the one thing that audience members had in their crosshairs was the Intercounty Connector, a $2.4 billion highway project that would swing from Rockville to Laurel in Prince George’s County.
“We can’t stop funding the schools or the police, but we can stop a huge capital project that hasn’t even started yet,” Takoma Park resident Bob Guldin (below) told O’Malley.
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Greg Smith, also of Takoma Park, felt the governor was “blowing a golden opportunity to fight global warming.”
“Fulfill your campaign promise and step back from the ICC,” Smith said.
Despite objections, O’Malley remained committed to building the toll road. “One of the problems is that it should have been built sooner,” he said.
The evening’s last item of discussion drew the most cheers, jeers and picket signs. And the issue wasn’t even within Maryland’s borders.
A residential project proposed for the District’s Takoma neighborhood was catching flack from Maryland residents, who worried that an influx of people would tax bus and rail service at the Takoma Metro station. They also complained that the proposed 85 townhomes, to be built on WMATA property, would clog sidewalks (below).
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O’Malley said he would ask WMATA for a two-week extension on the project, and he would discuss the matter with District Mayor Adrien Fenty.
Updated Oct 25, 2007, at 12:22 p.m.
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O’Malley is a real disappointment. He kept in place that damned bear hunt, which was an Erlich initiative (typical Republican initiative — kill things). There are only a few hundred black bears left in MD, and the “nuisance” ones are not the ones who will be killed by big brave hunters, since nuisance bears are almost always by definition in residential neighborhoods, where hunting isn’t allowed.
And then O’Malley is going the coward’s route by pursuing slot machines as a way to raise revenue. Gambling should be legal, but governments should not be in the gambling business. It’s taxation on the backs of the poor, period. A courageous leader would simply raise taxes if necessary and not go the slots route.
I have no use for O’Malley at this point.
These Takoma Park Nimbys are getting out of control. So that I understand the situation, there is transit-oriented housing going up on property that is located in the District and they want Governor O’Malley to do something about it? They want to tell the folks in the District that they cannot build transit oriented housing in their own community? Why stop at the District line? Maybe they should start telling the other 49 states what they can and cannot build. Maybe they can use their influence to rename our country the United States of Takoma Nimbys.
So that I understand the situation,
You don’t understand the situation. First, it’s hard to call an 85 townhouse*2 car garage= 170 car development “transit oriented”, nor do other design features bode well for transit: insufficient bus access, competing with those residents. Second, it’s not just Takoma Park, MD residents who oppose this — as can be heard on the video, by those who bother to listen. Takoma DC residents have overwhelmingly opposed this as well — they’re just being ignored by the DC powers that be. Third, there are counterproposals for development of the site that contradict your “NIMBY” charge. This isn’t “NIMBY”, it’s “NTSDIOBY” – Not This Stupid Development in Our Back Yards.
There is absolutely no need for townhouses with two-car garages to be constructed adjacent to any Metro station. We need the bureaucratic planners to stop approving all the non-transit oriented growth in the Takoma Park-Silver Spring corridor. We live in an area with a wonderful public transportation infrastructure and it is a wrongful shame that land-use planners are allowing developers to ignore public transportation and instead incentivize multiple car use.
Thomas Nephew says, “this isn’t “NIMBY”, it’s “NTSDIOBY” – Not This Stupid Development in Our Back Yards.”
Actually, I believe that the correct acronym in this case would be “nimNby”- not in my neighbors back yard.
While I am not thrilled that there are 2 car garages in this new development, I believe that the issue is being used to fuel unwarranted fears. The appeal of this new development to future homeowners is its location to the metro. The vast majority of the individuals that buy these townhouses will take the metro to work during the week and will only operate their cars on the weekend. This is the exact situation that I am in. I live near a metro in a building complex with available on-site parking. I have one car that sits in its parking space all week. Only during the weekend do I occasionally use it. People living across the street from the metro will use it not only to go to work, but to go to the District, mall, shopping, etc. The reality of the situation is that most of the new owners of these townhouses will probably only have 1 car (if any) and that car will probably not see action until the weekends so the fears of the Takoma Park folks on this issue is unwarranted.
I don’t know what “insufficient bus access, competing with residents” means but I bet that if specifics were given we would find out that these are also weak arguments.
I believe that the Takoma Park folks need to take a step back and look at the big picture. This is not a garbage dump that is being built. This is transit-oriented housing going up in the District- not even in their jurisdiction. Is this a fight they really want to take on? If so, they will look like out-of-control Nimbys in the eyes of many. Are the Takoma Park folks going to petition to impeach Mayor Fenty if they don’t get what they want?
“NIMBY” is a serious and scurrilous charge, Jake, one that continues to ignore the “counterproposals” point I made. Here are links to 2:
1)
2) Nelson/Nygaard-Takoma Park MD
So this isn’t about *any* development at the site, it’s about *this particular* development there.
Re “nimNby”, I point out again that Takoma DC residents appear to be against the EYA proposal, too.
Re your assurances about car use, that would be great. Can I borrow your crystal ball for stock picks, too? More seriously, I don’t see how it’s arguable that the more garage space allocated for residents, the more cars and the more traffic there will be. Reduce that allocation.
Shame on O’Malley for insisting on the ICC, which will only promote the sprawl he says he is opposed to. His claims to care about the environment, and about not wasting taxpayers’ money, are clearly shown to be hypocrisy given his support for this massive, environmentally disastrous boondoggle.