Annapolis Politics

• The Cohen-Smith Era

  Politics makes strange bedfellows.  That was my pickup line to get Mrs. Politics to give me her phone number.  But I believe it was also said by a famous person.  (Or maybe not so famous.)  In any case, I'm confident that at least 3% of people recalled this quote' [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 8:54am EST
  

• Cohen Team

  Annapolis, MD (12-04-09) Mayor-Elect Josh Cohen announced his Core Administrative Team today, committing to advance his goal of making Annapolis the best run city in the state.
  
  "This group of individuals is made up of professionals who are
  passionate about Annapolis, possess a solid work ethic and a strong background in both [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 11:32am EST
  

• Shropshire Guilty

  Read HERE or HERE. [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 6:00pm EST
  

• Maryland Unemployment Tax To Increase By 50%

  HERE is the letter explaining the increase to employers.
  
  HERE is an Associated Press article saying how terrible the increase it, including a reference to local businessman (and friend of this blog) Chuck Ferrar.
  
  As usual, I was ahead of the curve on this issue--not because [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 2:10pm EST
  

• Probably No Live Blogging Tonight

  A thousand apologies. [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 9:21am EST
  

• Mayor Cohen Has A Blog!

  This is gonna be great!  [www.mayorcohen.com] is the official blog of Josh Cohen.
  
  Come to think of it, there are many reasons why this will not be great:
  
  -It will inspire more people to become "blog stalkers", sucking otherwise productive people out of the private sector.
  
  -It [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 1:57pm EST
  

• The Future Of Democrat Leadership

  Normally I avoid driving home in rush hour traffic on Fridays, but yesterday I found myself unavoidably stuck in agonizing traffic, so I decided to double up on the agony and ponder the future of the local Democrat party.
  
  Here's where we find ourselves.  A former Democrat county [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 1:22pm EST
  

• City of Annapolis Interactive Crime Map

  I don't know if this is new, but the press release says its new, and I haven't seen it before.  So there.
  
  Interactive Crime Map [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:52am EST
  

• Cohen Transition Team

  I envision the transition team for Josh being more a formality considering how easy the transition is for a person of his ideology and particular city experience.  Does someone with such steadfast views and experience with running city government need people to tell him about running city government?  HERE are [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:49am EST
  

• Eric Hartley re: Hoyle's Handling of "The Flyer"

  LINK.
  
  Hoyle's about-face
  
  Posted: November 10, 12:43 pm | (permalink) | (1 comments)
  
  There's a reason Alderwoman Classie Hoyle's about-face on the racist, homophobic attacks against her political opponent seemed sudden: It was utterly insincere.
  
  At last night's Annapolis City Council meeting, Hoyle introduced [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 1:00pm EST
  

• City Council Meeting, 11/9

  Let’s cut to the chase. It’s hot as shit in here because infinity people showed up to the city council meeting. They came for the Energy Park work session, and decided to stay for what promises to be an “energy” filled portion of the ‘public testimony’ portion of this ‘not [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 12:01am EST
  

• Carl Snowden Appointed To HACA

  ....With ample persuasion from the Mayor and despite objections from several Aldermen. [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 11:39pm EST
  

• Live Blog Emergency!

  Ughhh...there still isn't internet at city hall and everybody who has wireless internet has it password protected! So, my thoughts will be live but you won't see them until after the meeting ends. I will work on this for next time. [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  

• Shooting

  Shooting (Sunday, November 8, 2009, 1:38 AM) – Officers went to the 1100 block of Madison Street for the report of shots fired. One victim was found with a gunshot wound to the right leg. He was transported to shock trauma. Neighbors reported hearing the sounds of an altercation before [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 1:10pm EST
  

• Whoops

  With this post I've got to take care of some procedural issues.
  
  First, I will make a triumphant post-election return to council meeting live blogging on Monday, bringing you all the emotion and fallout from Tuesday.
  
  And second, I have to apologize for a post that has not' [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 9:43am EST
  

• Finlayson and Cordle Want to Name City Building After Mayor Moyer

  R-69-09
  
  The bill lists the following evidence as to why Moyer should have a building named after her:
  
  -first woman Mayor
  -40 years of service, from First Lady to Alderman to Mayor
  -founding GreenScape, Annapolis Conservancy, and "the City's numerous Street End Parks"
  -completion of a fifteen-year backlog' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 3:34pm EST
  

• The Worst Thing From The Election

  
  [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 1:42pm EST
  

• Aldermanic Endorsements

  Ward 1
  Dick Israel.  Running unopposed, so this is easy.  Regardless of policy views, you can count on his knowledge and positions to be well researched and have reasoning.  Any rumbles of discontent for Israel running after promising to (possibly) leave after one term for health reasons have deferred to [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 10:00am EST
  

• The Soon-To-Be-Famous Cohen Postcard

  It might be hard to see, so I'll summarize. It's a Cohen piece with Obama's picture that says "continue our progress by voting for the following candidates", then shows Cohen along with the African American Democrat candidates running on Tuesday. Noticeably absent are the Caucasian' [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 1:24pm EDT
  

• How Much Money Does The City Make From Parking

  This isn't what I would call a "hot button issue" right now, but I had to look this information up today, and I want to write it down before I forget it. I actually called city finance director Tim Elliot to verify this information, and was immediately reprimanded the the' [...]
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  Posted: October 22, 2009, 4:55pm EDT
  

• Bowling vows to repeal 54% increase in Liquor Fees

  For Immediate Release
  
  Contact: Scott Bowling, 443-822-3170
  Corey Stottlemeyer (301) 331-8028
  
  Bowling vows to repeal 54% increase in Liquor Fees
  
  (Annapolis, MD, October 19,2009) Today, Scott Bowling (Candidate for Alderman, Ward 3)
  denounced Mayor Ellen Moyer, Finance Committee Chair Classie Hoyle, and the rest of the
  Annapolis [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 11:39am EDT
  

• Yes, This Blog Is Alive

  I'm going to take a minute to address the following comment that I received on my most recent blog update:
  
  Paul A. Richards said...
  
  IS THIS BLOG ALIVE?
  
  No postings for 3 weeks -- then a political ad. Is this a Fox blog?
  
  Please explain.[...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2009, 10:33pm EDT
  

• Chris Fox TV Spot

  [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 12:26pm EDT
  

• "Fox For Mayor" Trivia Team Takes Second Place In Trivia Grandchampionship

  Every Monday at the Sly Fox Pub there is a heated trivia competition. The questions are researched by an employee of Sly Fox, and up to 30 teams participate.
  
  Mrs. Politics, ever the trivia savant, was on a trivia team aptly named "Fox For Mayor". Points were accumulated from [...]
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  Posted: September 20, 2009, 12:08pm EDT
  

• Is Zina....Staying In?

  That apparently might still happen. Everyone be on rumor alert.
  
  Zina Pierre Stays In The Race. [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2009, 4:27pm EDT
  

• Democratic Process Influenced By Failure of Journalism

  This is a continuation of this post. I could have included all this info in the same post, but the more posts you make, the more hits you get on your blog. And the more hits you get on your blog, the more likely you are to win the [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 11:52pm EDT
  

• Pierre Withdraws From

  Whenever something confuses me in politics, I always look for the most cynical explanation possible. Such an approach is usually accurate in ascertaining the truth, and has served me well on several occasions where suspension of total disbelief was a good quality to have.
  
  One day after Zina Pierre [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 9:37pm EDT
  

• Pierre

  Zina Pierre is unofficially the Democrat nominee. [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 12:02am EDT
  

• Low Turnout So Far

  A few votes could decide it! [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 5:37pm EDT
  

• Primary Election Day in Annapolis....

  ...is today. If you don't know where to vote (there are new polling places), click HERE.' [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 10:10am EDT
  

• City Council Meeting 9/14/09: Live Blog!

  Many people tell me that the live blogs are their favorite feature on this blog. I am proud of that compliment, because turning the painfully boring into something useful and interesting is a key skill for anyone seeking a future career in economics. Some people have told me that they [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2009, 6:55pm EDT
  

• Live Blog Tonight!

  Tune in at 7:30. [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2009, 11:44am EDT
  

• Best Business Decisions Ever

  I gave you the worst, and here are the best:
  
  7. Andy Grove was the President of Intel when their business had grown on the back of memory chips. Seeing Intel's market share being lost to competition in Asia, Grove asked his CEO what the Board of Directors [...]
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  Posted: September 13, 2009, 1:55pm EDT
  

• The Worst Strategic Business Decisions Ever

  The 5 worst business decisions of all time, listed in reverse order for added drama:
  
  5. William Orton, President of Western Union, declines to purchase Alexander Grahm Bell's 'Bell Telephone Company' for $100,000, calling the telephone an "electrical toy" that families would not use.
  
  4. Decca [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2009, 3:53pm EDT
  

• U.S. Population Getting Older....

  ...despite our best efforts to get younger. This cool animated graph shows that demographics are switching to a higher percentage of people over 65.
  
  Can we say "health care cost ramifications"? [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2009, 1:23pm EDT
  

• You, Too, Can Analyze Campaign Finance Reports

  A commenter on a previous post suggested that "some ambitious blogger with an economics degree" take the time to review the campaign finance reports recently submitted by the mayoral candidates*.
  
  (*This is not an exact quote...I didn't bother to look it up. Because I don't have to. Because this [...]
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  Posted: August 20, 2009, 8:53pm EDT
  

• Re: Last Post

  Seems implausible.
  
  Gilbert Renaut said...
  Total rubbish. We've had serial "rumors," first that I would withdraw and endorse McFall, then that I would withdraw and support Pierre, and now this one. They're all made up. [...]
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  Posted: August 19, 2009, 6:47pm EDT
  

• Renaut & Taylor To Withdraw and Endorse Cohen**

  **High level rumor alert.
  
  People confirming or denying would be helpful, particularly any of the 3 people named in the post's title. [...]
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  Posted: August 19, 2009, 3:06pm EDT
  

• Legacy Damage Control: Mayor to (Possibly?) Host Market House Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

  Annapolis, MD (8-10-09) - Mayor Ellen Moyer announced today, the Market House
  will host a special Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 11
  a.m. to celebrate the new businesses that have joined the community. At this
  event, the Market House will officially welcome Atwater’s, Flowers by Donna’s,
  [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2009, 10:54am EDT
  

• Cohen to Announce Endorsement

  ....From the police. [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2009, 10:06am EDT
  

• Cohen To Make "Special Announcement" on Tuesday

  Greetings!
  
  Please join Councilman Josh Cohen, candidate for Mayor of
  Annapolis, for a special announcement this Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 12 NOON
  at the Court House, 7 Church Circle, Annapolis. Take a lunch break and
  show your support for Josh! Please let us know if you
  [...]
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  Posted: August 10, 2009, 9:26pm EDT
  

• City Finally Admits Sister City Program Isn't Free

  If the Department Of Economic Affairs is the pinnacle of needless government expansion, then the Sister City Program is the definition of misplaced priorities. The city is spending $5052 to teach 3 French students how to sail a 36 foot sailboat, part of the Sister City program with one [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 5:48pm EDT
  

• Controversy Over Partisan City Manager Piece On City Web Site

  Occasionally you will hear me reference "email chatter". What happens is that various people appear on email distribution lists--some who are concerned about issues, some who like to hear themselves speak, and some who are elected and feel they need to provide inside information. Many issues of the day are [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2009, 8:50pm EDT
  

• Renaut To Possibly Withdraw, Would Support McFall**

  **Super rumor alert. From this blog.
  
  Hard to say how much weight this carries. Gil was a relative latecomer to the Democrat race, if I remember correctly. I could envision a scenario where he ran on behalf of his Ward 1 comrades to broker such a (city-manager-supporting) [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2009, 8:31pm EDT
  

• Violent Crimes Down, Pristoop Deserves Credit

  The Capital reports that violent (type 1) crimes are down by 44% when comparing the first 6 months of 2009 with the same months of 2008. Type 1 crimes include murder, rape, assault, robbery, and reading blogs with advertisements on them. Just kidding.
  
  So, why has this happened? [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2009, 4:42pm EDT
  

• The World's Biggest Companies

  By market capitalization.
  
  
  
  

  In case the print is too small:

  1. PetroChina

  2. Exxon Mobil

  3. Industry and Commerce Bank of China

  4. China Mobile

  5. Microsoft

  6. Walmart

  7. China Construction Bank

  8. Johnson and Johnson

  9. Proctor and Gamble

  10. Royal Dutch Shell

  11. HSBC

  12. PetroBras

  [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2009, 4:19pm EDT
  

• If The Moyer Administration Is Our Guide, Property Taxes Need A Cap

  A couple of weeks ago Mayor Moyer took the offensive against critics who say property taxes have been allowed to grow too rapidly under her administration. Due to my extensive experience with having money taken by the government, I feel uniquely qualified to rebut some of the claims made by [...]
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  Posted: July 30, 2009, 8:49am EDT
  

• Mayoral Debate Last Night

  Paul Foer hosted a debate for Mayoral candidates last night, and you know the rule--when more than 1 candidate is in the same place, we write about it! Paul, realizing that writing about his own debate would constitute "100% bullshit", asked me to write a bit about the event. [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2009, 10:20am EDT
  

• Buy Local In Annapolis

  Patronizing locally owned businesses is hardly a new concept. In the days before sophisticated logistical networks, 'buying local' was the only thing you could do. Today, we have the choice to buy from locally owned businesses, regional or national chains, and even multinational corporations.
  
  Efforts to formally support local [...]
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  Posted: July 28, 2009, 1:39pm EDT
  

• Imposter Attempts To Sabotage Bowling Campaign

  Apparently, someone using a POP3 email server sent an email to the city clerk posing as Scott Bowling and purporting to withdraw from the race. The city clerk--who is one of the best city employees I have come across--immediately identified the false communication and notified the real Scott.
  
  Scott's' [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2009, 5:09pm EDT
  

• Baltimore Sun Profiles Chris Fox

  See HERE for the original article or read below for the text.
  By Olivia Bobrowsky
  July 19, 2009
  
  Chris Fox landed his first job before he turned 7. He took up a paper route, mowed lawns, shoveled snow and then served hot dogs [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2009, 10:26am EDT
  

• Property Tax Cap!

  My favorite politician is Herb McMillan, mostly because I agree with almost everything he agrees with, but also because he gives it to you straight. I once attended a campaign meeting for Herb where he was soliciting advice, and his own father-in-law told him he had to stop coming across [...]
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  Posted: July 20, 2009, 10:30am EDT
  

• Moyer, Miron, and Others Named In Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

  See HERE or HERE. Hat tip to Arundel Muckracker.
  
  Here are the allegations as summarized by Eye On Annapolis:
  
  -Mayoral Appointee Mike Miron approached her and other women asking if they wanted to see his “pussy”. (He was carrying a cat at the time)
  

  -Mayoral Appointee [...]

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  Posted: July 14, 2009, 10:28am EDT
  

• You Too Can Be A Blogger

  The only book that has permanent territory on my coffee table is called 100 Bullshit Jobs...And How to Get Them, by Stanley Bing. As a public service, and during this harsh unemployment, I am going to reproduce Mr. Bing's section on the number 13 BS job: Blogger. Fortunately 'lawyer' [...]
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  Posted: July 13, 2009, 7:07pm EDT
  

• Fox Officially Files Candidacy

  Yesterday, Chris Fox filed a certificate of candidacy, and officially became the first candidate to qaulify for the general election.
  
  Candidates who run as a Republican or Democrat have to participate in the primary election process, and a continuously updated list of those [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 3:42pm EDT
  

• Candidates Given 2 Days To Find Campaign Chairmen

  So far, I have memorized roughly 3% of the city code, and frequently quote it during parties and stand-up comedy routines. Since I am helping with a mayoral campaign, I made it a priority to read the city code about campaigns.
  
  Most people know that campaigns need committees, and [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2009, 9:15am EDT
  

• Good Bond Rating Not Always Good For Citizens

  From time to time this blog features posts about "bonds", which many people will remember are secret tools of high finance that are given to people who are either (1) awarded an MBA or (2) sworn into public office.
  
  The city, possessing access to these bonds, can periodically [...]
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  Posted: June 29, 2009, 3:34pm EDT
  

• City Council Public Hearing 6/22/09: Live Blog

  Due to family obligations, I typically can't attend city council meetings, or anything else that happens on Monday nights. I can watch meetings on television and blog the telecast, but you might realize that at that point I would be blogging from my living room with no interaction with the' [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2009, 6:52pm EDT
  

• Scott Bowling Hosts Successful Fundraiser

  Scott Bowling, the Republican Aldermanic candidate in the Great Ward 3, hosted a successful fundraiser over the weekend at his home on Fairfax Rd. The fundraiser was billed as a "birthday bash", despite the fact that Scott's real birthday was some 2 weeks earlier! You see, all fundraisers use [...]
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  Posted: June 22, 2009, 11:17am EDT
  

• Finlayson Makes Mindless Comment, Prompts Competition In Ward 4**

  **The Second Part of this post's title is actually not true, but I've been told that there's such thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I'm out to test that hypothesis.
  
  So, people know about the infamous parking fee increase that threatens to stifle any momentum that downtown businesses [...]
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  Posted: June 17, 2009, 9:07am EDT
  

• Einhorn Is Finkle....FINKLE IS EINHORN!

  Ten thousand (that's 10,000) awesome points to the first person that identifies the reference made in the title of this post. For those of you that may not know, awesome points are given out whimsically by me and can be redeemed for the following rewards:
  
  --20,000 awesome points: You [...]
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  Posted: June 16, 2009, 2:10pm EDT
  

• Markets Going Up Everywhere, Except The Market House

  And by "everywhere", I mean in 2 more places. We recently learned that new farmers markets are starting in West Annapolis and in the parking lot of the Tawes building, which is across from the courthouse with the roman columns that hold up nothing.
  
  I found in [...]
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  Posted: June 10, 2009, 11:33am EDT
  

• Appeal For City Manager Signatures

  Below is the email being circulated by the organizers of the City Manager Petition, in conjunction with the letter published in yesterday's Capital.
  
  
  Dear Annapolis Voter:
  
  Thanks to a growing interest in our efforts to bring professional City Management to Annapolis, we are well on our way' [...]
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  Posted: June 08, 2009, 1:17pm EDT
  

• Mayor Seeks Sole Authority To Negotiate Market House Leases

  At Monday's city council meeting, the Mayor is set to introduce R-44-09, which would give her sole authority to negotiate short-term leases with new Market House tenants. 'Short-term' is defined in the bill as expiring on or before January 3, 2010.
  
  My favorite part of the bill's language [...]
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  Posted: June 06, 2009, 11:17am EDT
  

• Polling Places Set For 2009....So What About Next Time?

  From sources close to the situation, I understand that there have been some problems with the location of city polling places. Despite the strong educational (lobbying) ties enjoyed by a couple members of the council, most polling places located at public schools remain off limits.
  
  I am going to [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2009, 3:42pm EDT
  

• Letters To The Editor!

  One of my favorite blog formats involves letters to the editor, generally submitted to The Capital. I reproduce the text of the letter, then provide accurate, witty, and insightful commentary in response to the points the letter writers are trying to make. The benefits of such are a format are [...]
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  Posted: June 04, 2009, 9:58am EDT
  

• Market House

  I promised myself I would write a blog post over the weekend, but since there aren't any consequences for breaking a promise to yourself, I decided to update my strategy for what I would do if I won the lottery in lieu of blogging about politics.
  
  I did not' [...]
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  Posted: June 02, 2009, 10:49pm EDT
  

• Hello

  Hello to all you followers of this blog, and those who stumbled upon this blog in a failed attempt to book a hotel room or achieve some other productive task.
  
  Let's get ourselves up to date. Since 2002, I've had a catering company, which I have operated in the [...]
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  Posted: May 27, 2009, 5:47pm EDT
  

• Public Hearing 2/23/09: Live Blog

  Here again, all is well.
  
  Welcome to the bi-monthly live blog of the exiting municipal proceedings of the Annapolis City Government. As always, anybody correctly guessing the ending time of the meeting is entitled to a complimentary sandwich prepared by one of my minions from the catering conglomerate that [...]
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  Posted: February 23, 2009, 6:56pm EST
  

• Cordle To Make "Major Address"

  Wasting no time after the defeat of the city manager proposal, Ward 5 Alderman Dave Cordle is set to make a big announcement at the Wednesday Republican Breakfast Club, which meets at the Eastport Yacht Club at exactly 7:30 every Wednesday morning.
  
  The 'major address' will most certainly be [...]
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  Posted: February 10, 2009, 9:15pm EST
  

• City Council Meeting 2/9/09: Live Blog

  Greetings and salutations. The pre-meeting festivities tonight began with the city elevator getting stuck while carrying the Mayor, the City Clerk, and myself, and continues now with a presentation of the history of this city hall building. Early hopes are for a quick meeting tonight, so anybody looking to win [...]
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  Posted: February 09, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  

• Hefty Raises Proposed For Mayor And Aldermen

  I haven't been following the newspapers or other blogs so I don't know if it has been already reported, but then again I don't care if you've already read about this because I feel like writing about it.
  
  O-07-09, on first reader tonight proposes to increase the salary [...]
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  Posted: February 09, 2009, 7:19pm EST
  

• Israel Will Not Run For Mayor

  Contrary to mounting suspicion, and the expectations of some Ward 1 higher-up's, Dick Israel will not run for Mayor. I recently renewed my Capital subscription, which allows me to publish the following:
  Alderman Richard Israel, D-Ward 1, has revealed that he will not run for
  mayor in this fall's municipal [...]
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  Posted: January 19, 2009, 4:58pm EST
  

• City Council Meeting 1/12/09: Live Blog

  Welcome to the first live blog of 2009! I have immediately exploited my VIP contacts, learning that the boat show lease is due to be given without at least one of the parties being heard by the economic matters committee. The agenda for today's meeting confirms that the bills containing' [...]
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  Posted: January 12, 2009, 7:20pm EST
  

• Alderman Stankivic To Propose Aldermanic Term Limits Tonight

  Scheduled for first reader tonight is a Charter Amendment sponsored by Alderman Stankivic to limit the terms for Aldermen, which are currently unrestricted.
  
  CA-02-09 would limit the successive terms served by an Alderman to 2.
  
  It also would do something more subtle but no less amusing. [...]
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  Posted: January 12, 2009, 9:40am EST
  

• City Council Meeting Tonight

  There is a city council meeting tonight, of the legislative persuasion, starting at 7:3o.
  
  SEE AGENDA.
  
  I will be there to do a live blog, so make sure you pre-make your bowl of guacamole, because once the action starts you will be glued to your sofas.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: January 12, 2009, 9:27am EST
  

• Cohen and Moyer To Swap Support**

  **Rumor Alert.
  
  It is common to describe a rumor as 'hearing something second hand'. This info is probably like fourth hand, but I've heard that County Councilman Josh Cohen and Mayor Moyer are collaborating to support each other in election cycles in the next year.
  
  Cohen, a' [...]
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  Posted: January 08, 2009, 9:19pm EST
  

• City Council Meeting 12/8: Live Blog

  My computer was recently attacked by a virus (probably a Democrat virus) that corrupted all of my hard drive beyond the point of repair. Cleverly, I was one step ahead of the attack and had backed up all of my files, which are now recovered. I did have to re-install [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2008, 7:22pm EST
  

• The Shropshire Slasher

  For those of you fun-loving political junkies (note: not an oxymoron) out there, you'll be excited to know that I am developing a drinking game based on Alderman Sam's council meeting exploits. Even though it took him until 11 pm last night to address the television audience (resulting in chugging [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2008, 9:41am EST
  

• City Council Meeting 11/24: Live Blog

  I'm here!
  
  This is a public hearing, and man is it public. There are untold numbers of persons here to speak about the city manager stuff, and Ed Hartman has assembled an impressive stock of supporters for the lease giving him the rights to the boat show. I shoved' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2008, 7:16pm EST
  

• No Live Blog...Sorry

  At any given time there are like 3 people reading this blog, and since you are currently one of them, let me apologize for not being able to live-blog as advertised. The reason for my absence from the meeting can be analogized as a case of the Mondays.
  
  If [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2008, 7:08pm EST
  

• A Secret Bailout

  Two posts ago, I said this:
  First it was only banks that got special protection. Then investment banks.
  Then an insurance company. Now maybe the auto industry. The list will stop when
  the government stops sending good money to chase after bad.And today, we have evidence that the government [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2008, 7:53am EST
  

• Cancel Your Plans On Monday Night

  ...because there is a city council meeting and I will be live-blogging. See the agenda. The meeting starts at 7:30, along with the live feed! There is also a work session that starts at 6 pm, the topic of which is to brainstorm ideas on how to get more [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2008, 9:00am EST
  

• Financial Crisis: The Government Failed In Many Places

  I've decided that it doesn't make much sense to attempt an all-encompassing post on the current economic conditions--partly because it would take too much time and effort, and mostly because it would clearly be presumptuous of me to claim to be able to explain it all. But, there are things [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2008, 11:49pm EST
  

• O-33-08: More Than Meets The Eye, But Maybe Not An Eyesore

  When I first read O-33-08, my reaction was one of total confusion. I went so far as to ask for clarification from the sponsor of the bill, and found out that the effect of the bill will be much more than its language would suggest.
  
  Let's compare. Here's [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2008, 4:43pm EST
  

• My Ballot

  With the knowledge that this blog is very influential amongst voters who are easily influenced, I will concede that this post should have come a bit sooner. Nevertheless, for those of you seeking to confirm your worst fears or validate your truest convictions, here is the ballot I will be [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2008, 4:07pm EST
  

• McMillan: O'Malley's Slots Myths

  Maryland Slots....Rewarding Fiscal Irresponsibility
  
  We saw it during the Wall Street bailout. Fiscal irresponsibility. Political spin broadcast as fact by the media. Politicians using sweeteners and strong arm tactics to push a deal that's "good for everyone." Special Interests spending millions to promote their agenda. Doing "something" becoming more' [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2008, 6:49pm EDT
  

• City Council Meeting 10/27: Live Blog

  Yes, live!
  
  This is a public hearing meeting, which ironically means that there will probably be less public speaking than at a regular meeting, because at least at this meeting people have to talk about what's on the agenda.
  
  7:01
  
  Yikes, the Maritime Republic of Eastport is' [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2008, 6:56pm EDT
  

• Boat Show Update

  At the September legislative meeting, two separate proposals were introduced to renew the lease of the boat show. After receiving a flurry of 2 emails, I broke new ground by doing actual research on the issue. And this week, flying in the face of everything blogs are supposed to be, [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2008, 9:40am EDT
  

• City Council Meeting 10/13/08: Live Blog

  For the second consecutive time, I have been able to access the internet, and can bring you the fun proceedings for the night. The reason that I know that tonight will be fun is because Arthur Kungle, a local historian, handed me a piece of paper as soon as I [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2008, 7:24pm EDT
  

• City Council Meeting 10/13/08: Preview

  Much like air quality and terror threats, the best way to describe the amount of free time in any given week is by arbitrarily citing a color. This week is code yellow, which means that there is time to write blog posts, but no time to putz around trying to [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2008, 1:29pm EDT
  

• Fun With Wine

  I am happy to bring you not one, but two wine-related stories as we head into this weekend. The first comes from the notorious 1st Ward, and Alderman Israel, who is proposing to change the permitted operating hours for wine bars in the MX zone, specifically to allow them [...]
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  Posted: October 10, 2008, 9:06am EDT
  

• Alderman Sam's Event Is Still On, And So Is The City's Arrogance

  On Monday I posted about a campaign event being held by Alderman Shropshire that has taken heat for being a partisan campaign event held on city premises. The initial reaction that I heard was that the event's location was being moved. When this didn't happen, several Aldermen became upset, and [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2008, 3:14pm EDT
  

• Breaking: The City's Public Works Building Is On Fire

  --UPDATE--
  
  The fire is out and Spa Rd. will be opened by 10!
  
  ---
  
  I received this alert from the city
  

  Annapolis Fire is on the scene of a fire at the City's Public Works Complex
  in the 900 Block of Spa Road Spa Road is closed [...]

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  Posted: October 01, 2008, 9:01am EDT
  

• Slots Referendum Is Not The Answer

  Opposition to the slots referendum is beginning to emerge from conservatives, but it hasn't come as easily as you might expect. Red Maryland has come out against slots, despite ample disagreement amongst its contributors.
  
  Here is what the Maryland Taxpayers Association had to say:
  
  

  The Maryland Taxpayers [...]

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  Posted: September 30, 2008, 10:37am EDT
  

• Alderman Shropshire To Face Ethics Inquiry

  I have been tipped of that the Honorable Alderman from the Great 7th Ward, Sam Shropshire, will be the subject of a formal ethics complaint that will be filed tomorrow morning with the city law office.
  
  
  The problem is a political campaign event that is being hosted at [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2008, 6:55pm EDT
  

• Boat Show Lease May Be Given To Competing Entity**

  **Rumor Alert.
  
  In my last post, I lamented the fact that there are 2 bills being introduced to renew the lease for the boat show, one renewing for two additional years (2013 and 2014), and a similar bill to only renew the lease for 2013. I offered [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2008, 8:36pm EDT
  

• City Council Meeting 9/22: Live Blog

  I have once again found a partner who has generously, if not knowingly, donated his wireless internet signal to facilitate a live blog!
  
  7:33
  
  The meeting starts, 33 minutes late, as a result of a closed session of the council running late. So far, there have been no [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2008, 7:28pm EDT
  

• City Council Meeting 9/22: Preview

  While walking downtown today, on my way to get sushi, a man from Guatemala was propositioning people "McCain or Obama?", showing command of the ultimate form of harassment. I knew this man was from Guatemala because he said so, and I knew he was a man as the result of [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2008, 9:55pm EDT
  

• "Too Important To Fail" Is The New Argument For Socialism

  Using strict statistical methods, I have calculated that my productivity has dropped by a record 8% in the last 48 hours while I try and sort through the financial nightmare that is terrorizing some major money moguls as we speak. The latest victim is AIG, which just ceded an [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2008, 10:36pm EDT