After years of controversy, political grandstanding and legal challenges, that gaping hole in Silver Spring's vibrant street scene is finally being filled. This week, the Fillmore Silver Spring officially opens its doors on Sept. 15 with opening act Mary J. Blige. The rest of the month is filled with an impressive lineup of artists as diverse as John Legend, Blondie, Primus, Cheap Trick and — my favorite — the Psychedelic Furs. I’m always somewhat amused, at "civic milestone moments" like this, to see which local politicians show up. Specifically, it's amusing to see how many show up for a "…

I have not yet had the chance to see the newest addition to the National Mall, the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I am looking forward to it. Having studied both Dr. King's writings and his historical legacy in college, I have long considered Dr. King as one of the greatest leaders America has ever produced.  That is why I am so pleased to see him take his place among the other great leaders in U.S. history.  His name belongs in the same league with Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Roosevelt and Kennedy. However, as the Washington Post has reported this week, there is a glaring …

At the recent annual summer conference of the Maryland Association of Counties, the subject of tax increases once again reared its ugly head. Gov. Martin O’Malley indicated he may be open to possible tax increases to deal with a projected $1 billion budget shortfall during the next state legislative session, which begins in January, depending on the outcome of the federal budget deficit "supercommittee" deliberations. At a time of continued economic stress and uncertainty, in a state already known for its high tax rates and unfriendly-to-business regulatory policies, the governor and other …

What’s going on around here? It seems like we’ve had our share of severe thunderstorms this year, with plenty of high winds and torrential rain. This week we even saw golf-ball-sized hail at the Wheaton Ice Rink. But something very different is happening. Is it just me, or have the utilities gotten more reliable this year? As a self-employed consultant with a home-based office, I am particularly vulnerable to interruptions in those "little" things like electricity and Internet access. So I worry about these things a great deal and am acutely aware of the performance of our local utilities.  …

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently appointed one of Maryland’s own, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. This is the so-called "super committee" that has been charged with finding $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion in federal budget deficit savings, to stave off the threat of severe automatic cuts that will be triggered if Republicans and Democrats fail to reach agreement.  For Van Hollen, already a well-respected voice on budgetary issues and a rising star among House Democrats, the appointment carries both great opportunity and great risk.  The …

The Montgomery County Board of Education recently approved, 6-2, a proposal by Crossway Community Montessori to open the county’s first public charter school. This is big news. Not only will this be the first charter school in the county, it will also be the first public Montessori school in the county. Other surrounding jurisdictions have had public charter schools for years, with results ranging from spectacular to dismal. While Montgomery County is arriving late to the charter-school party, there is every reason to expect this particular proposal to be on the positive side of that spectrum…

A new report by Blueprint Maryland, a newly-launched think tank founded by Chevy Chase financial executive John Delaney, calls attention to one of the key challenges facing us in Montgomery County and the State of Maryland: Our stagnant job market and the further damage that looming federal budget cuts could have on Maryland’s struggling economy. The report highlights the impact on future unemployment rates if the federal government cuts spending at levels consistent with what the Obama Administration’s deficit reduction commission recommends.  Current employment trends are moving in the …

I've written before about the alarming decline in civic participation in our community, a trend that's especially pronounced among young voters, who always seem to have the lowest turnout rates. Now, we have an issue that is motivating Montgomery County teenagers like nothing else, the teen curfew proposed by County Executive Isaiah Leggett. Could it help reverse this decline? Already, new Facebook pages have sprung up and thousands of new voters and soon-to-be-voters are paying attention to the Montgomery County Council, for the first time, as they get ready to decide this issue. Clearly, …

This year, the Montgomery County Council has taken several steps to rein in some of the more questionable concessions public employee unions had extracted from the county in previous years. In a county known for granting the unions virtually everything on their wish lists, today’s tough economic climate is forcing the council to restore a little more balance to the relationship. It has not been easy for anyone, Council President Valerie Ervin and the unions in particular. First came the inevitable trimming of county employees' health and retirement benefits, to help bring spending back in …

Democracy is a lot like the lean muscle in your body. If you don’t use it, it atrophies. How are we using our “democracy muscles” today in America, in Maryland, in Montgomery County?  Not too well, if you ask me. This weekend we celebrate with fireworks, cook-outs and trips to the beach the truly world-altering experiment that our founders brought forth in 1776. That’s good. We often take for granted the great leap of faith it took to assert “inalienable rights” and self-governance in an age of monarchies. Yet how is that bold experiment faring today? Our freedom of speech – the bulwark of …

The latest Department of Labor figures show a net loss of 20,000 jobs in the Free State over the past year, placing Maryland dead last in the U.S. in job creation. Is anyone else worried about this? You should be. With federal budget cuts looming, things around here could get a lot worse fast. In a recent Patch column, I called attention to Gov. Martin O’Malley's renewed focus on the economy, which is a welcome sign. The latest job loss figures lend even more urgency to the task of getting our economy back on track. What really worries me, though, is the lack of response from other state and …

Sometimes you just have to wonder about the politics of this place. Our local economy is sputtering again, the housing market is flirting with a double-dip, our transportation system is getting more congested and crumbling around us, and local and state budgets are showing years of red ink ahead. Yet, amid all of these truly important issues, what has prompted the most vigorous response from Montgomery County officials lately? Prohibiting fire and rescue personnel from "passing the boot" to raise money for muscular dystrophy and cracking down on illicit lemonade stands at the U.S. Open.  Wow…