The Gazette OUROPINIONS
A step for school safety
Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger wants to expand the program that places school resource officers, or SROs, in the county’s high schools. It is an effort that should have the community’s support. Too often, newspaper headlines and television news broadcasts describe the dangers to our schoolchildren. A police officer assigned to a school can help prevent some of those tragedies from occurring. MANGER Manger described his plan at a IS TAKING 6 joint meeting with the County THE RIGHT Nov. Council’s Education and Public APPROACH Safety committees — a venue one might think receptive to the proposal. As it turns out, Councilman Marc Elrich and Councilwoman Valerie Ervin were less than enthused. “I continue to have some heartburn over this program. This is an extraordinary amount of money we’re talking about,” said Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park. “I don’t think this is a panacea. I don’t think everything is going to come to the attention of the SRO,” said Ervin (D-At large) of Silver Spring. “Until we see data that backs up the need for SROs, I’m going to continue to be a pit bull on this thing.” Granted, Elrich’s and Ervin’s preliminary thoughts might not mean much as budget talks progress. They are, after all, expressing their ideas in a session months before the next spending plan will be proposed, and the seven other council members could disagree with them. Still, the comments are troubling. First, take Elrich’s comment. He was part of an eightvote majority that voted a big salary increase for the next council. Assuming he gets re-elected — and what incumbent doesn’t make that assumption? — he stands to see a 21 percent raise. Do any of those eight council members have any credibility when they say they think another government program is too costly? Ervin’s comment shows she looks at the program from exactly the wrong end of the telescope. No, SROs aren’t a panacea, but they help prevent the worst that could happen. As she asks for data, Ervin probably thinks she’s taking a thrifty, taxpayer-minded step, but, generally, the data that prove the need for more police officers become apparent after a tragedy. No one should expect SROs to patrol the border between a school and the outside world. A gunman — like an Adam Lanza in Newtown, Conn., or James Holmes in Aurora, Colo. — hellbent on mayhem might not be stopped by a single law enforcement officer. But SROs can perform valuable community policing inside the school. They can take care of minor offenses without needing to dispatch a cruiser. They can build bridges to our youth. And they can do valuable police work. At Quince Orchard High School, an SRO was part of an investigation that led to six people, ranging in age from 16 to 63, to be arrested on gun and drug charges. Police say 45 firearms were confiscated. During the SRO discussion, school board member Michael Durso, a former principal, gave his assessment. “I really can’t say enough of the importance of the growth of the SRO program,” he said. Councilman Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Bethesda asked Durso to ask the school board to consider splitting the cost with the county of expanding school resource officers. That’s a good idea. The SRO program took a significant hit during the recession. During the 2009-2010 school year, the program had 33 budgeted positions. In July 2010, the number of SROs had fallen to six. In the current budget, six positions were added, at a cost of about $952,900, according to Bruce R. Meier of the county’s Office of Management and Budget. Eight other officers participate in the SRO program, including officers from the Rockville and Gaithersburg police departments. That brings the total to 20 officers; the county has 25 high schools. One resource officer for every high school would be a logical next step in expanding the program. To their credit, Elrich and Ervin also suggested that the county restore money to the kinds of youth programs that can keep students “safe and engaged.” Somehow, County Executive Isiah Leggett’s fiscal 2015 spending plan should accomplish both, money for programs and SROs. Neither is a panacea, but each is a good step the community can take to prevent a disaffected young man from resorting to violence.
WRITE TO US The Gazette welcomes letters on subjects of local interest. Please limit them to 200 words. All articles are subject to editing. No anonymous letters are printed. Letters are printed as space permits and are limited to one per person per month. Include your name, address and daytime telephone number. Send submissions to: The Gazette, attention Commentary Editor, 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877; fax to 301-6707183; or email to opinions@gazette.net.
The Gazette Karen Acton, President/Publisher
Forum
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Page A-14
LETTERS TOT HE EDITOR
Rewrite undermines input on zoning The proposed zoning rewrite now before the County Council is a very big deal. The rewrite does a good job of achieving its main goal, which is to simplify our current overly long and complicated zoning code. But I and many other civic leaders feel one part of the rewrite undermines the ability of residents to have a say in the development of their nearby commercial and industrial areas through master plans and sector plans. The current draft of the zoning rewrite proposes a single county-wide, or “district map” amendment that would convert nearly all commercial zones in the county into commercial/residential zones in one fell swoop. That means that a number of strip shopping centers could turn into a lot of
high-rise residential buildings. That could result in a lot of these high rises which could provide excessive strain on traffic and school capacity. Also it would place additional burdens on the police and social services for youths, families, seniors, etc. My biggest concern with this district map amendment proposal is that it removes the right of each community to have a say about this issue through the master plan process. The changes occur throughout the county immediately if approved by the council. I and many other civic activists feel that this is disastrous. We feel that some commercial zones are appropriate for conversion to commercial residential zones, but that others should stay commercial.
Christian Curtis is away. His cartoon will return when he gets back. Montgomery County is too big and too varied in its make-up between urban, suburban and rural areas to have a one-sizefits-all zone for its commercial areas. Every local community needs a say on how its closest commercial areas should look. I encourage everyone to write to the County Council with your thoughts on the zoning rewrite (county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov) and to please spread the word.
Brookeville celebrates in style
Hats off to historic Brookeville! It warmed the heart to see an overflow crowd of 265 — including Maryland’s governor — squeeze into the Inn at Brookeville Farms to attend a celebration of the town’s role in the War of 1812. (Could it have been the biggest gathering in the town’s long history?) The event was billed as the Madison Supper and opened an observance of the night of Aug. 26, 1814, when President James Madison fled the British invasion of Washington, D.C., and found refuge in the Quaker village. The observance is off to a roaring start!
Costumed stand-ins for the beleaguered president and his party recounted the grievances that led to the war, with Gov. Martin O’Malley in the role of militia general. The dinner menu replicated a meal of the time. Neatest of all, that night the “president” slept in the same bedroom as had his reallife predecessor in Brookeville’s Madison House, as guest of event chairwoman Sandy Heiler and husband Duane. Hats off to all!
Tom and Susan Fifer Canby, Clarksville The writers are former Brookeville residents.
Save the Wheaton rec center I’m writing in response to the editorial “Rec center blues,” [Oct. 30], regarding the fate of the Wheaton Recreation Center on Georgia Avenue. I was dismayed to see such a broad indictment against the building fixating on the rock concert history of the space, with little regard for the significance of the architecture, which is first and foremost, the reason the Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend for preservation, or adaptive reuse.
Whether Led Zeppelin or any band, local or otherwise, plugged in their amps there, is secondary to the fact that the building is one of the few remaining examples along Georgia Avenue that represent something other than the stifling architectural sameness that goes for miles in either direction. A building from 1963 really stands out in 2013, and deserves better consideration than the cheap shot you gave it fixating on “classic rock.”
Jeff Krulik, Silver Spring
Costco not nearly cold hearted Instead of appreciating the many examples of what Costco does for communities and workers wages I am supposed to be outraged because Costco recycles its produce rather than giving it to the food bank [“Cold-hearted Costco,” letters, Oct. 23]. How about the irony that Whole Foods does contribute to the food bank while the CEO of Whole Foods does not support the Affordable Care Act, denies climate change and recently applauded corporate tax shelters outside of the United States? Invest your printable space in articles that raise awareness of the impact on those affected by the cutting of food stamp benefits. Families, children and seniors who
Here in Derwood’s Park Overlook community, we have a lot to be thankful for this season. During the past 18 months, Montgomery County authorities completed several important education, recreation and public safety projects in our area. Each project stands on its own as an investment in our community. Together, they are a testimony to the great county in which we live. Above all, we give thanks for the relocation of Candlewood Elementary School to the new upcounty holding school at Emory Grove, as we look to the modernization of Candlewood being complete in January 2015. The original plan was to relocate Candlewood to the holding facility at Grosvenor, but a productive dialog between Candlewood’s PTA and Montgomery County Public Schools authorities yielded support to relocate the school closer to the original Candle-
understand what cold-hearted is deserve a more responsible voice than the singleminded opinion printed in your paper. Challenging Costco to build on what it already does by reviewing policies on discarding unsellable producers is a good thing. Referring to a corporation that is responsible to its employees with fair wages and health-insurance benefits as “coldhearted” while the Whole Foods brand name is floating around the Beltway on food bank trucks is narrow-minded selfrighteousness.
Sharon Murphy, Takoma Park The writer is the director of Mary House.
Nathan Oravec, A&E Editor Ken Sain, Sports Editor Andrew Schotz, Assistant Managing Editor Dan Gross, Photo Editor Jessica Loder, Web Editor
Tony Hausner, Silver Spring
After-school programs bring peace of mind As Montgomery County working moms, we long ago learned what every other working parent can tell you: That every-afternoon chunk of time that starts with the final school bell and ends when parents arrive at home can be filled either with angst or peace of mind, depending on whether your kids are under the watchful eye of caring adults and constructively occupied. After-school programs are a terrific solution, and that’s one reason we’ve both spent years working to make sure such programs are available. In October, more than 7,500 afterschool programs across the nation and at U.S. military bases around the globe celebrated Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide series of rallies for after-school. This Sunday, 2,000 Girls on the Run of Montgomery County students will participate in the organization’s 5K event at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Girls on the Run uses health and fitness as a way to help girls develop confidence. The curriculum develops teamwork skills and healthy relationships; it takes on Internet safety, cyber-bullying, body image, eating disorders, tobacco and alcohol use, and more, with running woven throughout. Sunday, the girls will be joined by parents, after-school providers, teachers, school administrators, community partners, elected officials, and others — all united by their desire to celebrate the girls’ accomplishment, and to show their support for afterschool programs. We hope that message is heard, loud, clear, far and wide!
Elizabeth McGlynn, Bethesda Jodi Grant, Bethesda McGlynn is executive director of Girls on the Run of Montgomery County. Grant is executive director of the Afterschool Alliance.
Giving thanks in Derwood wood site. Recent and ongoing improvements to the Emory Grove site will certainly benefit school other populations for years to come as future modernizations and relocations take place. We also give thanks for the newly renovated recreation area in the county’s Blueberry Hill Park, adjacent to our community [“Derwood neighbors celebrate renovated playground,” Aug. 28]. Complete with a centralized play area that helps parents keep a watchful eye on their children and new landscaping that includes an advanced drainage system for stormwater runoff, it is already a well-used and popular site since its opening in August. Additionally, we give thanks for the new crosswalk on Needwood Road between our community and Blueberry Hill that is helping to improve pedestrian safety. Speed has been
a perennial problem along Needwood, especially during the spring and summer seasons. The road does not qualify for traditional speed reduction measures like speed bumps. But, the county heard community concerns and worked swiftly to install the crosswalk that connects our community with the adjacent park. Finally, we give thanks for a project completed just beyond Park Overlook — the Shady Grove Access Bike Path, which now provides a safe route to the Shady Grove Metro Station for bicyclists and pedestrians. As part of the overall Shady Grove Sector Plan, the creation of the path was a major step forward in transforming the area into a more bicycle- and pedestrianfriendly community. In partnership with the county, our community anticipates continued involvement in implementing the Sector Plan and ultimately giving thanks for
9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 | Phone: 301-948-3120 | Fax: 301-670-7183 | Email: opinions@gazette.net More letters appear online at www.gazette.net/opinion
Douglas Tallman, Editor Krista Brick, Managing Editor/News Glen C. Cullen, Senior Editor Copy/Design Meredith Hooker, Managing Editor/Internet Robert Rand, Managing Editor/Presentation
|
Dennis Wilston, Corporate Advertising Director Doug Baum, Corporate Classifieds Director Mona Bass, Inside Classifieds Director
Jean Casey, Director of Marketing and Circulation Anna Joyce, Creative Director, Special Pubs/Internet Ellen Pankake, Director of Creative Services
what will be a substantial public investment that will be appreciated by many future generations. The years ahead may also see major private investment in our community: the $50 million arena slated to be built next to the Shady Grove Metro Station. Public thanks for this project will be well-deserved if it is undertaken with careful attention to the existing sector plan, as efficiently and smartly as the community projects recently completed by the county, and with equal if not greater civic engagement. Derwood residents expect and deserve the smartest possible change and growth that the county and private investors can deliver. If recent projects are any indication of what our future holds, then Derwood will indeed have a bright future as it becomes an even better place to live.
Jeffrey S. Reznick, Derwood
POST COMMUNITY MEDIA Karen Acton, Chief Executive Officer Michael T. McIntyre, Controller Donna Johnson, Vice President of Human Resources Maxine Minar, President, Comprint Military Shane Butcher, Director of Technology/Internet