What is the impact of allowing larger signage along town highways? Elkton board meets tonight.
Is this what we want for our counties highways?
~By Chuck DeSocio
Come see America the beautiful, if you can. Amber waves of grain? It is more like a ride through the Yellow Pages. A windshield vista of 50-foot beer cans and towering Marlboro Men. Many thought billboards were an endangered species in 1965 when Congress passed the Highway Beautification Act. But the law was so riddled with loopholes and enforcement so lax that in recent years billboards have proliferated once again.
Curbing billboards is not easy. The billboard lobby employs a set of standardized tactics to oppose regulation. Lobbyists, lawyers, public relations firms seduce, mislead and, if necessary, intimidate local governments to forestall regulation. But with persistence and the help of a good city attorney, meaningful regulation is possible. Indeed, hundreds of cities, towns, and counties (as well as five states) prohibit billboards.
The Elkton Town board will meet tonight to discuss a number of zoning issues. One of the issues on the agenda (below) will address a request to increase the total allowable square footage for signage to 80 square feet. I’m no expert in billboards or signage but it would seem to me that the signage is big enough already along route 40 (perhaps too large already). This breaks down into two separate but equally important issues; driver safety and beautification.
Billboards have long been accused of being distracting to drivers and causing accidents. It is possible that advertising signs in rural areas reduce driver boredom, which many believe is a contribution to highway safety. On the other hand, drivers may fixate on a billboard which unexpectedly appear in a monotonous landscape, and drive straight into it (a phenomenon known as “highway hypnosis”). However, studies based on correlations between traffic accidents and billboards face the problem of under-reporting: drivers are unwilling to admit responsibility for a crash, so will not admit to being distracted at a crucial moment. Even given this limitation, some studies have found higher crash rates in the vicinity of advertising using variable message signs or electronic billboards.
It is possible that advertising signs in rural areas reduce driver boredom, which many believe is a contribution to highway safety. On the other hand, drivers may fixate on a billboard which unexpectedly appears in a monotonous landscape, and drive straight into it (a phenomenon known as “highway hypnosis”).
In 1964, the negative impact of the over-proliferation of signage was abundantly evident in Houston, Texas, and it motivated Lady Bird Johnson to ask her husband to create a law. At the same time the outdoor advertising industry was becoming aware that excessive signs, some literally one in front of the other, were bad for business.
In 1965, the Highway Beautification Act was signed into law. The act applied only to “Federal Aid Primary” and “Defense” highways and limited billboards to commercial and industrial zones created by states and municipalities. It required each state to set standards based on “customary use” for the size, lighting and spacing of billboards, and prohibited city and state governments from removing billboards without paying compensation to the owner. The act requires states to maintain “effective control” of billboards or lose 5% of their federal highway dollars.
It would seem to me a logical conclusion that if our state has chosen to ban the use of cell phones for texting and talking while driving that we should also consider the impact of large signage along the highway. If we don’t want drivers distracted by reading text messages on their cell phone than why would we want to place even larger signage containing text and pictures along the highway?
In addition it seems to me that to approve larger signage for this one instance we would set a precedent that could eventually lead to ever larger signs and greater numbers of signs throughout Elkton. Billboards often seem to be an eyesore for me and as I drive through Elkton and the rest of the county I can’t help but think of the great number of large billboards in Harford and other counties in the state. One thing is clear to me and that is that large billboards definitely seem to take away from the natural beauty of a place and make it look ‘junky’. I hope that the board will consider the factors of driver safety and preserving town appearance when they make their decision this evening.
The full agenda of tonights meeting is listed below.
TOWN OF ELKTON
BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS MEETING
JUNE 17, 2010
AGENDA
1. Approval of Minutes – May 20, 2010
2. Case # 1395 – Michelle Ayd
17 Jesse Boyd Circle
12’ rear yard setback variance to construct a deck
Tax Map 306, Parcel 2435, Zoned R-3
3. Case # 1369 – Request of Marc Scheiner
360 E. Pulaski Highway
Variance to exceed the total allowable square footage for signage by
eighty (80) square feet
Tax Map 315, Parcel 2384, Zoned C-2
4. Case # 1397 – Request of Nancy M. Dominelli
237 East Main Street
Six (6) foot fence in the side yards and extending into the front yard on one side
Tax Map 311, Parcel 1020, Zoned R-2
5. Old Business
6. New Business
7. Next Meeting – July 22, 2010.
Latest polling indicates tight Governors race this fall; race within margin of error
Maryland gubernatorial candidates Bob Ehrlich (R) and Martin O'malley (D)
The rematch is on: Republican Bob Ehrlich is officially challenging incumbent Democrat Martin O’Malley for governor of Maryland, and the race at this stage is wide open.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds O’Malley, who defeated then-Governor Ehrlich in 2006, earning 47% support. Ehrlich gets 44% of the vote. Two percent (2%) prefer another candidate in the race, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.
In February, O’Malley led Ehrlich in a hypothetical matchup 49% to 43%.
Still, in a state that trends Democratic as strongly as Maryland, Ehrlich faces an uphill battle.
For example, Maryland is one of the few states where the majority of voters (50%) say the recently-passed national health care plan will be good for the country. Forty percent (40%) say it will be bad.
Republicans benefit in many races from the strong support for repeal of the health care plan. But in Maryland, just 46% favor repeal, while 49% are opposed. This includes 38% who strongly favor it and 44% who are strongly opposed.
Nationally, 56% of voters favor repeal of the health care plan.
Ehrlich earns 83% of the votes of those who strongly favor repeal. O’Malley gets 81% support from those who strongly oppose it.
The Republican leads among male voters 55% to 38%. O’Malley, in turn, posts a similar 54% to 35% lead among women voters.
Among voters not affiliated with either major party, Ehrlich leads 64% to 24%.
Twenty-two percent (22%) of Maryland voters have a very favorable opinion of O’Malley, while 24% regard the governor very unfavorably.
Ehrlich is viewed very favorably by 27% and very unfavorably by 18%.
Both men are very well-known in the state, but at this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.
O’Malley defeated Ehrlich with nearly 53% of the vote in 2006. Fifty percent (50%) of voters in the state now approve of how O’Malley is performing as governor, but that’s down three points from the previous survey. Forty-eight percent (48%) disapprove of his performance. This includes 22% who strongly approve and 29% who strongly disapprove.
Fifty-six percent (56%) favor the requirement in the health care plan that every American must buy or obtain health insurance, while 41% oppose it. This includes 35% who strongly favor and 32% who strongly oppose.
That’s why only 36% favor Maryland joining the other states that are suing the federal government to stop the health care plan on the grounds that the requirement is unconstitutional. Fifty-three percent (53%) oppose such a lawsuit.
Most Maryland voters (52%) say their own views on the major issues of the day are closer to the views of President Obama than those of the average Tea Party member. Thirty-nine percent (39%) say their views are more in line with the average Tea Party member.
Thirty percent (30%) say it would be better for Maryland if most incumbents in the state legislature were reelected, but 48% say it would be better if most were defeated. Still, 39% think their own local legislator deserves reelection, while nearly as many (36%) disagree.
Eleven percent (11%) of Maryland voters rate the U.S. economy as good or excellent, but 44% describe it as poor. Forty-seven percent (47%) say the economy is getting better; 32% say it’s getting worse, and 18% say it’s staying about the same.
Forty-six percent (46%) rate their own finances as good or excellent. Only 15% say their finances are poor. Thirty-three percent (33%) say their finances are getting better, 34% worse and 30% staying about the same.
Sixty percent (60%) of voters in Maryland believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed, but 51% say states should have the right to ban it off their own coastlines
The Examiner Spotlights Cecil County State’s Attorney Candidate Ellis Rollins
Cecil County State's Attorney candidate Ellis Rollins
Earlier today we had the opportunity to have a candid discussion with Cecil County State’s Attorney candidate Ellis Rollins about some of the issues involving the court system that affect Cecil Countians as well as his vision for the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s office. The States Attorney is responsible for representing the State (meaning you the people) in handling the prosecution of criminal cases as well as recommending sentences after a successful conviction. The current States Attorney for Cecil County is Mr. Christopher Eastridge who has held the office since 2002 and it is unclear at this time if he is running again. The only other candidate in the race currently is Mr. Eric Halter and we are seeking to interview him as well.
Mr. Rollins is 54 years old and a life-long resident of Cecil County who has practiced law for over 30 years. He lives in Perryville and has 4 children (one daughter and 3 sons) 2 of which also practice law. This is his first foray into politics. When we spoke he had a pleasant demeanor and demonstrated a strong knowledge of the criminal justice system in Maryland. He was very candid with me about his vision for the State’s Attorney’s office
Mr. Rollins believes that the States Attorney’s office is ‘in complete disarray’. He believes that the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s office is simply losing too many cases due to mismanagement by the current administration. “The state’s attorney has been charging innocent people with crimes while allowing guilty citizens to go free” he says. In particular he believes that murder cases have not been prosecuted properly and noted the deeply concerning fact that in one week 3 not guilty verdicts in murder trials were handed down delivering a blow to prosecutors and citizens alike. He also noted that there have been hundreds of drug cases that have been dismissed simply because the evidence in question was not tested in time. This leaves judges with no option other than to dismiss cases and send offenders back out onto County streets. “We should take a longer look at the facts before charging someone with a crime and have all of the evidence required for a conviction beforehand because it does a disservice to the community to not present proper evidence at the outset before an indictment is handed down” Rollins said.
The candidate also says that if elected he would focus on the grand jury process more closely and model his prosecutorial style on the federal court system “If you look at the federal system they do not go to trial until they have fully investigated and analyzed all the evidence in a case before even thinking about going to trial and I would do the same. I would focus on the grand jury process in order to ensure a conviction.”
The candidate also focused on the DUI cases in the county court system. “In some cases particularly DUI there needs to be stronger sentences” Rollins continued “First time offenders who get caught drinking and driving in this county almost expect to get one free bite out of the apple and often only receive probation. My job would be to first get a conviction and then recommend a sentence to the judge and I’d like to see not only probation for first time DUI offenders but let them spend a couple of days in jail so they can really reflect on the consequences of their actions.” Mr. Rollins believes that it is the States Attorney’s job to get judges on board with a tougher stance on first time DUI’s by recommending tougher sentences.
One thing is clear and that is that crime (particularly violent crime) is on the increase in Cecil County. Yes, crime increases with the population but compared to the other counties in the state we have the highest increase in crime even compared to Baltimore City. What we need is a tough; no nonsense prosecutor who will make sure that the county court system is run efficiently ensuring convictions and one who will also fight for tougher sentences to deter crime in Cecil County.
The Cecil County Examiner will report further on all candidates in this race as they make themselves available and we will provide fair and balanced coverage of this election. We thank Mr. Ellis Rollins for making himself available for our questions.
Cecil County to hold hearing on Recycling Plan Update
Public Hearing will be held by the Board of County Commissioners of Cecil County on June 15, 2010 at the Cecil County Administration Building, 200 Chesapeake Blvd., Elkton, MD 21921; 2:00 p.m., to consider an update of the Cecil County Recycling Plan.
RECYCLING PLAN UPDATE
- Is revised or updated regularly in accordance with Maryland Department of the Environment guidelines
- Updates the type of recyclables accepted at Cecil County Solid Waste Management facilities
- Addresses the following:
-
- Methods to meet the solid waste stream reduction
- Feasibility of source separation of the solid waste stream
- Strategy for the collection, processing, marketing, and disposition of recyclable materials
- Methods of financing the recycling efforts by the county
- Feasibility of a composting system
- Feasibility of a system for white goods collection
- The strategy for collection, processing, marketing, and disposition of recyclable materials from county public schools
- Methods for collection and recycling of electronics devices
- Alternative recycling methods and source reduction
THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT USER RATE IN THIS RECYCLING PLAN. ANY CHANGES WILL BE SUBJECT TO FURTHER STUDY AND REVIEW.
County Commissioners Worksession Agenda for June 08, 2010Commissioners Worksession200 Chesapeake Blvd., Elkton, MDPerryville Room – 9:00 A.M.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF CECIL COUNTY WORKSESSION AGENDA JUNE 8, 2010
OPEN SESSION 9:00AM Joe Fisona-Presentation of petition from Cecil County Fireman’s Association regarding automatic fire sprinkler systems Presentation of information relating to “First Annual Wade-in”-Van Funk,Sean McCandless Roads Division FY 11 Surface Treatment Plan-Scott Flanigan DES proposal to conduct fire inspections on all county buildings-Richard Brooks Proposed personnel policies-Donna Nichols Commissioner items CLOSED SESSION 11:00AM Pursuant to Maryland Annotated Code-State Government 10-508(a) (1) Personnel matters and (7) Consult with counsel to obtain legal advice;Board,staff,county attorney Web: awein@ccgov.org |
Candidate Chris Sutton announces plans for a town hall event
The Examiner has received a press release from the campaign of Cecil County Sheriff candidate Chris Sutton. It reads as follows:
“On Wednesday, June 30, 2010 between 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Perryville Library located at 500 Coudon Boulevard. Candidate Chris Sutton will speak on about what he plans to do to address the drug and gang violence if elected Cecil County Sheriff. This is a no cost event. And light refreshments will be served. Cecil County is one of four counties in MD where violent crime has increased, rather than decreased. Come out and hear Chris’ comprehensive plan to curtail this violence and make Cecil County safe again. We encourage everyone to attend this free event and bring a friend.”
I see this as welcome news. The Examiner will report on this event. It’s great that Chris Sutton is making himself available in this way (for 2 hours!) and we applaud his efforts to get his message to the people. I would encourage anyone who is concerned about the crime in our county to come out to this event and let your voice be heard or just listen to some of the issues discussed.
The Examiner also feels that this is a step in the right direction in the overall race for Sheriff. We hope all of the candidates agree to come together for a single town hall style debate and to take questions from residents. We will report further on any other candidates’ events that we are informed of….
We are working on an in depth piece on the distrubing trend of increased violent crime in Cecil County so stay tuned…
Also because we feel it necessary to provide any and all information available about this race I am pasting a link below to a video featuring Chris Sutton which can be found on his website at www.suttonforsheriff.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7l485QYDz8
Perryville Town Board meets this evening to address some issues.
Perryville Town officials will address a number of important issues concerning the town at the upcoming town meeting this evening. Among the topics to be discussed are the personal property tax rates and upcoming projects such as the Floating Dock Project. The full agenda for the meeting is below and The Examiner will report on the outcome. Please email the Town or attend the meeting if there are town issues that you feel need to be addressed.
Agenda
Town of Perryville Meeting
June 1, 2010 7 p.m.
TOWN MEETING
I. Approval of Minutes-
A. Approval of Town Meeting Minutes-May 4, 2010 – (motion
needed)
B. Approval of Minutes from Meeting to set Real Estate and
Personal PropertyTax Rates – May 18, 2010-(motion needed)
II. Mayor’s Report
III. Commissioners’ Reports
IV. Project Reports-
A. Wastewater System Progress Report- Commissioner Fox
B. Wastewater System Request for Payment –Comm. Fox- (motion
needed)
C. Pier & Floating Dock Project-Denise Breder
D. Pier Pay Request-Denise Breder (motion needed)
V. Master Signage Plan for Chesapeake Overlook-(motion needed)
VI. Administrator Report
VII. Treasurer’s Report
VIII. Police Report
IX. From the Floor
X. Old Business
A. Ordinance 2010-1 Unsolicited Papers (motion needed)
XI. New Business
A. Request from resident regarding water bill (motion needed)
B. Park Rental Special Request (motion needed)
C. Resolution 2010-12 Fiscal Year 2011 Budget (motion needed)
D. Ordinance 2010 -2 Amendment to Chapter 61 of the Town
Code (introduction)
E. Trash and Recycle Bids (motion needed)
F. Water Tank Reconditioning Bids (motion needed)
Email Town Hall: townhall@perryvillemd.org
From the Washington Post ~
O’Malley remains cool to table games in Md.
Governor O’malley made remarks while in Cecil County
Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) remains opposed to legalizing table games at Maryland casinos, he said Tuesday as he visited a Cecil County slots site set to open this fall.
As Maryland struggles to get its slots program off the ground, surrounding states, some of which have had slots for years, are now embracing black jack, roulette and other Las Vegas-style table games.
A state commission has said Maryland should consider the addition of such games, there is support among some leading state senators and former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) has said he is open to the ideaif returned to office.
But O’Malley, visiting the site of Hollywood Casino Perryville, said one of the strong selling points of the 2008 ballot measure on slots was the “moderate nature” of Maryland’s proposed program, which allows up to five locations.
As passed, the measure requires Maryland lawmakers to hold another referendum if they want to expand the types of gaming or number of slots casinos authorized in the state.
O’Malley also said Tuesday that he remains unconvinced that Maryland needs to reopen debate over the share of proceeds slots operators are allowed to keep. The current split — 33 percent — is among the lowest in the country. O’Malley said he considered that provision a selling point of the ballot measure as well, since it allows a larger share to go to education programs.
Elkton Election Illustrates the Growing Power of Social Media in Politics
by: Chuck DeSocio
The recent election in Elkton this past Tuesday brought out a record number of voters for a town election as 932 voters showed up t to vote. This number was far higher than any other town election and it reflects a major shift in the way local campaigns will be run in the County in the future.
Getting involved in politics is one of the earliest forms of “social networking.” Supporting a candidate or cause is a critical way in which people connect with the world around them and express themselves to others and technology is always changing making these connections easier.
These relatively new “social technologies,” of which social utilities like Facebook are an increasingly large subset, are demonstrating that individuals not only can easily connect to politics but directly affect their world as well. People inside politics, both in campaigns and advocacy organizations, are beginning to recognize the potential and are seeking ways to use this powerful new tool.
Early social technologies like email and blogs were the first steps in the construction of digital models reflecting processes of “social networking” from the real-world. These technologies garnered mainstream media attention in the 2004 and 2006 elections, and had some direct effect on voting behavior.
The Elkton election on Tuesday has shown that this trend has reached the local level. In the final days of the election mayoral candidate C. Gary Storke released a campaign video which many felt was less than complimentary to his image. It showed what some have said appeared to be a rambling and at times incoherent candidate in a poorly produced and edited video. Whatever the intentions were of the candidate in releasing this video it was quickly picked up and distributed rapidly becoming what is known as a ‘viral video’. A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites and email. Within a 24 hour period just 2 days before the election the video received 447 views and a number of users left less than flattering assessments of the candidate. These comments were disabled and removed at some point probably by the campaign itself and rumors around town have indicated that the campaign itself was working to remove its own video. Unfortunately for this campaign the damage had already been done. Voters came out in droves the next day and while the candidate had a large number of voters the unexpectedly high turnout proved too much to overcome. A valuable lesson can be taken from this in that in future elections in Cecil County the rise of MySpace, Facebook, you-tube and other social-networking sites are making the controlled, broadcast-style way of distributing political information obsolete.
It will no longer be sufficient in local elections to simply take an ad out in the local paper and submit letters to the editor. The new front line in the battle of spin will be on these social networking sites. Facebook offers the ability to connect everyone in a particular community and allow them to quickly share information with one another. In this digital era anyone with a laptop and a simple camcorder can become a political advocate for his or her candidate. Candidates in the county should learn from this and make sure that they not only knock on doors and put out signs but also knock on the ‘digital doors’ of residents. Many voters who may not answer their door or phones (particularly us younger voters) would much rather click on a link on their Facebook when they sit down in the morning with their coffee. It is in this way that future candidates must wage their campaigns because the fundamental way in which we receive and request information has changed permanently.
This trend said Henry Copeland, president and founder of Blogads, an advertising service for blogs. “The people we’re dealing with today are no longer ‘consumers,’ they’re participants,” Copeland said at the conference, hosted by the George Washington University Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet.
Politicians who ignore the impact of blogs and other social-networking sites will miss a huge number of potential voters, said Tom Gerace, founder and chief executive officer of Gather.com, which he billed as MySpace for grown-ups. “If you just play in the traditional media, you’re missing most of your audience today — not 10 years down the road, but today,” Gerace said.
Facebook has more than 7,400 discussion groups related to politics. Smart politicians should also begin to realize that citizens journalists armed with video cameras or a blog platform are beginning to show up everywhere no matter how small the election.
Cecil County Examiner 