November 30, 2006 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Online Editor Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or ©2006 Chestnut Hill Local Winner of One |
From our readers A defense (of sorts) for Bowman’s signs In his op-ed piece in the Local of Nov. 23, Chestnut Tim asserts that “No objective person can logically advocate for the Bowman signs.” On the contrary, I think that an objective person can defend the Bowman signs on several grounds: For one thing, the signs proclaim property rights. If Mr. Snowden wants to post signs on Bowman properties, which seem intended to stick it to his neighbors, that’s his right. He paid for these properties. They’re his. It may seem loopy if the signs lower the value of the self-same properties where they’re hung and call into question the integrity of the advertiser, but since when does advertising have to be rational? For another thing, the signs reflect First Amendment rights. Mr. Snowden is free to publish abroad his message, however crass and lunatic it may be. These signs are testimony to the freedom to advertise, even though the message may be vindictive, tasteless and mean-spirited. But in an odd way, the signs also imply the positive relationships that bind our community together — they are the reversal of all of them. Toward the end of his article, Chestnut Tim speaks of “the relationships that bind us, relationships that have nothing to do with pride and money and self-interest.” In an inverted way, the Bowman signs can make us more conscious of these relationships, especially at this season of the year. Perhaps Mr. Snowden should consider lighting his signs so that they can be better seen in the evening hours. William Brown Mt. Pleasant Garage We are grateful to the Local for publishing an article from the perspective of Mark Brown, the owner of the Mt. Pleasant Garage – it’s important for all of us that both sides of each story receive an airing. There are a few points we wish to make regarding the article: First, we are pro-business at West Mt. Airy Neighbors, and we want to see small business succeed in our commercial districts. However, those businesses need to be good neighbors and not pose a nuisance to nearby residents or other businesses. We believe everyone should play by the rules and obey the law. As readers of the Chestnut Hill Local know, the Mt. Pleasant Garage has been one of the rare exceptions in our neighborhood. It is for that reason alone that WMAN stepped in to focus law enforcement attention on this pressing problem. WMAN could not and did not shut the Mt. Pleasant Garage down — the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections did. L&I only acted after it confirmed the presence of multiple code violations. WMAN’s role was to share the near neighbors’ thorough documentation of various nuisance activities with L&I and the Police Department. We are gratified that L&I used neighbors’ complaints as part of their investigation of the business, but it must be emphasized that L&I must verify and confirm neighbors’ complaints before it can take any action. Of the greatest concern to us is that Mark Brown continued to operate his business in direct violation of a Cease Operations order posted by L&I in June 2006. This is the closest equivalent to “capital punishment” in the City Code and L&I must meet strict legal standards before it can issue a Cease Operations order and shut a business down. Instead of attempting to reopen his business the proper way by exercising his right to appeal the cease ops order, Mark Brown flagrantly ignored the cease ops order and simply continued business as usual (which because of the order was now an illegal business.) Fourteenth District Police officers have removed or ticketed at least 11 untagged cars from around the garage. All of these cars took up parking spaces which otherwise are used by residents in this densely populated part of Mt. Airy, where most residents lack driveways and garages and need to use on-street parking. A search on the Bureau of Revision of Taxes website reveals that there is upwards of $89,000 in back taxes owed on 7078 Lincoln Drive, the address for the Mt. Pleasant Garage. It is our understanding that the owner of record for the building, Baylor Automotive, is a corporation tied to a relative of Mark Brown, who owns the business that operates in the Mt. Pleasant Garage. Each dollar in back taxes owed represents city services we do not enjoy, or more taxes which we all as citizens have to pay. Thank you for your continued fair coverage of this community issue. Laura M. Siena Editor’s note: In interviews with the Local, Mark Brown insisted that he did not operate his business after the June citation. Parking problems in Chestnut Hill I want to thank the Local for your help with publicizing our past events. The last concert, the Walter Bell concert on Sept. 9 at Stagecrafters, was attended by an audience of 100 and was very enjoyable. The silent auction raised $2,000 for the National MS Society, and five MS Society volunteers helped and two gave talks about MS. For Chestnut Hill, the problems with the concert were familiar ones: people had a lot of difficulty parking, and because of signage they could not find Stagecrafters Theater. A notable radio personality who attended the concert received a parking ticket for parking too close to a bus stop. I think that these problems will need to be solved before I have another concert at that venue on a Saturday night. Thanks for your help with the last concert. Just a note referring to my last concert press in the Local, my Web site is conniesjazz not commiesjazz. While I am no entrepreneur, I am not at the other extreme either. While the Chestnut Hill businesses were extremely supportive for the Sept. 9 concert (and I thank all who helped our cause!), the community of Chestnut Hill did not attend as expected. I was very disappointed in the low turnout for such a great concert from the community in the vicinity of the theater. I am trying the next concert at the Sedgwick Theater in Mt. Airy (Dec. 2) because I have had good turnout there in the past. The Mt. Airy community has been very supportive as an audience for jazz, as have several Chestnut Hill businesses who are also helping support this upcoming concert as they had helped with the last one, and I am very grateful to them as well. Without ticket sales and the help of businesses to buy concert ads, there would be no concerts … In the end, I don’t make any money; I usually lose money, but living is not just for money; some things are just worth doing. While money helps make life possible, the arts help make life worth living. I am really looking forward to bringing the next concert to the community, and I am very excited about this next concert! Thanks to all Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill businesses who helped finance the Dec. 2 upcoming concert. Connie Briggs Still looking for a community manager Judy Morgan’s letter to the editor (Local, Nov. 23, page 6) was particularly interesting to me for several reasons. First, she did not identify herself as CHCA president, Ron Recko’s wife. Second because she, herself, has not taken an active part in the CHCA, except for the Budget and Finance Committee, which suggests that she was only expressing her husband’s point of view. I assume, of course, that she agrees with him and that is fine. Marital unity is to be commended, but I think this is only so at certain times. In a public matter like this we need to have our own opinion reached through our own activities. And her high praise of our interim community manager simply emphasizes a point I made in my letter the previous week which is that he is becoming so entrenched it will be difficult to introduce even the possibility of someone else in that position, which may be our president’s objective. But the most important thing is that Ed Budnick was sent into the office to perform the duties of an interim community manager through a unilateral decision of our president. His name, much less his presence, was not brought to the board. No other person, as yet, has been given the opportunity to compete for the position. The board did finally approve his appointment as interim manager, but I thought that was contingent upon the immediate formation of the Search Committee and the ultimate selection of a permanent community manager. Weeks later this Search Committee has still not been made active. It is listed in the agenda of the upcoming CHCA board meeting this Thursday, Nov. 30 under “Report from VP Operations“ which is the eighth item on the agenda. On the Oct. 26 agenda we did not have time for that report and the president asked Lou Aiello (VP of Operations) to e-mail his report to us later, which he did. We cannot let this happen again. The Search Committee should have been an action item listed early in the evening. Otherwise the unilateral decision of our president will make this appointment permanent simply by not acting. Article I-C-5 of the bylaws says: “The Association determines policies and acts in accordance with democratic procedures.” Refusing to activate the Search Committee and continuing with his unilateral decision is in direct contradiction of this bylaw provision and it is in contradiction of the principles upon which he was elected. And Article IV-A-1 states: “The Board of Directors manages and conducts the affairs of the Association. The Board exercises all powers of the Association …” Clearly the power rests with the board and the president must have board approval for most, if not all, of his actions. Mary Anna Ross Cowper Judy Morgan Recko’s recent letter (Local, Nov. 23) praising Ed Budnick’s six-week performance as interim community manager raises more questions than it answers. She offers generalities but no specific details concerning his efforts on behalf of the CHCA; what code violations, what grants, what committees and what community events? Anyone in the community who reads the Local is aware that the paper was so strapped for cash recently that it was unable to pay the $26,000 it owed the printer. Further, they know the CHCA is equally cash poor and unable to meet operating expenses without borrowing from the Chestnut Hill Community Fund and taking a loan against the real estate it owns. Currently, the CHCA has an accumulated debt of more than $500,000. A generous donor has agreed to pay the yearly salary of the administrative coordinator for a limited time. The CHCA must put its financial house in order. At present it does not have a reliable source of income to pay $50,000 a year to a new community manager. This represents $20,000 more than the last community manager received. The deal with Mr. Budnick was negotiated by the CHCA president without prior approval from either the Executive Committee or the board. Their approval was given after the fact. This was a flagrant violation of the CHCA bylaws and certainly not in keeping with democratic process. With the above circumstances in mind, one must question the fiduciary responsibility of the CHCA leadership. Yes Judy, it is broke and does need fixing! As a CHCA board member and long time community activist, I have serious reservations about hiring a community manager at this time at the above-mentioned salary while the CHCA is burdened with debt and an uncertain annual income from decreasing dues and money-generating fundraisers. There are other options. We have a highly qualified administrative coordinator who could perform many of the necessary tasks with help from a less costly part-time employee to assist in answering the telephone, maintaining the files, keeping the records and assisting committee chairmen. Some budgetary re-thinking is needed. Virginia Mallery It was outrageous to have read a letter in last week’s Local written by the wife of the CHCA president in which she “campaigns” for the interim community manager to be given the job of permanent community manager. No matter that this is blatant discrimination, it is complete disregard for the long existing hiring process and policy of the CHCA. The CHCA is a board governed nonprofit organization and this campaign for the community manager’s selection and other antics of the current leadership put our nonprofit status at risk. The board had directed two months ago that a Search Committee move immediately to advertise for candidates, interview them, and choose the best candidate available for the community manager. However, if the reports from the recent Executive Committee meeting are correct, the president plans to put off the Search Committee (forever?), and disregard the resumes that have come in and the cost to advertise for qualified candidates. Guess he believes that board members are just window dressing. After skewering the previous leadership and making promises to the members of the CHCA in order to merit their vote, this leadership (Second Opinion Caucus) does what it wants despite the pledges of last spring. This is not just a scam but a humiliation to all CHCA members who work so hard for the good of this community. Marie Lachat Critique is acceptable, misspelling not At the risk of sounding like a big baby, I feel somewhat obligated to respond to Hugh Hunter’s review of The Drama Group’s recent run of Incorruptible (Nov. 23, page 28). Since I was actually in the show, I admit my sensitivities were of course heightened as I read his piece. Hunter basically blasts the play when he calls it plot-less. Naturally, I disagree, but I respect his opinion and am not writing to your paper to refute Hunter’s sobering opening-night review. As a journalism teacher in a Philadelphia high school, I understand and support wholeheartedly any journalist’s awesome right to fair comment. Fair comment, readers might want to know, refers to a writer’s prerogative to express freely an opinion about a public event, such as a play, film, exhibit or perhaps the opening of a restaurant. Fair comment does not, however, protect sloppy journalism and the carelessness of an editorial staff. In his piece, Hunter misspells the names of two primary Incorruptible characters: the female lead Marie he calls Maria; and the character of Olf he calls absurdly Orf. Sure, the common reader certainly might not know the difference, but that is not the point. The point is that if Hunter, and your entire staff of copy editors, is so lacking in ambition as to not open the playbill or check the troupe’s Web site or make a simple phone call to fact check, then how can anything you publish be taken as accurate, smart and fair? Do I sound like a disgruntled actor who just got a bad review? I am sure I do. But I am also sure that I would have written you a letter to complain about inexcusable misspellings even if Hunter had understood the play. Andrew Whelan AbZOOlutely wonderful evening Saturday, Nov. 17 was an extraordinary evening for Chestnut Hill. The event at Chestnut Hill College was good in every sense. Far more than just an auction of the animals that have graced Chestnut Hill for the last weeks, it was fun, productive, original and created an environment in which good relationships occurred. All those involved — from having the idea to commission the animal sculptures to tallying the funds, should be extraordinarily proud. The setting in the rotunda of one of Chestnut Hill’s most exemplary institutions was right. The auctioneer was energizing, funny and superbly competent, with enthusiasm that reflected the feelings of those present. The many, many people who enjoyed the good food and drink, each other’s company and the wonderful goings on, represented a wide spectrum of Chestnut Hillers, with lots of familiar faces and lots of new faces. They were remarkably generous in bidding for the beautiful creatures who — one wishes — were able to know how desirable they were. One extraordinary woman, Jane Piotrowski, actually bought three of the delightful creations: a monkey, a flamingo and a llama. I bid on several I thought were artistic and sensitive, but backed out when the price got high. Mrs. Piotrowski is literally somebody who puts her money not just where her mouth is, but also where her heart is. The one sad note was the realization that those original, graceful fellow citizens of this planet will be missing from the streets of Chestnut Hill. How wonderful if the generous buyers will put them back into public view. A thought came to mind as a next project: individuals, businesses and institutions would sponsor the creation of sculptures honoring some of Chestnut Hill’s marvelous people and institutions. These could be presented in a variety of forms, from literal sculptures of specific people or buildings to metaphors — for example, The Chestnut Hill Pediatric Group could be represented by a sculpture on the corner of Southampton and Germantown Avenues (where it was for many years), depicting a group of children playing vigorously, which would remind us of Harry Butson, Chat Lee and many other excellent pediatricians who played such an important part in the lives of our children. Ideally these “sculptures” would be permanent additions to the community and would come in many forms and formats, as was true of the original animals. We can all come up with the names of other deserving individuals and institutions. This note is a rousing “thank you” to all those who were involved with AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill, the artists who created the beauty, the sponsors, the animals depicted, the businesses, the Community Association and the other many people and groups involved. It was a glorious evening! Thanks! George L. Spaeth Community Fund seeking potential trustees At the November meeting of the Executive Committee of the Chestnut Hill Community Association, the issue of nominations for vacant trustee positions to the Chestnut Hill Community Fund was raised. Because of possible conflicts with the names proposed and to allow time for the submission of additional nominations, president Ron Recko agreed to table the topic until the December Executive Committee meeting. (See page 11 of the Nov. l6 issue of the Chestnut Hill Local.) Because the trustee positions on the Community Fund are so important, members of the association should be aware of the powers the trustees have under the fund’s Declaration of Trust. The Community Fund is set up to “manage, invest and reinvest the principal and collect the income” of the fund for the sole and exclusive purpose of assisting in “the improvement of the quality of life” in Chestnut Hill, which includes funding the many programs, activities, institutions and organizations that the CHCA sponsors. The trustees have the sole power, among other things, “to retain and invest in all forms of real and personal property,” and “to sell at public or private sale for cash or credit, or exchange,” or “to lease for any period of time, any real or personal property, and to give options for sales, exchanges or leases” as well as “to borrow money and to mortgage or pledge any asset as security therefor.” Therefore, it is imperative that fund trustees be well qualified, independent and have excellent reputations in the community. Serious consideration should be given and due diligence exercised in choosing nominees to serve as trustees of the Community Fund. The bylaws fix the number of trustees at no fewer than three nor more than 15. Presently, there are three trustees serving and there are vacancies to be filled in the near future. Trustees are elected by the CHCA board of directors in staggered classes and serve for three years. They receive no compensation for their services. As the board moves forward in selecting future trustees, it would be helpful to hear from members of the larger Chestnut Hill community who might offer suggestions for trustee nominations. The names suggested should be sent to president Ron Recko at the Chestnut Hill Community Association prior to the Dec. 14 Executive Committee meeting. Nancy H. Hutter Remember our troops and veterans As we celebrate this holiday season, let us always remember and never forget: all those who have served and those who are still serving in the uniform of the United States military. If it were not for their sacrifices, we would never have had or have the opportunity to celebrate this or any other holiday season with our loved ones. Tom Woodruff |
