Sky blue, grass green

Friday's Aegis contained the most unsurprising article I've ever read, that realtors, county officials, just about everyone is advising the New Jersey BRAC transplants to avoid Edgewood.
I especially liked the county's hedge that they advised people to go to the state of Maryland's Web site to view test scores. It's all right there -- the schools are "not meeting expectations" in bold letters.
This had the potential to be a good article, but in our opinion at TAA, it was marred by the reporter's reluctance to clean-up the quotes of the realtor from Edgewood who was quoted. While the realtors in Bel Air, Fallston, Forest Hill, etc., benefit from the poor schools across 1-95 by inflating home prices in those school districts, this poor realtor (a phrase I don't think I've ever used before) is fighting against TPTB who are in collusion with the realtors. The reporter shared the realtor's use of "ain't" which was entirely unnecessary. It distracted from his valid points about the trouble he's experiencing. While some are reaping the benefits of poor schools, many (not even counting the children) are not.
As former reporters here at TAA, we know it is common to clean up quotes. If David Craig uses the word "ain't" or Jacqueline Haas misplaces a pronoun, it will not appear in print. We knew reporters who relished making their subjects appear stupid. Most of these subjects were politicians who could take it. The realtor, who was passionately defending the schools in his area and using the word "ain't" in the process received an unnecessary jab from the reporter -- "see, the schools are failing, the realtors can't even speak correct English!"
In our naive days when we first moved here four years ago, we really thought that BRAC would bring about a change in the school district. Certainly the high-tech new residents wouldn't stand for subpar schools. And then here at TAA we realized that they wouldn't stand for subpar schools in Fallston, Bel Air and Forest Hill. Keeping the "desirables" on one side of I-95 and the "undesirables" on the other seems to be working for someone. That article had a chance to highlight that, but instead it decided to highlight poor grammar.

The Harford County BRAC Tour

An article in The Examiner listed places that were on the tour of Harford County for military families from New Jersey. Four busloads of them. Are Harford County taxpayers paying for this? Think about the cost of gasoline alone for four buses. Who was absorbing the cost for this road trip was missing from the article. I thought the entire idea of "winning" BRAC was that people were going to come here, regardless.
Sights on the tour: Ring Factory Elementary, Patterson Mill High School; businesses in downtown Bel Air; Harford Mall, the “big box” retailers and the museums and shops of downtown Havre de Grace; and concluded with a visit to model homes at Bulle Rock.
I guess they missed the lovely sites on Rte. 40. I wonder if the big box retailers included Constant Friendship?

BRAC: Heading Up the NJ Turnpike

Found this article in the Asbury Park Press. It talks about how Maryland has opened offices in NJ to try to lure people here -- and how they don't want to come:

Maryland opens centers to try to get fort workers to move
By Keith Brown • COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU • April 26, 2008

FORT MONMOUTH — Efforts to woo post employees to Maryland reached an unprecedented level Friday when that state's labor department opened an information center on the fort targeting those employees considering moving with the fort's mission.

Billed as a "Transition One-Stop Career Center," the information center opened at the post's Credit Union, with another opening on Industrial Way in Eatontown. A kick-off event was held at Gibbs Hall, where Maryland officials touted their state's assets and pledged to assist anyone considering moving there.

"We're here to answer every question you have," Thomas Perez, Maryland Secretary of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, said to a crowd of about 100 assembled at Gibbs Hall. "We are indeed here with open arms."

Fort Monmouth is a casualty of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decisions that shuttered military installations in a nationwide consolidation aimed at streamlining the military and saving money. The bulk of its core mission is scheduled to move to Maryland's Aberdeen Proving Ground by 2011.

But Maryland's inroads onto the fort — what Perez called the first information center of its kind that has opened at any military installation in the nation — was seen as an insult by some.

"It's rubbing it in the noses of those employees who believe the BRAC was a fraud," said John Poitras, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1904, a fort employees union that has filed a federal lawsuit aimed at stopping the fort's closure.

State Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr., R-Monmouth, also criticized the move.

"New Jersey has a history of being a leader in innovation and a magnet for the best and brightest employees in many industries," Kyrillos said in a statement. "That Maryland wants to lure away members of our work force should not be a surprise, but it definitely should be a concern."

Major Gen. Dennis L. Via, commanding general of the fort's Communications-Electronics command, headed the line-up of speakers at the kick-off event. Via praised opening of the information center.

"This center will help reduce uncertainty and provide personalized information to our employees that they otherwise would not have access to," Via said. "It's strong evidence of the state of Maryland's commitment to make our move to APG smoother and easier."

Col. Jeffrey Weissman, commander of Aberdeen Proving Ground, touted his installation's contribution to the nation's defense, praised Harford County — where the post is located — and pledged assistance to those considering the move.

"I can promise that we will do everything we can to ensure that you're not disappointed," Weissman said.

The center, which will be staffed by a Maryland official, will supply information on Maryland home prices, school systems, entertainment and practically any other topic of interest to post workers considering the move, officials said. The center at the fort will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., while the Eatontown office will be open from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Fort Monmouth, which generates about $3.2 billion annually into the state's economy, employs more than 5,000 and supports another 22,000 jobs statewide.

Post workers in two separate surveys taken last year said overwhelmingly they would pass on the moving from the Garden State. Up to 70 percent of those surveyed said they would not move to Maryland when the post closes in three years.

Perez, in an interview following the kick-off, downplayed the number of post employees who have said they would not move.

"We don't know what the number will be," he said. "It's a very fluid number. There's people who don't know what they're going to do. The best way to address uncertainly is to supply information."

BRAC -- official version

Here's the press release version of what happened at the BRAC meeting on Monday. The video isn't up yet to watch it unedited, but check back later.


BRAC TOWN HALL MEETING DRAWS LARGE AUDIENCE
(Bel Air, MD – March 11, 2008) - - A near capacity crowd of 400 attended the third BRAC Town Hall meeting Monday evening at the Aberdeen High School. The event was hosted by County Executive David R. Craig and James Richardson, Director of the Office of Economic Development for Harford County.
Among the officials participating in the community meeting were Colonel Jeffrey Weissman, Aberdeen Proving Ground Garrison Commander, Aberdeen Mayor Michael Bennett, Sheriff L. Jesse Bane, Marlene Lieb, Associate Vice President, Harford Community College, David Volrath, Executive Director of Secondary Education, Harford County Public Schools, Bob Cooper, Director, Harford County Department of Public Works, James Richardson, Director, Office of Economic Development and County Executive Craig.
“We are extremely pleased with the attendance at the BRAC Town Hall meeting,” said County Executive Craig. “Clearly the citizens of Harford County and the surrounding communities have a keen interest in BRAC and the positive impact it will have on our county,” Craig remarked.
The Harford County Office of Economic Development, the lead department for Harford County with BRAC issues, served as coordinator for the event. A fourth BRAC Town Hall meeting will be held later this year in Havre de Grace at a date and time to be determined.
The panel of officials responded to 40 questions posed by those in attendance. A concern of many of those who attended was transportation and the ability of the state, county and federal government to fund the necessary infrastructure improvements necessary to meet the needs of the BRAC.
“We will continue to work with our federal, state and local government partners to meet the challenges and opportunities that BRAC presents,” stated James Richardson, Director of the Office of Economic Development. “BRAC is a reality. Jobs are coming to Harford County and that means we must be ready to address the needs of the people who move to Harford County as well,” Richardson stated.
The BRAC Town Hall meetings are part of the county executive’s “Open Government” initiative, sharing information with citizens and those interested in BRAC and the impact to Harford County. The Town Meeting can be viewed on the Harford County Government website. For more information regarding BRAC visit www.harfordcountymd.gov or the Office of Economic Development website at www.harfordbusiness.org

Thanks for voting/New Poll

Thanks to everyone who voted in the latest poll. It was split almost evenly among voters who thought the effects of BRAC would be positive/negative, or weren't sure. I'd like to continue the line of BRAC thinking with this new poll question.
I'm surprised since this is a federal project how little help the area is getting from the federal government. I guess the reasoning is that the local areas will benefit the most -- after, of course, all the expensive infrastructure is put in place.
So what's your thinking? We can't vote on Super Tuesday, but you can vote in our poll!

New Poll Question

Thanks to all who voted in our previous poll. Most are going to vote, if it's possible for them to.
Here at TAA, the voting continues with our new poll question. The BRAC discussions continue to heat up and I just wondered what the thoughts were out there about it. I personally have mixed feelings about positive/negative aspects. Let us know what you think!