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Potomac Confidential
With Marc Fisher
Post Metro Columnist
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002; Noon EDT
One year later, how has life in Washington changed? Did daily routines return to normal after the end of the overflights and the anthrax scare? Today's Potomac Confidential explores where we are one year after Sept. 11 and a couple of days after primaries in the District and Maryland.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Marc Fisher: Welcome all on a splendid early fall day. Two big stories to examine today: One year later, how has life in the Washington area changed? Do we live in constant fear or have we blended the risk of new attacks into our daily lives?
And I get the sense from the early questions that many of you want to do the post-elections autopsy, and this is the place to do that as well. We can mull the results in Maryland and the District, and look ahead to the general election in November, when our Virginia friends will get back into the action, with the referendum on a sales tax hike to pay for transportation improvements.
Some election highlights you might want to talk about: Montgomery voters ousted Delegate Dana Dembrow, the wife-puncher from Silver Spring, and endorsed most of Doug Duncan's pro-Inter County Connector slate for the county council. In Prince George's, Jack Johnson won relatively easily, but still lost nearly 2/3 of the vote; can he unite the county? And in the District, what will Tony Williams do with his powerful mandate?
So let's have at it...
Washington, D.C.:
Marc -- I need to vent about "security" measures that go too far: This past Friday I went to a movie at the theater at Potomac Yards. Next to the ticket-taker was a sign that read something like "For the safety of our patrons, we will no longer allow shopping bags, backpacks, or oversized purses into the theater." Safety of the patrons?! That's bull! The theater probably just doesn't want anyone sneaking in snacks, and they're disguising their attempt to keep snacks out by telling us it's for "our safety!" Yeah, that teenage girl with a shopping bag is a real threat. Give me a break! This is not the only place I've seen an establishment try to enact a self-serving policy in the name of "safety" and I'm getting tired of it. Have you or your readers noticed anything like this?
Marc Fisher: I haven't seen that policy at any of the movie houses I've been to lately, but you have to admit that security at the movies and other such entertainment venues is non-existent. In more security-conscious countries, nobody gets into a movie theater without having their bag searched or checked. In many western European countries, airport-style magnetometers are used routinely for concerts, plays and so on.
I feel your frustration--my wife's backpack was confiscated at an Oakland A's baseball game this summer, doubling the price of a ticket. There is an arbitrary nature to most of the security rules we've seen imposed. But to my thinking, the problem is worse than the solution.
Forestville, Md.:
Just wanted to report, as an election judge in 06-12, that the new machines were wonderful. We have voters from the age of 18 to 93, and no one had any problems. However, we have this truly stupid rule that the books, which are used only to check people in, must match the voting cards and the machines. We were there until 11:15 p.m. because several new election judges messed up the "v"'s that must be checked next to each voter's name, requiring us to go through 800 cards to find out what they missed. The cards and the machines matched perfectly. That is the only rule change that needs to occur.
Marc Fisher: Thanks for the inside perspective. The vote counting mess in Montgomery was a rich irony given the county's usual efficiency. Prince George's used the exact same machines and had no problem getting its count done early and efficiently.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Will anyone be held accountable for Tuesday night's fiasco in Montgomery County?
Marc Fisher: We shall see. The county has now said it will retrain all of its election workers, but judging from the defensive denials that the election board chiefs were putting out Tuesday night, it may be the folks at the top who need retraining rather than the line workers.
Beltsville, Md.:
I know it's not related to the Beltway, but how funny, and pitiful, is it that Florida had election problems AGAIN?
Marc Fisher: It's perfect. See Ken Ringle's fine piece in Style today calling for Florida to be taken over by a control board consisting of, among others, Dave Barry, Barry Manilow and Marion Barry. It's Barry Time!
Bowie:
Marc, it's not early fall.
The last day of summer isn't until the 22d.
Marc Fisher: Picky, picky. If school has opened again and I am forced to wake up hours earlier than we did all summer, then it's fall.
Takoma Park, Md.:
The Post called Chris Van Hollen's victory over Mark Shriver an "upset" but polls from two weeks ago to Tuesday had them running neck-and-neck.
I think it's more of an "upset" that Shriver's name, money, teeth, and cheekbones wasn't enough to win.
Marc Fisher: Anytime someone who has half the money of the frontrunner comes from 12 points behind in the polls to win, that strikes me as an upset.
I didn't meet many Shriver supporters who were entranced by his dental magnificence, but I did meet many who thought that he had the best chance of defeating Connie Morella.
Forest Glen, Md.:
Do you think that campaigners loyal to either Shriver (or Shapiro) will have a difficult time supporting Van Hollen? Or is it all about getting a Democrat in the 8th's chair?
Marc Fisher: We shall see. Van Hollen probably already had the majority of those voters who are moved by the argument that a Democrat should be elected if only to bolster the party's chances of taking over the House. Shriver's supporters tended to be less affluent and included huge margins in the new areas of the district, in Prince George's County. Whether those voters, most of them black or Hispanic, will come out in such large numbers for Van Hollen is questionable. But I still say Van Hollen is the favorite, based solely on the redistricting that has created a district in which 20 percent of the voters do not know Morella and have no such tradition of crossing party lines to vote for her.
Annandale, Va.:
Re: Bowie and Fall --
Marc, you have science, or at least Bob Ryan, on your side -- meteorological autumn begins September 1.
Marc Fisher: Bob Ryan is a man you want on your side, even with the bad toupee.
Washington, D.C.:
Marc:
Do we know yet why Van Hollen won? Is it really because he convinced enough voters that he is more substantial than Shriver? If so, the voters need to go back to ECON 101 and weigh the costs and benefits -- a vote for a primary candidate who is marginally more substantial on policy but significantly less well funded than his primary opponent is not the highest and best use of your vote. I hope the Kennedys and Shrivers perform with the loyalty and selflessness they should and put all their resources to work for Van Hollen -- he'll need it.
Marc Fisher: Shriver will announce his support for Van Hollen tomorrow and will deliver to his erstwhile opponent a check as a downpayment on Shriver's active campaigning for the Democrat.
That said, Van Hollen--if he can raise a big pile of money very quickly--is not to be discounted on his own. He ran an excellent campaign and capitalized quickly and efficiently on the Post's endorsement, which the Shriver people say was the decisive factor in the final week of the primary campaign.
Washington, D.C.:
I am told by one of Shriver's campaign aides that the unions will not support Van Hollen and will work for Morella. Have you heard that?
Marc Fisher: No, to the contrary, the unions are rallying to Van Hollen's side. See Jo Becker's story in today's Post.
Fairfax:
I still get chills and my stomach tightens when I see a low flying plane -- not a good thing when you live in close proximity to Dulles.
Funny thing, we had F-16's on patrol in our skies for months and it was a comfort, but we spent a few days at Virginia Beach, where their take-offs are far louder and I was complete unnerved.
Marc Fisher: I think we had incorporated those nightly patrols into our lives. But then they went away and life seemed relatively normal again. Now that the air patrols are back, I find myself being awakened again at 4 a.m. by the roar of the jets. And we all know that disturbed sleep leads to heightened anxiety in and of itself.
Laurel:
Marc,
Did you see the odd coincidence (1,000-1 shot) that last night's NY state lottery pick 3 number was 9-1-1?
Since you won't believe me (and shouldn't), here's their website:
http://www.nylottery.org/winner/c_winner.php
Marc Fisher: I heard that on the news last night--amazing coincidence, huh? Now how about the psychology of those who picked 9-1-1 as their lottery number yesterday? Are those people who just go with any number that seems apt for the day, or is there a more arch explanation?
Northern Virginia:
What is going on Saturday morning? There are signs up for many road closings (Roosevelt Bridge, Whitehurst, E St., GW Parkway that I know of) but no explanations.
Thanks for checking this out!
Marc Fisher: News to me--sounds like a foot race of some sort is in the offing. Anyone know?
Bob Ryan has a toupee?:
Really? I watch his forecast a lot and didn't notice!
Marc Fisher: Looks like it's made of wax. Watch him tonight and look for the place where the rug ends and the sideburns start. Still, he's the best weather guy in town, by far.
Bethesda, Md.:
As an independent voter registered as a Democrat in Montgomery County -- the only game in town if you want to be enfranchised for County and state legislative races -- I voted for Van Hollen on Tuesday, but will support Morella in November.
Reason? Besides Morella's excellent record, I am appalled at the blatant gerrymandering the Democrats did for the Congressional districts in Maryland. Wynn's district was extended to drag in Republican votes up in Olney and Montgomery Village from Morella's district, while excess Democratic votes from PG were dumped into district 8 to help dump Morella. Wynn's distict has a disgraceful half mile corridor through Silver Spring in order to connect northern Montgomery County with southern Prince George's. These districts should be thrown out by the courts, just as the state legislative districts were. The Democrats deserve a backlash.
Marc Fisher: Well, you and Connie Morella share a passion for that issue. Morella told me yesterday that she plans to make the redistricting a major issue in her campaign, because she's outraged by it and because she thinks Montgomery voters will see it as unfair play. It sounds a bit too inside baseball to be a winning issue, but she knows what she's doing.
Morella v. Van Hollen:
Morella, despite the fact that she's a Republican, has been a pretty good friend to the District. What's Van Hollen's take on D.C? As a District Democrat, I know I should have paid more attention to that race, but quite frankly, I was too busy practicing my penmanship.
Marc Fisher: Van Hollen, like all the Democrats in that race, routinely answered questions about D.C. voting rights with all the right noises about how District residents deserve a vote in Congress. If I recall correctly, he's not much of a fan of D.C. statehood, and like all the suburban candidates, he recoils at the notion of a commuter tax.
Saturday Road Closings...:
There will be a large, organized bike ride that Saturday, sponsored by a local bike group. Several road closings... Goto www.waba.org for more information.
Marc Fisher: Many thanks--you folks know everything.
Washington, D.C.:
Can you tell us if Durke Thompson was up for re-election on Tuesday, and if so, was he re-elected?
(I checked out the MoCo returns and didn't see his name.)
Marc Fisher: Nope, our favorite wild man judge was not up for reelection this time around.
Laytonsville, Md.:
Greetings, Marc:
One of the footnotes from Tuesday's primaries in Montgomery County is the slate of sitting Circuit Court Judges. The six "incumbents" will all be listed on the November ballot for retention, along with "challenger" Tom Eldridge who received enough votes in the Republican primary to qualify.
Here's the rub: Eldridge has been mailing to voters (and presumably will continue to do so in the weeks ahead) literature that cites the infamous "takes two to tango" case, as well as some other cases that were handled by Circuit Judge Durke Thompson. However, none of the sitting judges on the ballot had anything to do with that, or other cases, that have gotten Judge Thompson so much negative publicity in the Post and elsewhere.
Is Eldridge running against the status quo? Maybe. But let's be fair. You can't paint these other judges with the same broad brush that should be properly intended for Judge Thompson. More importantly, let the voters know the truth: Judge Thompson isn't even on the ballot this time around.
The lesson? These judicial retention "races" usually get zero publicity and voters consider it an afterthought. Not this time. Voters -- do your homework!
Marc Fisher: It was disappointing to see that all the incumbent judges got reelected. You'd think voters would want to mix it up a bit, let the judges know who's boss.
Clifton, Va.:
Since we can't evcuate the area and get home in an orderly manner during a snowstorm do our fearless leaders really believe an evacuation plan in the event of a terrorist attack will work? Come on. Everybody is going to throw in a leave slip at the same time and head home at the same time. We have delayed departure in federal govt. during snowstorms and it doesn't work!
Marc Fisher: I think it's clear to everyone involved that no amount of planning will prevent massive tieups in the event of a sudden evacuation. That said, it would be nice to have a plan in place so that bridges and highway lanes can be made one-way outbound.
Chief Ramsey was on the radio the other day with a very realistic approach--of course there'll be massive congestion if the whole city decides to bail out at once, but it's good to have as many tricks as you can muster to help ease the crunch.
Washington, D.C.:
With respect to security, I can say this very clearly: I want my city back! I live very close to the Capitol, so I am at as much risk as anyone, but it's time to start scaling back. In addition to the pervasive ugliness that ruins this beautiful city, I firmly believe I am much more at risk from the use of scarce policing resources for 'security' rather than actual policing. For instance, lawlessness on D.C.'s road is now epidemic, mainly because there are too few police to respond to these 'minor' violations. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been run down by speeders or illegal turners, only to look up to see a cop sitting in their car a few feet away, unable to respond because they are chained to their post.
It's idiocy.
Marc Fisher: You're absolutely right. It's one thing to create a strong security presence as a deterrent to terrorists, but it's completely another to turn the city into a billboard for fear and capitulation. I've railed against the blizzard of Jersey barriers on the Mall and around the city, and every good architect in town has offered all manner of alternative ideas, but so far we see no inclination on the part of the administration to ease the siege. It's both sad and self-defeating.
Reston, VA:
I grew up in McLean and my friends and I (this was in the 70's and 80's) always knew the quickest way from where we were to wherever we wanted to run if WW3 broke out. I've noticed that awareness returning.
I live about 100 yards from the W&OD trail and have a motorcycle. That would allow me to bypass most of the traffic all the way to Purcellville.
Marc Fisher: Nice idea. Probably illegal, but in that circumstance, no one's going to stop you. Bicycling would also be much faster than sitting in car traffic, if you've got the stamina to pedal your way to Pennsylvania.
Washington, D.C.:
I think our area is definitely back to normal and has been for quite some time. Yesterday's Orange Line was packed as usual. We Washingtonians seem to take everythng in stride. I received numerous e-mails and phone calls yesterday from friends and family across the country who asked me if we were on edge here because they certainly were there. I thought that it was just another day in D.C.(with maybe a lot more American flags) and am grateful for that.
Marc Fisher: I'm glad someone was able to ignore all the anthems and flagwaving and treat the day as a normal one. Memorials and speeches have their place, but yesterday seemed way too densely packed with official lamentations. There's a place for discretion even in public grief.
Forest Glen, Md.:
Well the ICC certainly got a major boost on Tuesday.
Do we think anything of importance will actually happen now? Or is this just another step in a never-ending process?
Marc Fisher: There's still another election in November, but assuming that Duncan gets his solid pro-Inter County Connector council, it's fair to argue that there might be real movement on that long-discussed road. Both candidates for governor are boosters of the ICC. So it would seem that there would be few remaining barriers, except, of course, funding. On the other hand, there is still a powerful constituency of people who believe deeply in the agricultural reserve and environmentalists and smart growthers who oppose a Techway bridge, and for many of those people, the ICC is just a way to push the Techway forward.
Intercounty connector foe:
Which level or levels of elected officials will have the most say on how and whether the ICC gets built? I'm so against it that I'm on the verge of becoming a one-issue voter, but would like to limit my silliness only to the elections that will have the greatest impact on the matter. Grazie.
Marc Fisher: The first and therefore most immediately important line of defense against an ICC is at the county council, which is why Duncan is pressing that cause so hard in these elections. If this is your one issue, you'll want to concentrate on the county council (not that you have much choice elsewhere: Duncan himself is virtually unopposed for reelection, and as I said, whoever wins the governor's seat will be pro-ICC.)
Derwood, MD:
Two items: First, as a Montgomery County voter, I'd like to note that I experienced "no" problems with the new computerized touch-screen voting booths.
Second, all of the media coverage I've read, seen and heard has made the point that the election changed the fate of the Intercounty Connector. Based on this one primary election, the media seems to believe that the ICC is going to happen now.
Call me a cynic, but the only thing I see happening is that all those "Intercounty Connector - Study Underway" signs will again have a phone number posted under them. (When the last ICC study was underway, those signs used to have a phone number on them. Then Governor Glendening killed the study and, instead of removing all the signs, somebody instead just painted over the phone number. In hindsight, that was probably a wise move.)
When I went to vote at about 4:00 pm Tuesday, I saw the posted voter turnout number -- there had only been about 400 voters before me. What a pathetic turnout! Then, when I signed in on the register, I noted that I was the only voter on those register pages to have showed up. If those two sheets were typical, only about 1 in 60 eligible voters showed up!
If the ICC actually gets to the point where public hearings are held, I can guarantee you that several times more people will turn out to protest against it than turned out to vote. (After all, it is Montgomery County...)
Marc Fisher: Good point. Also, if the road ever gets to the point of being funded and plotted, there will be hearings on the route (just as there have been time and again in the past) and then we'll see a festival of NIMBYism like we haven't seen since Disney wanted to pave over Virginia's Civil War battlefields.
Forest Glen, Md.:
In regards to the Techway, can't we add another reason for supporting it?
Security.
With the amount of traffic this region already has, any attack on just one bridge closing would have an immediate suffocating effect in the area.
Or is that not a valid reason for the NIMBYs?
Marc Fisher: I have no doubt that proponents of the bridge will sink exactly that deep. Maybe they'll even change the name from the Techway to the Homeland Security Highway. But the return argument, of course, is that you'd just be creating one more target for the bad guys. Better idea: Let's leave utter irrelevancies out of the debate entirely.
Forest Glen, Md.:
Although the new voting machines are great if they work, I'm concerned that when I've voted in both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, I've never had to show photo id.
Isn't that a more major problem than anything else in terms of preserving the sanctity of an election?
Marc Fisher: Voting may now be the one experience in American life for which one need not show photo ID. I offered to show my ID at my voting place and was told "You don't need to show anything." All I had to do was say my name and they handed me a ballot. It's a lovely display of trust, but something inside me would have liked to know that the system was a bit tighter. On the other hand, so few people vote....
Voting machines - Silver Spring, Md.:
There is absolutely NO WAY to guarantee that the voting machines are totally honestly and correctly unless they let an outside code auditor see the code.
Which does not happen -- "trade secrets". I am a programmer, and I will never trust the results of a voting machine.
Marc Fisher: I think we all finally learned in 2000 that voting is an art, not a science. Election systems are very good at doing the job if one candidate wins well more than another; if the race is close, things get very murky very quickly.
Silver Spring:
"Blatant gerrymandering" for partisan purposes has been the accepted norm in American politics for generations, and is practiced by whichever party controls a given state legislature. You can bet if the GOP was in power, Al Wynn's district would go up I-95 all the way to Baltimore to make other districts safe for Republicans.
Marc Fisher: Quite true, but that doesn't make it right, does it?
Arlington, Va.:
I was looking over the election results this morning and discovered the office of Judge of the Orphan Court. What does the Judge of the Orphan Court do? It seems to have a number of people interested in the job.
Marc Fisher: I'll assume this is the court that handles custody and some other juvenile matters. Anyone know better?
Germantown:
Re: redistricting
It IS unfair play. Now, the Republicans probably would have done the exact same thing if they had the opportunity, but it doesn't change the fact that it is fundamentally unfair. The Democrats didn't even attempt to disguise it for what it was: an attempt to kick out incumbent Republicans. I hope that it doesn't work on Connie Morella. Although I could wish that she was more of a supporter of the second ammendement, I have to give her credit for bucking the party line when it doesn't make sense. I think she fairly accurately represents the largely moderate views of her (former) district.
Marc Fisher: Yes, I think Morella's support comes far more from people who value her independence and her stirring personal story than from people who might be driven to her side by moral outrage over gerrymandering.
Beltsville, Md.:
Morella's campaign says she has upwards of $1.7 million in the war chest waiting to go, while Van Hollen's had to spend a lot just for the primary.
But how much does money actually improve her chances? Montgomery County is a pretty well-educated place. Is it naive to think most voters will be deciding based on issues and positions rather than slicker signs?
Marc Fisher: Van Hollen and Morella will need and spend millions because even in sophisticated Montgomery County, TV ads make a big difference. I think it's fair to say that Van Hollen's many, many spots in the final days spreading the word about his newspaper endorsements played a significant role in his victory, as did his quite excellent TV slogan, "the candidate for people who care about ISSUES."
ICC:
In the Erlich campaign ads, he says that one of his platforms is getting the ICC approved. Is he running this same ad in Baltimore? I can't imagine most in Baltimore know about, let alone care about, the ICC.
Marc Fisher: Not a chance--those are ads aimed solely at the Washington suburbs.
Northern Virginia:
Since Florida still can't get an election right, can we kick them out of the Union before they screw up another Presidential election??
Marc Fisher: Then we'd have to kick out Montgomery County too. Which might make both MoCo and the USofA happy.
Sterling, Va.:
I find it interesting that elections in the UK use paper ballots, marked with a pen. They don't seem to have any problems.
Marc Fisher: As for me, I prefer to have voters hold up flaming clubs when their candidate's name is shouted from the hilltop.
Bowie:
Don't knock gerrymandering.
It's what defeated Cynthia McKinnon and Robert Barr, when George made their districts less politcally polarized.
Marc Fisher: Yes, well worth applauding in both cases, but does that make it right?
Fairfax:
Speaking of election day fiascos -- did Katharine Harris actually win her primary? I forget -- was she running unopposed?
Marc Fisher: She won her primary for a congressional seat, so it's fair to assume that we will soon be able to claim Florida's ex-elections queen as a resident of our own area. Won't that be special? Maybe she can take Bob Barr's house.
Columbia Heights, D.C.:
So, was the Post's endorsement of Van Hollen really just a way to torpedo the anti-Morella movement by removing the candidate with the name recognition, funds, and yes, good looks, in anticipation of the Post endorsing Morella in the November election? This is starting to smell bad...
Marc Fisher: Oh, goodness--I love a good conspiracy theory, but that does seem rather far afield. The Post's editorial board doesn't talk to us on the news side about their endorsements, but I think it's fair to conclude from reading their various primary endorsements that they pick the candidate they think is best qualified in each party. Then they go through the whole process again in the fall campaign. And don't discount Van Hollen's abilities--he won this race, didn't he?
Washington, D.C.:
Did you see David Plotz's take on the Pentagon ceremonies in Slate? He articulated a point I've been trying to make to friends and family who keep asking me if everyone in D.C. is grieving constantly: that the Pentagon and the military are fairly closed, private cultures that don't spend much time mourning their losses, and that while the Trade Center was explicitly protrayed as a national loss, the Pentagon was kept as a more low-key, personal, local loss. Good piece.
Marc Fisher: Sounds good; I'll have a look.
Certainly the Pentagon has gotten far less attention than the WTC, but there are good reasons for that: the WTC tragedy was far greater in loss of life, the WTC was a civilian target; New York is the media capital of the nation; and as you say, the military often seems a rather insular culture that seeks to take care of its own. That said, I found this last weekend's Post tribute to those who perished in our area--most of them at the Pentagon--quite moving.
Arlington, Va.:
In case of emergency evacuation, make sure you check prevalent weather patterns and winds. Nothing like evacuating to a "safe" spot only to have everything unsafe float over to you during the next day or two.
Marc Fisher: I'll keep that in mind. Though I doubt too many people fleeing a disaster will have the time or inclination to check weather charts.
Falls Church, Va.:
Matrc -- I agree with the first chatter that many businesses are exploiting real security fears for commercial gain. For example, while on vacation a few weeks ago we took a sightseeing boat. As is common for such attractions, a photographer takes your picture in front of the boat pre-boarding and you can purchase them when disembarking.
In the past, you could opt out of the photo if you wanted. This time, they mandated the photo, though not its purchase, in the name of security. When I protested, they revoked my ticket, with a refund. What a crock!! Taking my picture provides no added security, if one could even imagine that this boat would be a terrorist target. They just wanted to sell more photos.
Marc Fisher: Yikes--that's a bad deal people are getting there. What possible security benefit can come from having some tourist trap put your picture on a bulletin board for purchase?
Dupont:
Do I live in fear? Well, I DIDN'T. But over the last couple of weeks, thanks to the overdose of images, testimonials, and stories, I've started having the nightmares all over again and jumping when I think a plane is a little too loud. It has been literally inescapable, and it's making me cry. A lot.
I really don't understand this. Why would you relive a horrific experience over and over again? On the anniversaries of my assault, I don't search through boxes for old pictures just because I don't think I've mourned sufficiently.
The story about the Kurtzes and how she's been cheated into having to use workers' comp for her absence -- THAT's what I want to hear about, not professional widows and widowers showing profound disrespect to the dead by becoming stars as a result of tragedy.
Marc Fisher: Nicely said.
Board of Education slate - Silver Spring, Md.:
I learned at the voting both that contrary to my belief, everyone gets to vote for a candidate in any BOE district that has a term expiring, not just your own. This is contrary to the approach in all other political offices. I don’t think I am in the minority in my ignorance about this. I knew my BOE district board member was not up for re-election this year, but when I went to vote, the ballot had District 3 candidates, of which I had not educated myself about the candidates running against Patricia O’Neill. I’m angry that this quirk in procedure gives to much of a shoe-in to someone who is selected by unsuspecting voters just because of “name recognition” and not a researched opinion. What’s your opinion?
Marc Fisher: The idea behind at large voting is that you don't want to elect school board members who are too wedded to serving one small part of the county. It's a laudable idea, but it sometimes backfires, because for many citizens, having a representative who is directly responsible just to their little chunk of the world creates a much better sense of constituent service.
Re: Orphans Court:
handles probate and estates
Marc Fisher: Many thanks!
Bowie:
Marc, I had the same story about signs for required picture taking boarding a sightseeing boat.
Our trip was so empty, they didn't bother taking the pics! Security, my ___.
Marc Fisher: Someday, someone will provide a plausible explanation for the now ubiquitous requirement that we show our photo ID all over the place. What conceivable security good can come of that?
I welcome any answers, though we'll have to wait til next week to get into that.
Also, one more request for your nominations for terrible traffic spots in northern Virginia. Send your intersection nominations to me at marcfisher@washpost.com
Thanks--see you in the paper and back here next Thursday. Apologies to those I couldn't get in.
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