During the past two weeks, members of the Maryland General Assembly have begun consideration of two important pieces of legislation. Governor Martin O'Malley has proposed comprehensive gun control legislation, in response to recent episodes of gun violence across our nation. Additionally, he has also put his full support behind efforts to repeal Maryland's death penalty statutes. Each of these public safety topics has elicited a vocal response from advocates on both sides of these controversial issues. As communities like Sandy Hook, CT, Aurora, CO and even Perry Hall have faced gun violence…
During times like this, when economic growth nationally continues to move at a slower pace than is desirable, one of the most essential jobs of any level of government is to support job creation. Here in Maryland, we have been lucky in that our economy did not fall as much as that of other states as a consequence of the Great Recession. Moreover, we have also experienced a somewhat more rapid recovery than other areas as well. These favorable trends do not however mean that our policymakers can leave future job creation efforts to chance. Positively, Perry Hall's own State Senator Kathy …
Prior to the Super Bowl last week, I had the opportunity to journey to Seattle, Washington for the mid-winter meeting of the American Library Association. While there, I was consistently surprised by the uniform response I got when folks found out that I lived in the Baltimore area. To a person, they were happy and excited for the success that the Baltimore Ravens have enjoyed on the football field this season. It was truly a pleasure to see such good feelings from people living in different parts of this country. As nice as this positive reception while traveling out-of-state was, something…
Given the challenging economic conditions that continue to exist as a consequence of the Great Recession of 2009, there are still fewer job opportunities available than are needed in order to achieve strong growth. This situation has been particularly difficult for the range of public and non-profit agencies that are actively involved in the promotion of workforce development for communities located throughout our state and nation. There is, however a growing trend that seeks to move beyond the traditional workforce model of first offering skills training to job-seekers and then attempting …
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the various events associated with the opening of the 113th session of Congress. As a guest of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland's Congressman for the Eighth District, I was able to witness first-hand this biennial tradition. Those representatives and senators who were either re-elected or were selected by the voters of their respective districts for the first time will now begin the challenging task of helping to govern our great nation. Like many others, I hope that the next two-year session of Congress will ultimately prove to be far more productive…
Through the years, there have been a variety of holiday traditions that residents of Perry Hall have been able to participate in during these festive days of Christmas. As readers of Perry Hall Patch settle down to celebrate the season with family members, friends, and neighbors, let's take a look at some of the ways in which our community has commemorated this holiday. One of the more unique traditions that existed in Perry Hall was associated with the Plummer family, residents of Perry Hall Mansion from 1924 until 1948. Through those years, William and Eva Plummer lived at the mansion with …
Even with the general elections of 2012 behind us, there is still much doubt in the air with regard to the future course of our federal government. For 2013, citizen advocates for all sorts of causes will be seeking clues to see if the incoming 113th Congress can put years of partisan gridlock behind it and do the people’s work. The first chance for our federal leaders to strike a grand compromise comes with regard to the federal budget. As of the writing of this column, President Barack Obama and leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives are desperately seeking strategies …
Given the recent public dialog regarding the future of the structure that used to house the Poor Little Rich Girl bridal shop in Perry Hall, I thought it might be helpful for readers to learn a little about how historical significance is actually defined. While its demolition has been postponed, at least temporarily, even activists are skeptical that the former shop can be saved. It's the question of should it be saved that drags on. As it happens, there is a very specific process—used by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service—to assess the relative significance of older …
Like most Perry Hall residents, I was particularly pleased to read the news that Perry Hall High School Principal George Roberts was recognized as the "Fifth District Citizen of the Year" for 2012. Councilman David Marks couldn't have made a more appropriate and timely gesture to showcase this fine member of the Perry Hall community. I first had the pleasure of meeting George Roberts shortly after his arrival as principal, back in 2008. Principal Roberts wasted no time in coming to meet with the board of directors for the Perry Hall Improvement Association, of which I was a member. Roberts…
Anyone who knows me well will probably be surprised that the topic for my musings this week happens to be a sports-related item: namely the move by the University of Maryland, College Park to the Big 10 Conference. Given that I am not really a die-hard sports fan—I'm more interested in the social gatherings associated with sporting events—something must be really out of order for me to actually speak up. Up until the past couple of years, I was a strong supporter of Terrapin sports teams. As a 1995 graduate of the university, I have many fond memories of going to football games (and watching …
Last week, I was honored to attend a special ceremony held at the Towson Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL). Ron and Patricia Fisher -- who were long-time residents of Perry Hall -- joined members of the Foundation for BCPL to announce a gift of over $11,300 from the Allison E. Fisher Memorial Fund. The Foundation will add the gift to its endowment fund to support children’s literacy efforts, which was established in 2011. This generous gift from the Fisher family will also launch the Margaret Peterson Giving Circle, which consists of those who include the Foundation for …
After a tumultuous election year—both nationally and here in Maryland—we have at long last reached the end of a messy process. Some folks are pleased by the re-election of President Barack Obama, while others are bitterly disappointed. Similar emotions are certainly found in association with the results of some of our state's more controversial ballot initiatives, including expanded gambling, extending in-state tuition benefits to children of undocumented immigrants, and upholding the extension of civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. Not surprisingly, soon after the results were …
Like many people, my family and I were taken aback by the significant degree of damage done by last week's visit from Hurricane Sandy, especially in New York and New Jersey. In spite of the event officially being labeled "only" a Category 1 storm—the weakest hurricane possible—high winds, floodwaters, and even blizzard conditions have made their presence known up and down the East Coast. The power of this storm was truly something to behold. Now mind you, this was not the Smith family's first brush with a hurricane. During 2005, we happened to chose to visit my in-law's vacation home in …
The past week was a bit of a whirlwind, as my wife Patty and I were staying aboard the Queen Mary 2, as part of an eight-day voyage that departed from New York City’s Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. I thought that readers of the Perry Hall Patch might enjoy a travelogue of this journey, which has included stops in: Newport, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. My wife and I chose to commemorate the occasion of our fifteenth wedding anniversary with this special excursion. Since our honeymoon trip back in …
Well, the numbers are in, and there is credible evidence of a measurable improvement in the American economy. Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor released its September 2012 "Employment Situation Report." Statistics within the report indicated that employers added 114,000 jobs, resulting in a 0.3 percent drop in the overall unemployment rate. Now at 7.8 percent, the unemployment rate is lower than it has been since January 2009, which was about one year into the Great Recession. There are other numbers noted within the report that are worth highlighting: The number of unemployed …
In many older, more established communities like Perry Hall, infill development is correctly seen as a preferred alternative to the use of any remaining "greenfield" tracts for new projects. This approach relies upon the principle of smart growth: concentrating residential and commercial growth in compact, town-center environments, in order to avoid wasteful sprawl. However, in order to effectively redevelop older properties, something must be done with the existing commercial or residential structures that might already be there. Generally speaking, when a developer acquires an existing …
This past weekend, coinciding with the year's autumnal equinox, Chapel Hills Farm and Nursery and the Perry Hall Improvement Association held the first annual Perry Hall Apple Festival. This event featured a variety of food, music and other entertainment, games, and of course great seasonal fruits and vegetables. My family and I were thrilled to once again have a home-grown community gathering to attend. What was especially nice was to have an event to go to when the weather was nice, and more temperate than summer activities we have gone to in the past. Interestingly enough, there is a …
I can still vividly remember the first time that I met Darcy Cahill, outgoing branch manager for the Baltimore County Public Library's (BCPL) location in Perry Hall. It was during January of 2009, near the end of the construction for the new Perry Hall Branch, located on Honeygo Boulevard. In my role as a member of the Board of Library Trustees, I jumped at the chance to get a sneak peak of our new library. For what would certainly not be the last time, no sooner than I had walked in the front doors, Darcy Cahill was there to greet me. Her enthusiasm and obvious love for the library system …
Like most readers of Perry Hall Patch, I had close connections to individuals who directly faced last Monday's shocking student shooting at Perry Hall High School. My niece was in the middle of the first day of her junior year at the school and experienced the turmoil and confusion. Additionally, a close friend of our family, who works as a social studies teacher at the school, happened to have lunch duty in the school cafeteria, and saw firsthand as this horrific event took place. My immediate feelings after learning of the school shooting were a mix of deep sadness tinged with a bit of …
I had the opportunity to attend "Premiere Night," for the just opened Giant Food in Perry Hall. As I wandered the aisles of this new, well-designed and provisioned grocery store, I couldn't help but think back on the excitement I felt when—as a very young child—my mother took me to our local supermarket. As adults, grocery shopping has become just another chore on our list of things to do, for the most part. For youngsters however, supermarkets are a world of excitement. Growing up in Fallston, Maryland during the 1970s, our closest grocery shopping options were located in nearby Bel Air. Of …
