Dear Neighbors:
After the summer break, the City Council returns to formal meetings Wednesday night at 7:30 PM. You can see the agenda through this link: https://takomaparkmd.gov/meeting_agendas/city-council-meeting-agenda-september-16-2020/. As with all of our meetings in recent months, because of COVID-19 this one will be conducted virtually. The sign-up for public comments will be open until 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting. Link to sign-up for Live Public Comments
There will be no votes in this week’s meeting. We’ll start with introductions of the new Youth Council members, followed by proclamations on Emergency Preparedness Month and National Voter Registration Day (September 22). There will then be a staff presentation on the New Ave. Bikeway, and three work session discussions: on Reimagining Public Safety; a Resident Committee Code of Conduct; and an update on the planning for our fall elections. We’re expected to have election updates in all of our remaining meetings between now and Election Day.
Nominating Caucus, Tuesday, September 15, 7:30 PM. https://takomaparkmd.gov/news/city-election-information/nominating-caucus/. This is an opportunity to see candidates for Mayor and City Council have their names formally placed on the Takoma Park ballot for this fall’s elections. Each candidate must have a nominator and a “second” in order to be placed on the ballot. The link above includes details on how you can watch the caucus live.
Election Update (two separate ballots for City elections and for State/Federal elections)
Takoma Park Local Election. Because of the pandemic, the election for Mayor and City Council will be conducted primarily by mail or ballot drop-off. All registered City voters will receive a ballot by mail in October. You can either mail it back or drop it off at a drop box. There will be a drop box at the Community Center and another at the New Hampshire Avenue Recreation Center. There will also be limited in-person voting at the Community Center on Election Day (November 3), primarily for those who may not have a ballot. All mailed in ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted, provided they are received no later than 5 days after Election Day. Dropped off ballots must be submitted by 8:00 PM on Election Day. Again, you don’t have to request a local Takoma Park ballot -- if you’re registered to vote in the City you should get one automatically by mail. More information about the Takoma Park local election -- including voter registration -- can be found here: www.takomaparkmd.gov/elections.
State Election. Unless you plan to vote in person, you will need to request a State ballot (which includes the Presidential and Congressional elections). You can submit your request through this link: https://voterservices.elections.maryland.gov/OnlineMailinRequest/InstructionsStep1. You’ll then have two options: having the ballot mailed to you or having it sent to you electronically. While there are concerns this year about the US Postal Service, I believe it’s preferable to receive the ballot by mail. With that option you can then either drop it off or mail it back. With the electronic option, election staff would have to copy the submitted ballots by hand before they’re tallied. That will significantly slow the counting process, especially if large numbers of voters select this option.
I’ve asked to have my State ballot mailed to me, and I plan to submit it at a drop box. I’m pleased we’ll have a State drop box along with our Takoma Park drop box at the Community Center. It will also be possible to vote in-person on Election Day for the State ballot at various voting centers, including the Silver Spring Civic Center. There will be a drop box for State ballots at the Civic Center and other voting centers. Early in-person voting options will be announced later. Regular Takoma Park precinct sites won’t be open on Election Day, and you won’t be able to cast a ballot for the Takoma Park elections in Silver Spring or other State voting centers.
Whichever method you choose for voting, please keep in mind that there are two separate ballots: a local Takoma Park ballot for the Mayoral and City Council elections, and a State ballot for everything else. The ballots are separate because in Takoma Park we allow 16 and 17 year-olds and non-US citizens who reside in the City to vote.
COVID Dashboard Update. Deputy City Manager Jessica Clarke released the updated Takoma Park COVID-19 Dashboard with new data as of Friday, September 11. She noted that positive cases in the City increased by 10, and that the numbers of positive tests collected per month trended lower from June to August, even in the context of increased testing availability. A total of 392 of the 627 positive cases (cumulative since the beginning of the pandemic) were collected in May or earlier. The Montgomery County testing schedule for this coming week can be found here: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/testing.html. In addition, as noted previously, there will be free testing at the Washington Adventist Hospital Urgent Care facility in Takoma Park on September 26th; residents can register here.
This Week’s Rain Storm. I don’t need to tell residents about the ferocity of Thursday’s rain storm. For a brief period the rate of rainfall was in excess of 4 inches per hour, and I understand Sligo Creek’s water level was at an all-time high. I’m aware of several dozen addresses in Ward One that experienced flooding, in some cases from stormwater, in others sewage backups connected to stormwater flows. If this is our “new normal,” which climate change predictions suggest is the case, I think it’s important for the City to focus more intently on options for managing stormwater. I’ll be talking to representatives of WSSC later this week, and I’m reaching out to my Council colleagues and City staff about how best to address this set of issues.
Takoma Park Folk Festival, Sunday, September 20, 7:00 PM. I’m pleased Festival organizers have responded creatively to the pandemic and arranged for two separate nights of performers in this year’s festival. The second night will be this coming Sunday. See details on the performers and how to watch both new performances and some from the Festival’s archives here: https://www.tpff.org/.
New Ave. Bikeway Presentation: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20201609-1.pdf
Reimagining Public Safety: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20201609-2.pdf. As part of our efforts to address inequities caused by systemic racism, we’re continuing to move torward an approach to public safety and policing that’s based on the guardian rather than warrior model for officers, and that treats our Black and Brown neighbors with the respect and dignity they deserve. In that context, the Council will be considering the creation of a task force of community stakeholders to make recommendations on changes to our public safety policies and practices. I think it’s a good idea -- we need to hear more from those who are most affected by the policies we’re trying to reform.
Among the key questions to consider are the size and composition of the task force. If it’s too large it could be unwieldy and decision-making could be difficult. On the other hand, we do want to ensure that relevant stakeholders, including for example young people who may be more likely to have challenging interactions with police, are adequately represented. Those are among the points I’ll be watching closely as we consider this proposal. We may vote on establishing the task force as soon as our September 23 meeting, so I encourage interested residents to let me know your thoughts on the proposal as soon as you’re able.
Committee Code of Conduct: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20201609-3.pdf. The Council is considering changes to the operation and structure of our resident committees with the goal of making them more effective and increasing their diversity. One component of this work is the adoption of a code of conduct for committee members, and we’ll be reviewing a proposed code this week.
Election Update: https://documents.takomaparkmd.gov/government/city-council/agendas/2020/council-20201609-4.pdf. Given the complexities of this year’s local election (the first time our elections coincide with the State and Federal election, the use of mail-in ballots because of the pandemic, etc.) it’s more important than ever for the Council to have frequent updates on the planning for the election. This week I’m looking forward in particular to hearing about the process our outside contractor will be using to mail the ballots for the Mayor and City Council elections to Takoma Park registered voters.
As always, feel free to be in touch with questions or comments. You can watch the Council meeting through any of the following methods: on City TV (RCN -- 13, HD 1060; Comcast/xfinity -- 13, HD 997; Verizonn Fios -- 28), on the City Council Video Page of the City website; on YouTube, or on Facebook.
Peter Kovar, Takoma Park City Council, Ward One
240-319-6281; www.councilmemberkovar.com
(He, Him, His)
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