Michael Bell
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MoCo’s Triple A Ratings: Part 1—Municipal Bonds
Read more: MoCo’s Triple A Ratings: Part 1—Municipal BondsWhile working at an engineering firm, I had to endure yet another annual review. “Bell,” said the manager. “You’ve come to work every day, and you’ve completed your assignments on time.” “Don’t forget that I also proposed suggestions for process improvement and organizational efficiency.” “As you have,” said the manager. “That’s why I’m ranking you…
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The Fallacy of the Life Sciences Obsession: Part 2—Betting against the Annapolis casino
Read more: The Fallacy of the Life Sciences Obsession: Part 2—Betting against the Annapolis casinoIn Part 1 of this series we listed the infrastructure the local, state, and county governments are giving away for free for the University of Maryland’s Institute for Health Computing (UM-IHC) in North Bethesda—all sited at the coveted Metro North Bethesda station. How wise is this move? The UM-IHC is funded by MoCo, state, and…
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The Fallacy of the Life Sciences Obsession: Part 1—Subsidizing live/work/learn/play but not bus service
Read more: The Fallacy of the Life Sciences Obsession: Part 1—Subsidizing live/work/learn/play but not bus serviceFor many years our county’s officials have been extolling MoCo as a bio-tech center. In his weekly message from August 2, Marc Elrich said MoCo is #3 among all of America’s life science hubs. In a Glass Gazette from July 2024, Council Member Evan glass noted that “Our life sciences sector is incredibly important to…
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How optimistic can we be for school reform with “Term Limits” Boss Stein?
Read more: How optimistic can we be for school reform with “Term Limits” Boss Stein?In a video clip appearing on Montgomery County Media, incoming president of the Montgomery County Education Association (teachers’ union) David Stein delineated his responsibilities. I need to be the public face of the union…I need to be the person who is talking to MCPS, overseeing our bargaining processes, talking to our members, supervising the staff…
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The Limits of Affordable Housing Initiatives—Part 2
Read more: The Limits of Affordable Housing Initiatives—Part 2Part 1 of this series summarized a few of the thoughts (out of many) presented by DC affordable-housing developer Patrick McAnaney in his extremely comprehensive series about affordable housing. We learn from McAnaney that zoning has a limited impact on the availability of affordable housing, because other factors are in play that are beyond the…
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The Limits of Affordable Housing Initiatives—Part 1
Read more: The Limits of Affordable Housing Initiatives—Part 1Today I rejoice, because I was proven wrong by someone with more wisdom and experience than I. Moments like that are as humbling as they are liberating. I’ve written quite a few posts about affordable housing, and my claim has been that the way to achieve an inventory of affordable housing is to re-zone. Throw…
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Implementing Pre-K in Montgomery County
Read more: Implementing Pre-K in Montgomery CountyEarly child care is a remarkable industry, with entrepreneurs, providers, and customers from every demographic participating in the market. Some pre-K providers offer upscale facilities, others work out of their homes, and others work in their customers’ homes. Churches offer pre-K programs out of a sense of mission or as a way to utilize a…
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School Vouchers Are Already Here!
Read more: School Vouchers Are Already Here!I’ve written at least nine posts about the need for school vouchers, and I’m convinced that at some point they will become a reality—even in progressive Montgomery County where Superintendent Monifa McKnight and teachers’ union president Judith Martin very likely turned MCPS into a safe space for sexual predators. For our newer readers, here’s a…
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Whom would you rather mentor your child, a leader or a whiner?
Read more: Whom would you rather mentor your child, a leader or a whiner?What can we say about Colin Powell that hasn’t already been said? The son of immigrants, he grew up in Harlem and the Bronx (that’s 1940s Harlem and 1940s Bronx, not the gentrified areas we know today), and thanks to his inner resolve, became a four-star general and a secretary of state. The same goes…
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Unelected Annapolis Representatives: It’s Not Who They Are, It’s What They Do
Read more: Unelected Annapolis Representatives: It’s Not Who They Are, It’s What They DoWhile awaiting jury duty a few years ago, I was in the Well Being Cafe inside the county’s Executive Office Building. Perusing the news on my tablet, I overheard a conversation between a few people who apparently were high-ranking county or state Democrats. One of them concluded the conversation, “Great! We’ll have A run for…