Michael Bell
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MCPS Budget: As Transparent as Glass
Read more: MCPS Budget: As Transparent as GlassIn an op-ed piece on MoCo 360, Council Member Evan Glass called for more transparency in how the school system uses the money we lavish upon it—voluntarily or otherwise. Unfortunately…the process for distributing $3 billion across the school system is not transparent. True, but not entirely true. We have some examples of some problematic school…
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“Electing” a Council President
Read more: “Electing” a Council PresidentThe county’s Charter Review Commission is taking up a proposal that changes the way the County Council’s president is determined. Currently, the council members themselves elect the council president. (Interestingly, in his three terms as a council member, County Executive Marc Elrich was never vested with this office by his counterparts. The council president’s term…
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Distribution of the Property Tax Burden
Read more: Distribution of the Property Tax BurdenProperty taxes are always a painful subject. So painful that when your partner comes in late at night after a 60-minute commute, you may not want to open with, “DoorDash is delivering our two Philadelphia sushi rolls, and we have to pay $6,500 by September 1.” Regardless, with courage and valor, we must face the…
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HB1300: Part 4—Your Remedies are to Move or Vote Libertarian
Read more: HB1300: Part 4—Your Remedies are to Move or Vote LibertarianIn Part 1 of this series we described the background to removing deed restrictions, in Part 2 we described some of the immediate impacts on existing property owners, and in Part 3 we exposed who is responsible for the circumstances leading up to this legislation. In this final post we discuss what options remain for…
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HB1300: Part 3—Origins and Accountability
Read more: HB1300: Part 3—Origins and AccountabilityIn Part 1 of this series we described the nature of deed restrictions, and in Part 2 we described some of the immediate impacts of unilaterally removing those restrictions. In this post we discuss the conditions leading to HB1300 came to be, and who is responsible for those conditions. Recall that HB1300 voids restrictions appearing…
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HB1300: Part 2—Implications of Canceling Restrictions
Read more: HB1300: Part 2—Implications of Canceling RestrictionsIn Part 1 of this series we described the background and potential extent of HB1300 and its intent to void restrictions on multi-family housing. In this part we’ll describe some implications of this legislation, one of which was articulated by a resident of Olney to an Annapolis delegate (redacted). “I am writing this note to…
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HB1300: Part 1—Deeds, Restrictions, and Covenants
Read more: HB1300: Part 1—Deeds, Restrictions, and CovenantsA deed is a set of conditions that are part of a sale of real estate. The buyer undertakes to uphold the deed’s restrictions, covenants, and agreements. As the property moves from owner to owner, the conditions of the deed survive. The purpose of some deed restrictions is to provide predictability to buyers of the…
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Should Board of Education Positions Be Full Time?
Read more: Should Board of Education Positions Be Full Time?Physicists have known something interesting for quite some time: applying a force on an object moves that object, and applying more force on that object moves that object even more. Through an often painful political maturation, I came to a similar conclusion in matters of public policy. If you have a policy that produces poor…
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Parents, Help a Teacher Survive Another Day at School
Read more: Parents, Help a Teacher Survive Another Day at SchoolYou’re on a first date with Melinda at one of the remaining restaurants in Silver Spring. The server asks if either of you would like to start off with a drink. You ask for a glass of the house wine. Melinda asks for Chateau Ausone St. Emilion, 2016, from the north side of the vineyard.…
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One Function of Public Schools: Diversity
Read more: One Function of Public Schools: DiversityI had an enriching discussion with a principal at one of the county’s public schools. “What do you think about school choice or school vouchers? There are parents who see in their child the next Einstein, and others who see in them the next Andrew Lloyd Weber. In either case they prefer a school offering…