From: Michele Bunker

Glen Burnie

I am furious that Rep. Wayne Gilchrest has the nerve to be sending residents of Anne Arundel County his so-called "newsletter," which is nothing more than campaign literature paid for by the taxpayers.

This is not your district, Wayne, and the new districts do not takeeffect for another year!

I find it interesting, to say the least,that he chose to send his "newsletter" 60 days before the primary. If he wants to send us campaign literature, he ought to send it at hiscampaign's expense, not ours. I for one do not want any part in financing Gilchrest's re-election campaign, and I am insulted that he thinks Anne Arundel County Republicans are stupid enough not to know what his up to.

Is this the same Wayne Gilchrest who pledged during his 1990 campaign not to have district-wide mailings, calling them "a waste of money," and is now sending mailings to people who live nowhere near his current district?

Is this the same Wayne Gilchrest whoin 1990 backed congressional term limits and is now "neutral" on this important issue?

Is this the same Wayne Gilchrest who in 1990 pledged to give back his $25,000 congressional pay raise, and is now pocketing the very same pay raise?

Gilchrest has done so many flip-flops over the last year, he ought to be exhausted. He should take a break. This is one Republican who will vote on March 3 to give him a well-deserved retirement from Congress.

TRIBUTE TO ST. PHILLIPS

From: Barbara B. Bentley

Annapolis

Your wonderful article which appeared in the Dec. 31, 1991, Anne Arundel County Sun newspaper, written by Angela Gambill, about the Acosta family's plight and collectiveefforts to reunite them best exemplifies the work of Father Robert Powell and the members of St. Phillips Church.

Historically, St. Phillips has practiced the doctrines of true brotherhood, Christianity and missionary outreach.

The congregation is quite diverse, with members of various races, lifestyles, age groups and backgrounds. And yet, through the leadership and splendid examples of leadership demonstrated by Father Powell and the associate priest, Father Norman Crews, the climate at St. Phillips is warm, friendly and inspirational toexperience and enjoy on Sunday mornings.

The members are involvedin many social programs, working to help make a difference and continuously striving to improve the quality of life in this community.

Hats off to St. Phillips Church, Trudi McGovern and all of the oth

er churches involved in this effort. God bless Pedro and Geraldine Acosta and all who helped to bring them together.

MALL'S MUSICAL FIASCO

From: Barbara Garner-Hudak

Choral Director

Millersville Elementary

Thursday evening, Dec. 12, 1991, my chorus students arrived at Marley Station Mall at 7 p.m. for our performance. I had been told in a phone conversation earlier that month that the chorus wouldbe escorted to a room where they could vocally warm up and place their personal belongings.

My students congregated near the main entrance as we had been instructed to do.

The Severna Park Instrumental Group was giving its performance, which had been scheduled from 7 to 7:30 p.m. A young lady from the management office walked past our group and approached me asking who we were and why we were there.

Ithought she was joking. I had my copy of the written confirmation ofour appearance in my folder. I was informed that the mall had no record of our performance that evening. My letter stated our performancewas to begin at 7:45 p.m. giving plenty of time for Severna Park's Ensemble to perform and clear the stage before we were to begin.

The young woman asked me to come to the phone and speak with someone inthe management office. The person was the same gentleman who had approved our performance in the first place.

My students were growingmore restless with each passing minute. We still had not been told to move to a special room for vocal warm up. I was told we could go ahead with the performance. How nice, since he was the one who scheduled it in the first place!

The initial letter that solicited our performance was sent to the school in August 1991. Other communications,both written and verbal, continued through October, November and December 1991. Surely someone marked a calendar with the intended performance. Perhaps a course in office management should be recommended.

Adding insult to injury, there was no record of items I had requested for the performance. I specifically requested a piano, risers,and a sound system. When mentioning to the person attempting to coordinate the fiasco that I needed a music stand to conduct, she indicated none was available.

Take note music directors, have all selections memorized! I was able to borrow a music stand from Severna Park's group, thank God!

Before I could put my group on stage, mall personnelhad to assemble the risers. My students and their families had been at Marley Station for an hour! Do you know what it is like trying to keep 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds under control for over an hour in an area such as that?

At 8:10 p.m. I began to put students on the stage.We had been inconvenienced long enough!

When the accompanist sat down to play, he informed me the damper pedal was broken. By now, I wanted to say, "Scotty, beam me up!" Students were packed onto the stage like sardines, yet I had been told the stage would hold 100 students. Dwarfs maybe, not fourth- and fifth-grade students. There were about five students absent that evening. We had difficulty placing the 60 who performed.

I am convinced the entire focus of this supposedholiday program for music groups is not to provide a quality atmosphere for the performers, but rather to exploit them in any way possible so those wishing to see the group will be drawn to the mall to shop!

This certainly isn't good public relations. My students were notpleased by the obvious lack of Marley Station Mall management. Parents are the ones who provided transportation so the students could perform. Many parents had very young children with them.

The mall obviously wants the performances, but are they willing to provide transportation for the students? I refuse to have students pay bus fare to perform. Why should they have to pay to sing?

I would like to thank those parents who brought students, my chorus members, Mr. Tom Neuenschwander, our accompanist, and the handbell students from Brooklyn Park Elementary for your patience in a chaotic situation. I am sorry so much of your evening was wasted due to the incompetence of others.I am very proud of the chorus. A fine performance was given in spiteof the obstacles we faced.