Schrader impugned union members

I would like to comment on the Sep. 23 article by Sun staff writer Gady Epstein, "Dennis Schrader fires first volley."

I am a voting taxpayer and have been a resident of Howard County for 22 years. I was also a member of Sprinklerfitters Union 536 of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters of the United States and Canada until my retirement in 1996. As a union person, I am offended by Mr. Schrader's remark about his opponent, James N. Robey, as being too cozy with unions.

Unions are composed of hard-working, taxpaying people who are concerned about their children and grandchildren having a good educational opportunity, a safe environment in which to live and grow into adulthood, and an opportunity for employment at a fair wage.

Is it too much to ask that our county pay a fair wage to teachers, firemen and policemen who devote their careers to helping us? I think not.

It has been abundantly clear during Mr. Schrader's tenure on the County Council where his heart lies -- less with the well-being of the citizens and more with his own political ambition.

Roger W. Hawkesworth Jr.

Woodbine

Voters speak up on development

I had to laugh at the Sept. 20 article about developers' fearregarding election results in Howard County ("Voting result stirs developers' fears"). They have good reason to be nervous.

With Dennis R. Schrader's decisive win of the Republican nomination for Howard County executive, people are expressing their concerns loud and clear about crowded roads and schools, and the loss of beautiful countryside to developer's greed.

No longer will the old attitude of the previous administration be tolerated: "Build now, worry about schools and roads later."

Lisa A. Colangelo

West Friendship

Tree 'tunnel' should be saved

I was shocked to learn last month that the unique and wonderful tree "tunnel" along Governor Warfield Parkway in Columbia was slated to fall to the ravenous builders' shovels.

This section of road is considered by many, including myself, to be the "loveliest" and "most pleasant" short drive in Columbia.

While the extensive development under way around the Columbia Town Center will bring lots of benefits to Columbia residents and regional shoppers, the removal of the trees along the mall side of the parkway is just too much of a good thing. It is unnecessary and reckless development.

The 40-foot-wide path of trees which both the Columbia Town Center and Wilde Lake Village Boards are asking to be preserved seems like the minimum for a reasonable compromise between development and local ecology and life quality.

As a member of the board of the Harpers Choice Village and of the Villas at Hobbit's Glen Townhouse Association, I have a sense of the interests of a broad section of the community. Please reflect the best interests of the Columbia community by mitigating a careless or callous development plan with a key bit of common sense.

George Stuehler

Columbia

Report about poet missed key point

The Sept. 29 edition of The Sun contained a report of the appearance of Amiri Baraka before an audience of 300 students at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia the night before ("Outspoken poet warns students in Howard not to 'punk out' "). The Sun staffer who wrote this review, while listing Mr. Baraka's "accomplishments," failed to mention that under both his current name as well as LeRoi Jones, he could have given lessons to Louis Farrakhan and his fellow anti-Semites in hatred of Jews and Judaism.

David Allen

Baltimore

Harper's Choices has good points, too

This letter is in response to the editorial that appeared in The Sun in Howard on Sept. 25 ("Don't dismiss crime fears").

Contrary to several statements and the tone of the editorial, many positive activities are taking place in Harper's Choice and other parts of Columbia to address crime and the perception of it.

The Village Center of Harper's Choice has recently been renovated to attract shoppers.

The design, an open plan, serves to deter crime. The Columbia Association Sports Park, with miniature golf and batting cages, is a welcome addition to bring families and teen-agers to Harper's Choice to engage in productive activities. In addition, the CA will soon be opening a skateboard park in this complex.

In May, the Howard County Police Department organized a community policing symposium for residents of Harper's Choice.

Subsequent meetings have resulted in the establishment of a task force of more than 30 residents. The overall mission is to "enhance the quality of life through collaborative community efforts."

A year ago, the Harper's Choice Village Board created a revitalization committee to address the physical appearance of the residential areas.

This committee has worked with the county government to increase street cleaning and enforcement of the county code as it relates to sidewalk repair.

We ran several seminars on gardening and landscaping. In the spring, students from Wilde Lake High School participated in a ++ successful open space cleanup.

This past summer, the newly renovated village center attracted many shoppers and families to evening activities.

Columbia Management Inc. sponsored concerts on Friday evenings. The village board supported National Night Out and a community barbecue.

An upcoming event will be an Apple Fest, to be held in the village center on Saturday.

The Harper's Choice Village Board would like to express its thanks and appreciation to the Howard County police and public works departments, our county council member Mary Lorsung, HRD and Columbia Management Inc., the Columbia Association and residents for taking an active role in our community.

Nicki Stenzler

Columbia

D8 The writer chairs the Harper's Choice village board.

Sauerbrey's selling us a bill of goods

It seems that every time I watch television these days, I am reminded by the Sauerbrey campaign of what a good governor she would be. She has plans to add teachers to schools, improve education and preserve our environment. But I believe that these issues are ones that have been Gov. Parris N. Glendening's the past four years.

Ellen R. Sauerbrey is trying to sell the public a bill of goods. While in the Maryland House of Delegates, she consistently voted against funding for education and the environment, a woman's right to choose and any form of gun control. Mrs. Sauerbrey is courting the minority community in Baltimore. Are these not the same people she wrongly accused of voting illegally in 1994?

Mr. Glendening has done an excellent job. We have received a tax break, Baltimore city and other counties have received millions of dollars for education and school construction, and he has taken rapid action on the Pfisteria problem in our waterways.

Mr. Glendening's record of achievement speaks for itself. He deserves another four years of service for the citizens of our state.

Roy Lyons

Columbia

The Sun has joined Glendening's team

On Sept. 20, The Sun's editorial staff officially joined the Glendening re-election committee.

After the news reports that Gov. Parris N. Glendening will try to distinguish himself from Ellen R. Sauerbrey on the abortion issue and other nonissues in this campaign (given that Roe vs. Wade is still the law of the land and that in 1988 a Maryland referendum upheld a woman's right to choose an abortion), The Sun ran an editorial column raising abortion as an "issue in the campaign." Was this an in-kind contribution or what?

If this was not enough, Barry Rascovar wrote a column supporting Glendening's 1994 strategy of scaring voters to his camp.

In his column ("In race for governor, a clear choice, again"), he attempts to scare every Marylander, from state employees to court and commission watchers.

The only accurate part of Mr. Rascovar's column was the headline: There is "a clear choice."

The choice is between the re-election of a governor who is distrusted by his friends, or the woman whom Mr. Rascovar described in an earlier column as having impeccable integrity. I think the choice is pretty clear.

Boyd K. Rutherford

Columbia

High housing costs hamper employment

According to the Brookings Institute, the most promising school-related strategies for reducing the gap in black-white test scores seem to involve "class size reduction, fully qualified teachers and raising teachers expectation for low-performing students." All, of course, would require increased educational funding.

Recently, I asked John Willis, Secretary of State and a key official in the Glendening administration, how counties would pay for initiatives aimed at improving academic performance of students.

He reminded me that the governor had spent billions on education and would continue to do so. However, he said, "localities are required to shoulder a major share of education funding." I got the picture. He clearly was saying, "Also direct that same question to those in your county who are running for office." What I didn't ask Mr. Willis, but should have was: How are counties going to be able to provide essential manpower resources to businesses without an adequate supply of housing for those who work here?

The lack of affordable housing for low-to-moderate wage earners is hampering county business development. Competent teachers are being driven away by the cost of housing and more competitive compensation packages elsewhere.

It's time for us as a community to identify candidates who can lead us to resolution of these and other major problems. African Americans In Howard County will be doing just this.

On Saturday in the board room of the Howard County school system from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., AAIHC will hold panels seeking answers from candidates to the above questions and more. Such issues are not just germane to African Americans, but to Hispanic, Asian and European Americans, as well as on topics about business, public safety, education, etc. Hence, all should join us.

Sherman Howell

Columbia

The writer is vice president for political research and strategic planning for African Americans In Howard County.

Pub Date: 10/11/98