This
Report is brought to you by former Councilman George F. Wiggers as a public service
to the Citizens of Forest Heights. It contains Town news, facts and editorial opinion
for citizens
interested in community affairs. Town
citizens are encouraged to share information posted on this website
with neighbors who do not have internet access. Views expressed on this
website are those of the editor and are not official statements of the
Town government.
If
you would like to be notified of updates to this website, please
send an email to: editor@forestheights.biz.
Breaking
News
Former Mayor Passes AwayMarch 13, 2009 Former
Forest Heights Mayor, J. Kemp Cook passed
away on March 12, 2009. He was 84. Mr. Cook served
as mayor of Forest Heights from 1999 to 2001. He was a long time
resident of Forest Heights, having moved here in 1953, where he and his
late wife, Augustine Cook, raised four children. He was first elected
to the Forest Heights Town Council, representing Ward II, in 1998. He
was living in the Riderwood retirement community in Silver Spring,
Maryland at the time of his death.
As a World War II and Korean War veteran, Mr. Cook will be buried with
full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May
28, at 9 a.m..
A viewing will be held on Monday, March 16, 2009 at the Collins
Funeral
Home, 500 University Blvd. West, Silver Spring, MD 20901 between
the hours of 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. His funeral will be a Mass of
Christian Burial at the Church of the Resurrection at Riderwood
Village, 3110 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, MD, on Tuesday, March 17,
at 11 a.m.
In addition to his community service, Mr. Cook was a 4th degree member
of Bishop Patrick Byrne Council, No. 3877 of the Knights of Columbus,
and had served as State Deputy for the District of Columbia. He was
also a former member of
St. Ignatius Church, on Brinkley Road, Ft. Washington, MD.
CorrectionMarch 13,
2009 On March 11, 2009 we incorrectly reported that
there would be a special election under Section 33-11 of the Town
Charter to fill the Council seat vacated by Andrea McCutcheon's
election as Mayor. Because there is less than 15 months left in Ms.
McCutcheon's term as Councilwoman, the Council may fill the vacancy by
Council vote, or call for a special election under Charter Section 33-35.
Town Election ResultsMarch
11, 2009 At the conclusion of voting in the Forest
Heights general election, Freddie Colston, the Election Board chairman,
announced the following preliminary results:
For Mayor: Andrea
McCutcheon 103, Larry Stoner
89; write-in's: Joyce Beck 1, Steve
Downey 1, Quincy Hines 1.
For Ward I Council seat: Jacqueline
Goodall
40; write-in's: Gail Lewis 5, Abigail
Eason 1.
For Ward II Council seat: Anne
Reifsneider 30, Clifton Atkinson 24.
For Ward III Council seat: William
Clarke 41,
Bill Robinson 21; write-in Taunya Hines 2. The official results of the election will be presented to the
Town Council when it meets on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. At that
meeting the winners of the election will be sworn in. There were 3
absentee ballots which were included in the totals above. With the
exception of the race for the Mayor's seat, all the other seats were
won by incumbents, thereby providing stability to the Town government.
The Forest Heights News Report congratulates the winners of this
election. We also applaud those citizens who put in considerable time
and effort to run for public office, but were not successful in getting
enough votes to win their seat.
Finally, we take note of the work of the Forest Heights Election Board
which conducted the election in a fair and impartial manner.
Next Election in Forest HeightsMarch 11, 2009 Councilwoman
McCutcheon's election as Mayor will create a vacancy in her Ward II
Council seat when she is sworn in as Mayor. Under Section 33-11 of the
Town Charter (PDF Format), if a vacancy
occurs fifteen (15) months or more prior to
the next regular election, the Council shall call a special election to
be held not less than forty-five (45) days nor more than sixty (60)
days following the occurrence of the vacancy. [See correction to this
article dated March 13, 2009.]
Analysis of Forest Heights FinancesMarch 6, 2009 The Forest
Heights News Report has conducted an analysis of quarterly financial
data obtained from the Town of Forest Heights, and prepared a report
based on that analysis. The primary conclusion is that the Town's
available financial data is inadequate for making management decisions,
including preparing a budget for the next fiscal year beginning July 1,
2009. The report can be read by clicking here (PDF Format).
Race for Mayor and Council SeatsMarch 6, 2009
The race for the office of mayor and three Town Council seats is in the
final weekend of campaigning. The Gazette Newspaper has published the
results of Questions
and Answers (Q&A) submitted by most of the candidates
competing
for elected positions, and we are providing links to the their articles
on our Links to Other Sites page. We have
also posted candidate statements and fliers on our Election 2009 page.
Energy Saving WorkshopMarch 6, 2009, J. Goodall
The first workshop – Learning to Save on your Home Energy Bills was
held Saturday, January 31st. Many residents of the town and
community came out to learn, what we need can do to have energy
efficient homes and tips on what they could do themselves at little or
no money. All the utility companies sent representatives to
answer questions and a representative from the Maryland Energy Program
was in attendance to explain the program for anyone needing assistance
in paying their utility bills. Information for any one that was unable
to attend will be available at the town municipal building. There
will five more workshops that will deal with various environmental
issues. The workshops and updating our codes and ordinances are
wholly sponsored by a grant from NOAA and the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources with technical assistance from Chesapeake NEMO and
the Neighborhood Design Center. Look for time and date for future
workshops and I hope to see you there. If you would like to assist with
the “Greening Forest Heights” committee, please call the Municipal
Building (301) 839-1030 and leave a message for Councilwoman Jacqueline
Goodall. Click here for Do-It-Yourself
energy audit tips.
Candidates File For Election February 4, 2009 The
following candidates have filed their nomination papers for the
upcoming March 11, 2009 Forest Heights election: For Mayor: Larry Stoner
(incumbent) and Andrea
McCutcheon (Council President/Ward II). For Council: Ward I:
Jacqueline
Goodall (unopposed). Ward II: Anne Reifsneider
(incumbent) and Clifton Atkinson (former
Councilman). Ward III: William
Clarke (incumbent) and William Robinson (no photo
available).
The Forest Heights News Report
(FHNR) will publish the candidates statements filed with the Town Clerk
when they become available. Also, FHNR may publish on our election page additional campaign fliers
and other election material submitted to us by the candidates.
Election Nomination DayFebruary
3, 2009 February
4, 2009 is the due date for nominations for the elective offices of
Mayor and Council member for Wards I, II, and III. If a Forest Heights
citizen wishes to be placed on the ballot for the March 11, 2009 Town
election, he or she must submit a nomination form to the Town Clerk
before close of business on Wednesday, February 4, 2009
February 2, 2008 Council Workshop
MeetingFebruary 3,
2009 The Council met in a non-legislative session to
discuss the Town's budget, upcoming Town election and other matters. In
attendance at the beginning of the meeting were Mayor Larry Stoner,
Councilwomen Jacqueline
Goodall from Ward I, Council President Andrea McCutcheon
(Ward II), and Councilman Brian McLaurin and
Councilman William
Clarke (Ward III). Councilwomen Lynn
Smith-Barnes arrived later in the
meeting. Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider
(Ward II) was absent.
After looking at some financial data and finding some errors, the
Council decided to table any further discussion of the budget until
discrepancies in the financial data are corrected. In a later
discussion, Mayor Stoner indicated he may reconsider hiring a
Treasurer, but not until after the “budget is straightened out.”
In response to an inquiry during public period, Mayor Stoner said that
the financial quarterly report for the period ending December 31, 2008
has been released. FHNR was promised a copy of the report for
publication.
Notwithstanding an agreement at a previous meeting, Mayor Stoner said a
special flier regarding the upcoming March 11, 2009 election, would not
be distributed to Town residents.
The audit report for FY 2007 is still not available.
A voice recording of the February 2, 2009 meeting in MP3 compressed
format can be accessed by clicking here. This
is a 14.6 MB file and can be downloaded by right-clicking on the above
link and selecting "save target as." The FHNR will provide an
uncompressed file in WAV format (higher quality sound) on a CD to any
Forest Heights citizen or official who requests a copy by sending an
email to the editor.
Court Decides Nickens et al. v Town of
Forest HeightsJanuary
23, 2009 Prince George's County Circuit Court Judge
Nicholas E. Rattal ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, Reginald Nickens, Myles Spires and Worthington Ross on one count of their
complaint and declared that the election of Carmelita Smith-Barnes in a
special election held on March 5, 2007 was null and void. The
Town Attorney, Wilmer Ticer, represented the Town in the case, and
Mayor Larry Stoner served as a witness for the defense. Judge
Rattal’s order found there was
no provision in the Town charter at the time for such an election.
However, this appears to be a Pyrrhic victory for the plaintiffs
against the Town in that Judge Rattal denied voiding any resolution or
appointment of the Council during the period of March 5, 2007 to March
21, 2007 because these were not properly introduced in the evidentiary
phase of the trial. Consequently, the appointment of George Wiggers to
the Council and Town charter resolutions passed
on March 9, 2007 were left standing. Some of these charter
amendments removed Myles Spires and his co-plaintiff Worthington Ross
from the Council on April 28, 2007. Myles Spires would have been
removed subsequently, in any case, because of his felony conviction in
October 2007 relating to his actions while Mayor of Forest Heights.
Judge Rattal further found that the election of Goodall, Reifsneider
and Clarke to the Town Council on March 14, 2007 was valid, as was the
reappointment of Ms. Smith-Barnes to the Council on March 21, 2007
after the new Council was sworn in. Detail of some of these events can
be found in the Forest Heights News Report
archives for 2007. Under the legal principle of “res
judicata,” it
appears unlikely that Spires or Ross would be successful in any
subsequent suit they may consider filing against the Town that would
relate to actions of the Town Council in that March 2007 period.
With respect to Worthington Ross, a co-plaintiff in the suit against
the Town, we bring the readers’ attention to his role in the conviction
of Myles Spires in the above mentioned criminal case. The Forest
Heights News Report had already reported on the apparent false affidavit
(PDF Format)
he filed in that case (see 2007 archive). In his sworn testimony (see pages 5-31
to 5-113) during Spires trial regarding that document, he first
claimed that he wrote the affidavit himself with some advice from a
mysterious James Brown. Later in the trial, under cross-examination, he
admitted that an attorney, Mr. Sciubba with the law firm Joseph,
Greenwald & Laake, had in fact drafted the document for him. Ross
also admitted that he did not, in fact, witness others signing the
resolution in question, as he attested to in the affidavit.
Correction - Code Violation AppealsJanuary 23, 2008
Our reporting of the January 5, 2009 Council workshop meeting implied
that the Police Department was involved in the voiding of violation
notices by Mayor Stoner. We regret any misunderstanding of the police
department's code enforcement process. According to Acting Chief Webb,
the Forest Heights Police Department (FHPD) does have established
internal department procedures for handling errors and other problems
associated with violation notices issued by that department. Citizens
should contact the department (301-839-4040) to obtain further
information about appealing such notices to the FHPD.
Furthermore, we bring the reader's attention to a statement on page 1
of the January issue of the Forest Heights News
(PDF Format)
by Mayor Stoner. In that article he pledges to form a Code Enforcement
Appeals Board.
January 21, 2009 Town MeetingJanuary 23, 2009 The Town
Council met for 3 hours and 2 minutes in open session. In attendance
were Mayor Larry Stoner, Councilwomen Lynn
Smith-Barnes and Jacqueline Goodall
from Ward I, Council President Andrea McCutcheon
(Ward II), Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider
(Ward II), and Councilman Brian McLaurin
from Ward III. Councilman William Clarke (Ward
III) was absent. After reviewing the draft Quarterly Financial Report
for the second quarter of FY 2009, the Council decided that changes
needed to be made before releasing it to the public. In response to an
inquiry during Public Period, they announced that the Audit Report for
FY 2007 was also not yet available.
The Council discussed the Town's preparation for the upcoming March 11,
2009 elections. The seats that will be open for this election are those
now held by Mayor Stoner, Councilwoman Goodall (Ward I), Councilwoman
Reifsneider (Ward II) and Councilman William Clarke (Ward III). Some
Council members felt that information about the upcoming election
should have been more prominently displayed on the first page of the
January edition of the Town's newsletter, Forest Heights News.
Citizens wishing to run for elective office in Forest Heights this year
should submit their certificate of nomination together with a statement
of the particular office to which he aspires, with the Town Clerk on or
before the first Wednesday in February preceding the Town election
(February 4, 2009). Further information on
Forest Heights elections, including a map of the Wards can be found on
the Voting and Elections page of this
website.
Mayor Stoner reiterated his opposition to hiring a Town Treasurer at
this time, preferring that the Town Clerk continuing to serve as Acting
Treasurer.
The Council also discussed the flooding of a house basement on Woodland
Drive, the overflow of which caused icing conditions and access to
homes by public transportation. A citizen, Mr. Robinson, submitted an
information letter to the Council regarding this problem.
A voice recording of the January 21, 2009 meeting in MP3 compressed
format can be accessed by clicking here. This
is a 21.8 MB file and can be downloaded by right-clicking on the above
link and selecting "save target as." The FHNR will provide an
uncompressed file in WAV format (higher quality sound) on a CD to any
Forest Heights citizen or official who requests a copy by sending an
email to the editor.
January 5, 2009 Workshop Meeting
January 6, 2009 The meeting
began at 7:00 p.m. Attending the Town Council meeting was Mayor Stoner, Councilwoman Lynn
Smith-Barnes, Ward I, and Councilmen William Clarke and Brian McLaurin of
Ward III. Councilwoman Jacqueline Goodall,
Ward I and Council President Andrea McCutcheon
(Ward II) arrived at the meeting around 7:25 p.m. Councilwoman
Anne Reifsneider
(Ward II) was reported as recovering from her operation and not able to
attend the meeting.
Prior to the arrival of Councilwomen Goodall and Council President
McCutcheon, Mayor Stoner declared the meeting a special meeting of the
Town Council, at which the Council could vote on issues. It was noted
that the Town's signs posted for the meeting simply said the Council
was going to meet and did not specify the type of meeting.
Mayor Stoner proposed that the Council vote on the hiring of a police
chief at the January 5, 2009 meeting because Councilman Clarke,
chairman of the finance committee, found that funds are sufficient for
the position. Mayor Stoner also noted that the income from property
taxes will be $938 thousand rather than $752 thousand as currently
stated in the budget. After some discussion, the Mayor agreed to
delay the vote on the decision until the Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Town meeting.
The Town has received 5 proposals in response to a Request for
Proposals (PDF Format)
it issued in
November 2008 for work on Municipal Property Grounds and Municipal
Building Roof Improvements. The funding for this project will come in
part from a $200,000 Maryland State Bond bill, and matching funds ether
from the Town or another grant agency.
During the public period, the Council discussed aspects of the code
enforcement program, including the voiding of violation notices by the
Mayor and police department. The voiding occurred when circumstances
were presented by residents complaining about their properties being
cited. Mayor Stoner
denied making a statement regarding a connection between voiding
violation notices and the upcoming election in March 2009.
A voice recording of the January 5, 2009 meeting in MP3 compressed
format can be accessed by clicking here. This is a 16.7 MB
file and can be downloaded by right-clicking on the above link and
selecting "save target as." The FHNR will provide an uncompressed file
in WAV format (higher quality sound) on a CD to any Forest Heights
citizen or official who requests a copy by sending an email to the
editor.
Correction January 4, 2009
The Council workshop meeting of January 5, 2009 has been posted by the
Town to begin at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m. as we had indicated in
our January 1, 2009 news article. We regret any confusion resulting
from this error.
Special Meeting of December 29, 2008January 1, 2009
The Town Council met in open session for over two hours prior to going
into an executive session at the end of this meeting to discuss the
appointment of a Police Chief. In attendance were Mayor
Stoner,
Councilwomen Lynn
Smith-Barnes and Jacqueline Goodall
from Ward I, Council
President Andrea McCutcheon
(Ward II), and Councilmen Bill Clarke and Brian
McLaurin from Ward III. Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider
(Ward II) was reported as recovering from her operation and not able to
attend the meeting.
Much of the public discussion dealt with a discussion of the Town
budget and the possible need for amending it. The Mayor indicated that
he was not in favor of hiring a Treasurer, although two Council members
expressed concern that the Town did not have a Treasurer trained in
accounting. One citizen during public period said he was shocked that
the Town did not have a Treasurer. Currently, the Town Clerk, Bonita
Anderson is serving as Acting Treasurer in addition to her duties as
Town Clerk. Issues involving enforcement of the Town Code and
deteriorating infrastructure were also raised during the public period.
The Council will meet again on January 5, 2009 for its regularly
scheduled workshop meeting. A time for this meeting was not announced
on page 4 of the December 2008 edition of the
Forest Heights News, although workshop meetings typically start at
7:30 p.m.
A sound recording of the December 29, 2008
meeting in MP3 compressed
format can be accessed by clicking here. This is a 15.8 MB file
and can be downloaded by right-clicking on the above link and selecting
"save target as." The FHNR will provide an uncompressed file in WAV
format (higher quality sound) on a CD
to any Forest Heights citizen or official who requests a copy by
sending an email to the editor.
Special Meeting on Police Department
December 28, 2008 The Town
Council will meet in executive session on Monday, December 29, 2008 to
discuss the selection of a Chief and other personnel matters related to
the Forest Heights Police Department. Lt. Webb has been acting police
chief since December 2007.
The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. Prior
to going into the executive session, which is closed to the public, the
Council will conduct an open session in which residents of the Town
will have an opportunity to be heard in regard to any municipal
question.
Special Meeting on Chesapeake NEMOOctober 28, 2008
Members of the Town Council will meet with Cheseapeake NEMO regarding
the "Green Initiative in Forest Heights." Any interested citizen is
welcome to attend the meeting on Monday, November 3, 2008 from 10 am to
12 pm.
October 22, 2008 Town Meeting
October 25, 2008 The Town
Council held its regular monthly meeting on
the fourth Wednesday of October instead of the third Wednesday because
of a scheduling conflict in the use of the Municipal Building. Present
were Mayor Larry Stoner, Councilwomen Lynn Smith-Barnes and Jacqueline Goodall from Ward I, Council
President Andrea McCutcheon and
Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider of Ward
II, and Councilmen Bill Clarke and Brian McLaurin from Ward III.
Councilwoman Reifsneider went through a list of action items the Town
needed to accomplish, including the status of Police vehicles. Former
Councilman Clifton Atkinson gave a brief presentation on the volunteer
work he is doing assisting the Mayor and the Forest Heights Police
Department in maintaining the fleet of police cars. During the
discussion on police expenditures, Mayor Stoner declared Council
President McCutcheon out of order and requested that she leave the
meeting or be escorted out of the meeting by the Forest Heights police.
Ms. McCutcheon complied with the request to leave the meeting without
further incident.
The Town Clerk, Bonita Anderson, provided Council Members with a copy
of the Town's FY2009 Quarterly Financial
Report (PDF Format). The report is required by Council Resolution 06-05. The Council agreed,
in keeping with the resolution to make the document available to the
public. A notice will be placed in the next Town newsletter that the
document will be available at the Municipal Building for any Town
citizen that wanting a copy of it. A copy of the report is also posted
on the Budget & Finance page of this
web site.
Councilwoman Reifsneider also introduced a Charter Amendment resolution
that would limit voting by the Council President to situations where
there was a tie vote among Council members, which was seconded by
Councilwoman Goodall. After some discussion as to how the resolution
would affect Robert's Rules of Order, the resolution was tabled with
the understanding that it could be reintroduced at a future meeting.
A sound recording of the October 22, 2008 meeting in MP3 compressed
format can be accessed by clicking here. This is a 12.8 MB file
and can be downloaded by right-clicking on the above link and selecting
"save target as." The FHNR will provide an uncompressed file in WAV
format (higher quality sound) on a CD
to any Forest Heights citizen or official who requests a copy by
sending an email to the editor.
Treasurer DismissedSeptember
3, 2008 At a
special meeting called on August 27, 2008, the Town Council voted to
dismiss the Treasurer. The vote was 4 to 3, with
Mayor Stoner, and Council persons Clark, McLaurin and Smith-Barnes
voting in favor, and Councilwomen Goodall, McCutcheon and Reifsneider
opposed.
Councilwoman Reifsneider said that the Treasurer was given an "unfair
hearing." Mayor Stoner told us that the Town would soon advertise in
the Forest Heights News and Maryland Municipal League for a new
Treasurer who would "be dependable and could do the Treasurer's job."
Comprehensive Planning Survey September
3, 2008 The Town is preparing a comprehensive plan and has
requested citizen input in a supplement to the August 2008 Forest Heights News. Although the
August 13, 2008 deadline for submitting the completed questionnaire has
passed, the Town Clerk has informed us that the Town is still accepting
completed questionnaires. A copy of the questionnaire can be obtained
by clicking on the following link: http://www.forestheights.biz/Citizen_Input_Survey_Aug08.pdf
Forest Heights Real EstateSeptember 3, 2008 As of
August 11, 2008, there were 22 homes for sale in Forest Heights. Click here for a list of those homes and a
link for additional information about them. [Editors note: In
the interest of full disclosure, one of the properties on the list is
owned by the editor.]
Armed RobberySeptember 3, 2008 At 12:05
a.m. on Friday, August 22, 2008 a citizen was assaulted and robbed at
gunpoint in the 5700 block of Ottawa Street. Two perpetrators stepped
from a red pickup truck to commit the crime, while a third waited in
the driver's seat. The victim was knocked to the ground and his
wallet and cell phone were taken.
For the RecordSeptember
3, 2008 Mayor Stoner was sworn in by the Clerk of the
Circuit Court on June 2, 2008.
Election ResultsJuly 31, 2008 The July 25,
2008 special election for Ward 3 was won by Brian McLaurin with 19
votes. Mr. McLaurin ran unopposed. There were 4 write-in votes for
Taunya Hines who recently served on the Council. The special election
was held to fill the seat vacated by Larry Stoner when he assumed the
duties of Mayor upon the resignation of former Mayor Quincy Hines.
Public HearingMay 31,
2008 The Town
Council held a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on May 29, 2008 as required
by the State of Maryland in regards to the Constant Yield Tax
Rate. The Council heard from Forest Heights property owners
who generally supported a tax increase as long as they could see
results from the use of their tax money. At the conclusion of the
hearing, the Council passed a resolution increasing the tax rate to
$0.53 per $100 of assessed value, and in addition imposed an annual
trash collection fee of $216 for each residential household.
At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Council then took up the
matter of the Town's budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008.
The Council President, Larry Stoner, announced that he would be acting
as Mayor under a provision of the Town Charter passed in September 2007
in which the Council President automatically becomes the Mayor if the
Mayor's position becomes vacant less than 15 months before the next
general election. As Mayor pro tem, Mr. Stoner then submitted a proposed budget (PDF Format)
to the Council. After some discussion, the Council then agreed to hold
a public hearing on the proposed budget at the June 18, 2008 Town
meeting.
Council President Stoner expects to be sworn-in as mayor by the Clerk
of the Circuit Court, as provided for in the Town Charter, within the
next two weeks.
Fiscal Year 2006 Audit ReportMay 31, 2008 The Town of
Forest Heights has released its 2006 Audit
Report, which has been submitted to the Maryland Department of
Legislative Services (DLS) according to state law. The 2006 audit
covers the time period July 1, 2005 through June 30 2006, and should
have been submitted to DLS in November 2006. The Town has yet to
complete the 2007 audit which was due in November 2007. The 2008 audit
for the current fiscal year is due in November 2008. The 2006 audit and
other Town financial documents are posted on the Budget & Finance page of this website.
Mayor Hines ResignsMay
28, 2008 Mayor Hines
resigned as mayor of Forest Heights on May 27, 2008. In a telephone
interview, he indicated he resigned for personal reasons.
Memorial Day Event May 28, 2008 The Town of
Forest Heights held its annual Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony at
Lohr Park at the intersection of Seneca and Woodland Drives in the Town
of Forest Heights. At this years ceremony, special tribute was paid to
Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider, a World War II veteran. Councilwoman
Reifsneider was recognized for over 50 years of service, dedication and
civic responsibility to the Town of Forest Heights, and for her Coast
Guard (SPARS) service during World War II. Also attending the ceremony
was former Mayor J. Kemp Cook, a veteran of World War II and the Korean
conflict.
Election ResultsMarch
12, 2008 The unofficial
results of today's election are as follows:
Ward I Lynn Smith-Barnes (18); Ward II Andrea McCutcheon (34), Clifton Atkinson (17); Ward III Larry Stoner (34), Taunya Hines (19). There were
no write-in votes, and no absentee ballots accepted by the election
board. The Town
Board of Elections will
present their official results at the March 19, 2008 Town meeting, and
the winners of the election will be sworn in by the Mayor at that
meeting. (See also
Forest Heights News Special
Edition.)
Town Council MeetingMarch
2, 2008 The regular
Town Meeting scheduled for February 20, 2008 was held on February 27,
2008, because of inclement weather on the scheduled date. The Mayor and
all Council Members attended the meeting. Actions taken by the Council
included: passing an emergency change to the parking ordinance
requested by the Police Department, defining the meaning of easement;
and agreeing to sponsor a political debate on Monday, March 10, 2008 at
7:30 p.m. for citizens to ask questions of candidates running in the
March 12, 2008 ward elections. Councilwoman Goodall (Ward I) proposed
that needed repairs to the roof of the Municipal Building be "green,"
i.e., the roof be reconstructed to support growing plants and
vegetation. In addition to reducing run-off into the storm sewer
system, such a roof would also reduce cooling and heating costs of the
building according to Councilwoman Goodall. She said that she would
pursue obtaining grants to help finance the project.
Myles Spires Trial TestimonyMarch 2, 2008 Testimony
given by witnesses at the criminal trial of former mayor Myles Spires
in September through November 2007 is now available by clicking on the
links below. Two PDF versions of the court transcripts are provided:
the first set are images of the transcripts, and the second set were
prepared from documents created by using Optical Character Recognition
(OCR) on the transcript images. This second set are "word searchable,"
but may contain errors produced by the OCR software. While searchable
text is convenient, readers are forewarned that the OCR text may not be
completely accurate. The image files are large and may not be suitable
for download for computers using a dial-up internet connections.
Set 1 PDF image files: September 17, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
September 18, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
September 19, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
September
20, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
September
24, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
September
26, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
October
2, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
November
8, 2007 (Image)
(OCR);
November
27, 2007 (Image)
(OCR).
Myles Spires Files Appeal February 22, 2008 According to
Maryland Court records, on December 10, 2007, former mayor Myles
Spires, Jr. filed a notice of appeal to his conviction on felony theft
and misconduct in office. Spires' public information file at the court
can be accessed
by going to: http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiry-index.jsp.
After checking the box indicating agreement with the terms for using
the website, click Continue
and enter CT070356X
in the box for Case Number near the lower left of the page. Select Prince George's County Circuit Court
from the pull-down menu, and click the Get Case button to bring up the
court's public case information file for the State's criminal case
against Spires. If you have difficulty obtaining the information from
the court website, click on this link
to view
the information that was posted there on February 22, 2008.
Nominations for Council SeatsFebruary 14, 2008 Six
citizens have filed for Council seats in the upcoming March 12, 2008
election. Councilwoman
C. Lynn Smith
Barnes is
running unopposed to retain her seat in Ward I. Councilwoman
Andrea McCutcheon is running
to retain her Ward II seat and is being opposed by former Councilman
Clifton Atkinson and by George E.
McDermott. In Ward III, Councilwoman Taunya
Hines is running to
retain her seat and is being opposed by former
Councilman and former Acting Mayor Larry Stoner, Sr. The Forest
Heights
News Report will post information about the candidates on an Elections 2008
page when the information
becomes available. Candidates are invited to submit to the Forest
Heights News Report any additional campaign material they would like
posted on the Elections 2008 page.
Mayor ApologizesFebruary
14, 2008 Mayor Quincy Hines wrote an apology to former
Mayor Paula Noble in the February 2008 issue
of the Forest Heights News
for using an article she wrote in the January 2005 edition of the Forest Heights News without
attribution. (See the Letters to the
Editor
page of the Forest Heights News report.)
Position of Town Clerk OpenFebruary 14, 2008 Bonita
Anderson, who served as Town Clerk since 2004, has resigned, and the
Town is now recruiting a replacement. The advertisement and
qualifications for the position can be found on the last page of the
February edition of the Forest Heights News. The closing date for
applications for the position is February 26, 2008. Click
here for articles from earlier editions of the Forest Heights News Report.
Comments on this web site should be directed to: newseditor@forestheights.biz
