Last updated 3/10/2011
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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.

INDEX

• News Archive

• Forest Heights Newsletter

• Meetings & Contacts

• History & Studies

• Budget & Finance

• Police & Town Security

• Public Works Dept.

• Voting & Elections

• Events & Activities

• Churches

• Businesses

• Parks & Recreation

• Town Documents

• Health & Sanitation

• Links to Other Sites

• Letters to the Editor

• Editorials

Headline News
Town Election Results March 10, 2011 At the conclusion of voting in the Forest Heights general election on March 9, 2011, the following results were announced (incumbents are listed in italics):
For Mayor: Andrea McCutcheon 85; Jacqueline Goodall 107; Myles Spires 25; Larry Stoner 86.
For Ward I Council seat: Robert Barnes 11 (write-in votes).
For Ward II Council seat: Clifton Atkinson 41; Anne Reifsneider 57.
For Ward III Council Seat: William E. Clarke Jr. 55; Taunya Hines 47.
Congratulations to the winners!

Elected Official Salaries March 10, 2011 At the February legislative session, the Council approved raising the salaries of elected officials to $5,000 annually for the Mayor, and $2,000 annually for Council members. This brings those salaries in line, adjusted for inflation, to where they were in 1986 when they were last increased. Council members who were not up for election this year, will not receive the increase until after the 2012 election.

Judge Rattal Upholds Council February 14, 2011 Judge Nicholas E. Rattel ruled against suspended mayor Andrea McCutcheon's law suit seeking damages from the Town of Forest Heights, and upheld the Town Council's suspension of her Mayor. Prince George's Gazette story on the ruling. Correction: Judge Rattal's decision did not rule on the damages portion of the complaint. See Letters to the Editor.

Judge Rattal to Rule on Lawsuit February 10, 2011 At the Prince George's Circuit Court hearing on Monday, February 7, 2011, Judge Nicholas E. Rattal said he would render his decision Monday, February 14, 2011 on the suit brought by Andrea McCutcheon and Myles Spires. A more detailed report was posted by the Prince George's Gazette.

Town Council Workshop Meeting February 10, 2011 At the February 7 workshop meeting, the Council discussed raising the salary of the Mayor and Council members to $5,000 and $2,500 respectively. The current salaries were last set in 1986, and the proposed increase would roughly account for inflation since that time.  Salaries for the Mayor and Council members are governed by Section 33-3 of the Town Charter. It specifies that salaries must be set by ordinance, and shall not be changed during the term in which the official was elected. For example, if the salaries are changed prior to the next election, March 9, 2011, only the newly elected officials would receive the new rate when they are sworn in. The Council members who are not up for election this year, would have to wait until after the March 2012 election to be eligible for the pay increase. Maryland Article 23A, Section 2 (b) (26) authorizes the Council to fix the salary or compensation of all municipal officers and employees.

 Also discussed at the meeting was requiring the Treasurer's financial report to be submitted on a monthly basis instead of quarterly, and allowing employees to transfer leave to one another.

McCutcheon and Spires sue Forest Heights for $400,000 February 7, 2011 Suspended Mayor Andrea McCutcheon and former mayor Myles Spires have joined in a law suit against the Town of Forest Heights. The case is to be heard this morning in Prince George's Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro. In the law suit, Count IV asks for $200,000 from the town and $500,000 each from individual defendants (named Town officials), and similar amounts under Count V.

The McCutcheon and Spires law suit harks back to the law suit Myles Spires filed against the Town in June of 2009. In that suit, Myles Spires sued the Town for hundreds of thousands of dollars related to his suspension as mayor and subsequent prosecution by the State of Maryland for stealing from the Town, misconduct in office and other offenses for which Spires was indicted by a Maryland Grand Jury. Because of mistakes by the trial court, Spires conviction on some of the counts, was later negotiated to a probation before judgment. However, Spires civil action law suit was denied by Judge Michele Hotten on June 25, 2011. Judge Hotten's ruling is current under appeal by Myles Spires.

Much of the news regarding the Spire's law suit and the events leading up to it can be found in this page, and the Forest Heights News Report news archive page.

Mayor McCutcheon Suspended February 4, 2011 In a closed session on January 19, 2011, the Town Council unanimously voted to suspend Andrea McCutcheon from her duties as mayor of Forest Heights. The Council's resolution included allegations of misappropriation of funds and refusal to provide the Council with information it had requested. Mayor McCutcheon subsequently filed a complaint in Prince George's Circuit Court against the Council requesting a temporary restraining order, writ of mandamus, and preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. That case will be heard at the County Court House in Upper Marlboro at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, February 7, 2011. Former mayor Myles Spires was observed assisting Ms. McCutcheon in filing those legal papers.

Forest Heights Official Web Site February 4, 2011 We reported here last year that the Town of Forest Heights had established an official web site, http://www.forestheightsmd.gov/, which we applaud as a major step forward for the Town to communicate with its citizens. However, we have found locating information posted on that web site is not completely intuitive. In particular, if one is interested in the Town newsletter, and click on the Newsletter link on the Town's home page, the browser then visits the Forest Heights News Report's page for Forest Heights Newsletters. We have revised that page with instructions on how to correctly access the news letters on the Town's web site.

Another example is the Town's audit reports, which we had been posting on this web site on our Budget & Finance page.  To access the latest audit report, we first went to "Document Center" link on the Town's web site. We clicked on the "Finance Office" link on that page, but all we could find was the FY2011 Budget. We then went back to the Town's home page, held the mouse of "E-Services" and selected "Archive Center." Once we were on the Archive Center page, we clicked the drop-down menu under the "Budget" category, and found the FY 2009 and other audits listed there. By again selecting "All Archive Items" we retrieved a page which listed the FY 2010 Budget 3rd QTR Report and audits for fiscal years  2009, 2008 and 2006. [We don't know why the Town has not provided the FY 2007 audit report, but it available on our Budget & Finance page.]

We hope the Town's web site will soon be corrected for the above anomalies.

Upcoming Town Election February 4, 2011 The following citizens have filed nominations for the March 9, 2001 Town election:
Mayor - Andrea McCutcheon (incumbent), Larry Stoner (former acting mayor), Myles Spires (former mayor), and Jacqueline Goodall (currently Ward I Councilwoman).
Ward I Council Seat - No one has been nominated for this position. The position will be filled by a qualified write-in candidate receiving the most votes, or if there is no qualified write in candidate, the Council will appoint a qualified citizen from Ward I to fill the position.
Ward II Council Seat - Anne Reifsneider (incumbent), Clifton Atkinson (former Councilman).
Ward III Council Seat - William E. Clarke, Jr. (incumbent), Taunya Hines (former Councilwoman).

As in past years, this site will post campaign literature and flyers distributed by candidates to the public, as well as other information requested by the candidates. This information will be posted on  http://www.forestheights.biz/Election2011.html. The page can also be accessed by clicking on the Voting and Elections link on the top left of this page and then clicking on the link near the top of the next page for March 2011 election candidate campaign information.

Forest Heights Web Site July 20, 2010 The Town of Forest Heights has established an official web site, http://www.forestheightsmd.gov/.  This site has also been added to the Links to Other Sites page. Readers of the Forest Heights News Report are encouraged to visit the Town's official web site and explore the information it provides.

Myles Spires' Lawsuit July 1, 2010 Judge Michelle Hotten announced her decision on Friday, June 25, 2010 regarding motions for summary judgment in the lawsuit of former Mayor Myles Spires against the Town of Forest Heights and other defendants. The Judge granted the defendant's motion for summary judgment and denied the plaintiff's motion for summary judgment. As a consequence the trial scheduled for July 26, 2010 has been canceled. Mr. Spires has 30 days to appeal her decision. More information on case CAL09-15765 can be obtained from the court's information page. At that page, check the agreement on terms of use, click continue, and at the bottom of the next page select Prince George's County Circuit Court, and enter the foregoing case number.

Citizens’ Crime Watch Campaign July 1, 2010 The Neighborhood Watch Program and the Forest Heights Police Department are sponsoring an event at the Forest Heights Municipal Building on July 17, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. including refreshments. For more information visit the Forest Heights News Report's Events & Activities page.

Tree Canopy Study July 1, 2010 The University of Vermont is conducting a study of the tree canopy in Forest Heights. According to their draft report, "tree canopy provides many benefits to communities, including improving water quality, saving energy, lowering town temperatures, reducing air pollution, enhancing property values, providing wildlife habitat, facilitating social and educational opportunities, and providing aesthetic benefits." The draft indicates that a tree canopy now covers about 33.9% of the Town's area.

Fiscal Year 2011 Budget July 1, 2010 The Town has released the budget for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2011. The budget has been posted on the Forest Heights News Report's Budget & Finance page.

Municipal Building Green Roof July 1, 2010 The work on the "green roof" of the Forest Heights Municipal building has been completed (see image below) and the grass is now "operational."

FHMB Green Roof

Special Election Results March 24, 2010 The results of the special run-off election for Ward III are Brian McLaurin (incumbent) 48,  Taunya Hines 38. The votes included two absentee ballots that went to Ms. Hines.

Special Election Scheduled for March 24 March 11, 2010 The Town of Forest Heights expects to hold a run-off election on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 for Ward III. The need for the runoff election has occurred because of the tie vote in Ward III in the March 10, 2010 election.

Town Election Results March 10, 2010 At the conclusion of voting in the Forest Heights general election, the Town Clerk announced the following election results (incumbents are listed in italics):
For Ward I Council seat: C. Lynn Smith Barnes 25, Watisha Dixon 10, [2 absentee ballots cast in Ward I].
For Ward II Council seat: Jonathon Kennedy II 74, Theresa Brownson 18.
For Ward III Council seat: Brian McLaurin 23,  Taunya Hines 23, write-in's for John Bryan 1, and Kennedy 1.
Section 33-36 of the Town Charter states that "In case of a tie vote, the Mayor and Council shall order and provide for a run-off election between the tied candidates within twenty-one (21) days thereafter."  Section 33-3 states that "The regular term of Councilmen shall expire on the first Wednesday following the election and qualification and installation of their successors." Section 33-27 states that "notice for runoff elections authorized in Section 33–36 need only be within one week of the election date." Section 33-31 states "Certificates for nomination are not required in the case of a run-off election held as a result of a tie in an election." Section 33-35 states that "All special Town elections shall be conducted by the Town Board of Elections in the same manner and with the same personnel, as far as practicable, as regular Town elections. ... The Town Council shall amend the Town budget to cover any expenses not otherwise appropriated for the conduct of the special election."

Candidate Debate March 5, 2010 Citizens who were unable to attend the debate Wednesday evening can listen to the debate by clicking on the following link:
http://www.forestheights.biz/CandidateDebate2010_03_03.mp3
The file is 10MB in MP3 format and can be played with Microsoft Media Player or other suitable software. The recording is about one and one-half hours long and features a debate among 5 of the six candidates runing in the March 10, 2010 Town election. The was moderated by former Election Board Chariman Freddie Colston. Listening to the file as a streaming audio over a dial-up internet connection is not recommended.

For the Record March 5, 2010 Councilman McLaurin had submitted a complaint to the Maryland Open Meetings Compliance Board regarding meetings of the Ordinance Committee of the Town of Forest Heights. The Compliance Board found that the Ordinance Committee and its subgroup did not constitute a "public body" regulated by the Open Meetings Act, but also found that Town Council itself violated the act when a quorum of its membership convened during the meeting days in question. The full text of the Board's findings can be found by clicking on the following link:
http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opinions/Open2008/6omcb155.pdf.

Candidates to Debate March 2, 2010 The Town will host a debate among the candidates for the upcoming March 10, 2010 election. The debate will be held in the Municipal Building, 5508 Arapahoe Drive, on March 3, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Summons Issued for Councilman December 18, 2009 The District Court for Prince George's County issued a summons (PDF Format) (HTML Format) on December 15, 2009 for Councilman Brian McLaurin on the charge of second degree assault. The alleged incident took place in Forest Heights on December 10, 2009 between the council member and the Town's code enforcement officer Napoleon Epps. The matter was discussed at the December 16, 2009 Town meeting. Officer Epps read a statement indicating he was in the process of issuing a parking ticket when the alleged incident occurred.

Fiscal Year 2007 Audit December 18, 2009 The audit for the fiscal year beginning July 2006 and ending June 2007 has been completed. It can be downloaded by clicking on this link (The audit report is also accessible on the FHNR Budget and Finance page. The FY 2008 audit has been reported as being completed and we expect post it when it becomes available. The FY 2009 audit, which is also overdue, is expected to be completed in early 2010. According to Mayor McCutcheon, the Town has consulted with the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, and they have approved an extension on the submission date of the past due audits.

For the Record December 18, 2009 The November 18, 2009 Town meeting was initially chaired by Council President Jonathon Kennedy until the arrival of Mayor McCutcheon. During the initial public period, a citizen complained about his trailer being towed by the Forest Heights police from in front of his house. Mayor McCutcheon noted that an ordinance had recently been passed and advertised in the Forest Heights News, and she further described the administrative procedure for resolving issues involving code violations. Mayor McCutcheon announced that former Councilwoman Taunya Hines will be the Town's liaison with Forest Heights and Flintstone Elementary Schools. Councilwoman Reifsneider announced that a memorial will be placed in the park on Seneca and Woodland Drives for the Town resident who was killed in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. The Council passed an emergency ordinance updating the wording of the Sections 19.1 and 19.6 of the Streets and Sidewalks Article of the Town's ordinances. Councilman Kennedy introduced changes to the Town ordinance on dogs and animals which was adopted by the Council as an emergency measure. Mayor McCutcheon denied a request by Councilman McLaurin to be reimbursed for a training session. After some discussion by the Council, Councilman McLaurin left the meeting before it adjourned. A recording of the meeting can be downloaded by clicking on this link (about 2 hours, 20 minutes).

At the Special Town meeting of October 5, 2009 the Council was provided information by a bond attorney on the issuance of municipal bonds for funding town infrastructure improvements. Office Assistant Sherletta Hawkins gave a presentation on the development of the Prince George's County Intergovernmental Network (INET) which is expected to facilitate communications between the Town and other government entities, as well as assist the Forest Height's police to conduct remote surveillance within the town. The Council passed a resolution introduced by Mayor McCutcheon to participate in INET. The Council discussed the annexation of the new development proposed for Talbert Drive. All Council members attended this meeting. A recording of the meeting can be downloaded by clicking on this link (about 1 hour, 50 minutes).

Town Council June 2009

Jonathon Kennedy won the special election held May 19, 2009 with 65 votes. His opponent in that election, former Councilman Clifton Atkinson, received 17 votes. Councilman Kennedy was sworn into office on May 20, 2009.

The transcript of the prince George's Circuit Court hearing for former Mayor Myles Spires in which he was given probation before judgment can be downloaded by clicking on one of the following links: (http://www.forestheights.biz/Transcript_09-03-31_Image.pdf) (http://www.forestheights.biz/Transcript_09-03-31_OCR.pdf). Please keep in mind that the OCR file contains computer generated text information and may contain some errors. This court proceeding came about after the appeals court determined that Judge Melanie Geter made procedural and other errors when accepting Spire's attorney's request for a bench trial in his original trial. Transcripts of the September 2007 trial can be found in the March 2, 2008 article in the 2008 FHNR news archive page.

Former Mayor Passes Away March 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.

Correction March 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 Results March 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.

Forest Heights Election Board

Next Election in Forest Heights March 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 Finances March 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 Seats March 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 Workshop March 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.

Energy Workshop Meeting

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 Day February 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 Meeting February 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 Heights January 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 Appeals January 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 Meeting January 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.

As noted on page 2 of the Town newsletter, citizens wishing to vote in the Town election must be a registered voter in Prince George's County by January 27, 2009. Information from the P.G. Elections Board can be obtained by clicking on the following link:
http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov//Government/AgencyIndex/Elections/. Information from the Maryland State Board of Elections can be obtained by clicking on the following link: http://elections.state.md.us/voter_registration/index.html.

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.

Click here for articles from earlier editions of the Forest Heights News Report.
Comments on this web site should be directed to: editor@forestheights.biz