Last updated 3/18/2008

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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 Dept. & Homeland 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
Election Results March 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 Meeting
March 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 Testimony March 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 Seats
February 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 Apologizes
February 14, 2007 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 Open February 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.

Spires Sentenced to Three Years
November 8, 2007 Judge
Melanie Shaw Geter sentenced former mayor, Myles Spires, Jr. to three years to be served concurrently for counts 1 and 3 of the indictment. She then suspended all but six months of the sentence, the remainder to be spent on supervised probation. Spires will have to make restitution to the Town for the $2,500 he was found guilty of stealing and will have to do 200 hours of community service. The Judge's sentence generally followed the recommendations of the prosecutor, although she did not impose a fine. In passing her sentence on Spires, she noted that he had violated the public trust in his position as mayor of Forest Heights. Spires was then led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

In his statement to the Court prior to sentencing, Spires said he accepted the judgment of the Court, although he did not directly admit to stealing the funds, but expressed regret for the "inappropriate use of personal funds in town business." His attorney, in arguing for leniency, focused heavily on the impact of the sentence on Spires' children now attending school. He also used a letter from Reginald Nickens, who had jointly filed a lawsuit with Spires contesting the March 2007 Ward I election, to argue that many town residents were in favor of leniency. The letter indicated that Nickens was a member of the Freedom Fighters, a citizen group that circulated a petition supporting recision of Charter amendments enacted by the Town Council in November 2005. John Kennedy, a leader of the Freedom Fighters, said that Nickens was not a member of that group. Former councilman Worthington Ross, whom we reported about earlier regarding a false affidavit, was also in Court, apparently in support of Spires.

Town Meeting of October 17, 2007
October 20, 2007  In attendance were Mayor Quincy Hines, Council President Andrea McCutcheon (Ward II), Councilwoman Lynn Smith-Barnes (Ward I), Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider (Ward II), Councilman William Clarke (Ward III), and Councilwoman Taunya Hines (Ward III). Councilwoman Jacqueline Goodall (Ward I) was reported out of town and was absent from the meeting.

District 8 Prince George's County Councilman, Tony Knots spoke at the beginning of the meeting and reminded the Mayor and Council that grant funds are available for the Town, but applications for the grants had to be submitted on a timely basis. He also requested support from the citizens by attending State Legislature meetings in Annapolis when issues affecting Prince George's County are discussed.

Verizon gave a presentation regarding their request for a franchise agreement with the Town of Forest Heights to provide fiber optic cable TV service. Their presentation indicated that their service would be competitive with Comcast cable services. There was no indication from the Mayor or Town Council as to when they would consider Verizon's request.

Council President McCutcheon introduced a resolution to provide typographical corrections to Charter Amendment resolutions approved by the Council at the September 19 Town meeting. More information about the resolution and the Charter amendments can be found on the Town Documents page of this website. The resolution passed on a vote of 5 to 1, with Mayor Hines casting a No vote.

The Town Treasurer, Miranda Shepard, presented a report on Town Finances to the Town Council. Councilwoman Reifsneider complimented her on the report.

The Town Council agreed to hold a closed session on Monday, October 22, 2007 to discuss a personnel matter. In keeping with the Maryland Open Meetings Act, the Council must first meet in an open session and vote to go into the closed session. Citizens can be heard during the open session part of the meeting.


In the citizen part of the meeting, Mayor Hines was asked about why he cast so many No votes. He did not respond directly to his vote earlier that evening, but instead referred to his No vote on the budget. He noted that at the time he indicated that a tax increase was necessary, but because of its impact on the citizens, including himself, he voted against the proposed budget.

Town Employee Arrested October 20, 2007  Javier Nazario, Public Works Supervisor was arrested on Monday, October 15, 2007. According to Acting Chief Webb, Nazario had been observed by Town police putting gasoline, billed to the Town, into his personal vehicle.

False Affidavit October 20, 2007  On February 23, 2007 we reported on a Washington Post article published that day which reported that former Councilman Worthington Ross had filed an affidavit under oath with Myles Spires' attorney that the Town Council had passed a resolution on January 24, 2006 authorizing the Town to pay legal expenses of Council members related to their duties as a member of the Town Council. We have now obtained a copy of that affidavit. In this affidavit, Ross swears that he signed the resolution into law, and that he witnessed other Council members, including Larry Stoner, Myles Spires, Clifton Atkinson and George Wiggers, also signing the resolution. The affidavit refers to an alleged counterfeit resolution submitted by Myles Spires' attorney with a request to the Town that it pay legal expenses he incurred.

As it turns out, several recordings of the January 24, 2006 Town meeting show that the resolution was never introduced at the meeting and therefore never voted on. Furthermore, former Council members Stoner, Atkinson, and Wiggers gave sworn testimony at Myles Spires' trial that they had not signed the resolution in question. In fact, the signatures on the resolution put forth by Spire's attorney were clearly copied by cut-and-paste from another resolution that was, in fact, signed by the forgoing Council members.

Spires Convicted October 3, 2007 Former mayor Myles Spires was convicted yesterday on counts 1 and 3 of a seven count indictment, covering theft and misconduct in office, by Judge Melanie Shaw Geter in the Prince George's County Circuit Court at Upper Marlboro.  His sentencing is scheduled for November 8, 2007.


Myles Spires Trial Delayed June 10, 2007 We have been informed by the State Prosecuting Attorney, Steve Trostle, that the trial of Myles Spires, originally scheduled for June 28, 2007, will now occur sometime in the months of September, October or November 2007.  As previously reported here, Spires was indicted for theft, embezzlement, misconduct in office, submitting a counterfeit invoice, forgery, uttering and attempt to commit theft.
 

Swearing-in of Mayor and Councilwoman June 10, 2007 Quincy Hines was sworn-in as mayor of Forest Heights at the May 16, 2007 Town meeting by State Senator Anthony Muse. Mayor Hines was also sworn-in by a representative of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Prince George's County in keeping with the Town Charter requirements. Taunya Hines was sworn-in by Mayor Hines as Councilwoman representing Ward III. She replaced Worthington Ross, who was removed from the Council under Charter  amendments passed on March 9, 2007.


Quincy & Tanya


Town Council


Final Election Results May 10, 2007 After consulting with the Town Clerk, the final total counts of last night's election are as follows [numbers in square brackets are absentee ballot counts which are included in the totals] write-in votes are shown in italic:

For Mayor: Quincy Hines (90), Andrea McCutcheon (86)[6],  Larry M. Stoner (45)[4], Mary Wimbush (31); write-in Joyce Beck (1), Myles Spires (5).


For Ward III Council Seat: Taunya L. Hines (56)[2]; write-in Worthington Ross (6) Stoner (2)


Preliminary Election Results
May 9, 2007 Unofficial election results for the Forest Heights special election for Mayor and Ward III council member were announced by the election board after the polls closed at 8:00 p.m. as follows:


For Mayor: Quincy Hines (92), Andrea McCutcheon (86) Larry M. Stoner (45), Mary Wimbush (31); write-in Joyce Beck (1), Myles Spires (5).


For Ward III Council Seat: Taunya L. Hines (56); write-in Worthington Ross (6) Stoner (2)


Court Hearing
May 4, 2007 In a Prince George's County Circuit Court hearing, the judge dismissed a suite by former Mayor Myles Spires against the Council members who suspended him in September 2006. Our understanding is the judge did not rule on the basic contempt motion (39 page PDF file), but may put off a final ruling until after Myles Spires criminal trail expected to be held around June 28, 2007. According to the Prince George's Gazette motions will be heard regarding the criminal trail on June 2, 2007. The Town's has filed a response (10 page PDF file) to Spire's motions.

Charter Amendments in Effect May 3, 2007 On April 28, 2007, the Town Charter amendments that were passed by the Town Council on March 9, 2007 went into effect. These amendments provided for a transition of the four-year terms of elected office that were instituted by Charter amendments passed by the Town Council in November 2005, reverting back to two-year terms. The amendments also made vacant the office of Mayor held by Myles Spires and the Ward III Councilman seat held by Worthington Ross.

Four Forest Heights citizens have filed for the vacant office of Mayor, and one citizen has filed for the Ward III council seat to be determined in a special election on May 9, 2007. More details on these candidates can be found on our Elections 2007 page.

New Council Members Sworn In March 21, 2007 The winning candidates of the March 14, 2007 Town election were sworn into office at the County Courthouse in Upper Marlboro by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. In normal circumstances, Council members are sworn into office by the Mayor of Forest Heights, but at the time of the election and swearing-in, the Forest Heights Mayor, Myles Spires, had been suspended from his duties as mayor for several alleged offenses, that were subsequently embodied in an indictment by the State prosecutor (see our report below dated March 6, 2007).
Swearing-In March 21, 2007


Town Meeting March 21, 2007 Prior to the meeting suspended mayor Myles Spires, in a rather pathetic scene, attempted to chair the meeting. In order to have him ejected from the podium, the members of the Town Council voted to have him removed, and the Forest Heights Police escorted him from the meeting room. On the vote to remove, all Council members voted yes except for Councilman Ross who voted no.


07-03-21 Town Meeting


During the business part of the meeting, Councilwoman McCutcheon was elected President and members were assigned to the following committees: Councilman Clarke to Public Works and Health & Sanitation; Councilwoman McCutcheon to the Police Department; Councilwomen Goodall and Reifsneider to Finance & Budget; Councilwoman Smith-Barnes to Administration & Recreation. The Council then passed three resolutions: (1) to enact in 30 days the Charter amendments approved by the voters at the March 14, 2007 election; (2) continue the Town Clerk to act as Treasurer and adjust her pay accordingly; and (3) re-suspend Myles Spires as Mayor under Charter Section 33-93 (b) due to his indictment on criminal charges. All Council members voted yes on the appointments and resolutions, except Councilman Ross who voted no or abstained on each of the matters.

Final Election Results Below are the final results of the March 14, 2007 Town election for Council members and Charter amendment questions. These counts were determined by the Forest Heights Board of Elections on March 20, 2007, and include absentee ballots which were not included in the preliminary count made on March 14, 2007. Numbers in square brackets [] indicate absentee ballot counts:


Ward I - Jacqueline Goodall (39), Reginald Nickins (1)
Ward II - Anne Reifsneider (67)[3], Cliff Atkinson (22), George McDermott (9)
Ward III - William Clarke (33)[2], Larry Stoner (22), Tauyna Hines (12)[1], Maurice Hatchett (6), Doris Stephens (2), Lasyfner (1)


Ballot Questions:
Q1 - Yes 203 [3]; No 11
Q2 - Yes 195 [3] ; No 17
Q3 - Yes 185
[3]; No 28
Q4 - Yes 178
[3]; No 40
Q5 - Yes 186
[3]; No 26
Q6 - Yes 185
[3]; No 23
Q7 - Yes 190
[3]; No 22
Q8 - Yes 68
[2]; No 149 [1]
Q9 - Yes 185
[3]; No 28
Q10 - Yes 193
[3]; No 22


Election Results March 14, 2007 Below are the unofficial results of the election held today in Forest Heights. The results will remain unofficial until the Board of Elections meets tomorrow to confirm voter registration data with the P.G. Board of Elections.


Ward I - Jacqueline Goodall (39), Reginald Nickins (1)
Ward II - Anne Reifsneider (64), Cliff Atkinson (22), George McDermott (9)
Ward III - William Clarke (31), Larry Stoner (22), Tauyna Hines (11), Maurice Hatchett (6), Doris Stephens (2), Lasyfner (1)


Ballot Questions:
Q1 - Yes 201; No 11
Q2 - Yes 192; No 17
Q3 - Yes 182; No 28
Q4 - Yes 175; No 40
Q5 - Yes 183; No 26
Q6 - Yes 182; No 23
Q7 - Yes 187; No 22
Q8 - Yes 66; No 148
Q9 - Yes 182; No 28
Q10 - Yes 190; No 22


More Breaking News March 14, 2007 10:30 a.m. Judge Nichols of the Prince George's County Circuit Court declined to address and rule on the plaintiff's (Myles Spires, Reginald Nickens and Worthington Ross) motion because of lack of proper service to the defendants.


Breaking News
March 14, 2007 8:00 a.m. Suspended Mayor Myles Spires, and Reginald Nickens who was recently defeated in a Forest Heights Ward I election , have filed a complaint in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, to overturn the election held on March 5, 2007, and to reschedule the election scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, 2007. Myles Spires is currently under indictment for 7 counts of felony theft, embezzlement, and other crimes alleged to be committed while mayor of Forest Heights. Reginald Nickens recently lost in a bid to be elected to a Ward I Council seat.


Special Council Meeting March 12, 2007 At at Special meeting on Friday, March 9, 2007, the Town Council appointed former Councilman George Wiggers to the seat he vacated in May 2006. Councilman Wiggers then introduced several Charter amendments that were approved by the Council. These Charter amendments can be viewed on the Town Documents page of this website. Voting in favor of the amendments were Council members Clifton Atkinson (Ward II), Andrea McCutcheon (Ward II), C. Lynn Smith-Barnes (Ward I), Larry Stoner (Ward III), and George Wiggers (Ward I). Worthington Ross (Ward III) voted no to all the amendments.


The amendments returned the terms of office from the current four years to two years as they were prior to November 2005. One of the amendments removed the current Suspended Mayor, Myles Spires, from office effective April 28, 2007, and another removed all Council members from office who were elected in May 2005, although it exempted any incumbents who were elected or appointed to those seats subsequent to the May 2005 election. Effectively, this will remove Councilman Worthington Ross from the Council on April 28, 2007. The amendments establish a special election on May 9, 2007 to fill the vacant seat of Mayor and the upcoming vacancy in Ward III. The Charter amendments will go into effect unless a petition is received on or before April 18, 2007 requesting the Charter amendments be placed on a ballot.


Councilwoman Smith-Barnes reintroduced a motion that had been passed on March 6, 2007 to again suspend Myles Spires from the  office of Mayor. This step was considered necessary because the Charter provision permitting elected officials to be suspended requires a two-thirds vote of the Council. Councilwoman McCutcheon also reintroduced a resolution to repeal the "trash tax" which had been imposed by the Fiscal Year 2007 budget passed on May 31, 2007. Although such a measure was passed in October 2006, the October 2006 action was thrown into question when Judge Nichols of the Prince George's County Circuit Court ruled in January 2007 that Smith-Barnes' and Wiggers' appointments to the Council in October 2006 were invalid because of a lack of quorum on the Council. Voting in favor of these measures were Atkinson, McCutcheon, Smith-Barnes, Stoner and Wiggers. Ross voted in opposition.


Upcoming Election
March 12, 2007 Forest Heights voters will go to the pool on Wednesday, March 14 to elect three Council members, and vote on a number of ballot questions involving further changes to the Town Charter. More information on the candidates and the ballot questions can be viewed on the Election 2007 page of this website.


Barnes Sworn In
March 6, 2007 Prior to the special Council meeting on March 6, 2007, C. Lynn Smith-Barnes was sworn in by Acting Mayor Larry Stoner as a council member to fill the seat vacated by Councilwoman Alice Hoskins. Hoskins resigned her seat in September 2006. Councilwoman Smith-Barnes had won the special election conducted in Ward I on Monday, March 5, 2007.


Mayor Spires Suspended Again
March 6, 2007 With a quorum present, the Forest Heights Town Council unanimously passed a resolution, introduced by Councilwoman Smith-Barnes, suspending Myles Spires from his position as Mayor. According to Acting Mayor Larry Stoner, Myles Spires' suspension imposed in September of 2006 would have expired at midnight on March 6, 2006 if the Council had not taken the action of passing a new suspension resolution.

The current resolution differs from the resolution passed in September 2006 in that it will be in effect while charges imposed by the grand jury (see below) are pending, rather than for a specific 180 day period. The latest suspension was passed using the Town Charter's Code of Conduct
section 33-93 (b).

The suspension will end when Spires is either found guilty or acquitted at trial. or the charges are otherwise dropped by the prosecution. The date for Spires' trial will be set after he is arraigned. If Spires is found guilty, he will no longer be able to serve in public office in Maryland under the State's constitution.

Voting for the resolution was Acting Mayor Stoner, Acting Council President McCutcheon, Councilman Atkinson and Councilwoman Smith-Barnes. Councilman Worthington Ross was absent from the meeting.


Spires to be Arraigned
March 6, 2007 We have been informed by the State Prosecutor's office that Suspended Mayor Myles Spires will be arraigned on criminal charges on March 16, 2007 at the County Courthouse in Upper Marlboro. This is expected to be a brief session, and persons wishing to attend should contact the Court Clerk's office a few days prior to the arraignment to obtain the time and court room scheduled for that event.


Ward I Election Results
March 5, 2007 8:30 p.m. In an unusually heavy turnout for a special emergency election called with short notice, Ward I voters gave 41 votes to former Councilwoman C. Lynn Smith-Barnes, 20 votes to Beverly Branch and 2 votes to Reginald Nickens. Gloria A. Brown and Luke Pierce Baysmore, Jr. each received one write-in vote.


After the votes were counted, Acting Mayor Larry Stoner said that there will be a special meeting at the Municipal Building on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. [Correction: the special meeting will be on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building.]


Town Council Elections
March 5, 2007 The Town of Forest Heights is holding two elections in March 2007.


The first election on March 5 is a special election to fill a seat in Ward I that was vacated in September 2006 by Alice Hoskins, when she resigned from the Town Council. The three candidates running in this Special  Election are C. Lynn Smith-Barnes, Beverly Branch, and Reginald Nickens. The statements these candidates submitted for publication in a special edition of the Forest Heights News, as well as other campaign material distributed by the candidates can be found on our Election 2007 page.


The second election is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 in accordance with the Town Charter. Candidates running in that election are Ward I: Jacqueline Goodall; Ward II: Clifton L. Atkinson, Anne K. Reifsneider, and George E. McDermott; and Ward III: William Clarke, Maurice Hatchett, Taunya Hines, and Doris Stephens. The statements these candidates submitted for publication in a special edition of the Forest Heights News, as well as other campaign material distributed by the candidates can be found on our Election 2007 page.


General information about Forest Heights elections including information on voter registration and eligibility can be found on our Voting and Elections page.


More Breaking News February 23, 2007 6:00 a.m. An article in today's Washington Post implicates Councilman Worthington Ross in the scandal involving Suspended Mayor Myles Spires' alleged attempt to bilk the Town out of $21,484.38. According to the article, Councilman Ross has filed an "affidavit" stating that the counterfeit Town Council resolution we posted yesterday was indeed passed by the Council in January 2006.


Breaking News
February 22, 2007 5:00 p.m.  We have been informed by the State Prosecutor's office that Suspended Mayor Myles Spires has been indicted by the grand jury. We have not received the list of charges as yet , but believe they may include charges related to a counterfeit Town Council resolution submitted to the Town Attorney by Spire's Attorney in an alleged attempt to bilk the Town out of $21,484.38. The link to the Special Prosecutor's website is http://www.ospmd.org/. The press release posted on that website can be downloaded from www.forestheights.biz by clicking here.


Emergency Meeting October 1, 2006 At the emergency meeting of September 28, 2006, Council members Larry Stoner, Andrea McCutcheon and Clifton Atkinson unanimously elected former Council members George Wiggers and Lynn Smith-Barnes to fill the vacant seats in Ward I. Councilman Wiggers had held the Ward I seat until he resigned on May 17, 2006 when the term for which he was elected in May 2004 would have expired. Council President Larry Stoner announced that he was acting mayor while Myles Spires is under suspension as mayor. The Council elected Councilwoman McCutcheon as acting Council President while Larry Stoner is acting mayor.


The acting mayor agreed to release the details of the budget passed for FY2007 (July 2006 through June 2007). Links to this document and the audit report for FY2005 can be found on the Budget and Finance page of the Forest Heights News Report.


The Council repealed an ordinance requiring payment of annual fees by persons owning vacant lots in the Town.


After the meeting, Council President Larry Stoner indicated to us that the Council may have another emergency session on Wednesday, October 4, 2006. Watch for signs posted at the entrances to Forest Heights as to the 


Emergency Meeting
September 28, 2006 An emergency meeting of the Town Council has been called for September 28, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building at 5508 Arapahoe Drive.


September 20, 2006 Town Meeting September 28, 2006 At about 8 p.m., a gathering of citizens and news reporters in the parking lot in front of the Forest Heights Municipal Building learned that the regular Town meeting, as required by Article 33-6 of the Town Charter, had been canceled. Council President Larry Stoner made the announcement on the front steps of the building. According to President Stoner, Myles Spires, who had been suspended as Mayor by the Town Council, had obtained a temporary injunction to keep the Council from enforcing its suspension resolution. He said that the Town planned to go to court to have the restraining order lifted.


April 7, 2006 Community Meeting August 4, 2006  A number of Forest Heights citizens gathered at St. Mark AME Church to discuss recent changes to the Forest Heights Town Charter. A number of speakers were critical of Mayor Spires and the Town Council. The formation of the Forest Heights Freedom Fighters was announced.


Town Trash Contractor Hit by Strike April 5, 2006 The Town's trash contractor, Waste Management, Inc., has been struck by its employee union, the Teamsters. As a consequence, trash on the east side of Forest Heights was not collected on Tuesday, April 4, 2006. We understand that at least some of the households on the west side did have their trash collected before the strike began.


We have been informed by the Town Clerk that Waste Management is able to begin collecting trash again. She indicated Goode may begin its work in Forest Heights will resume trash collection on Thursday, April 6, 2006. We will provide additional updates on this issue as the information becomes available.


Waste Management is a nation-wide company, with millions of customers across the country. A recent article in the Washington Post provides a news account on the extent and cause of the strike. Also, the Teamsters web site provides additional information on the strike from the union perspective.


Town Council Workshop and Special Meeting
March 6, 2006 The Town Council will hold a special meeting concurrent with its monthly workshop meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building on March 6, 2006. Topics of the Special meeting will include appropriations, Charter amendments and ordinances.


Charges Dismissed March 6, 2006 On February 22, 2006 the State Prosecutor for Calvert County dismissed all assault charges, as reported here on December 21, 2005, against former Mayor Joyce A. Beck.


Town Council Special Meeting
January 30, 2006 The Town Council will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, January 30, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building.


Myles Spires Sworn in as Mayor January 30, 2006 Myles Spires was sworn in as the Mayor of Forest Heights on January 27, 2006 at 9 a.m. by Rosalyn E. Pugh, Clerk of the Prince George's County Circuit Court, in the Upper Marlboro Court House.


Spires' Swearing-in


Spires Elected Mayor
January 24, 2006 In a special January 24, 2006 meeting called by the Town Council, Councilman Myles Spires was elected by the Council to fill the seat vacated by former Mayor Joyce Beck. The Council voted 5-0 to elect Councilman Spires to the Office of Mayor under a provision of the Town Charter for filling a vacancy in the Office of Mayor. Councilmen Larry Stoner, Worthington Ross, Myles Spires, Clifton Atkinson and George Wiggers voted in favor of the appointment. Councilwoman Alice Hoskins was absent from the meeting due to illness. Councilman Spires is expected to be sworn in on Thursday January 26, 2006 by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Prince George's County.


An emergency ordinance was enacted at the special meeting regulating the conduct of petitions in the Town of Forest Heights. Also passed were two resolutions, the first appointing the Town Clerk to the position of Acting Town Treasurer for a period not to exceed 90 days, and the second to authorize payment $17,700 for the FY2004 audit. These documents will be posted on the Town Documents page when they become available.


Town Council Special Meeting
January 23, 2006 The Town Council will hold a Special Meeting on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building to discuss further implementation of the Charter changes that went into effect on January, 17, 2006.


Judge Smith Cancels Injunction January 18, 2006 On January 17, 2006 Judge Thomas Smith of the Circuit Court  for Prince George's County, lifted the injunction restraining the Forest Heights Town Council for implementing the Town's Charter amendments passed on November 16, 2005 was lifted. The Charter amendments were to go into effect on January 6, 2006, but were put on hold by a temporary restraining order (PDF Format) issued by Circuit Court Judge James Lombardi on January 6, 2006, which was set to expire on January 17, 2006. The plaintiff's, Anne Reifsneider, et al., then filed for a permanent injunction, which resulted in the order by Judge Smith. At the hearing before Judge Smith, attorney's for both sides in the dispute questioned witnesses, focusing on whether the petition had been validly presented to the Council, the Town's legislative body. Judge Smith ruled that it had not been presented according to the requirements of Article 23A of the Maryland Code, and so found for the defendants. [Additional newspaper articles on this and other recent news for Forest Heights can be found on the Forest Heights News Report links to other sites page.]


Council Votes Not
to Accept Petition January 6, 2006 At the Special January 5, 2006 Meeting called by the Town Council, the Council voted 4-3 to not accept a petition requesting a referendum on the proposed Charter amendments introduced by the Council at the November 16, 2005 Town meeting. In introducing his motion not to accept the petition, Councilman Spires said he did not believe the petition had been presented to the Council [as required by Article 23A of the Maryland Code]. Amendment 6 (see the December 20, 2005 news item below for the text of the amendments) removes Mayor Beck from office effective January 6, 2006. Voting in favor to not accept the petition were Councilmen Clifton Atkinson, Worthington Ross, Myles Spires and Council President Larry Stoner. Voting no on the motion to not accept the petition were Mayor Joyce Beck, Councilwoman Alice Hoskins and Councilman George Wiggers.


After the vote, Mayor Beck declared she would contest the decision in court.


Special Meeting Called for January 6, 2006 January 6, 2006 After the vote on the petition, the Council agreed to meet again at 6:00 p.m. on January 6, 2005 at the Municipal Building. This will be an open meeting and the public is welcome to attend.


Town Council Special Meeting January 5, 2006 The Town Council will meet tonight, January 5, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building to consider whether a petition requesting a referendum as been appropriately presented to the Council as required by Maryland code Article 23A § 13(f) and (g) (PDF Format) (HTML Format). A copy of the signed petition is currently not available to the Forest Heights News Report.


Petition for Referendum Presented and Withdrawn
January 5, 2006 At the December 20, 2005 Town Meeting, Citizens Anne Reifsneider and John Kennedy presented a petition containing 329 signatures requesting a referendum on the 11 charter amendments approved by Town Council at the November 16, 2005 Town Meeting according to a letter read by Ms. Reifsneider into the record. Ms. Reifsneider requested that the petition be placed in the Town safe until such time as the election board is nominated and then brought out for verification. However, later in the meeting, Ms Reifsneider requested to pull back the petitions so that more signatures could be added to them.


Subsequent to the December 20 Town Meeting, a copy of a transmittal letter (PDF Format) dated December 23, 2005 from Ms. Reifsneider and Mr. Kennedy was placed in the Town Council's Municipal Building mailboxes on December 27, 2005 indicating that a petition containing 346 signatures had been delivered to the Town.


Mayor Beck to Stand Trial February 22, 2006
December 21, 2005 According to court docket papers (PDF Format), Mayor Beck is scheduled to stand trial for two counts of assault on February 22, 2006 at 1:15 p.m. in room 263
in the Prince George's District Court in Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, Maryland. Also scheduled to stand trial with Ms. Beck on one of the assault charges are Katharina Clark and Mary Wimbush. of Forest Heights.


Both cases stem from alleged incidences in the Forest Heights Municipal Building located at 5508 Arapahoe Drive in Forest Heights in which a door was alleged to have been used in the assault -- in the first incident a Forest Heights Police Officer in the entrance hallway outside the Town Clerk's Office, and in the second incident in the main meeting room on the second floor of the building. Details of the charges filed by former Police Chief Michael Eubank involving Lt. Waithe of the FHPD can be viewed by clicking here (PDF Format 1.1MB) (HTML Format) and the charges filed by former Councilwoman Lynn Smith-Barnes (
PDF Format) (HTML Format).


Please note that the court documents cited above may be changed in the future by the District Court, and therefore should not be relied upon for legal purposes. Persons wishing to use such documents for legal purposes should obtain current documents from the Clerk of the Court in Room 170B of the Prince George's County Court House in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.


Charter Amendments
December 20, 2005 On November 16, 2005, the Town Council approved 12 resolutions to change the Town Charter numbered 3 through 14. These resolutions would do the following: [number in parenthesis refer to the amendment number; all links are to PDF Format files] (3) delete charter language establishing the Mayor as the Chief Executive Office of the Town government; (4) provide for Council approval of the dismissal of Department, Office and Agency heads; (5) eliminate the Mayor's financial control over the financial administration of the Town; (6) provide that the mayor holding office on January 6, 2006 shall cease holding such office and a new Mayor chosen according to Charter procedures; (7) provide that the Town Clerk may act as the Town Treasurer for a period of no more than ninety days and shall be supervised by a Council person selected by the majority of the Council; (8) change the date of the next election to the office of Mayor to the second Wednesday of May 2007 and every four years thereafter; (9) change the term of office of Council members to four years; (10) provide for the financial power of the Treasurer, serving under the supervision of the Council; (11) remove the Mayor as having supervision of the Treasurer, (12) defines the terms Mayor and Council as used in the Charter to refer to the Council as a body; (13) set a procedure for the Council enforces a code of conduct for the Town's elected and appointed officials; (14) provide that Town checks be signed by the Treasurer, Council President and one other Council member.

Under Maryland Annotated Code Article 23A, the Charter amendments will go into effect on January 6, 2005, unless a petition is signed by 20 percent of the Town's registered voters requesting that a referendum be held on the Charter amendments. For basic rules relating to municipal charter amendments, readers are referred to the Maryland Municipal League's handbook on Charter Amendment Procedures.

Mayor Beck Charged with Assault October 26, 2005 Mayor Joyce A. Beck was charged with second degree assault in Maryland District Court in Upper Marlboro on October 20, 2005. According to court papers (PDF Format) her trial date is set for November 23, 2005. The charge relates to an alleged incident occurring on September 12, 2005 at the Forest Heights Municipal Building.

Police Chief Dismissed October 25, 2005 Mayor Beck fired Michael Eubank as Chief of the Forest Heights Police Department and appointed Officer Larry Blake as the acting commander of the Police Department. The FHPD has now three police officers protecting Forest Heights.


Mayor Nominates Treasurer
September 9, 2005 Mayor Beck nominated Joycelyn Boissiere to be the Town Treasurer at the September 6, 2005 Council workshop session. Ms. Boissiere indicated that she had worked for the Embassy of Nigeria and several firms as an accountant, and has an associate degree in accounting from Prince George's Community College. It is expected that the Council will consider her nomination at the September 21, 2005 Town meeting.


There was some discussion as to whether the Council would go into an executive session to further discuss the hiring of Ms. Boissiere, but it was finally decided that an executive session was not necessary. However, during that discussion, Mayor Beck described the Town in rather stark language, complaining the Town was operating in a state of financial or fiscal chaos for a number of years. She said that the Town looked like trash and a ghetto. She also said that she was ready to ask the State to revoke the Town Charter. Readers are invited to listen to Mayor Beck's full statement on this matter by clicking here. [Note this is a large 2.3 Megabyte MP3 file and can played on Window's media player or other multi-media software programs. It is approximately two and a half minutes long. Your PC must have speakers attached, and should have DSL or cable high-speed internet access.]

At the workshop session the Council also discussed the possible operation of an on-call bus service using a 17 passenger bus awarded to the Town as a grant by Prince George's County. Some input was obtained from Town residents attending the meeting on various aspects of providing bus service to transport senior citizens, handicapped persons, students and other Forest Heights residents to medical appointments and other destinations in the vicinity of the Town. The service would also be made available to residents of nearby communities  such as Glassmanor and Birchwood City. Mayor Beck proposed that the fare would be $2 to cover the cost of operating the vehicle, but would be low enough to generate sufficient demand to justify the operation of the vehicle.


Mayor Beck announced that the Town would be participating in an effort to raise contributions for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She said that a flyer would be distributed the next day to Town residents with specific instructions. She said that a Town employee, Gloria Wallace, had attended a press conference held by the Governor and the County Executive, at which coordinated efforts
were presented for Maryland and Prince George's County in providing relief aid.


Jim Halsted of J&J Contractors gave a presentation at the beginning of the work session on his proposal for replacing the roof on the municipal building. Based on his inspection, he recommended replacing the entire roof, including the caps on the top of the building's walls. He noted that the original roof was gravel over tar paper which did not require a drain slope, but in subsequent years that surface was replaced by a membrane roof which led to water accumulating on the roof. His proposal, for about $40 thousand, would use insulating material to create a proper taper for drainage. The other proposal presented at the meeting was for Clinton General Contractors, and under that proposal, only part of the roof would be repaired for about $8 thousand. Mr. Stroud, of Habitat for Humanity, who gave the presentation, said that he did not believe the entire roof needed to be replaced at this time, although eventually it would have to be replaced.


Mr. Stroud, speaking then for Habitat for Humanity, also gave a presentation regarding a proposal by Habitat for Humanity to build a house on the vacant lot at 135 North Huron Drive. The vacant lot, formally a WSSC pumping station, is now owned by the Town of Forest Heights. Under a proposal by Mayor Beck to donate the land, Habitat for Humanity would construct a house using volunteer labor, and then sell the House to a low income family, with the highest priority being a family now living in Forest Heights. Mr. Stroud said that his organization would provide continued support to the new owner, and in their experience these owners tend to be good neighbors and an asset to the community.


Council Amends Town Budget August 29, 2005 At a special meeting of the Town Council on August 29, 2005, the Council further amended the Town's FY 2006 budget to adjust the appropriation for the Forest Heights Police Department and other technical amendments. The budget can be viewed in PDF format by clicking here.


While the Council was debating the budget, Mayor Beck abruptly called the public hearing on the budget adjourned and declared the remainder of the meeting a work session. However, the Council refused to agree to adjourn the meeting. Mayor Beck ordered the acting town clerk to leave the room, and Mayor Beck also left. The Town Council continued the meeting with Council President Larry Stoner chairing the meeting.


Council Passes Emergency Ordinance
August 29, 2005 At the conclusion of their work on amending the Town budget, the Council passed an emergency ordinance limiting unescorted access to the Police Department area within the municipal building. The concern was that the Forest Heights police could lose their access to FBI and other investigative data bases under the current situation wherein a person who was not a sworn officer or an official of the police department could enter the police area and read investigative reports and other sensitive material that were meant for police officers. Councilman Wiggers introduced a proposed resolution that would formally establish the Forest Heights Police Department under section 33-20 (b) (39) of the Town Charter. However, during the discussion on the proposed resolution, Councilman Spires said that the FBI was aware of the situation, and that he had been informed that either the Council take action on the matter or the FBI would take steps to revoke the Forest Heights Police Department's access to the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS).


The Maryland Code provides that "except in accordance with applicable federal law and regulations, a criminal justice unit and the central repository may not disseminate criminal history record information" [Md, Code Ann. Crim. Pro. § 10-219 (a)] and furthermore, a criminal justice unit, includes among other things a municipal police unit when such unit is exercising jurisdiction over criminal matters, alternative dispositions of criminal matters or criminal history record information [Md. Code Ann. Crim. Pro. § 10-201 (f) (2)].


Councilman Spires therefore moved that the resolution introduced by Councilman Wiggers be amended to make it into an emergency ordinance which would, among other matters, forbid any civilian, town official or non-police department personnel access to the police facility without an escort by an officer or police department official. Councilman Spires said such an ordinance was necessary in order to maintain the effectiveness of the Forest Heights Police Department in maintaining safety and security in the Town of Forest Heights.


The emergency ordinance was passed on a 5-0 vote by Councilmen Atkinson, Ross, Spires, Stoner and Wiggers. The emergency ordinance can be viewed in PDF format by clicking here.


Chief Eubank Demoted August 23, 2005 The special Town meeting of August 23, 2005 was initially called to work on the Town budget, but the Council decided that it did not have enough information to work on the budget that evening. Mayor Beck attended the meeting, but announced that she would sit in the audience as a citizen, as she did not have proper notice that the meeting was being called. Notwithstanding her assertion that she was not participating in the meeting as a Town official, Mayor Beck continued to participate in the meeting, at one point asserting that she was the Mayor.


There was a caustic interchange during the meeting between Mayor Beck and Councilman Spires about the Police Department, and Councilman Spires asked Mayor Beck whether Eubank was the chief of police. Mayor Beck responded that he was the chief and sitting downstairs. At that point, Councilman Spires read into the record a July 26, 2005 letter from Mayor Beck to Chief Eubank relieving him of his responsibilities as chief of police. The letter is now in the public domain, and it can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here. In the ensuing discussion, Mayor Beck called the letter a lie and demanded to know who had provided it to the Council.


Council Passes Three Resolutions
August 17, 2005 At the August 17, 2005 Town meeting, the Forest Heights Town Council passed three resolutions (1) Adoption of Rules of Order (PDF Format), (2) Amendment of the Town Budget (PDF Format), and (3) Replacement of the Treasurer at the Request of the Mayor (PDF Format).


In the Council's debate over the passage of the Rules of Order, Mayor Beck made two points: (a) section 33-6 of the Town Charter requires that the Council adopt the rules of order at the Town meeting on the third Wednesday in May because it states: "The Council shall meet at 8:00 P.M. on the third Wednesday in May of each year for the purpose of organization, after which the Council shall meet the third Wednesday of each month.
Special meetings shall be called by the Town Clerk upon the request of the Mayor or at least three of the members of the Council. All meetings of the Council shall be open to the public, and the rules of the Council shall provide that residents of the Town shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard at any meeting in regard to any municipal question", and (b) the Council had already adopted rules of order at the February 2005 workshop session. Councilman Wiggers pointed out that section 33-6 does not prohibit the Council from adopting rules of order at any times, and section 33-10 gives the Council express authority to adopt its own rules. Councilman Ross pointed out that the rules developed in the February 2005 workshop were not formally adopted as the Council does not normally vote in workshop sessions.


In the debate over the amendment to the Town budget, Mayor Beck said that the Council could not amend the budget based on advice from the Town Attorney which she read at the meeting. Click here for a copy of the Attorney's letter. [Editor's note: We would typically not publish a letter containing legal advice from the Town Attorney, but since Mayor Beck read the letter into the public record at the meeting, it is now in the public domain.] Councilman Wiggers noted that the proposed amendments to the budget did not contain any increase in Town taxes, which Attorney Ticer's letter indicated were not legal based on a precedent in the State of Rhode Island. Councilmen Atkinson, Ross, Spires, Stoner and Wiggers voted in favor of adopting the budget, and Mayor Beck abstained, indicating she and the town residents had not been included in putting the budget amendment together.


Councilman Wiggers introduced the resolution that would formally appoint the Town Clerk, Bonita Anderson, as the acting Treasurer until the September Town meeting. Mayor Beck and Councilman Spires objected to a section in the resolution which would require the former Town Treasurer, Pearman, Bobo, Fulse, LLC, to be retained as a consultant to provide a transition for the new Treasurer. The resolution was amended to remove that requirement before being approved by the Council.


Council Meeting Meltdown
July 22, 2005 The July 22, 2005 meeting was called to amend the Town budget. However, when Councilman Wiggers moved to add some items to the agenda, Mayor Beck recessed the meeting while the Town Clerk went to prepare and reproduce an amended agenda, and during the recess she consulted with the Town Attorney, Wilmer Ticer, who was attending the meeting. After the recess, Mayor Beck made several statements: (1) adoption of rules of order will not be discussed but will be referred to the rules committee, (2) the request to reinstate the June 24, 2005 budget will not be discussed because it was not voted on and was forwarded to the State of Maryland on the evening of June 30, 2005 [editors note: we requested the name of the State agency to which the June 30, 2005 budget was sent and the Town Clerk could not provide that information. We also contacted the Maryland Department of Legislative Services where Town audits are sent, and the Maryland Municipal League, and were told that there was no requirement for municipalities to submit their budgets to the State], and (3) the discussion on the proposed resolution regarding the Town Treasurer and Chief of Police would also not be discussed becaue the Council was suing the Town. Mayor Beck then when on to discuss the poor performance of Dennis Bobo as the Treasurer and stated that she fired him.

Mayor Beck then requested Councilman Wiggers to turn off his tape recorder, but Councilman Ross objected noting that the Open Meetings Act allows anyone to record a public meeting.

Mayor Beck then turned the meeting over to the citizens who were attending. The first citizen raised an issue about a publication that Mayor Beck had circulated to the Town residents in which she defended her instructions to the police in the matter of making arrests. In the letter, which is available here in modified form in PDF format, Mayor Beck accuses a citizen of a lie [editor's note: names and addresses have been omitted from the letter because it is the policy of this on-line newspaper not to print negative or defamatory information about private Forest Heights citizens]. The citizens affected by the letter were irate and threatened to sue the Town.

The meeting ended when a quorum of the Council left the room.

Council Re-Passes Same FY2006 Budget
June 30, 2005 At a special meeting of the Town Council called by Mayor Beck, the Council  again passed the same budget it passed on June 24, 2005. The meeting had standing room only for Town citizens and was attended by TV and print news media. The meeting was chaired by Mayor Beck, and Council persons Alice Hoskins and George Wiggers (Ward I), Clifton Atkinson and Myles Spires (Ward II), and Worthington Ross and Larry Stoner (Ward III) were present.

Mayor Beck said had requested the Council vote on the budget because she said it was not passed in compliance with the Open Meetings Act as required by the State of Maryland. Councilman Stoner made a motion to pass the same budget that was passed by the Council on June 24, 2005, and was seconded by Councilman Ross. Councilman Spires said he disagreed with a number of items in the budget, and he gave as an example that fact that the budget included an amount of $15,000 for revision of the Town's Charter and Ordinances. Councilman Wiggers raised several points (1) he believed the budget passed by the Council on June 24, 2005 was a valid budget, (2) the issue of the whether the Council's action on June 24, 2005 was moot because the Open Meetings Act itself exempts from court challenge any actions that appropriate funds, and finally that the Mayor's action in refusing to allow signs to be posted were the cause of any deficiencies of the Council's good faith efforts to hold a proper open meeting on June 24, 2005. Notwithstanding those issues Councilman Wiggers moved to amend Councilman Stoner's motion to substitutes for the Resolution that the Mayor had placed in the Council's folders with the resolution, as signed by the four Councilmen on June 24, 2005. That motion, was seconded by Councilman Ross. Mayor Beck expressed concern that the original resolution passed on June 24, 2005 included language that mandated that funds for Council members attending conventions could not be impounded. After further discussion, including comments from citizens attending the meeting, the motion to amend was voted on, with Councilman Spires the casting the sole dissenting vote. Finally, the amended main motion was voted on by the Council with Councilman Spires again casting the sole dissenting vote. The attending citizens gave a great sigh of relief that the budget was finally passed.


Council Passes FY 2006 Budget
June 25, 2005 At a special meeting of the Town Council on June 24, 2005, the Forest Heights Town Council voted to pass a budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2005 on a 4-0 vote. In attendance at the meeting were Council President Larry Stoner (Ward III) and Councilmen Clifton Atkinson (Ward II), Worthington Ross (Ward III)
and George Wiggers (Ward I).


Councilman Ross introduced the budget resolution, which was seconded by Councilman Wiggers. In the debate that followed, and with further input from the citizens present at the meeting, the proposed budget was amended on the floor by a motion from Councilman Wiggers to increase the salaries of all members of the Police Department, including the civilian clerk, by seven percent over their current salaries. All other Town employees were to receive a four percent increase in pay. Salaries of elected official must be set by ordinance, so they were not affected by the raises given to the Town's civil service. The increase in pay for the Police Department was deducted from the amount allocated for street repair.


The budget generally followed the proposed budget submitted to the Council by Mayor Beck with the exception that revenues were increased by about $34,000 because of information received by the Council from the Maryland Comptrollers office on the amounts of income tax revenues to be received by the Town in FY 2005. Other changes included an allocation of overtime and court pay for the Police Department, and overtime pay for the Clerk's office and the Public Works Department. Also, the Council increased the allocation for training and conventions for members of the Town Council and for dues conferences and meetings for the Police Department. Finally, the amount originally proposed by the Mayor for street repair was reduced by $100,000 and a new item for a CDBG street project of $100,000 was added, but made contingent upon the approval of such a grant by Prince George's County.


The budget resolution can be viewed by clicking here (PDF Format).


Council to Meet on FY 2006 Budget
June 23, 2005 The Town Council will meet tonight, Friday, June 24, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building to consider the Mayor's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2006. The Council is expected to pass a budget at the meeting. Mayor Beck announced at the June 22, 2005 public hearing on the budget that she had a prior commitment and would not be able to attend. It is anticipated that Council President Larry Stoner will chair the meeting in her absence.


Mayor Beck issued a note to the Council and Town employees, with a copy to the Town residents advising that in the absence of a budget it is "likely that all administrative, public safety and environmental services will be suspended effective July 1, 2005 and until Forest Heights Town Council has adopted a Fiscal Year 2006 Town Budget." Click here for the complete text of the Mayor's Memorandum (PDF Format).


Public Hearing on Budget
June 6, 2005 A public hearing on the FY2006 Budget has been scheduled for June 22, 2005. Mayor Beck's proposed budget can be found


Mayor to Present FY2006 Budget
May 28, 2005 The Mayor and Town Council will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2005. It is anticipated that Mayor Beck will submit her proposed
FY2006 budget to the Council at this meeting. Under section 33-45 of the Town Charter, before adopting the budget the Council is required to hold a public hearing thereon after providing a two weeks notice. At this time, we have not been informed of the date of the public hearing.


Meeting of the Mayor and Council
May 23, 2005  Addendum Mayor Beck chaired her first meeting of the Town Council as Mayor. The primary focus of the meeting was to discuss the Town budget for FY2006, but a number of other items were also included on the agenda (PDF Format) (HTML Format). In attendance were Mayor Beck, and Council Members Alice Hoskins, Myles Spires, George Wiggers and Larry Stoner (arrived late). At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Beck emphasized that the meeting was not being conducted as a public hearing on the Town budget as had
been previously announced but would be conducted as a workshop meeting.


Town Treasurer Dennis Bobo briefed the Council and other attendees on a draft proposed budget for FY2006 (PDF Format) that was distributed to Council members and the attending citizens. Mayor Beck again emphasized that the numbers included in the proposed budget distributed at the meeting were not likely to appear when she formally submitted a budget to the Council.


Mayor Beck announced that there is a problem with respect to the work ongoing at the Municipal Building to make it handicapped accessible. The problem is that the terms of the grant was limited to making the building
handicapped assessable, and did not include moving the Police Department from its current location to what had been the Room 2 area. If an agreement cannot be reached with the Prince George's County Department of Housing and Community Development, the Town may have to absorb the cost of the project related to relocating the Police Department within the Municipal Building.


Mayor Beck said that she was not able to reach an agreement with Councilman Spires regarding withdrawal of his lawsuit against the Town. Councilman Myles Spires blasted Councilman Wiggers regarding his alleged role in the circulation of defamatory information during the recent election campaign.


Mayor Beck proposed to hire former Maintenance Supervisor Bill Clarke as the part-time Director of Public Works. Mr. Clarke's appointment was approved by a voice vote of the Council. Mayor Beck then submitted Acting Chief Eubank to be appointed as the permanent Police Chief. Upon an affirmative vote of the Town Council, Michael Eubank was appointed the
Chief of the Forest Heights Police Department. Finally, Mayor Beck proposed hiring Wilmer Ticer, Esq. a former attorney for the Town of Forest Heights as the Town Attorney to replace Kevin Best, Esq. who resigned after the election. With one abstention, Mr. Ticer was approved as the Town Attorney.


Meeting of the Mayor and Council
May 23, 2005 The Town Clerk, Bonita Anderson, has announced that the public hearing on the Town's budget for FY2006, originally scheduled for May 23, 2005 will not be held on that date. No new date for the budget hearing has been announced. Instead Ms. Anderson said that the Mayor and Town Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. on May 23 to discuss the budget. No other information is available at this time regarding the budget. An example given later was that the proposed budget contained an amount of $64 thousand on page 5 for a Town Administrator. Mayor Beck announced that she intended not to hire an administrator to replace Cynthia Farrar who resigned on May 11, 2005.


Mayor Beck announced that she would keep office hours in the evening after her full-time job with the County, and that she intended to keep Bonita Anderson as the Town Clerk. She also said that she would keep an assistant to help Ms. Anderson in the office. Mayor Beck also urged citizens to become familiar with the General Powers of the Council under section 33-20 of the Town Charter (PDF Format).


Joyce Beck Sworn in as Mayor
May 18, 2005 Ward II Councilwoman, Joyce Beck, was sworn in as Mayor of Forest Heights by State Senator Gloria Lawlah. Also sworn in were newly elected Council Members Alice E. Hoskins of Ward I and Myles Spires of Ward II, and re-elected Councilman Worthington Ross of Ward III. Outgoing Ward I Councilwoman and Council President Lynn Smith-Barnes acted as the presiding officer for the meeting.


The swearing-in ceremony was well attended with a standing room only attendance of citizens and dignitaries from Prince George's County and the State of Maryland. Among others in attendance were former County Council Member Sue V. Mills, former State Senator Frank J. Komenda, Maryland State Delegates Obie Patterson and Veronica Turner, Former Forest Heights Mayor Kemp Cook, and former Forest Heights Council Members Anne Reifsneider and Jerome Corrigan. Former Mayor Warren Adams was unable to attend, but sent a letter of congratulations to Mayor Beck. The meet began with the singing of the National Anthem by Town Citizen Precious Hatchett and a prayer by the Reverend Wesley A. Toepper.


Swearing-in Mayor Beck


Swearing-in Council Members



Attendees


Town Council Special Meeting May 16, 2005 The Town Council met on May 16, 2005. Councilwoman and Mayor-elect Joyce Beck chaired the meeting and was also attended by Council members George Wiggers, Cliff Atkinson, and Larry Stoner. Council President Lynn Smith-Barnes arrived about mid-way into the meeting. A number of citizens also attended the meeting. Councilman Worthington Ross was unable to attend because of illness.


In response to a comment by Councilman Wiggers, Mayor-elect Beck said that she did not campaign on a platform of reducing taxes, but indicated she would be open on that matter. She reiterated her campaign promise to negotiate with Councilman-elect Myles Spires regarding the withdrawal of his court suit requesting the court, among other matters, roll back the tax increase approved last year. In the ensuing discussion several citizens indicated they would support a tax increase provided they receive services from the Town. In addition to the need to repair the Town's streets, citizens also voiced concern over a need for improved police protection.

Founder's Day and Yard Sale Canceled May 17, 2005 The Founder's Day celebration and Yard Sale scheduled for May 21, 2005 has been canceled.


Town Attorney Resigns
May 16, 2005 Mr. Kevin J. Best, Esq., Town Attorney has tendered his resignation.


Maintenance Supervisor Retires
May 17, 2005 Bill Clarke, the Town's maintenance supervisor, a fixture in the Town Maintenance Department for 23 years, has retired. A Forest Heights resident, Mr. Clarke and his wife Katie Clarke, have generously volunteered their time to the betterment of the Town. They have continued to participate in Town civic activities after Mr. Clarke's retirement. The Forest Heights News Report congratulates Mr. Clarke on his long career in service to the Town and wishes Bill and Katie the best in their retirement.


Special Meeting of the Town Council
May 16, 2005 The Town Council will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 16, 2005 at the Municipal Building.


Mayor Noble's Father Dies May 13, 2005 William "Bo" Noble, father of Mayor Paula Noble, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2005. The notice in the Washington Post can be found at the following link. We extend our sincerest condolences to Mayor Noble and her family on the loss of her father.

Administrator Resigns
May 12, 2005 We have been informed by the Town Clerk that Cynthia Farrar, the Town Administrator, resigned her position effective May 11, 2005.

Election Results May 11, 2005 The results of the Town election are as follows:

For Mayor
*Joyce A. Beck - 219 (includes 4 absentee votes)
Paula Noble - 151 (includes 2 absentee votes)

Council Seats:
Ward I
C. Lynn Smith-Barnes - 42
*Alice E. Hoskins - 63 (includes 2 absentee votes)
Ward II
Tommy Lee Davis - 49 (includes 3 absentee votes)
*Myles Spires - 82
Ward III
*Worthington Ross - 97 (includes 1 absentee vote)

* indicates election winner

A total of 370 votes were cast for Mayor, and 333 votes were cast for Ward Council seats.

Addendum: May 12, 2005 We were informed by the Town Clerk that there were several write-in candidates recorded on the voting machines, but that no votes were cast for these candidates. It was explained to us that the machines have the capability for a voter writing in names on the ballot, but the voter is able to not cast a vote or a vote for another candidate before leaving the voting machine (only one vote each is permitted for Mayor and Council member for the ward of the voter). The write in names for Mayor were MYLESSPIRESROSSROSS, MCGINNIS'SUE, QUINCY-HINES. There were no write-in names for Wards I and II, but the following names were written in for Ward III: DAVIS, DONALD DUCK, BILL CLARKE and TAUNYA-HINES. Again, the machines reported no votes being cast for the write-in candidates.

Budget Hearing Scheduled for May 23
May 9,2005 The May 2005 Special Edition of the Forest Heights News announced that there will be a public hearing on the Town's proposed FY2006 budget.

Town Council Information Session
May 2,2005 Steve Proctor of G.S. Proctor & Associates (GSP&A) briefed the Town Council on the results of his lobbying efforts this year on behalf of the Town of Forest Heights. As reported earlier in this Newspaper, Proctor & Associates were hired in October 2004 to assist the Town in obtaining grants and other funding for the Town. On April 4, 2005 we also reported on a letter from State Senator Gloria Lawlah announcing a $175,000 grant (Bond Bill) to the Town by the Maryland General Assembly. The grant terms can be found in House Bill 340 (PDF Format) , which states in section ZA02 Local Senate Initiatives Subsection BF "(BF) Forest Heights Road Improvements. Provide a grant of $175,000 to the Mayor and Town Council of the Town of Forest Heights for the repair and reconstruction of roads, including Marlboro Pike, in Forest Heights (Prince George's County)." According to Mr. Proctor, this is now money due to the Town of Forest Heights, and the Town Council has only to pass a resolution accepting the funds.

Mr. Proctor's briefing went beyond the bond bill initiative, and he provided a May 2, 2005 letter
(PDF Format) to the Mayor describing other GSP&A accomplishments. Significant items in the letter include an agreement with the Lt.. Governor that