Category Archives: Uncategorized

SUBMISSION TO MAYOR & BOARD OF ALDERMEN New MOU looks an improvement, but raises many questions — you need to go deeper than the salesman’s spin Mr Mayor, Aldermen: Attached is a submission urging you to ask difficult questions about this … Continue reading →

Approached by host Dewey Stewart to do a podcast on the hotel project for his frederickland.org I was happy to talk. His ‘peg’ was the Mayor & Board Workshop on a new MOU for the hotel Wednesday May 23 at … Continue reading →

The State Attorney-General’s Open Meetings Compliance Board thinks there may well have been secret meetings in 2013 on the downtown hotel procurement, and does not accept the City’s denials. The Board in a May 11 ruling says “We do no … Continue reading →

The City has released a revised draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of the downtown hotel and conference center (DHCC) with developer Plamondon, and scheduled a public Workshop of the Mayor & Board of Aldermen (BOA) for May … Continue reading →

Normally a contest at the state attorney-general’s Open Meetings Compliance Board goes four rounds: (1) Complaint (2) Response by City to Complaint. (3) Complainant’s Comment on City Response (4) The Final Words — from the City.  But on this occasion the … Continue reading →

State Comptroller Peter Franchot recently denounced the General Assembly leadership over their move to end scrutiny of state-funded local school contracting by the Board of Public Works (Board.) He fears it opens the way to increased cronyist racketeering in the … Continue reading →

Governor Larry Hogan is angry at four legislators he identifies as leading the effort to reduce oversight by accountable officials of school contracting. He posted pictures of the four on his Facebook page (see below) with the comment “Incredible. These … Continue reading →

Anirban Basu, the Baltimore based advocate for ‘public private partnerships’ had about 800 words in the Frederick News-Post May 22, 2016 under the head “Downtown hotel & conference center will be a boon for Frederick.” Basu attributed the $81m cost … Continue reading →

No quarterback for the downtown hotel? Frederick News-Post, March 29 2018 You report (Mallory Panuska’s story published on March 24) Mayor Michael O’Connor as wondering whether there’s been a “quarterback” or anyone driving the city’s downtown hotel project. Initiated in 2009, … Continue reading →

City Attorney Saundra Nickols tells us in an email a Request for Proposals CAN be issued by City staff without approval of the Board of Aldermen. She maintains that the City’s Purchasing Policies and Procedures Manual does NOT require Mayor … Continue reading →