Columbia Council

For nearly 40 years, the Rouse Co. was like a benevolent parent, and Columbia was its pride and joy. But as with many families, things changed. And after the November marriage of Rouse and mall developer General Growth Properties Inc., some in Columbia are worrying that they might have been demoted from apple of the eye to misunderstood stepchild. In 1963, James W. Rouse and his partners bought the land that would become Columbia, or "the next America" as he called it. "We must hold fast to the realization that our cities are for people," Rouse said in a 1959 speech to the Newark Conference on the Action Program for the American City in Newark, N.J. "And unless they work well for people they are not working well at all."

David Hlass says he is running for another two-year term on the Columbia Council, which also serves as the Columbia Association board, portraying himself as a crusader for residents' rights and open government. Hlass, 50, a controversial figure in his first two-year term, is being opposed by former Long Reach Village Board Chairman Henry F. "Hank" Dagenais, 73, who served from May 1997 through February 2002, when he resigned. Village elections are scheduled for April 30. Dagenais said he is running to restore amicable relations with other council members and to stop the disputes swirling around Hlass, who does not see it that way. "We do pay fees to the Columbia Association to live in Columbia, and I want to strive to get the best for each and every dollar we pay," Hlass said.

Disturbed by the disputes embroiling David Hlass, the Long Reach village Columbia Council representative, a former village board chairman has decided to run for the seat in next month's election. Henry F. "Hank" Dagenais, 73, who headed the village board for nearly five years ending in 2001, said he will file for the seat in hopes of restoring the community's working relationship with the group, which serves as the Columbia Council and the Columbia Association board of directors. If Hlass runs for re-election, the battle could be the liveliest race this year in the typically low-turnout, uncontested village elections scheduled for April 30. Yesterday, no one had filed for seats in most of the seven villages holding council elections.

After four years of debate and stacks of memos and legal opinions, a Columbia Association committee has produced a report that could lead to some of the most radical changes to the governing system in Columbia's history. The most significant suggestions include giving the town's 10 village boards the power to remove the association president and board members. The study also suggests that the association eliminate the Columbia Council in all but name because the same members serve on the council and association's board of directors.

The head of the Long Reach Village Board said yesterday that he is unsure when, or if, the panel will discuss the banning of its Columbia Council representative from the village shopping center. Board Chairman William A. Taylor had said the board, which can start the process to recall a council representative, would be conferring about David Hlass' yearlong ban from the shopping center. But the board did not discuss the matter at its meeting this month and has not placed it on the agenda for next month.

Leaders of a committee studying proposals for streamlining Columbia's governance say the convoluted, 37-year-old system is ripe for change. The panel plans to make a recommendation by Sept. 30 to the Columbia Association board for revamping a system in which voting rights, election rules and Columbia Council terms vary from village to village. "My feeling is that there's an overwhelming majority of the board that is really looking toward making real changes," board Chairman Joshua Feldmark said.

With the election of just one new member, the dynamics of the Columbia Council has changed significantly. Jud Malone paved the way for a new majority, new council leadership and what some say is a new philosophy for the 10-member policy-making group. "The people in Columbia have been waiting for a long time for the balance to shift from the pro-corporation side to the pro-resident side," said Alex Hekimian, president of the watchdog group Alliance for a Better Columbia. "So I think it's a milestone.

At the Columbia Council's inaugural meeting, local elected officials referenced the group's past differences over state legislation to limit the revenue that the Columbia Association can collect from skyrocketing real estate values and urged it to work collegially. "This is a new beginning for you all and an opportunity to put past differences behind you," Del. Neil F. Quinter, a Howard County Democrat, told the 10-member council Thursday night. The council's new one-year term marks a shift in balance of the group, which also acts as the Columbia Association's board of directors.

When the race for the Harper's Choice seat on the Columbia Council was decided by a mere two votes, it was a sign that the community is deeply divided over whether the Columbia Association should limit the revenue it collects from soaring real estate values, says the unsuccessful candidate. Kathleen Larson, who lost to incumbent Wolfger Schneider, 277-275, in Saturday's election said she would not call for a recount. She said she only wishes she had made her position clearer on whether the Columbia Association should be subject to a 10 percent annual limit on property assessment increases.

The two candidates for the Hickory Ridge seat on the Columbia Council debated last night about the appropriate use of the Columbia Association's monetary assets and whether revenue that remains after operating expenses constitutes a surplus. Incumbent Miles Coffman, who is the council chairman, told the 15 people attending the debate at Hawthorn Center that it is a common misperception that the homeowners association has a cash surplus. The Columbia Association plans to have $4.3 million left over after operating expenses in the $50.5 million operating budget for fiscal year 2005, which begins May 1. But Coff- man said that money is "a surplus in name only."