Town Hall

T homas Jefferson called them the "wisest invention ever devised by the wit of man for the perfect exercise of self-government." Hardly faint praise from one of the fathers of American democracy. So, what was he talking about? The town hall meeting. Fast forward 200 years to Dartmouth, Mass., where a "town hall" on health care reform finds a woman calling President Barack Obama's position "Nazi policy." Amusingly, aptly, but not very cordially, Rep. Barney Frank responds: "On what planet do you spend most of your time?"

Making what should have been a victory lap through Maryland on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was forced to defend his conservative credentials after an aide referred to his campaign as an "Etch A Sketch" that could be shaken up and erased for the general election in November. A day after securing a resounding 12-point win in the Illinois primary, Romney spoke to a packed town hall meeting at an American Legion post in Arbutus, an event organized by former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. But he was dogged by the aide's comment from earlier in the day, which opponents suggested underscored a lack of core principles.

Opportunities for economic development in Prince George's County will be the focus of a Town Hall meeting on Nov. 1, 7-9 p.m., at Baden Volunteer Fire Station, 16608 Brandywine Road, in Brandywine. The meeting is the fifth in a series of off-site evening, community meetings sponsored by the Prince George's County Council. The town hall meeting will feature presentations from a variety of officials, including Carla Reid, deputy chief administrative officer for economic development and public infrastructure; Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Gwen McCall; Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable President and CEO M.H. Jim Estepp; county Soil Conservation District conservation planner, Yates Clagett; and University of Maryland Extension agriculture marketing specialist Janna Howley.

A few weeks back, I wrote about the Abell Foundation funding a survey of Baltimore's tech community, which was being pushed by a new group called the Innovation Alliance . About 170 people responded to the IA's survey . Apparently, we'll get the results soon. And then, the next step is a big town hall meeting. It will be held March 12th, 5:30-7:30pm at the Mount Washington Conference Center . So who is the Innovation Alliance? Says Larrabee: Newt Fowler and Jason Pappas formed the Innovation Alliance to study the needs of Baltimore's innovation community with support from the Abell Foundation, and hopefully the Innovation Alliance will facilitate the creation of a hub facility for the innovation community.

Having just celebrated its 25th birthday, Columbia now has a town hall. Or does it?The Columbia Association, the quasi-governmental agency that provides services to residents, moved to the city's downtown last week. Officials hope the move, which included putting the association's name outside the new building, will improve visibility for the organization and make its new location tantamount to a town hall.Unfortunately, what the move really amounts to is symbolism with little substance. Try as they might, those at the association are going to have a tough time selling their agency as town government the way most people envision it.A non-profit corporation, the association operates in a twilight zone, neither public nor private.

The Hampstead Town Hall Art Gallery is displaying Sam Gunby's photography through Oct. 31. Gunby owns and operates Scenic Views Photography. He has been taking photographs for 25 years. He also owned and operated for six years a photography studio that specialized in weddings, portraits and commercial work. His travels led him to expand into scenic photography. Now, his photos focus on lighthouses, old mills, waterfalls, landscapes, steam trains and local city scenes. The Town Hall is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at 1034 S. Carroll St. Information: 410-239-7408.

A COUPLE OF events in Northwest Carroll on Sunday show just how much little things matter in small-town America.From 7 a.m. to noon, a breakfast will be held at Union Bridge Community Center.Dozens of such fund-raisers are held around the county each year, but just about all the others are sponsored by nonprofit groups. This breakfast is run by the town to pay off the mortgage for the town hall.Most towns would hit taxpayers for such a project. But each month in Union Bridge, a group of volunteers serves a home-cooked breakfast and uses the money to give town taxpayers a break.

An old Crofton baseball diamond may become the address for a new town hall.Town Manager Barbara K. Swann wants officials to consider the 2.24-acre Albert O. Hardy Field off Davidsonville Road as the site for town offices once the Crofton athletic complex opens in 1998.Town hall, on Crofton Parkway, is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and residents with disabilities have had trouble attending town functions.The building houses offices for 11 employees of the special tax district, including its five-member police force.

The next regular meeting of Union Bridge Area Recreation Council will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Union Bridge Town Hall.The council establishes and operates, in cooperation with the Carroll County Department of Recreation and Parks, recreational programs for which there is a need, interest or support.All interested individuals are welcome to attend. Local organizations may send representatives to meetings so council members can learn of their activities.Information: 775-7541 or 857-2103.PoliceDetour: A resident of Middleburg Road in Detour reported yesterday that someone broke into her home about 9:30 p.m. and stole a television, jewelry and several antiques.

We have heard of using bake sales to finance the purchase of team uniforms, band trips and computers for classrooms, but Union Bridge has taken this trend into uncharted waters: It is paying for its new town hall with sales of apple pie, devil's food cake and chocolate chip cookies. While most of the $171,000 construction cost is being financed through traditional borrowing, more than $19,000 has been raised by residents contributing their money, time and effort, not to mention baking skills.

The president of Coppin State University says he won't be derailed by a recent vote of no confidence from faculty members and promises rapid efforts to improve communications with those who have criticized his leadership. "I certainly take all of the issues, whether it's budget or academic affairs, seriously," said President Reginald Avery in an interview Friday. "I just think there has been a lack of communication, and if I need to do more to improve that, I will. " Avery said he wants to hold a town hall meeting as early as next week and will also hold meetings with smaller groups of faculty to hear their concerns.

Harford County Sheriff Jesse Bane will try again to hold a town hall meeting for Bel Air South communities Saturday at the Abingdon library. The doors will open at 8:30 a.m. with the program to start at 9 a.m. This meeting was originally scheduled for Jan. 21 but was canceled because it snowed that day. Bane and members of his command staff will meet with residents living in the Route 924/24 corridor to hear their concerns and answer questions...

The Harford County Sheriff's Office's town hall meeting for the Bel Air South area scheduled for Saturday morning, Jan. 21, at the Abingdon Branch of the Harford County Public Library has been canceled. The potential for hazardous road conditions was cited as the reason for the cancellation. "Our Citizens' safety is of the utmost importance to us, so due to the potential for icy roads in the morning, we have canceled our town hall meeting," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

There was pizza, salad, mozzarella sticks and, to the delight of state Sen. Joe Getty, a full house at his Jan. 4 "town meeting," held at J&P Pizza, in Hampstead. "At the last town meeting in Manchester, we had 25 people," Getty said to the residents who gathered. "We've doubled that crowd. There is more here than I expected. " In his 90-minute presentation, Getty discussed a topic that will be front and center this week as the Maryland General Assembly convenes its 2012 session in Annapolis.

There's a lot going on in Waverly, in case you haven't noticed. Late last month, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake signed a bill designating the old Waverly Town Hall at Greenmount Avenue and 31st Street as the city's latest historic landmark. The building's second-floor hall had once been a popular meeting place for 19th- and 20th-century politicians, as well as a neighborhood gathering place for Waverly residents. "A lot of us who live in the Waverly area are excited that this has happened," said Joe Stewart, a Waverly activist who is an attorney with the state Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Joan Zellers says her granddaughters will forever remember this year's Christmas parade as the one when "Frosty got busted. " They were standing Saturday morning on High Street in Chestertown, watching the annual holiday parade march by, when the big fluffy snowman came their way. Lilly, 9, and Maddie, 11, dutifully posed as Grandma snapped a photo — one of the last taken of Frosty as a free man. Within minutes, two police officers had...

After toiling for 18 months in a cramped, temporary setting, Mount Airy Town Hall staffers were jubilant about returning to their renovated office on Main Street. The three-story building - originally a bank and formerly a county library branch - now includes 3,000 additional square feet, plus extra space that was opened up by the construction. The second floor has room for eight offices, including three with large windows that look through granite arches to the shops and offices below.

THE CROFTON Town Club and the Crofton Civic Association will hold the annual Christmas tree decorating party at 10 a.m. Saturday at Town Hall on Crofton Parkway. Members of the Crofton Greenery Garden Club will adorn the tree with handmade ornaments. Area residents are invited to add their decorations.Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and representatives of several area clubs and organizations will be on hand to make this a festive occasion.After the decorating, a holiday snack of bagels and hot chocolate will be served.

Feel like the streets are a little too bumpy for your taste? Or maybe your property tax bill is higher than you like. And what about the parks in your community - are they up to snuff? Or, maybe you feel like all these things are being managed better than ever before and it would be a shame for that to change. Either way, if you live in the town of Bel Air or the City of Aberdeen, this Tuesday is your chance to be heard with regard to how your local government is being run. In Aberdeen, only incumbent city council members are on the ballot, as no one decided to run a challenging campaign for those four seats, but the mayor's race is rather hotly contested.

Sheriff L. Jesse Bane and members of his staff will hold a town hall meeting for the greater Bel Air area Saturday, Nov. 5 in the Harford Technical High School cafeteria, 200 Thomas Run Road, in Bel Air. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will begin at 9 a.m. It is a chance for the sheriff's office to update the community on various initiatives and projects, and for the community to ask questions of Bane and his agency. "The primary purpose of the town meeting is to develop cooperative partnerships within communities and address community quality of life concerns," according to a press release put out by the Harford County Sheriff's Office.