I hope I can also earn your support as we approach the elections on Monday, May 6th. I look forward to speaking with you in the coming days, and again as we move forward together. Thank you all.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Cheverly's Mayors Endorse Mary Jane
I hope I can also earn your support as we approach the elections on Monday, May 6th. I look forward to speaking with you in the coming days, and again as we move forward together. Thank you all.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
It Is Election Time Again
I am amazed that two years have passed since I ran for office. Even though is seems like it was yesterday, so much has happened on Council and in our community. It has been an honor to serve as your member of Council and I look forward to continuing my work for the citizens of Cheverly.
The town was hit hard in these past two years – with weather events that expanded our vocabulary (snowmagedon, micro-burst and derecho were new to me;) a sharp decrease in property values and new challenges on land use at our borders. Yet this Council, with three rookie members, rose to the occasion and directed the Town Government to work smarter and harder under these trying conditions.
We certainly have acted responsibly – keeping the purse strings tight while looking for new ways to deliver the levels of services our community is accustomed to receive. We have acted judiciously to tap our reserves during these ‘rainy days’ to offset the need for any tax increases. We instituted hiring freezes and postponed Town staff cost of living adjustments, as well as delayed new capital investments until economic conditions moderate. Meanwhile, we were able to maintain twice-weekly trash pickups and not only kept police on the streets, but secured several grants to outfit our officers with the modern tools they need to protect us.
We have also acted to restore fairness to the taxpayers of Cheverly. A sixth of the Town’s population live in the apartments on Route 202. For too long, the homeowners in Town have carried an unbalanced share of the cost of government. A major portion of our Town’s police resources respond to the needs of the apartment residents. That is fine, but they need to bear an equitable share of the cost of these services. We devised a plan to tier our tax rates for property uses, giving single family homeowners a break and bring multi-unit residents to a fair share. We were not looking to ‘soak’ the apartments, just looking for equitable responsibilities. We are continuing to consider to implement this arrangement in the coming months.
I have also enrolled in a University of Maryland program called the Academy of Excellence in Local Governance so I can become a more effective Councilmember for our neighborhood. I will be graduating this program later this Spring.
In two years, I have walked the streets of Ward Two repeatedly talking to you and your neighbors about state, county and local issues that affect Cheverly. In the days leading up to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, putting yard furniture and garden items away for our older residents who needed the assistance. Many of you have also met the dog named Chevy during our walks – the stray found in Town Park – who we are now fostering after a long medical rehabilitation and hope to place in a loving home soon.
Last year, in an effort to save the Town a substantial amount of money. I worked with a few state legislators to craft legislation forcing PEPCO to offer the Town LED street lights. (Yes, it takes an action by the General Assembly to make that happen in Maryland.) We passed the bill in the House of Delegates. Unfortunately, lobbyists were able to stall the legislation in the State Senate. I plan on renewing this effort next year. I am still working hard to mitigate the damage and delays in PEPCO’s rewiring of Cheverly, and will be working to expedite forcing Verizon and Comcast to move their wires to the new PEPCO poles, so we can be rid of all the unsightly double poles around our streets and alleys.
As a member of the Community Market Board of Directors, I am at each Market speaking with people and helping our Market thrive. Our market vendors often comment about how unique our Market is – it’s a community event, not just a typical farmer’s market. That is what makes Cheverly the place it is – a true community, whether at the Market, or the Legion or on the ball fields. That is what I am working to protect.
My latest series of meeting with County officials is trying to make Prince George’s more friendly for small businesses. I hope to make the Tuxedo Business Park and commercial properties on Kenilworth and Route 202 thrive. Increasing our commercial tax base eases the burdens on town homeowners.
I look forward to meeting with you in the coming days. Please feel free contact me at any time. My phone number is (240) 696-1176 or e-mail me at MJ@MJCoolen.com
Thanks for your support and your vote on Monday, May 6th at Town Hall.
The town was hit hard in these past two years – with weather events that expanded our vocabulary (snowmagedon, micro-burst and derecho were new to me;) a sharp decrease in property values and new challenges on land use at our borders. Yet this Council, with three rookie members, rose to the occasion and directed the Town Government to work smarter and harder under these trying conditions.
We certainly have acted responsibly – keeping the purse strings tight while looking for new ways to deliver the levels of services our community is accustomed to receive. We have acted judiciously to tap our reserves during these ‘rainy days’ to offset the need for any tax increases. We instituted hiring freezes and postponed Town staff cost of living adjustments, as well as delayed new capital investments until economic conditions moderate. Meanwhile, we were able to maintain twice-weekly trash pickups and not only kept police on the streets, but secured several grants to outfit our officers with the modern tools they need to protect us.
We have also acted to restore fairness to the taxpayers of Cheverly. A sixth of the Town’s population live in the apartments on Route 202. For too long, the homeowners in Town have carried an unbalanced share of the cost of government. A major portion of our Town’s police resources respond to the needs of the apartment residents. That is fine, but they need to bear an equitable share of the cost of these services. We devised a plan to tier our tax rates for property uses, giving single family homeowners a break and bring multi-unit residents to a fair share. We were not looking to ‘soak’ the apartments, just looking for equitable responsibilities. We are continuing to consider to implement this arrangement in the coming months.
I have also enrolled in a University of Maryland program called the Academy of Excellence in Local Governance so I can become a more effective Councilmember for our neighborhood. I will be graduating this program later this Spring.
In two years, I have walked the streets of Ward Two repeatedly talking to you and your neighbors about state, county and local issues that affect Cheverly. In the days leading up to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, putting yard furniture and garden items away for our older residents who needed the assistance. Many of you have also met the dog named Chevy during our walks – the stray found in Town Park – who we are now fostering after a long medical rehabilitation and hope to place in a loving home soon.
Last year, in an effort to save the Town a substantial amount of money. I worked with a few state legislators to craft legislation forcing PEPCO to offer the Town LED street lights. (Yes, it takes an action by the General Assembly to make that happen in Maryland.) We passed the bill in the House of Delegates. Unfortunately, lobbyists were able to stall the legislation in the State Senate. I plan on renewing this effort next year. I am still working hard to mitigate the damage and delays in PEPCO’s rewiring of Cheverly, and will be working to expedite forcing Verizon and Comcast to move their wires to the new PEPCO poles, so we can be rid of all the unsightly double poles around our streets and alleys.
As a member of the Community Market Board of Directors, I am at each Market speaking with people and helping our Market thrive. Our market vendors often comment about how unique our Market is – it’s a community event, not just a typical farmer’s market. That is what makes Cheverly the place it is – a true community, whether at the Market, or the Legion or on the ball fields. That is what I am working to protect.
My latest series of meeting with County officials is trying to make Prince George’s more friendly for small businesses. I hope to make the Tuxedo Business Park and commercial properties on Kenilworth and Route 202 thrive. Increasing our commercial tax base eases the burdens on town homeowners.
I look forward to meeting with you in the coming days. Please feel free contact me at any time. My phone number is (240) 696-1176 or e-mail me at MJ@MJCoolen.com
Thanks for your support and your vote on Monday, May 6th at Town Hall.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Thank You Ward Two
First let me say Thank You.
I am honored to have won twice tonight.
Then tonight the ballots were counted and I won the seat of Councilmember from Ward Two. It was a very competitive race and all the candidates demonstrated their commitment to serving our community. In the end, the voters chose me to represent them.
To all, thank you and I will be in touch – often.
Election results here.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
My Campaign Earns Gazette Endorsement
After interviewing each candidate, the Gazette today issued its endorsement for Cheverly’s Ward Two Council race. They wrote, “The most competitive race is in Ward 2, where there are four serious contenders, but Mary Jane Coolen receives the nod because she brings the best mix of experience, ideas and community knowledge.”
The Gazette continues, “…all have solid ideas, but Coolen's past work in Annapolis will better serve Cheverly than the other candidates' experience on Capitol Hill.”
The Gazette continues, “…all have solid ideas, but Coolen's past work in Annapolis will better serve Cheverly than the other candidates' experience on Capitol Hill.”
Issues in Cheverly
The two most consistent messages I hear when speaking to my neighbors are first that people are for the most part happy with the services the Town provides. Of course there is always a way to improve life in Town, including better code enforcement and faster public safety responder response times. Reducing speeding on town streets is also a major concern.
The other message I hear is about communication. My priority will be to interact with the residents in the Ward all year long – not just at election time. My job on Council is to represent my neighbors and to do that effectively I must remain actively engaged with residents. Taking concerns to the appropriate official and following through.
I believe that Mayor Callahan and current Council have done a fine job. They have been able to maintain the quality services and infrastructure of our municipality without having to change our taxes. They have worked hard to find creative and fiscally sensible solutions and I expect the new Council to follow this example. Our tax rate has been steady for four years and I see no justifications for tax increases at this point.
Still, there are issues the Town must face. One very important issue is the situation with Prince George’s Hospital. Cheverly could ill-afford to lose that facility and have a deserted campus on its border. Nor can we miss the opportunity to be involved with any decisions a new operator may make about developing the vast open spaces within the Hospital’s property that border the Town.
Responsible development opportunities with the Cheverly Metro should be pursued with an eye towards encouraging desirable social amenities like a coffee shop and quality retail. We must also work with existing commercial interests within Town. Cheverly must proactively engage our businesses, helping them succeed by providing the appropriate level of policing and code enforcement. We need establish an expectation of commercial citizenship that benefits the entire community.
Our commercial zones are the gateways into Cheverly and their appearance and use help define our community. Working together, residents and property owners both need to raise expectations.
Of course all this talk about development must be tempered with protection of what makes Cheverly desirable in the first place - our natural beauty, tree canopy and open spaces. I am very proud of the work of our neighbors on Cheverly’s Green Infrastructure Program. I wholeheartedly offer my support to its implementation regardless of the outcome of this election.
I look forward to speaking with my neighbors about these and other topics concerning our town. I hope to earn your vote of confidence.
Thank you very much.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Mary Jane Coolen for Town Council
I am Mary Jane Coolen and I have been your neighbor in Cheverly since 1991. I really love our town and wish to serve as a member of the Town Council for Ward 2.
Cheverly is one of the finest communities in Maryland. My goal is to maintain all that is good with our town and work to make Cheverly even better in a fiscally responsible way. Two of our greatest assets are our Police and Public Works departments. I will work hard to help our exemplary public servants realize efficiencies while ensuring they have the resources they need to maintain the many amenities we have come to appreciate.
Still, all good things could be better. The closing of the Giant grocery caught many of us by surprise. The town needs to be more engaged with our local businesses, making them feel part of the community and encourage them to become better citizens.
I believe we need to continue our efforts to redevelop and beautify our commercial corridors, both on Tuxedo Road and Route 202.
My background uniquely qualifies me to serve in this capacity.
I worked as a legislative aide in Annapolis for several sessions of the General Assembly where I developed valuable relationships and experience in state and county government. In 2006, Governor O'Malley appointed me to his Juvenile Services Transition Team because of my work with Prince George's Safe Passages and Baltimore's Mountain Manor Juvenile Treatment programs.
I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Cheverly Community Market and co-chair Progressive Cheverly. I also teach therapeutic horseback riding to special needs students at the County’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro.
I am Vice-Chair of the Board of Joe's Movement Emporium community performing arts center in Mt. Rainier, serve on the Route 202 Coalition with State Senator Joanne Benson and the Battle of Bladensburg Bicentennial commemoration. I have come to know many folks in town through my community involvement during the past twenty years.
I look forward to speaking with you in the coming days and hope I can count on your vote on May 2nd.
Cheverly is one of the finest communities in Maryland. My goal is to maintain all that is good with our town and work to make Cheverly even better in a fiscally responsible way. Two of our greatest assets are our Police and Public Works departments. I will work hard to help our exemplary public servants realize efficiencies while ensuring they have the resources they need to maintain the many amenities we have come to appreciate.
Still, all good things could be better. The closing of the Giant grocery caught many of us by surprise. The town needs to be more engaged with our local businesses, making them feel part of the community and encourage them to become better citizens.
I believe we need to continue our efforts to redevelop and beautify our commercial corridors, both on Tuxedo Road and Route 202.
My background uniquely qualifies me to serve in this capacity.
I worked as a legislative aide in Annapolis for several sessions of the General Assembly where I developed valuable relationships and experience in state and county government. In 2006, Governor O'Malley appointed me to his Juvenile Services Transition Team because of my work with Prince George's Safe Passages and Baltimore's Mountain Manor Juvenile Treatment programs.
I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Cheverly Community Market and co-chair Progressive Cheverly. I also teach therapeutic horseback riding to special needs students at the County’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro.
I am Vice-Chair of the Board of Joe's Movement Emporium community performing arts center in Mt. Rainier, serve on the Route 202 Coalition with State Senator Joanne Benson and the Battle of Bladensburg Bicentennial commemoration. I have come to know many folks in town through my community involvement during the past twenty years.
I look forward to speaking with you in the coming days and hope I can count on your vote on May 2nd.
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