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.
