Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Courtney Watson raised more funds than the other members of the County Council combined.
2012 was a great fundraising year for Howard County Council member Courtney Watson. Watson, a Democrat who represents Ellicott City, Elkridge and Hanover in the First Council District, raised $254,410 in 2012, more than the total fundraising numbers of the four other Council members combined. She has a total of $374,457 cash on hand. "I am working hard to make Howard County an even better place to live and work," said Watson in a statement announcing her fundraising figures. "We should all be proud of the progress we are making." Watson has not formally announced whether or not she'll run for County Executive in 2014, when Ken Ulman must step down from the post due to term limits. In a recent Baltimore Sun report, she said she has been …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The County Council Monday approved an amended redistricting map that keeps two Ellicott City neighborhoods happy, may disappoint others.
Elkridge residents living on Ducketts Lane and Montgomery Road will be moving districts if the county executive signs a decision made by the County Council into law. On Monday night, the council voted 3–2 to adopt an amended redistricting map sponsored by Council Chair Mary Kay Sigaty (D-District 4), that split neighborhoods on two Elkridge thoroughfares so that one side of the street is in District 1 and another side is in District 2. Voting in favor of the amended map were Sigaty, Greg Fox (R–District 5) and Jennifer Terassa (D–District 3). Courtney Watson (D-District 1) and Calvin Ball (D-District 2) voted against the map. “I think it is important to note the concerns from Elkridge that have been presented throughout the process,” …
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Courtney Watson, who represents Elkridge on the County Council, said she expects resolution on school site issues in the next couple of weeks.
Councilwoman Courtney Watson told constituents at the Greater Elkridge Community Association (GECA) meeting last week that news should be coming soon about Elkridge school projects that are currently in limbo. “We should know something by the beginning of February,” said Watson, D-Elkridge/Ellicott City, at the Jan. 26 GECA meeting. Elementary and middle schools in the Elkridge area will be overcrowded in the next two years, according to enrollment projections from the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS). As a result, the Howard County Board of Education has approved elementary and middle school sites for building new schools; however, both sites face challenges. The elementary school site—on Ducketts Lane—is currently tied up in …
Monday, April 25, 2011
Clean Energy Coalition Mid-Atlantic was formally unveiled at a ribbon cutting on Main Street in Elkridge during Earth Day.
When Tope Lala and his three business partners started Solar Energy World in Elkridge two years ago, they hoped it would be the region’s leading provider of solar electric panels and solar water heaters. To that end, they have been successful. The business currently employs 34 people—impressive growth in an industry that has been plagued with financial losses. What Lala and his partners admit, however, is that they underestimated how entrenched conventional energy policy had become in the United States. “We have an energy policy that favors the status quo," said Lala. "While we have made great strides in the promotion of renewable energy, we [are] still riding the coattails of fossil fuels down a path of self-destruction." The partners …
Friday, April 15, 2011
Council members want the county to seek speed control strategies beyond speed cameras.
Howard County department heads faced hours of stern questioning from the county council Thursday on the proposed $179 million of spending in the FY12 capital budget. The Department of Public Works fielded much of the scrutiny after County Executive Ken Ulman highlighted stormwater management and infrastructure improvements as some of the most important additions to the FY 12 budget, alongside education. Speed Control The issue of speeding in communities and school zones drew a lot of discussion as the county considers speed cameras as a possible remedy to what Councilwoman Courtney Watson called “the No. 1 complaint from citizens in the county.” The proposed FY 12 spending budget for intersection improvements, which includes speed control…
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The budget director says the clear focus is education and environment.
Howard County budget director Ray Wacks told the county council Tuesday night that the focus of spending in the $179.3 million capital budget is on schools and stormwater projects. The proposed budget is about $31 million trimmer than the FY 2011 budget, which was approved at $210.4 million last year. Although a hearing on the budget was not specifically about educational budgets, Wacks noted that $70 million is going to public schools and another $30 million to Howard Community College. “The focus of this capital budget is clear this year, and it’s a focus on the environment and on schools,” Wacks said. For the past three years, the capital budget for public schools has hovered around $70 million. Wacks said expenditures would allow for …
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Smaller crowd endures cold weather to see "sequel" swear-in ceremony.
Violins, cello and bass welcomed about 300 people from the bitter winds to the swearing-in of the Howard County executive and council at Howard High School on Monday night. National Public Radio's Korva Coleman emceed the occasion, where all six incumbents again took the oath to serve the county. Administered by Clerk of the Court Margaret Rappaport, Ken Ulman was sworn in as county executive, along with county council members Courtney Watson (District 1), Calvin Ball (District 2), Jen Terrasa (District 3), Mary Kay Sigaty (District 4) and Greg Fox (District 5). Numerous Maryland legislators from both sides of the aisle were in attendance, including Delegates Guy Guzzone and Liz Bobo, and Senators James Robey and Allan Kittleman. Each …
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BK
8:11 am on Friday, March 16, 2012
I totally agree. It doesn't matter which district we are in - Elkridge has not been represented adequately as of late. That is evident with over 3000 building permits slated for 2014 and most of them will be in the Elkridge area. Smart growth is a foreign concept and I will be voting against ANY of the incumbents in upcoming elections. more ›