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City process is dysfunctional, according to new watchdog group

BY CRAIG STONE

In the activist's haven of Takoma Park, there are many groups that form in an effort to affect city council decisions, most of them hoping to get the council to decide one way on a specific issue. However, one group has formed with the purpose of asking questions, not giving answers.

Sustainable Takoma, a group of about 20 residents with members in all six wards, formed with aspirations of affecting the process by which decisions are made, rather than the results that they yield.

The group, made up almost entirely of residents of over 15 years, was formed last summer, spurred by the debate over the city's plan for financing road repairs. The city council had asked the city manager to create a plan that would finance the needed road repairs in the city, and the plan revolved around borrowed money.

"A lot of people started watching this debate, and what was clear was that the council was not being given very good information," said Jane Lawrence, co-chair of Sustainable Takoma and a lawyer. "The striking thing for me about the debate was how dysfunctional it showed that process to be."

From there, e-mails began circulating within a group of concerned residents.

"A number of people started e-mailing and talking to council members, and out of that came this growing realization that there were other issues that people were concerned about," Lawrence said.

In February, the group held its first meeting, with an attendance of about a dozen people. They went around the room, everyone voicing their concerns about the city. The general consensus was that the way decisions were being made within the city government was inefficient.

One of the major issues the group discussed was the fact that the city council seemed to be refusing help from Montgomery County in providing services.

"There is the belief in the city that the city does things better than anyone else. ...[But] how are the services that we receive so much better?" commented economist Alain Thery, co-chair of Sustainable Takoma.

Thery believes that quality services are offered by the county, so there is no reason for the city to try to provide them by itself.

"When you pay that much [in taxes], you have a good right to know what you're getting for your money," he said.

"My concern is that so little analysis is going into what the city does," Lawrence said. "I know the city does not do a good job of asking, ‘is this a service that we can really do well? Is this where our dollar should go?'"

Sustainable Takoma does not want the city to let the county provide all services, however. They want the city to allow the county to do the services that it does well, so that there will be money and resources to do things that the county can't do.

"About 20 years ago, this city modeled curbside recycling…that's what a city like Takoma Park can do," Lawrence said. "One of our concerns is that as the city tries to supplant Montgomery, saying, ‘oh we can do that, we can do that,' it's losing the ability and the flexibility and kind of the vision to do innovative things...it's possible that the city has really gotten overextended."

The Takoma Park community seems at least partially behind the group, Lawrence said.

"Overall, I tell my friends and neighbors what we're working on and they say, ‘thank you, thank you,' because something's wrong. Now there are some people…who hear this and jump to the conclusion, ‘oh these people just want their taxes cut.' I don't really care what level of tax I pay–and the level I'm paying is high–but I'm not getting particularly good government for it."

The group also wants to clarify that they are not trying to be a thorn in the city council's side. In the interest of open communication, members of Sustainable Takoma have had individual dinners with the mayor and all six councilmembers. Lawrence said Sustainable Takoma began by saying that they are sympathetic to the council's frustrations. "You don't need to be worried about us," they told the councilmembers. "We actually want to support you. We don't think you're getting very good information."

Lawrence said that what "was fascinating about the dinners was how clear some of the issues become when you get three hours to talk about them. I think it was an eye-opener for them, and us, too."

Lawrence also affirmed that the issues do not go away if the members of the city government change.

"Anyone running for council or mayor, we have questions for you, and we would hope to communicate [your] answers back to residents," he said.

"We're intending to be strong advocates for transparency and analysis," said Sustainable Takoma co-founder Dan Robinson. "We're in for the long haul."