On the budget

Dear Mayor Miles and Council Members Tarlau and Updike:

When I bought my home here a little over three years ago, the estimated property taxes gave me pause. However, home prices were low enough compared to the District that I took the plunge. I'm glad I did because I think Mount Rainier has a bright future. Our first priority should be to find more revenue in order to provide residents with the services they want. We should follow Hyattsville's example and annex adjacent commercial properties aggressively. I would also support temporarily raising taxes enough to maintain current service levels. Ultimately, I would like to see the tax rate go down, but first we need to increase our tax base. 

If the City Council has to make cuts, we need to be careful not to cut our feet out from underneath us. For example, the police department is not fully staffed. Skimping on police protection will tend to hurt our property values and erode our tax base. Crime has been reduced in Mount Rainier, but I would go so far as to suggest filling the vacant police position. Let's kick crime while it's down and eliminate problem areas like the BP Station at Eastern and Varnum for good. We should also consider investing in an economic development staffer, like we've had before, who can focus on increasing our prosperity while freeing up other staff to provide essential services. Finally, anything that tends to improve the public’s perception of Mount Rainier, and consequently attracts businesses and residents, would be a good investment now. This could include blight remediation, tree planting, code enforcement, and miscellaneous beautification projects.

Sincerely,

Jesse Christopherson

Mount Rainier police predator?

According to news reports (click for ABC 7 video clip) a Mount Rainier police officer who has been indicted for "[allegedly luring] a 20-year-old man to his home to be in a pornographic video then shot him when he tried to flee was being investigated for a similar incident."

A proposal within a rambling post on crime and the chief's police blog

Mount Rainier Police Chief Michael E. Scott runs a fantastic crime blog for our city. Check it out in my blog list in the right-hand column. My only suggestion would be to include police items not directly related to crime, like community activities, traffic control issues, or emergency preparedness. I would also like the convenience of finding Chief Scott's regular reports to the city council on the blog.

I suppose the above qualifies as a point in itself, but I began this post with a different purpose. As I have read the blog over almost a year and a half, the trouble spots in Mount Rainier have become very apparent. For example, on the north side: 7-11, Grand China, the other 7-11, and BP.

For those who don't know, either an organized group of criminals or a gaggle of unaffiliated freelancers have been stealing purses, wallets, and cars from the BP station at Eastern and Varnum for some time. Chief Scott has warned the public repeatedly, but customers who leave valuables in unlocked cars even for a few seconds continue to lose them, and sometimes the entire car is taken. The thieves are not invisible. Eyewitnesses describe them every time, but they seem to be rarely if ever caught (please correct me if I'm wrong on that point), and the crimes continue.

I have a security camera on the outside of my house because a young man whipped it out after following my wife home from the Metro station last year. It has proven useful - mostly for watching schoolkids throw stuff at the house and once for a man who asked to inspect my alarm system. So why doesn't BP have an effective surveillance system? If they have cameras, they have never resulted in a good image of a suspect.

I suggest that Mount Rainier ask the BP station owners to install an effective system as soon as possible. In fact, I suggest that we discuss whether the city should require businesses that are also crime hot spots to invest in security systems. Perhaps the police could supervise installation and the city could partially subsidize purchase.

Better Block Project photos

MtRainierMD's photostream on Flickr.

Goings-on

Sunday, 13 March - PG County Police shot a man in Mount Rainier.

Tuesday, 15 March, 5:30 p.m. at 34th and Bunker Hill - Mount Rainier members of MoveOn.org have organized a local corollary to today's nationwide protests in support of labor in Wisconsin. "Guys, it's time to hit the streets. The corporate right is trying to pay for their phony wars & bail-out rip-offs by slashing all social services across the board. We have until the March 18 budget deadline to push Congress in another direction. WE PLAN FOR THIS STREET PROTEST TO BE FUN & EFFECTIVE Music, singing & dancing; cash food & drink at Glut, ZZs & Francis; chants; stand up comedy maybe, a few short speeches, & lots of schmoozing with your friends & neighbors."

Tuesday, 15 March, 7:00 p.m. at City Hall, One Municipal Place - "A special meeting of the mayor and council."

Thursday, 17 March - Sunday, March 20 - Dance Box Theater's Affectations at Joe's Movement Emporium.
Commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Created by Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp with Dance Artist Ilana Faye Silverstein, Installation Artist Lorne Covington and Composer James Harkins.

Wednesday, 30 March - Sunday, 17 April - Active Culture Theater's The Resurrectionist King at Joe's Movement Emporium.
"It's 1884 and times are hard at the struggling Theatre Comique. But Vigo Jansen, DC 's most infamous grave robber, is determined to put on a one man show. The Resurrectionist King is based on the true story of Vigo Jansen, a man who robbed local cemeteries to get cadavers for DC's medical schools and scientists."

Saturday, April 9 - Mount Rainier Better Block Project
"Join us, and hundreds of community members and partners, as we turn a half-vacant commercial block in Mount Rainier into a vibrant “Main Street” with outdoor cafes, performers, local vendors, and art installations. The goal of the project is to show the economic potential of 34th Street while energizing the community."

Every Friday morning, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Toddler Time. "Art Works welcomes our youngest community artists and their accompanying grownup to join us for creative time. Art Works asks for a $5 materials donation, and with that, our kids will be making play dough, working in clay, and using a wide variety of art materials to play, create, and get messy." 3711 Rhode Island Ave (the Post Office building).

Mount Rainier crime spree mystery solved

Thanks to the Mount Rainier police for solving a recent burglary spree! The miscreants hit at least three homes that we know of so far:

- Saturday February 19th in the 4400 block of 30th Street
- Friday March 4th in the 4000 block of 36th Street
- Monday March 7th in the 4000 block of 30th Street

Mount Rainier police caught three male juveniles and charged them with the crimes after one of them confessed.

UPDATE: Mount Rainier City Council Member Brian Knedler would like to point out that this series of crimes was solved thanks to someone who lived near one of the scenes and gave a description of the suspects to police. After the police knew what to look for it was just a matter of time before a little extra surveillance resulted in the arrests. Thanks, Brian.