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Thursday, December 30, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
Update on Brian's Health
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 15:16:28 -0500
From: "Brian Dragonuk"
Subject: Update on Brian's Health
Hey Everyone This is Brian
I know a lot of your are concerned about my health lately and I have
some more news
Most good some not so good.
Gale Sent you the last update in early December and to bring all of
you up to speed
I want to start a Little before that.
Many of you that know me well have known a;; along that I am a
diabetic (Type 2) I take a few
pills , watch what I eat and TRY to loose weight. I have been able to
work regularly ( including the long days -- up to 38 hrs) and live
comfortably on my "Actors Pay".as a full time actor for over 4 years.
Only when the Leukemia ( Chemo) cut my income by 2/3rds this year
while raising my expenses by over 500% did I have to turn to all of
you for help-- What a blessing you all are.
In early December I had my 3rd CT Scan of the year (and a ton of blood
work) so my Cancer Dr could evaluate the 6 months of Chemo. I also had
a complete Physical, Blood work & Urine tests
by my GP on the diabetes--- Everything came back GREAT No signs of
Cancer-- Best Blood Sugar readings in 2 years--liver test normal etc.
The only down side was going thru 6 months of Chemo and not being
able to loose 5 lbs (I had really hoped that Chemo would at least help
me loose 20 lbs---- But NOOOOO!!!!!!)
Any Way here is the Bad news part one of the things that happens with
diabetes is diabetic retinopathy basically it causes blood vessels to
form & grow in the eyes ( Where they don't Belong) and the are
extremely Fragile--These vessels break and bleed into the eye
Thats What is going on with my right eye. My vision is extremely
blurred in it & there is a blood clot that has to be removed ( Because
of the holiday staff reductions at the Wilmer Eye Clinic -- Hopkins
--- I am not sure exactly when I will have the surgery but it looks
like Wednesday or Thursday) . They did Laser surgery on the Left eye
this past Wednesday (about 45 min)
to seal off the blood vessels growing wild in it but the Right eye
with the clot is a 4-5 hr surgery Then the laser treatment.
Now also because of the Staff holiday Schedule I have the Chief of
Surgery at the Eye unit working on me and he see's no permanent damage
in either eye---so once he is finished things should be back to normal
(At least until the next thing breaks on me)
Before I get to the Funny part of all of this ( YES I AM STILL IN GOOD
SPIRITS)
For those of you that want ti wish me well ( Or Those of you that know
I will be 52 in 2 weeks)
Please do not e-mail me messages--- Luckily this time of year there
are fewer messages with jobs, networking or training information in
them for me to read---I can handle them but a lot of Personal emails
right now would really bog things down .
Please Snail mail them to me at
Brian Dragonuk
3701 Burmont Ave
Randallstown Md 21133
Now for the Future Saturday Night Live Sketch ( If I Ever Get famous)
I have been working with my 4 year old Nephew making Christmas Gifts
for his mother, my other sister, My mother and my Great Aunt-- We
Chose to paint some things for them.
I had gotten some Small wooden hearts ( about 6 inches) that we
painted red and we glued photo's of J.C. ( My Nephew) on them , plus I
had 4 5 in angles for him to paint & 2 6 inch Xmas trees that not only
had to be painted but have glitter sprinkled on them, Now add the 4
year old and take the vision out of one eye and reduce the vision in
the other one due to swelling from laser surgery.
Got the Picture
Now Remember you promised him that he could make his first Pumpkin
Cake so he could bring it to xmas dinner..
Remember Also that while he has used a wire whisk on eggs before you
told him HE could break the eggs this time (Another first)
I know there is something of a comedy sketch here but J.C. Prevailed
with out a hitch ( the only thing that really kept this in prospective
for me ( Besides the look on J.C.'s Face) was the knowledge that even
when I can see CLEAN-UP IS SOMEONE ELSE'S JOB---NOT MINE
I'll do all the hard stuff--then I'm Done
Brian
From: "Brian Dragonuk"
Subject: Update on Brian's Health
Hey Everyone This is Brian
I know a lot of your are concerned about my health lately and I have
some more news
Most good some not so good.
Gale Sent you the last update in early December and to bring all of
you up to speed
I want to start a Little before that.
Many of you that know me well have known a;; along that I am a
diabetic (Type 2) I take a few
pills , watch what I eat and TRY to loose weight. I have been able to
work regularly ( including the long days -- up to 38 hrs) and live
comfortably on my "Actors Pay".as a full time actor for over 4 years.
Only when the Leukemia ( Chemo) cut my income by 2/3rds this year
while raising my expenses by over 500% did I have to turn to all of
you for help-- What a blessing you all are.
In early December I had my 3rd CT Scan of the year (and a ton of blood
work) so my Cancer Dr could evaluate the 6 months of Chemo. I also had
a complete Physical, Blood work & Urine tests
by my GP on the diabetes--- Everything came back GREAT No signs of
Cancer-- Best Blood Sugar readings in 2 years--liver test normal etc.
The only down side was going thru 6 months of Chemo and not being
able to loose 5 lbs (I had really hoped that Chemo would at least help
me loose 20 lbs---- But NOOOOO!!!!!!)
Any Way here is the Bad news part one of the things that happens with
diabetes is diabetic retinopathy basically it causes blood vessels to
form & grow in the eyes ( Where they don't Belong) and the are
extremely Fragile--These vessels break and bleed into the eye
Thats What is going on with my right eye. My vision is extremely
blurred in it & there is a blood clot that has to be removed ( Because
of the holiday staff reductions at the Wilmer Eye Clinic -- Hopkins
--- I am not sure exactly when I will have the surgery but it looks
like Wednesday or Thursday) . They did Laser surgery on the Left eye
this past Wednesday (about 45 min)
to seal off the blood vessels growing wild in it but the Right eye
with the clot is a 4-5 hr surgery Then the laser treatment.
Now also because of the Staff holiday Schedule I have the Chief of
Surgery at the Eye unit working on me and he see's no permanent damage
in either eye---so once he is finished things should be back to normal
(At least until the next thing breaks on me)
Before I get to the Funny part of all of this ( YES I AM STILL IN GOOD
SPIRITS)
For those of you that want ti wish me well ( Or Those of you that know
I will be 52 in 2 weeks)
Please do not e-mail me messages--- Luckily this time of year there
are fewer messages with jobs, networking or training information in
them for me to read---I can handle them but a lot of Personal emails
right now would really bog things down .
Please Snail mail them to me at
Brian Dragonuk
3701 Burmont Ave
Randallstown Md 21133
Now for the Future Saturday Night Live Sketch ( If I Ever Get famous)
I have been working with my 4 year old Nephew making Christmas Gifts
for his mother, my other sister, My mother and my Great Aunt-- We
Chose to paint some things for them.
I had gotten some Small wooden hearts ( about 6 inches) that we
painted red and we glued photo's of J.C. ( My Nephew) on them , plus I
had 4 5 in angles for him to paint & 2 6 inch Xmas trees that not only
had to be painted but have glitter sprinkled on them, Now add the 4
year old and take the vision out of one eye and reduce the vision in
the other one due to swelling from laser surgery.
Got the Picture
Now Remember you promised him that he could make his first Pumpkin
Cake so he could bring it to xmas dinner..
Remember Also that while he has used a wire whisk on eggs before you
told him HE could break the eggs this time (Another first)
I know there is something of a comedy sketch here but J.C. Prevailed
with out a hitch ( the only thing that really kept this in prospective
for me ( Besides the look on J.C.'s Face) was the knowledge that even
when I can see CLEAN-UP IS SOMEONE ELSE'S JOB---NOT MINE
I'll do all the hard stuff--then I'm Done
Brian
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Movie Makers' Symposium, Blue Rock Productions, Wednesday Janurary 19, 2005 (snow date the following Wednesday), 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Attention Movie Makers
We've had a lot of requests to have another Movie Makers' Symposium.
Last year's event was a big success and we hope to top it this year.
What is it?
An informal gathering of movie makers of all sorts.
Most of us work on small indie films shot on MiniDV or
16mm film.
We will have some demonstrations, some free food, a couple of screening
rooms to show our latest projects, and much more - all in a fantastic
location at Blue Rock Productions in Northwest Baltimore. (www.bluerockproductions.com)
There will be a $5 donation at the door to pay for food,
drinks and other costs.
Last year we had several producers, directors, animators, stunt people,
sound people, actors, etc. A lot of contacts were made.
Some people got hired. Everybody had a good time.
I will have more details in the next couple of weeks as we get
rolling on this, but the basics are:
DATE: Wednesday Janurary 19, 2005
(snow date the following Wednesday)
TIME: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
PLACE: Blue Rock Productions in Northwest Baltimore.
Everyone is encouraged to bring cards, demos, and handouts.
You can even bring a table and set up a display if you want
-- at no charge. We want people to connect.
We want people to schmooze. We want people to find work!
Send me an email for more details and to volunteer
to put on a demostration.
Craig Herron
Writer, Producer, Director, Animator
www.herrondesigns.com www.afallfromtheclouds.com
co-host Gregg Landry
Blue Rock Productions
We've had a lot of requests to have another Movie Makers' Symposium.
Last year's event was a big success and we hope to top it this year.
What is it?
An informal gathering of movie makers of all sorts.
Most of us work on small indie films shot on MiniDV or
16mm film.
We will have some demonstrations, some free food, a couple of screening
rooms to show our latest projects, and much more - all in a fantastic
location at Blue Rock Productions in Northwest Baltimore. (www.bluerockproductions.com)
There will be a $5 donation at the door to pay for food,
drinks and other costs.
Last year we had several producers, directors, animators, stunt people,
sound people, actors, etc. A lot of contacts were made.
Some people got hired. Everybody had a good time.
I will have more details in the next couple of weeks as we get
rolling on this, but the basics are:
DATE: Wednesday Janurary 19, 2005
(snow date the following Wednesday)
TIME: 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
PLACE: Blue Rock Productions in Northwest Baltimore.
Everyone is encouraged to bring cards, demos, and handouts.
You can even bring a table and set up a display if you want
-- at no charge. We want people to connect.
We want people to schmooze. We want people to find work!
Send me an email for more details and to volunteer
to put on a demostration.
Craig Herron
Writer, Producer, Director, Animator
www.herrondesigns.com www.afallfromtheclouds.com
co-host Gregg Landry
Blue Rock Productions
Monday, December 20, 2004
This Wednesday launching the new Charm City Green Party at Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., corner of St. P and Madison, at 7PM.
This Wednesday we're launching the new Charm City Green Party at Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., corner of St. P and Madison, at 7PM.
With over 45,000 votes cast for Green candidates in Baltimore City alone, it's obvious that there's a desire for something different. If you're new to the Green Party or need a reason to come back, come by on Wednesday and check us out. Some of the old faces should be there as well as new ones!
We have a strong commitment to activism and educating the public on how real change is possible.
Hope you all can come by Wednesday. Red Emma's is a collective book store with food license now, (bagels, coffee, etc.)
Myles
former Green Party candidate for City Council
With over 45,000 votes cast for Green candidates in Baltimore City alone, it's obvious that there's a desire for something different. If you're new to the Green Party or need a reason to come back, come by on Wednesday and check us out. Some of the old faces should be there as well as new ones!
We have a strong commitment to activism and educating the public on how real change is possible.
Hope you all can come by Wednesday. Red Emma's is a collective book store with food license now, (bagels, coffee, etc.)
Myles
former Green Party candidate for City Council
Friday, December 10, 2004
BGM Meeting Change for 12/14, at Red Emma's Bookstore and Cafe, on 800 St. Paul St., at 6:30 PM.
Subject: [BGM] BGM Meeting Change for 12/14
There is to be a change of venue for next week's BGM meeting: we'll be meeting at Red Emma's Bookstore and Cafe, on 800 St. Paul St., at 6:30 PM. We'll be strategizing as to what to do next, in the wake of the passage of the Comcast contract by the City Council.
Some folks have come to me and asked: "BGM is still meeting? But I thought it was all over!" No, it's not over yet; on the contrary there is much left to be done! We're still going to have to be a watchdog over the Mayor and Council to make sure that the new public access organization is developed in a timely way and that the money that is supposed to go to public access is held in trust until that time. We're also going to have to lobby the Mayor's Office of Cable to provide for a new home for public access in the meantime so that volunteers can have access and keep it afloat.
There are alot of other actions on the table right now, so please come out and share your ideas and energy to benefit public access in Baltimore!
What: BGM weekly meeting
When: Tues., Dec 14, 2004
6:30 PM
Where: Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse
800 St Paul Street
Let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Amanda
410-721-6458
There is to be a change of venue for next week's BGM meeting: we'll be meeting at Red Emma's Bookstore and Cafe, on 800 St. Paul St., at 6:30 PM. We'll be strategizing as to what to do next, in the wake of the passage of the Comcast contract by the City Council.
Some folks have come to me and asked: "BGM is still meeting? But I thought it was all over!" No, it's not over yet; on the contrary there is much left to be done! We're still going to have to be a watchdog over the Mayor and Council to make sure that the new public access organization is developed in a timely way and that the money that is supposed to go to public access is held in trust until that time. We're also going to have to lobby the Mayor's Office of Cable to provide for a new home for public access in the meantime so that volunteers can have access and keep it afloat.
There are alot of other actions on the table right now, so please come out and share your ideas and energy to benefit public access in Baltimore!
What: BGM weekly meeting
When: Tues., Dec 14, 2004
6:30 PM
Where: Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse
800 St Paul Street
Let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Amanda
410-721-6458
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
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Monday, December 06, 2004
Final Vote scheduled for TODAY, Monday 12/6 at 5PM (Come to City Hall)
Alternative TV in Baltimore? You decide.
Final Vote scheduled for TODAY, Monday 12/6 at 5PM (Come to City Hall)
The Senator Theatre Weighs in on Public Access TV
Baltimore IMC Coverage:
http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9012/index.php
WBAL TV Coverage:
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/3973047/detail.html
Baltimore Grassroots Media:
www.BaltimoreGrassrootsMedia.org
Contact Sheila Dixon's Office and your Council Members to seek postponement of the Comcast Cable vote:
City Council Member
Phone
Fax
Email
Sheila Dixon
410-396-4804
410-539-0647
sdixon@baltimorecitycouncil.com
John L. Cain
410-396-4807
410-545-6632
jcain@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Nicholas C. D'Adamo, Jr.
410-396-4808
410-396-4414
ndadamo@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Lois Garey
410-396-4828
410-545-6617
lgarey@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Paula Johnson Branch
410-396-4829
410-396-1594
pbranch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Bernard C. "Jack" Young
410-396-4811
410-396-1594
byoung@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Pamela V. Carter
410-396-4810
410-545-7694
pcarter@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Robert W. Curran
410-396-4812
410-396-8621
rcurran@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
410-396-4830
410-659-1792
kharris@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Lisa Joi Stancil
410-396-4813
410-396-8621
lstancil@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Agnes Welch
410-396-4815
410-545-3857
awelch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr.
410-396-4816
410-545-7464
kmitchell@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Carherine E. Pugh
410-396-4831
410-545-7581
cpugh@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Rochelle "Rikki" Spector
410-396-4819
410-396-6800
rspector@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Helen Holton
410-396-4818
410-396-6800
hholton@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Stephanie Rawlings Blake
410-396-4832
410-396-6800
srawlings@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Kwame Osayaba Abayomi
410-396-4821
410-545-3847
kabayomi@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Melvin Stukes
410-396-4833
410-396-8465
mstukes@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Edward Reisinger
410-396-4822
410-545-7353
ereisinger@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Final Vote scheduled for TODAY, Monday 12/6 at 5PM (Come to City Hall)
The Senator Theatre Weighs in on Public Access TV
Baltimore IMC Coverage:
http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/9012/index.php
WBAL TV Coverage:
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/3973047/detail.html
Baltimore Grassroots Media:
www.BaltimoreGrassrootsMedia.org
Contact Sheila Dixon's Office and your Council Members to seek postponement of the Comcast Cable vote:
City Council Member
Phone
Fax
Sheila Dixon
410-396-4804
410-539-0647
sdixon@baltimorecitycouncil.com
John L. Cain
410-396-4807
410-545-6632
jcain@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Nicholas C. D'Adamo, Jr.
410-396-4808
410-396-4414
ndadamo@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Lois Garey
410-396-4828
410-545-6617
lgarey@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Paula Johnson Branch
410-396-4829
410-396-1594
pbranch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Bernard C. "Jack" Young
410-396-4811
410-396-1594
byoung@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Pamela V. Carter
410-396-4810
410-545-7694
pcarter@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Robert W. Curran
410-396-4812
410-396-8621
rcurran@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
410-396-4830
410-659-1792
kharris@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Lisa Joi Stancil
410-396-4813
410-396-8621
lstancil@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Agnes Welch
410-396-4815
410-545-3857
awelch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr.
410-396-4816
410-545-7464
kmitchell@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Carherine E. Pugh
410-396-4831
410-545-7581
cpugh@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Rochelle "Rikki" Spector
410-396-4819
410-396-6800
rspector@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Helen Holton
410-396-4818
410-396-6800
hholton@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Stephanie Rawlings Blake
410-396-4832
410-396-6800
srawlings@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Kwame Osayaba Abayomi
410-396-4821
410-545-3847
kabayomi@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Melvin Stukes
410-396-4833
410-396-8465
mstukes@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Edward Reisinger
410-396-4822
410-545-7353
ereisinger@baltimorecitycouncil.com
The Baltimore City Council
The Baltimore City Council
District 1 Members:
John L. Cain
Phone: (410) 396-4807
Fax: (410) 545-6632
Room: 423
Email: jcain@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Land Use and Planning; Highways and Franchises Subcommittee - Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Taxation
Nicholas D'Amado Jr.
Phone: (410) 396-4808
Fax: (410) 396-4414
Room: 525
Email: ndadamo@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Budget and Appropriations
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Lois Garey
Phone: (410) 396-4828
Fax: (410) 545-6617
Room: 422
Email: lgarey@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Land Use and Planning - Chair
Executive Appointments
Urban Affairrs
* * *
District 2 Members:
Paula Johnson Branch
Phone: (410) 396-4829
Fax: (410) 396-1594
Room: 511
Email: pbranch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Urban Affairs - Chair
Budget and Appropriations
Land Use and Planning
Bernard C. "Jack" Young
Phone: (410) 396-4811
Fax: (410) 396-1594
Room: 509
Email: byoung@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Executive Appointments - Chair
Recreation and Parks Subcommittee - Chair
Urban Affairs
Taxation
Pamela V. Carter
Phone: (410) 396-4810
Fax: (410) 545-7694
Room: 550
Email: pcarter@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Taxation - Vice Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Executive Appointments
* * *
District 3 Members:
Robert Curran
Phone: (410) 396-4812
Fax: (410) 396-8621
Room: 504
Email: rcurran@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations - Chair
Taxation
Executive Appointments
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
Phone: (410) 396-4830
Fax: (410) 659-1792
Room: 503
Email: kharris@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Executive Appointments - Vice Chair
Budget and Appropriations - Vice Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Lisa Joi Stancil
Phone: (410) 396-4813
Fax: (410) 396-8621
Room: 551
Email: lstancil@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Finance - Vice Chair
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Land Use and Planning
* * *
District 4 Members:
Agnes Welch
Phone: (410) 396-4815
Fax: (410) 545-3857
Room: 532
Email: awelch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Aging Subcommittee - Chair
Urban Affairs - Vice Chair
Finance
Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr.
Phone: (410) 396-4816
Fax: (410) 545-7464
Room: 527
Email: kmitchell@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Taxation - Chair
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Urban Affairs
Catherine E. Pugh
Phone: (410) 396-4831
Fax: (410) 545-7581
Room: 523
Email: cpugh@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Taxation Subcommittee on Economic Development - Chair
Land Use and Planning - Vice Chair
Urban Affairs
* * *
District 5 Members:
Rochelle "Rikki" Spector
Phone: (410) 396-4819
Fax: (410) 396-6800
Room: 521
Email: rspector@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Finance
Land Use and Planning
Helen Holton
Phone: (410) 396-4818
Fax: (410) 396-6800
Room: 518
Email: hholton@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Finance - Chair
Budget and Appropriations
Stephanie Rawlings Blake
Phone: (410) 396-4832
Fax: (410) 396-6800
Room: 516
Email: srawlings@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations - Chair
Budget and Appropriations - Chair
Finance
* * *
District 6 Members:
Kwame Osayaba Abayomi, D.D.
Phone: (410) 396-4821
Fax: (410) 545-3847
Room: 505
Email: kabayomi@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations, Public Safety Subcommittee - Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Finance
Melvin Stukes
Phone: (410) 396-4833
Fax: (410) 396-8465
Room: 553
Email: mstukes@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Housing, Health, and Human Services - Vice Chair; Education and Labor Subcommittee - Chair
Taxation
Land Use and Planning; Transportation Subcommittee - Chair
Edward Reisinger
Phone: (410) 396-4822
Fax: (410) 545-7353
Room: 424
Email: ereisinger@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Housing, Health, and Human Services - Chair
Budget and Appropriations
Urban Affairs
District 1 Members:
John L. Cain
Phone: (410) 396-4807
Fax: (410) 545-6632
Room: 423
Email: jcain@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Land Use and Planning; Highways and Franchises Subcommittee - Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Taxation
Nicholas D'Amado Jr.
Phone: (410) 396-4808
Fax: (410) 396-4414
Room: 525
Email: ndadamo@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Budget and Appropriations
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Lois Garey
Phone: (410) 396-4828
Fax: (410) 545-6617
Room: 422
Email: lgarey@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Land Use and Planning - Chair
Executive Appointments
Urban Affairrs
* * *
District 2 Members:
Paula Johnson Branch
Phone: (410) 396-4829
Fax: (410) 396-1594
Room: 511
Email: pbranch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Urban Affairs - Chair
Budget and Appropriations
Land Use and Planning
Bernard C. "Jack" Young
Phone: (410) 396-4811
Fax: (410) 396-1594
Room: 509
Email: byoung@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Executive Appointments - Chair
Recreation and Parks Subcommittee - Chair
Urban Affairs
Taxation
Pamela V. Carter
Phone: (410) 396-4810
Fax: (410) 545-7694
Room: 550
Email: pcarter@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Taxation - Vice Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Executive Appointments
* * *
District 3 Members:
Robert Curran
Phone: (410) 396-4812
Fax: (410) 396-8621
Room: 504
Email: rcurran@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations - Chair
Taxation
Executive Appointments
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
Phone: (410) 396-4830
Fax: (410) 659-1792
Room: 503
Email: kharris@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Executive Appointments - Vice Chair
Budget and Appropriations - Vice Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Lisa Joi Stancil
Phone: (410) 396-4813
Fax: (410) 396-8621
Room: 551
Email: lstancil@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Finance - Vice Chair
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Land Use and Planning
* * *
District 4 Members:
Agnes Welch
Phone: (410) 396-4815
Fax: (410) 545-3857
Room: 532
Email: awelch@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Aging Subcommittee - Chair
Urban Affairs - Vice Chair
Finance
Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr.
Phone: (410) 396-4816
Fax: (410) 545-7464
Room: 527
Email: kmitchell@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Taxation - Chair
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Urban Affairs
Catherine E. Pugh
Phone: (410) 396-4831
Fax: (410) 545-7581
Room: 523
Email: cpugh@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Taxation Subcommittee on Economic Development - Chair
Land Use and Planning - Vice Chair
Urban Affairs
* * *
District 5 Members:
Rochelle "Rikki" Spector
Phone: (410) 396-4819
Fax: (410) 396-6800
Room: 521
Email: rspector@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations
Finance
Land Use and Planning
Helen Holton
Phone: (410) 396-4818
Fax: (410) 396-6800
Room: 518
Email: hholton@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Finance - Chair
Budget and Appropriations
Stephanie Rawlings Blake
Phone: (410) 396-4832
Fax: (410) 396-6800
Room: 516
Email: srawlings@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations - Chair
Budget and Appropriations - Chair
Finance
* * *
District 6 Members:
Kwame Osayaba Abayomi, D.D.
Phone: (410) 396-4821
Fax: (410) 545-3847
Room: 505
Email: kabayomi@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Judiciary and Legislative Investigations, Public Safety Subcommittee - Chair
Housing, Health, and Human Services
Finance
Melvin Stukes
Phone: (410) 396-4833
Fax: (410) 396-8465
Room: 553
Email: mstukes@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Housing, Health, and Human Services - Vice Chair; Education and Labor Subcommittee - Chair
Taxation
Land Use and Planning; Transportation Subcommittee - Chair
Edward Reisinger
Phone: (410) 396-4822
Fax: (410) 545-7353
Room: 424
Email: ereisinger@baltimorecitycouncil.com
Committee Assignments:
Housing, Health, and Human Services - Chair
Budget and Appropriations
Urban Affairs
Cable panel urged mayor not to back Comcast deal
From the November 16th Baltimore Sun:
Cable panel urged mayor
not to back Comcast deal
Panel advised O'Malley against cable deal;
officials say they didn't know
By Doug Donovan
Sun Staff
November 16, 2004
Mayor Martin O'Malley failed to follow the advice of his expert cable advisory panel when he pushed a new 12-year cable television deal with Comcast through the Board of Estimates.
And with the contract now awaiting City Council approval, council members say they still haven't seen a three-page letter the panel wanted to give them more than a month ago.
The five-member Cable Communications Advisory Commission, appointed by the mayor, advised against the deal in an Oct. 13 letter addressed to O'Malley and the council.
Yet council members said Tuesday that they never saw the letter or heard of the commission's opinion. They said commission members did not testify at an Oct. 13 council hearing at which the contract was discussed.
"This raises a lot of questions," said Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., who learned of the letter Tuesday. "I would have liked to have had it at the hearings. The council needs to be aware of [the letter] and to look at it closely."
Comptroller Joan M. Pratt expressed concern that the commission's opinion was not introduced to the Board of Estimates last week, which approved the deal over her lone "no" vote.
"Why do we appoint a commission and then we don't listen to or follow their recommendations?" Pratt said. "They call this an open government, yet you have a [commission] that makes recommendations and it's not shared with the board and the administration ignores its opinions."
Michael Shea of Baltimore Grassroots Media, a public access advocacy group, said he heard that commission members "were asked not to testify" at the Oct. 13 council hearing.
Jonathan L. Shorr, the commission's president, declined to say why neither he nor members of his panel spoke at the council meeting.
Raquel Guillory, an O'Malley spokeswoman, said commission members were not discouraged from testifying or from submitting the letter into the record.
"We're not hiding anything," Guillory said.
Guillory said the mayor believed he had addressed the panel's concerns in amendments added to the contract last week that increased money for public access programming.
Shorr said in an interview Tuesday that problems remain.
In the letter, a copy of which was obtained Tuesday by The Sun , Shorr wrote that city government would improve its "long-term civic health" by encouraging participation in public access programming by neighborhood, educational and social groups.
"We urge you to ensure that in the pending franchise agreement, the city's priority is not the stockholders of Comcast but the citizens of Baltimore," wrote Shorr, a co-director of the University of Baltimore's school of communications design. "Until that time, we recommend that the council not approve this contract."
The franchise, which would begin Jan. 1, requires Comcast to pay the city 5 percent of the gross revenue generated from its nearly 120,000 city subscribers. The annual fee would generate about $4.3 million for the city's general fund. The deal would also provide other revenue for public access television.
Comcast officials have said repeatedly that the deal is fair to the city because the company is giving more than the 5 percent required by law.
The letter from the advisory panel spelled out seven points of concern. Chief among them were the city's willingness to give back four of its 12 channels reserved for programs produced by the public, educational institutions and government agencies.
That also runs counter to recommendations from a consultant hired by the city to assess Baltimore's cable needs. Virchow Krause & Co. recommended in July that the city negotiate to reserve more channels to meet increasing demand for local programming.
Councilman Robert W. Curran said he did not know of the letter. He said the city agreed to eight channels because only four of the 12 existing channels are now being used. Baltimore Grassroots Media has said the public cannot use more channels without public access studios, training and financing.
The advisory commission's letter also states that the city should have had Comcast set aside money for public access, rather than passing the cost on to subscribers. The letter says the city needs to improve its monitoring of complaints against the cable provider, a concern expressed by the city's consultant.
"The contract needs lots of work," Shorr wrote.
The council is scheduled to vote Thursday on moving the contract onto Monday's agenda. A final, third-reader vote would be scheduled for the council's Nov. 29 session, Curran said.
A point of contention is how much money would go toward public access and how that cash would be generated. Under the terms of the pending contract, Comcast agreed to charge each subscriber a $6 annual fee that would generate more than $700,000 a year for the capital costs of public access programming on cable Channel 5 and for shows produced by city government on cable Channel 21 and city schools on cable Channel 7.
Comcast would provide $570,000 over the next 12 years to provide public access training, plus $430,000 over the next six years toward a summer youth employment program that could be steered to public access programming.
Shorr said the minimum needed each year to staff a public access studio is about $225,000. He said none of the money from Comcast is designated for public access. Even if it were, he said, it would not be enough for a public access studio, training programs and equipment rental.
"The commission is trying to look out for the best interests of the citizens," Shorr said. "Comcast always holds the upper hand."
Copyright © 2004, The Baltimore Sun
* * *
Communiqué from Baltimore Grassroots Media:
Dear Citizens of Baltimore:
This Monday, December 6, 2004, the City Council is set to make their final vote on the proposed 12-year Comcast.
This new proposed contract does NOT protect public access television and the City Council needs to hear from you if public cable access is to be saved. Baltimore Grassroots Media is asking all those who care about public access television and who want it to survive to do the following:
Please join us this Monday at 5pm at the City Council meeting on the 4th floor of City Hall, 100 N. Holiday St., to show your support for postponing the final vote in order to help insure sufficient rights of public access. If we can turn out those who support postponement at this time, it will demonstrate to the Council at this crucial juncture that citizens of Baltimore care about proper procedure and public access issues.
Email, call and fax the City Council in support of postponing the pending final reader and vote on Bill # 04-0504 to allow for further scrutiny of it's provisions for public access.
The proposed Comcast Cable contract is deficient and must include the following:
1. Funding for public access operating expenses. The proposed contract includes some funds earmarked only for equipment and facilities, but none of this money can currently be used as written for operational expenses such as salaries and administrative costs.
2. A timetable and plan for the creation of the public access entity. Without solid deadlines for the formation of a Board and an organizational structure, a new public access organization could well languish for years in limbo.
3. A public access entity that has a democratically appointed board and is representative of the community. This Board needs to have members who represent all of the communities in Baltimore and who have a stake in the success of public access.
Thank you for taking these simple steps to save public access in Baltimore!
Please contact Baltimore Grassroots Media at info@baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org or at [410] 371-8218 for more information or to join in the struggle to preserve and enhance public access television in Baltimore City.
Amanda Bowers
Baltimore Grassroots Media
Please Visit:
www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org
Cable panel urged mayor
not to back Comcast deal
Panel advised O'Malley against cable deal;
officials say they didn't know
By Doug Donovan
Sun Staff
November 16, 2004
Mayor Martin O'Malley failed to follow the advice of his expert cable advisory panel when he pushed a new 12-year cable television deal with Comcast through the Board of Estimates.
And with the contract now awaiting City Council approval, council members say they still haven't seen a three-page letter the panel wanted to give them more than a month ago.
The five-member Cable Communications Advisory Commission, appointed by the mayor, advised against the deal in an Oct. 13 letter addressed to O'Malley and the council.
Yet council members said Tuesday that they never saw the letter or heard of the commission's opinion. They said commission members did not testify at an Oct. 13 council hearing at which the contract was discussed.
"This raises a lot of questions," said Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., who learned of the letter Tuesday. "I would have liked to have had it at the hearings. The council needs to be aware of [the letter] and to look at it closely."
Comptroller Joan M. Pratt expressed concern that the commission's opinion was not introduced to the Board of Estimates last week, which approved the deal over her lone "no" vote.
"Why do we appoint a commission and then we don't listen to or follow their recommendations?" Pratt said. "They call this an open government, yet you have a [commission] that makes recommendations and it's not shared with the board and the administration ignores its opinions."
Michael Shea of Baltimore Grassroots Media, a public access advocacy group, said he heard that commission members "were asked not to testify" at the Oct. 13 council hearing.
Jonathan L. Shorr, the commission's president, declined to say why neither he nor members of his panel spoke at the council meeting.
Raquel Guillory, an O'Malley spokeswoman, said commission members were not discouraged from testifying or from submitting the letter into the record.
"We're not hiding anything," Guillory said.
Guillory said the mayor believed he had addressed the panel's concerns in amendments added to the contract last week that increased money for public access programming.
Shorr said in an interview Tuesday that problems remain.
In the letter, a copy of which was obtained Tuesday by The Sun , Shorr wrote that city government would improve its "long-term civic health" by encouraging participation in public access programming by neighborhood, educational and social groups.
"We urge you to ensure that in the pending franchise agreement, the city's priority is not the stockholders of Comcast but the citizens of Baltimore," wrote Shorr, a co-director of the University of Baltimore's school of communications design. "Until that time, we recommend that the council not approve this contract."
The franchise, which would begin Jan. 1, requires Comcast to pay the city 5 percent of the gross revenue generated from its nearly 120,000 city subscribers. The annual fee would generate about $4.3 million for the city's general fund. The deal would also provide other revenue for public access television.
Comcast officials have said repeatedly that the deal is fair to the city because the company is giving more than the 5 percent required by law.
The letter from the advisory panel spelled out seven points of concern. Chief among them were the city's willingness to give back four of its 12 channels reserved for programs produced by the public, educational institutions and government agencies.
That also runs counter to recommendations from a consultant hired by the city to assess Baltimore's cable needs. Virchow Krause & Co. recommended in July that the city negotiate to reserve more channels to meet increasing demand for local programming.
Councilman Robert W. Curran said he did not know of the letter. He said the city agreed to eight channels because only four of the 12 existing channels are now being used. Baltimore Grassroots Media has said the public cannot use more channels without public access studios, training and financing.
The advisory commission's letter also states that the city should have had Comcast set aside money for public access, rather than passing the cost on to subscribers. The letter says the city needs to improve its monitoring of complaints against the cable provider, a concern expressed by the city's consultant.
"The contract needs lots of work," Shorr wrote.
The council is scheduled to vote Thursday on moving the contract onto Monday's agenda. A final, third-reader vote would be scheduled for the council's Nov. 29 session, Curran said.
A point of contention is how much money would go toward public access and how that cash would be generated. Under the terms of the pending contract, Comcast agreed to charge each subscriber a $6 annual fee that would generate more than $700,000 a year for the capital costs of public access programming on cable Channel 5 and for shows produced by city government on cable Channel 21 and city schools on cable Channel 7.
Comcast would provide $570,000 over the next 12 years to provide public access training, plus $430,000 over the next six years toward a summer youth employment program that could be steered to public access programming.
Shorr said the minimum needed each year to staff a public access studio is about $225,000. He said none of the money from Comcast is designated for public access. Even if it were, he said, it would not be enough for a public access studio, training programs and equipment rental.
"The commission is trying to look out for the best interests of the citizens," Shorr said. "Comcast always holds the upper hand."
Copyright © 2004, The Baltimore Sun
* * *
Communiqué from Baltimore Grassroots Media:
Dear Citizens of Baltimore:
This Monday, December 6, 2004, the City Council is set to make their final vote on the proposed 12-year Comcast.
This new proposed contract does NOT protect public access television and the City Council needs to hear from you if public cable access is to be saved. Baltimore Grassroots Media is asking all those who care about public access television and who want it to survive to do the following:
Please join us this Monday at 5pm at the City Council meeting on the 4th floor of City Hall, 100 N. Holiday St., to show your support for postponing the final vote in order to help insure sufficient rights of public access. If we can turn out those who support postponement at this time, it will demonstrate to the Council at this crucial juncture that citizens of Baltimore care about proper procedure and public access issues.
Email, call and fax the City Council in support of postponing the pending final reader and vote on Bill # 04-0504 to allow for further scrutiny of it's provisions for public access.
The proposed Comcast Cable contract is deficient and must include the following:
1. Funding for public access operating expenses. The proposed contract includes some funds earmarked only for equipment and facilities, but none of this money can currently be used as written for operational expenses such as salaries and administrative costs.
2. A timetable and plan for the creation of the public access entity. Without solid deadlines for the formation of a Board and an organizational structure, a new public access organization could well languish for years in limbo.
3. A public access entity that has a democratically appointed board and is representative of the community. This Board needs to have members who represent all of the communities in Baltimore and who have a stake in the success of public access.
Thank you for taking these simple steps to save public access in Baltimore!
Please contact Baltimore Grassroots Media at info@baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org or at [410] 371-8218 for more information or to join in the struggle to preserve and enhance public access television in Baltimore City.
Amanda Bowers
Baltimore Grassroots Media
Please Visit:
www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org
BLOWING A WHISTLE
December 4, 2004
Dear Patrons,
Our primary roll in operating The Senator Theatre and The Rotunda Cinematheque is to entertain and enlighten our patrons by presenting films and producing special events and programs. In this way our role is aligned with the regional cable systems that aspire to serve their subscribers in a similar fashion.
Over the years our audience has grown and our theatres have become regional points of destination, but our primary patron base remains the citizens of Baltimore City.
Although our weekly e-mails now go out to over 10,000 recipients, this specific communication is only relevant to the residents of Baltimore City and we regret that others who do not live in Baltimore will receive it as well. If you are not a Baltimore City resident, please forgive the intrusion.
BLOWING A WHISTLE
An alarming series of events have been taking place in the last few weeks regarding the unusual and inexplicable rush by the Mayor's office and the City Council to ratify the controversial new Comcast Cable contract, which, as proposed, will remain in effect for the next 12 years.
We are taking the unusual action of informing our e-mail listmembers about this issue in an 11th hour effort to inform you and shed much needed light on some very troubling aspects of what is taking place.
On the schedule of this Monday's final meeting of the current Baltimore City Council is the third reader and final vote on Bill # 04-1504, which if passed as expected, will ratify Baltimore's City's extensively flawed Comcast Cable franchise contract.
Ratification of this Comcast Cable contract is predicted to occur this Monday evening despite the fact that the controversial Comcast Cable franchise contract is considered deficient and problematic by many informed groups and individuals with the most auspicious negative assessment coming directly from the Mayor's Baltimore Cable Communications Advisory Commission.
The Mayor's Cable Communications Advisory Commission was appointed by Mayor O'Malley and was mandated to review and evaluate the new contract, and the desirability and fairness of the exclusive deal it represents. When recently announcing the commission's conclusions and recommendations the president of the Cable Communications Advisory Commission, Jonathan Shorr, was highly critical of the contract.
[The eye opening recent Sunpaper article on these matters is included in its entirety below].
Irregardless of the clear negative assessment of the new contract by the Mayor's Cable Communications Advisory Commission, and the alarming testimony before the City Council by the informed citizen action group Baltimore Grassroots Media and others, the outgoing City Council is rushing headlong this Monday night to the 3rd reader to be followed by the final vote. They are doing this over the fervent and rising objections of those who are bewildered and becoming suspicious over this series of events.
In response to this situation, we feel compelled to transmit this atypical communiqué to the public and do what we can at this point in time to inform you of what is taking place. We urge you to expeditiously add your voice to the rising chorus of concerned citizens who want to know what the rush is all about and why the outgoing City Council is being so derelict in not properly representing us by more vigorously scrutinizing this whole matter.
We cannot comprehend why there is such a rush to vote this apparently flawed piece of crucial legislation into law, particularly since the newly elected and revamped Baltimore City Council will very soon begin its new session. All of Baltimore's citizens may soon be subject to the poorly negotiated terms of this new contract for the next 12 years.
Why the rush? Why are the citizen action groups being given no credence? Why are the Mayor and City Council ignoring the unequivocal negative assessment of the Mayor's own appointed Cable Communications Advisory Commission?
If you agree with the assessment that this is all very alarming please try and attend this Monday evening's council session. We also urge you to utilize the convenient method we have provided [at the very bottom of this e-mail] to help you contact your current Baltimore City Council representatives this Monday the 6th by e-mail or fax. Please let them know of your concern over the propriety of what is occurring in regards to the Comcast Cable franchise contract.
The Baltimore Grassroots Media organization has provided us pertinent information also included below. For further information, please visit their website at www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org to learn more about these issues.
Hopefully with your input, passage of this important legislation will be postponed from occurring this Monday evening. This will permit the newly elected incoming Council an opportunity to exercise further scrutiny over these matters as they were recently elected to do.
If despite all of our best efforts, Bill # 04-1504 passes this Monday evening, we will continue to advocate for public scrutiny of a cable contract process that seems to have taken on a confounding life of its own. If need be, both The Senator Theatre and The Rotunda Cinematheque will be available to raise public awareness and funds to help evaluate the potential for legal challenges to these egregious violations of procedure and the trust we place in our public officials.
Sincerely,
Tom Kiefaber
Dear Patrons,
Our primary roll in operating The Senator Theatre and The Rotunda Cinematheque is to entertain and enlighten our patrons by presenting films and producing special events and programs. In this way our role is aligned with the regional cable systems that aspire to serve their subscribers in a similar fashion.
Over the years our audience has grown and our theatres have become regional points of destination, but our primary patron base remains the citizens of Baltimore City.
Although our weekly e-mails now go out to over 10,000 recipients, this specific communication is only relevant to the residents of Baltimore City and we regret that others who do not live in Baltimore will receive it as well. If you are not a Baltimore City resident, please forgive the intrusion.
BLOWING A WHISTLE
An alarming series of events have been taking place in the last few weeks regarding the unusual and inexplicable rush by the Mayor's office and the City Council to ratify the controversial new Comcast Cable contract, which, as proposed, will remain in effect for the next 12 years.
We are taking the unusual action of informing our e-mail listmembers about this issue in an 11th hour effort to inform you and shed much needed light on some very troubling aspects of what is taking place.
On the schedule of this Monday's final meeting of the current Baltimore City Council is the third reader and final vote on Bill # 04-1504, which if passed as expected, will ratify Baltimore's City's extensively flawed Comcast Cable franchise contract.
Ratification of this Comcast Cable contract is predicted to occur this Monday evening despite the fact that the controversial Comcast Cable franchise contract is considered deficient and problematic by many informed groups and individuals with the most auspicious negative assessment coming directly from the Mayor's Baltimore Cable Communications Advisory Commission.
The Mayor's Cable Communications Advisory Commission was appointed by Mayor O'Malley and was mandated to review and evaluate the new contract, and the desirability and fairness of the exclusive deal it represents. When recently announcing the commission's conclusions and recommendations the president of the Cable Communications Advisory Commission, Jonathan Shorr, was highly critical of the contract.
[The eye opening recent Sunpaper article on these matters is included in its entirety below].
Irregardless of the clear negative assessment of the new contract by the Mayor's Cable Communications Advisory Commission, and the alarming testimony before the City Council by the informed citizen action group Baltimore Grassroots Media and others, the outgoing City Council is rushing headlong this Monday night to the 3rd reader to be followed by the final vote. They are doing this over the fervent and rising objections of those who are bewildered and becoming suspicious over this series of events.
In response to this situation, we feel compelled to transmit this atypical communiqué to the public and do what we can at this point in time to inform you of what is taking place. We urge you to expeditiously add your voice to the rising chorus of concerned citizens who want to know what the rush is all about and why the outgoing City Council is being so derelict in not properly representing us by more vigorously scrutinizing this whole matter.
We cannot comprehend why there is such a rush to vote this apparently flawed piece of crucial legislation into law, particularly since the newly elected and revamped Baltimore City Council will very soon begin its new session. All of Baltimore's citizens may soon be subject to the poorly negotiated terms of this new contract for the next 12 years.
Why the rush? Why are the citizen action groups being given no credence? Why are the Mayor and City Council ignoring the unequivocal negative assessment of the Mayor's own appointed Cable Communications Advisory Commission?
If you agree with the assessment that this is all very alarming please try and attend this Monday evening's council session. We also urge you to utilize the convenient method we have provided [at the very bottom of this e-mail] to help you contact your current Baltimore City Council representatives this Monday the 6th by e-mail or fax. Please let them know of your concern over the propriety of what is occurring in regards to the Comcast Cable franchise contract.
The Baltimore Grassroots Media organization has provided us pertinent information also included below. For further information, please visit their website at www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org to learn more about these issues.
Hopefully with your input, passage of this important legislation will be postponed from occurring this Monday evening. This will permit the newly elected incoming Council an opportunity to exercise further scrutiny over these matters as they were recently elected to do.
If despite all of our best efforts, Bill # 04-1504 passes this Monday evening, we will continue to advocate for public scrutiny of a cable contract process that seems to have taken on a confounding life of its own. If need be, both The Senator Theatre and The Rotunda Cinematheque will be available to raise public awareness and funds to help evaluate the potential for legal challenges to these egregious violations of procedure and the trust we place in our public officials.
Sincerely,
Tom Kiefaber
Public Demands More Scrutiny, Delay of Proposed Comcast Deal
Subject: [BGM] PRESS ADVISORY: Public Demands More Scrutiny, Delay of Proposed Comcast Deal
Baltimore Grassroots Media
www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org
News Release: December 6, 2004
For more information contact:
Amanda Bowers: (410) 371-8218
Mike Shea: (410) 523-0212
Public Demands More Scrutiny, Delay of Proposed Comcast Deal
Council poised to lock City into a 12-year contract that needs more work, according to Mayor’s Cable Commission and other experts
BALTIMORE – Today at 5 PM the City Council is scheduled to take its final vote on the Comcast cable contract, Bill 04-1504. Community television supporters and cable experts say that the vote should be delayed as there are critical problems with the proposed contract that have not been addressed. Baltimore Grassroots Media (BGM) and other community television supporters plan to attend tonight’s Council meeting to show their opposition to the contract and to press for a delay to the vote.
Mayor Martin O’Malley’s own Cable Advisory Commission has gone on record as opposing the contract. In an Oct. 13th letter that was addressed to both the Mayor and the Council, the Commission wrote, "We urge you to ensure that in the pending franchise agreement, the city's priority is not the stockholders of Comcast but the citizens of Baltimore. Until that time, we recommend that the council not approve this contract." The letter also raises concerns about the return of 4 of the 12 channels currently designated for public, educational and governmental (PEG) programming to Comcast, which, according to calculations made by BGM based on figures given by Comcast, are worth approximately $77 million over the term of the twelve-year agreement.
BGM has raised concerns about side agreements that are not a part of the main body of the contract that are supposed to provide funding for public access. On Friday, Dec. 3, the group received, for the first time, the text of a side agreement between the city and Comcast for a $570,000 training grant, the source of promised public access operating funds. The document is pre-dated December 6, 2004 and has not been signed. The agreement letter does not indicate that the $570,000 will go directly to public access television, only that it will go to the City, where it could be used for any of the PEG channels, including government Channel 21.
Channel 21 had an annual budget of $1.7 million last year; currently public access Channel 5 has no operating funds and is run out of the Mayor’s Office of Cable and Communications.
The City Council claims it is also securing an additional $430,000 from the City coffers for public access in the form of a memorandum of understanding from the Department of Finance. At the Nov. 29th City Council meeting President Dixon and Councilman Curran motioned to delay final passage of the contract until this MOU could be finalized. BGM says it has not seen this document and asserts that the final vote should be delayed until this side agreement can be scrutinized by the public.
On Friday night, Dec 3rd, BGM held a public forum on the public access situation in Baltimore. In attendance were several experts on public access from around the country who are submitting a letter today to City Council President Sheila Dixon to urge her to delay the final vote. They are Richard Turner, Executive Director of Montgomery Community Television, Anthony Riddle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Community Media, and Steve Ranieri, Executive Director of Community Cable Channel 27 TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Also in attendance was Tom Kiefaber, owner of the Senator Theatre, who has placed a message on the marquee of the theater that reads, “STOP THE COMCAST CABLE CONTRACT! BILL 04-1504 NEEDS PUBLIC SCRUTINY. CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL PERSON.”
Baltimore Grassroots Media is a group made up of public access television producers, former public access Channel 5 volunteers, and other concerned citizens who are working to bring public access back to Baltimore and to help it thrive. For more information please go to: www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org.
Baltimore Grassroots Media
www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org
News Release: December 6, 2004
For more information contact:
Amanda Bowers: (410) 371-8218
Mike Shea: (410) 523-0212
Public Demands More Scrutiny, Delay of Proposed Comcast Deal
Council poised to lock City into a 12-year contract that needs more work, according to Mayor’s Cable Commission and other experts
BALTIMORE – Today at 5 PM the City Council is scheduled to take its final vote on the Comcast cable contract, Bill 04-1504. Community television supporters and cable experts say that the vote should be delayed as there are critical problems with the proposed contract that have not been addressed. Baltimore Grassroots Media (BGM) and other community television supporters plan to attend tonight’s Council meeting to show their opposition to the contract and to press for a delay to the vote.
Mayor Martin O’Malley’s own Cable Advisory Commission has gone on record as opposing the contract. In an Oct. 13th letter that was addressed to both the Mayor and the Council, the Commission wrote, "We urge you to ensure that in the pending franchise agreement, the city's priority is not the stockholders of Comcast but the citizens of Baltimore. Until that time, we recommend that the council not approve this contract." The letter also raises concerns about the return of 4 of the 12 channels currently designated for public, educational and governmental (PEG) programming to Comcast, which, according to calculations made by BGM based on figures given by Comcast, are worth approximately $77 million over the term of the twelve-year agreement.
BGM has raised concerns about side agreements that are not a part of the main body of the contract that are supposed to provide funding for public access. On Friday, Dec. 3, the group received, for the first time, the text of a side agreement between the city and Comcast for a $570,000 training grant, the source of promised public access operating funds. The document is pre-dated December 6, 2004 and has not been signed. The agreement letter does not indicate that the $570,000 will go directly to public access television, only that it will go to the City, where it could be used for any of the PEG channels, including government Channel 21.
Channel 21 had an annual budget of $1.7 million last year; currently public access Channel 5 has no operating funds and is run out of the Mayor’s Office of Cable and Communications.
The City Council claims it is also securing an additional $430,000 from the City coffers for public access in the form of a memorandum of understanding from the Department of Finance. At the Nov. 29th City Council meeting President Dixon and Councilman Curran motioned to delay final passage of the contract until this MOU could be finalized. BGM says it has not seen this document and asserts that the final vote should be delayed until this side agreement can be scrutinized by the public.
On Friday night, Dec 3rd, BGM held a public forum on the public access situation in Baltimore. In attendance were several experts on public access from around the country who are submitting a letter today to City Council President Sheila Dixon to urge her to delay the final vote. They are Richard Turner, Executive Director of Montgomery Community Television, Anthony Riddle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Community Media, and Steve Ranieri, Executive Director of Community Cable Channel 27 TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Also in attendance was Tom Kiefaber, owner of the Senator Theatre, who has placed a message on the marquee of the theater that reads, “STOP THE COMCAST CABLE CONTRACT! BILL 04-1504 NEEDS PUBLIC SCRUTINY. CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL PERSON.”
Baltimore Grassroots Media is a group made up of public access television producers, former public access Channel 5 volunteers, and other concerned citizens who are working to bring public access back to Baltimore and to help it thrive. For more information please go to: www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
AN OPEN LETTER TO MY BALTIMORE COMMUNITY
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 02:24:56 -0500
From: JohnDeSantis@PublicAndPrivateEnterprise.org
To: bgm@epistolary.org
Subject: [BGM] AN OPEN LETTER TO MY BALTIMORE COMMUNITY
Dear Fellow BGM List Members:
I want you all to know that I speak of public access TV and BGM in a
major project endeavor within my main mission in life that began a
little after midnight tonight -- the start of a long-term e-mailing
campaign. Where I speak of this is in three paragraphs near the top of
the page on my web site that the link at the end of this invitational
letter that I began to mail out tonight guides people to. I send a copy
of the same letter that you see just below to only one e-mail address
each time, and do my best to try and personalize each one.--John.
=====================================
Dear [the recipient]:
This is an invitation for you to go to my web site and read the "OPEN
LETTER TO MY BALTIMORE COMMUNITY" -- which is my announcement to
everyone about Baltimore being at the center of a new worldwide project
to help all of humanity. It's about creating a new long-term worldwide
forum for every nation to be involved with -- in order to work on the
subject of creating economic success and eliminating poverty throughout
the world. The link to the letter is at the end of this invitation.
The "Open Letter" contains two sections: The introductory remarks
followed by the information concerning a total of $10,000 in PRIZES (1st
place: $5,000 -- 2nd place: $3,000 -- 3rd place: $2,000) that are now
available to win by high school, college, and university students who
take part in a creative contest to help get this Movement going -- as
well as to inspire and motivate many people and organizations to get
involved and help promote, guide, and lead the project itself.
The overall contest goal is basically 3-fold:
(1) To rewrite, rearrange, reorganize, and completely redo my amateur
web site -- turning it into something very professional and inspiring
for the Movement.
(2) To create the contents of all of the professional and inspiring
promotional items such as flyers, brochures, letters, press releases,
advertisements, and so on that will be necessary.
(3) To creatively organize and figure out how to get the first actual
forum going along with the procedure for it. This would include how to
go about it, how to invite people from all nations to it by contacting
their Washington D.C. embassies and consulates (as well as any
consulates that are located in Baltimore), asking them to send people to
the first forum, which is to be held in some large auditorium in
Baltimore that is donated to be used. Inviting the general public,
business people, politicians, media people, U.N. people and U.N.
organizations, scholars, non-profit and religious organizations, and
local dignitaries from all walks of life is also included.
I thank you in advance for reading and considering the "Open Letter" to
everyone in my Baltimore community that is found in this link -- which
you can either copy and paste or click on to get to:
http://www.PublicAndPrivateEnterprise.org/MyCommunity.html
Most Sincerely,
John DeSantis
-------
From: JohnDeSantis@PublicAndPrivateEnterprise.org
To: bgm@epistolary.org
Subject: [BGM] AN OPEN LETTER TO MY BALTIMORE COMMUNITY
Dear Fellow BGM List Members:
I want you all to know that I speak of public access TV and BGM in a
major project endeavor within my main mission in life that began a
little after midnight tonight -- the start of a long-term e-mailing
campaign. Where I speak of this is in three paragraphs near the top of
the page on my web site that the link at the end of this invitational
letter that I began to mail out tonight guides people to. I send a copy
of the same letter that you see just below to only one e-mail address
each time, and do my best to try and personalize each one.--John.
=====================================
Dear [the recipient]:
This is an invitation for you to go to my web site and read the "OPEN
LETTER TO MY BALTIMORE COMMUNITY" -- which is my announcement to
everyone about Baltimore being at the center of a new worldwide project
to help all of humanity. It's about creating a new long-term worldwide
forum for every nation to be involved with -- in order to work on the
subject of creating economic success and eliminating poverty throughout
the world. The link to the letter is at the end of this invitation.
The "Open Letter" contains two sections: The introductory remarks
followed by the information concerning a total of $10,000 in PRIZES (1st
place: $5,000 -- 2nd place: $3,000 -- 3rd place: $2,000) that are now
available to win by high school, college, and university students who
take part in a creative contest to help get this Movement going -- as
well as to inspire and motivate many people and organizations to get
involved and help promote, guide, and lead the project itself.
The overall contest goal is basically 3-fold:
(1) To rewrite, rearrange, reorganize, and completely redo my amateur
web site -- turning it into something very professional and inspiring
for the Movement.
(2) To create the contents of all of the professional and inspiring
promotional items such as flyers, brochures, letters, press releases,
advertisements, and so on that will be necessary.
(3) To creatively organize and figure out how to get the first actual
forum going along with the procedure for it. This would include how to
go about it, how to invite people from all nations to it by contacting
their Washington D.C. embassies and consulates (as well as any
consulates that are located in Baltimore), asking them to send people to
the first forum, which is to be held in some large auditorium in
Baltimore that is donated to be used. Inviting the general public,
business people, politicians, media people, U.N. people and U.N.
organizations, scholars, non-profit and religious organizations, and
local dignitaries from all walks of life is also included.
I thank you in advance for reading and considering the "Open Letter" to
everyone in my Baltimore community that is found in this link -- which
you can either copy and paste or click on to get to:
http://www.PublicAndPrivateEnterprise.org/MyCommunity.html
Most Sincerely,
John DeSantis
-------
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Friday - Baltimore Public Access Forum (12/3), Red Emma's 800 St. Paul Street
Friday - Baltimore Public Access Forum (12/3)
This Friday (12/3) representatives from Baltimore Grassroots Media will appear at Red Emma's to discuss the importance of Public Access and the current struggle to preserve it for Baltimore. This forum comes at a crucial time. The Baltimore City Council is believed to be only days away from approving a new contract that will eliminate Baltimore Public Access by removing it's funding, allocating the local cable spectrum entirely to Comcast in the process.
Labor, peace and social justice activists (of all stripes) who are interested in learning what strategies are being utilized in order to preserve this vital outlet for community-based media are encouraged to attend this timely forum and participate in the discussion.
Date: 12/3/04
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Est. duration: 2 hours.
Cost: Free!
Contact: Kelly, 240-441-0898
http://www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org
Red Emma's
800 St. Paul Street
410-230-0450
http://www.RedEmmas.org
Public Access Forum (12/3) Agenda:
Opening Comments: Presenter - Kelly E. Crawford
Past History of Public Access:
Presenters: Mike Shea and Gene Balbierz
Public Access - Present Day Use:
Roundtable Discussion
Presenters: Jim George, Joan Floyd
Future of Public Access:
Video from Greg Whitehair
Baltimore Grassroots Media Business Plan
Conclusion:
Questions and Answer Session
OP/ED by John Desantis
This Friday (12/3) representatives from Baltimore Grassroots Media will appear at Red Emma's to discuss the importance of Public Access and the current struggle to preserve it for Baltimore. This forum comes at a crucial time. The Baltimore City Council is believed to be only days away from approving a new contract that will eliminate Baltimore Public Access by removing it's funding, allocating the local cable spectrum entirely to Comcast in the process.
Labor, peace and social justice activists (of all stripes) who are interested in learning what strategies are being utilized in order to preserve this vital outlet for community-based media are encouraged to attend this timely forum and participate in the discussion.
Date: 12/3/04
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Est. duration: 2 hours.
Cost: Free!
Contact: Kelly, 240-441-0898
http://www.baltimoregrassrootsmedia.org
Red Emma's
800 St. Paul Street
410-230-0450
http://www.RedEmmas.org
Public Access Forum (12/3) Agenda:
Opening Comments: Presenter - Kelly E. Crawford
Past History of Public Access:
Presenters: Mike Shea and Gene Balbierz
Public Access - Present Day Use:
Roundtable Discussion
Presenters: Jim George, Joan Floyd
Future of Public Access:
Video from Greg Whitehair
Baltimore Grassroots Media Business Plan
Conclusion:
Questions and Answer Session
OP/ED by John Desantis
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