Don O'Neill
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On the Blog Post The Nature of Montgomery Village
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On the Blog Post The Nature of Montgomery Village
Don O'Neill
9:47 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Before you defend the indefensible, please reread Art Hiban's blog. He covers a wide range of topics with good effect.
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On the Blog Post The Nature of Montgomery Village
Don O'Neill
5:58 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
ReplyThe need to provide a clear accountability of budgeted costs and expenditures against actual costs and expenditures is a paramount obligation of the trasurer yet this clarity is illusive. Even skilled practitioners in the art of finance are unable to reconcile budgeted costs versus actual costs along with resident assessment payments quarter by quarter for four quarters. I urge each MVF Board member to elevate this issue to the highest priority and to seek the personal understanding needed to explain this to their Village residents and constituents and of course to themselves.
MVF excursions into the faux planning for the 2030 Vision and a Maryland Bond Bill project only serve to add confusion to an already confusing situation. The $250,000 unneeded South Valley Restroom and Concession Stand is now facing growing cost pressure stemming from sewer and water and electrical connections and permit costs and the plat requirement for a natural resource inventory and forest conservation plan. The cost pressure could be further magnified if MVF does not complete its project milestones in accordance with its commitment to the State of Maryland, putting into jeopardy receipt of the $125,000 state funding for this $250,000 and growing obligation.
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On the Blog Post The Nature of Montgomery Village
Don O'Neill
5:57 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
ReplyCongratulations to Art Hiban for authoring an excellent and much needed blog entitled The Nature of Montgomery Village.
The core responsibility of the Montgomery Village Foundation and its board members is to uphold the fiduciary responsibility to Village residents, that is, to look out for the financial interests of Montgomery Village above all else in exercising a duty of care, undivided loyalty, and honesty. To neglect this fiduciary responsibility is to default on their responsibilities. Art Hiban has painstakingly painted a picture of such neglect in his Patch.com blog.
The complexity of managing the MVF financial affairs has been magnified by the Treasurer's financial reporting practices employed. The transparency and clarity needed to distinguish and not commingle gains from investments and losses from operations.
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On the article Report: Village Pharmacist Inc. Closes For Good
Don O'Neill
9:28 am on Thursday, May 2, 2013
ReplyAfter 40-years of service, the Village Pharmacy joined Schenk's Hardware and shuttered its doors. The reason? Faced with uncertainty and unable to obtain information on plans for the Professional Center, the owners were force to rely on rumors that the building would be torn down.
Was there a tripwire that precipitated the unsettled outlook for the Professional Center? Yes. The overambitious, grandiose Montgomery Village Foundation 2030 Vision planning documents show a 6-story office building and a 4-story parking garage on the Professional Center. Asked about these inappropriate and objectionable features, Montgomery Village Board members dutifully recite their lines, "The 2030 Vision documents are not a plan; the are just conceptual." Rumors are spawned in the absence of solid information.
The Montgomery Village Foundation and the property owners need to take this opportunity to clarify the expectations of the Profession Center.
Is Montgomery Village flourishing yet?
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On the Blog Post Sticking a Finger in the Eye of Montgomery Village Democracy
Don O'Neill
3:19 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Len,
MVF Committee membership requirements need to be more well understood by the MVF staff administering the staffing of these committees.
Dedicated residents need only to volunteer to serve on a committee where being a Village resident, having no architectural violations, and being current on assessments are the only prerequisites. The MVF Committee Application makes no mention of these essentials.
Instead, the MVF Committee Application asks an applicant for the following information departing the essential prerequisites:
1. Please outline your educational, profession or volunteer experience that particularly qualifies you for membership on the committee of your choice ( a resume may be attached):
2. Please explain briefly why you wish to serve on the particular committee for which you are applying for membership:Again, what is needed to stimulate and reinvigorate volunteerism in Montgomery Village is to accentuate a policy for open committee membership coupled with the promise of an independent committee operation.
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On the Blog Post Sticking a Finger in the Eye of Montgomery Village Democracy
Don O'Neill
12:20 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Len,
The point of my letter to the editor of the MVF News is that the MVF Committees need to be revitalized.
The Village faces a shortage of volunteers needed to populate its many committees. However, residents appear reluctant to undergo the MVF Board scrutiny associated with volunteering to serve on a committee.
What is needed to stimulate and reinvigorate volunteerism in Montgomery Village is to accentuate a policy for open committee membership coupled with the promise of an independent committee operation.
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On the article MD Dems Host Twitter Town Hall on Sequestration
Don O'Neill
9:35 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
ReplyOn sequestration and Maryland Democrats, I would like to weigh in with the same advice I offered Governor O'Malley. Stop moaning about what might happen, start planning for what will happen, and get back to us on your plan as soon as possible.
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On the article Sequestration: Maryland Leaders Call It a Long Word for Economic Pain
Don O'Neill
10:13 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
ReplyOn sequestration, I would like to weigh in with some advice for Governor O'Malley. Stop moaning about what might happen, start planning for what will happen, and get back to us on your plan as soon as possible.
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On the article O’Malley Visits Elkridge to Warn of Effects of Sequestration
Don O'Neill
10:07 am on Thursday, February 28, 2013
ReplyOn sequestration, Governor O'Malley says he is worried that people will become cynical about their government and stop weighing in.
Well, Governor O'Malley doesn't have to worry about me. I would like to weigh in with some advice for the Governor. Stop moaning about what might happen, start planning for what will happen, and get back to us on the plan as soon as possible.
Don O'Neill
10:14 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The response suggesting that the facts be obtained using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is alarming and indicates that MVF has reached an all time low.
Has MVF become a monster?