Jack Perry will be missed for sure. He has a wealth of knowledge as well as common sense thoughts that will leave a BIG hole on the city council. Sorry to see Mr. Catlin throw his hat in again as it is long past due for him to give up his seat.

I don't get the view that Catlin votes against the wishes of the citizens and the rest of the council. He votes with the majority of the council on the majority of votes. He's also been an active and hard working council member. There have been three candidates for city council in district 2 in the previous two elections and Catlin received the highest number of votes in the district both times.

Bob Catlin's service to the city far exceeds that of any other member of the council and the mayor. Not only does Bob put in all the time that the other councilmembers do, he is also basically an unpaid member of the city's staff. Few people are as committed to the revitalization of College Park as Bob is and even fewer understand the financial and economic hurtles that the city has to overcome to get there.

+1 For Bob Catlin. May not always agree but the guy is a hard worker.

Being on the council myself - I can attest that no one puts more time and effort into the job than Catlin. Also the statement the Catlin always seems to be on the other side of the rest of the council is off - he is far more often in the majority than he isn't.

I don't think Angie is implying anything about anyone else just by saying Bob is "active and hard working." Probably just supporting a candidate she likes who seemed to be getting negative comments. I didn't take it as an implication about my own work ethic or anyone elses on the council when she said that.

Personally I don't think Bob would finish first out of three candidates in the last two elections in district 2 if he wasn't doing what his constituents wanted. It be weird that they would keep voting him in with the most votes if he wasn't representing their views.

I'm on the council too! I'm not throwing myself or anyone else under the bus when I say no one puts him more time and effort into the job. I'm supporting a friend and colleague. I know how hard everyone works and its really a lot of work. Bob just goes above and beyond. Partly because he is retired and has time the rest of us simply don't. But he still works very hard for our city and I feel like we're lucky to have his service.

Actually, I have to say I agree with Marcus. I appreciate your support for me and Chris, Pamela, but Bob does work very hard for the City. As an economist, it's very useful to have his perspective on the Council, and I think he would be missed if he weren't around. I don't always agree with him (and I don't always agree with anyone on the Council), but Bob is smart and cares a lot about the City. And even though he never really campaigns for his seat, his constituents keep voting him back on.

Wow, only two contested seats! Too bad we don't have more options to make the council and mayor sit up and take notice as to what the residents want here. No wonder why there is voter apathy. What's the point in registering and voting if it's the same old faces.

Another good point MJ23. I do, however, feel like Ms. Nagel has taken a position albeit unofficial. From the looks of things, I think the County council listened to our concerns and plans to keep North CP in D1.

The redistricting issue demonstrates why people should always be careful when they talk about how "residents feel." It's amazing how often how "residents feel" aligns with a person's own individual views, and the County redistricting issue is a good example. When I polled the residents on the community listserve about that, I got exactly the same number of responses from people who thought north College Park should remain in District 1 as I received responses from people saying that north College Park should be unified in District 3. There are pros and cons to both. As a result of this divided opinion in the community, I decided that it would be best for the Council not to take a position, and to let the County sort it out. I felt that was representing the best interests of the community, since there were definitely two sides to the issue. I understand that Councilmember Nagle has her own opinions on the issue, and that is fine, but I don't believe it's correct so say that the residents of North College Park, as a whole, feel that it's best to stay in District 1.

Over 100 people are on the north College Park listserve, and I e-mailed my request for comments out to an additional 100 people besides that. How many people did you speak with in order to determine that the "feeling" of the residents of North College Park is to remain in District 1?

I also wrote a piece with interviews from a few neighbors, and found that they were divided whether north College Park should stay in councilmanic district 1 or not. Here is that piece:
http://www.kabircares.org/north-college-park-residents-debate-new-county-redistricting-map/

mj23: You might be correct about members of the city council running for county council, there are rumors of such desires. Whether they are true or not is yet unknown. Also, I agree that a list serve does not really gauge the community, just those that are active enough to get involved. Most people expect the city to do city things such as pick up the trash and plow the streets. They don't get involved until the city springs something on them such as the speed camera program. Suddenly tens of thousands of tickets are issued to unsuspecting residents and the council defends itself by saying they held a vote and no one objected. Am I supposed to tune in to the city every time I walk outside? When they do something with so much impact, they should put out a better notice than a little blurb that 100 people read in the paper or on a list serve.

Tim is correct that way too few people follow what the council does and nearly no one follows the budget process (me included). Jack Perry will be missed, but Bob Catlin has the experience and commitment that district 2 and the rest of the city needs. As to the other's comments: All opinions are just that until translated into action that affects the city. Love them or hate them, the council members do what they think are the best things for the city and they are the ones putting in the time to get the job done for the rest of us...while doing their day jobs. If "we" don't like what is going on, organize our neighborhoods and fight for what "we" believe in. A blog entry is a start, but you have to do more to get what you want.

Make a couple of calls on election day to your neighbors, and you might just get what you want. With so few voters a small amount of work could yield a big change...yet many would rather complain.

I can't help wondering why a D1 resident, who has taken an interest in the College Park only since she became a homwowner 18 months ago, is campaigning so hard against a long-term D2 councilman. Clearly, reading the minutes of council meetings only touches the one-quarter of the iceberg that is city politics. Fellow councilmen have defended Catlin based on direct, personal experience, and his constituency keeps electing him.

Perhaps Ms Torro should move into D2 and run for Mr. Catlin's seat, if she truly believes he is not representing his district properly. On the other hand, I think D1 has more than enough challenges to absorb the attention and energy of anyone interested in how our community meets our needs against our big brother, the University community.