The following letter was written in response to an article in the Gazette on August 5th.
Click Here for the Gazette article
Click Here for the Gazette article
Open Letter, August 18, 2014
Dear Mr. Webster and Executive Board of GOCA:
As the four challengers in the general election for State Senator and House of Delegates in District 14, which encompasses a large part of Olney, we are very concerned about the recent and abrupt changes being made to GOCA, specifically the dismissal of Paul Jarosinski as Chair of the Transportation Committee. Having been privy to viewing correspondence between Mr. Jarosinski and certain local politicians, it is apparent that there is more to the story than you portrayed in your interview with the Gazette for its August 5th article regarding his “ouster.” Ironically, we believe that Mr. Jarosinski’s dismissal shines a light on a topic that will be of tremendous interest to the citizens of Olney when they learn what led to it: the politicization of the BRT project.
Specifically, Mr. Jarosinski, who was not only the Chair of the Transportation Committee but is also the President of the Cherrywood HOA, is FOR the construction of the grade-separated intersection at Routes 97 and 28, and AGAINST the construction of proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes from Wheaton to Montgomery General Hospital, openly and passionately questioning the need, funding sources and impact on the Olney community. Of the private citizens with whom we’ve discussed the issue, we can honestly say not one has been in support of the BRT; in fact, most have expressed concerns identical to those of Mr. Jarosinski, demonstrating how much of a true representative he was for this community. We have even attended the overcrowded GOCA meetings on the BRT, witnessing firsthand the vocal opposition and open questioning by Olney residents cited in the Gazette’s August 6th article on the BRT.
Yet, in the middle of the so-called “planning” stages of the BRT, Mr. Jarosinski was dismissed abruptly for a position shared by many, if not most, of his neighbors. So, why? Why dismiss the man who has served Olney and GOCA as its Transportation Chairman for the past four years? Why remove the person who has been the president of a member association for more than 12 years, and remains as such today? Why dismiss the man named the Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA)’s Citizen of the Year in 2011 for his work on transportation issues affecting Olney? What led to this?
The answer should concern the residents of Olney: Mr. Jarosinski dared to communicate his stance on these two projects and directly challenge the elected officials to put their words on paper and write letters of support to the Governor. On July 30, 2014, at 10:25 p.m., Mr. Jarosinski sent a letter to the local representatives for Districts 14 and 19, following up on his March 2014 letter and, once again, urging immediate action to apply pressure to SHA and to contact the Governor in support of the 97/28 upgrade.
On July 31, 2014, current Delegate Eric Luedtke (District 14), who just completed his first four year term in Annapolis, responded to Mr. Jarosinski, condescendingly advising him to “hold [his] horses,” admonishing that his elected officials have been working on this along time, and directing Mr. Jarosinski on how he could “best use his time,” instead of insisting that his local elected official actually advocate on his constituents’ behalf. As reported recently in the Gazette, he did this despite Mr. Webster’s reported threat to remove him as Transportation Chairman. He felt it was the right thing to do for the citizens of Olney, and so he continued to speak up. Then, at 3:49 p.m., you sent an email announcing Mr. Jarosinski’s dismissal. Considering this dismissal took place within 24 hours after his original email, it seems impossible that the Executive Board could have followed the proper removal proceedings under Article VI, Para. 18 and Article VII of the GOCA Bylaws.
On August 3, 2014, despite the very public dismissal, Mr. Jarosinski civilly, but firmly, responded to Del. Luedtke and once again emphasized how Olney has patiently awaited the 97/28 intersection upgrade for over 20 years.
In summary, despite the Gazette’s byline to the article, it would appear that Mr. Jarosinski was dismissed despite the fact that he faithfully executed his duties to advocate on behalf of Olney residents as to pressing transportation issues. Based on Del. Luedtke’s written response to Mr. Jarosinski’s email, as highlighted by Sen. Montgomery’s statement to the Gazette that “[h]e managed to antagonize one of my colleagues,” it is not hard to infer the true reason for the sudden changes to the GOCA Transportation Committee. Obviously, we are concerned when it appears that the GOCA Board is silencing opposition from its own members and volunteers. We had hoped you would have addressed these concerns at the meeting scheduled for August 12 but, since that has been rescheduled, we are left to wonder.
On behalf of the residents of Olney, and the rest of District 14, we look forward to a written response and assurance from GOCA and the current elected officials involved that this is not as it appears to be. Hopefully, you will be able to provide this answer at the August 26th GOCA meeting, after your closed session but before any vote on a proposed resolution.
Respectfully,
Frank D. Howard
Sharon Begosh (Olney resident)
Patricia Fenati
Michael A. Ostroff
Candidates for District 14 State Delegation
Dear Mr. Webster and Executive Board of GOCA:
As the four challengers in the general election for State Senator and House of Delegates in District 14, which encompasses a large part of Olney, we are very concerned about the recent and abrupt changes being made to GOCA, specifically the dismissal of Paul Jarosinski as Chair of the Transportation Committee. Having been privy to viewing correspondence between Mr. Jarosinski and certain local politicians, it is apparent that there is more to the story than you portrayed in your interview with the Gazette for its August 5th article regarding his “ouster.” Ironically, we believe that Mr. Jarosinski’s dismissal shines a light on a topic that will be of tremendous interest to the citizens of Olney when they learn what led to it: the politicization of the BRT project.
Specifically, Mr. Jarosinski, who was not only the Chair of the Transportation Committee but is also the President of the Cherrywood HOA, is FOR the construction of the grade-separated intersection at Routes 97 and 28, and AGAINST the construction of proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes from Wheaton to Montgomery General Hospital, openly and passionately questioning the need, funding sources and impact on the Olney community. Of the private citizens with whom we’ve discussed the issue, we can honestly say not one has been in support of the BRT; in fact, most have expressed concerns identical to those of Mr. Jarosinski, demonstrating how much of a true representative he was for this community. We have even attended the overcrowded GOCA meetings on the BRT, witnessing firsthand the vocal opposition and open questioning by Olney residents cited in the Gazette’s August 6th article on the BRT.
Yet, in the middle of the so-called “planning” stages of the BRT, Mr. Jarosinski was dismissed abruptly for a position shared by many, if not most, of his neighbors. So, why? Why dismiss the man who has served Olney and GOCA as its Transportation Chairman for the past four years? Why remove the person who has been the president of a member association for more than 12 years, and remains as such today? Why dismiss the man named the Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA)’s Citizen of the Year in 2011 for his work on transportation issues affecting Olney? What led to this?
The answer should concern the residents of Olney: Mr. Jarosinski dared to communicate his stance on these two projects and directly challenge the elected officials to put their words on paper and write letters of support to the Governor. On July 30, 2014, at 10:25 p.m., Mr. Jarosinski sent a letter to the local representatives for Districts 14 and 19, following up on his March 2014 letter and, once again, urging immediate action to apply pressure to SHA and to contact the Governor in support of the 97/28 upgrade.
On July 31, 2014, current Delegate Eric Luedtke (District 14), who just completed his first four year term in Annapolis, responded to Mr. Jarosinski, condescendingly advising him to “hold [his] horses,” admonishing that his elected officials have been working on this along time, and directing Mr. Jarosinski on how he could “best use his time,” instead of insisting that his local elected official actually advocate on his constituents’ behalf. As reported recently in the Gazette, he did this despite Mr. Webster’s reported threat to remove him as Transportation Chairman. He felt it was the right thing to do for the citizens of Olney, and so he continued to speak up. Then, at 3:49 p.m., you sent an email announcing Mr. Jarosinski’s dismissal. Considering this dismissal took place within 24 hours after his original email, it seems impossible that the Executive Board could have followed the proper removal proceedings under Article VI, Para. 18 and Article VII of the GOCA Bylaws.
On August 3, 2014, despite the very public dismissal, Mr. Jarosinski civilly, but firmly, responded to Del. Luedtke and once again emphasized how Olney has patiently awaited the 97/28 intersection upgrade for over 20 years.
In summary, despite the Gazette’s byline to the article, it would appear that Mr. Jarosinski was dismissed despite the fact that he faithfully executed his duties to advocate on behalf of Olney residents as to pressing transportation issues. Based on Del. Luedtke’s written response to Mr. Jarosinski’s email, as highlighted by Sen. Montgomery’s statement to the Gazette that “[h]e managed to antagonize one of my colleagues,” it is not hard to infer the true reason for the sudden changes to the GOCA Transportation Committee. Obviously, we are concerned when it appears that the GOCA Board is silencing opposition from its own members and volunteers. We had hoped you would have addressed these concerns at the meeting scheduled for August 12 but, since that has been rescheduled, we are left to wonder.
On behalf of the residents of Olney, and the rest of District 14, we look forward to a written response and assurance from GOCA and the current elected officials involved that this is not as it appears to be. Hopefully, you will be able to provide this answer at the August 26th GOCA meeting, after your closed session but before any vote on a proposed resolution.
Respectfully,
Frank D. Howard
Sharon Begosh (Olney resident)
Patricia Fenati
Michael A. Ostroff
Candidates for District 14 State Delegation