Robinson can fix ‘communications gap' with residents

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

I read the article in the Oct.23 edition of the Maryland Independent, "Graves files for re-election," in which the incumbent Sam Graves indicated that as part of his re-election campaign, he vows to "develop ... lines of communication between the county seat and community."

I have to commend Mr. Graves, as my current District 1 commissioner representative, to have such a lofty re-election goal, along with his focus on public safety, education and health care.

There is much to be said, however, for the relatively sparse, too little communication that Mr. Graves has proffered to his constituents for the past four years as county commissioner.

To cite just one example, on June 20 the Cobb Neck area was hit with a terrific windstorm of near-hurricane intensity, knocking down trees and tree branches that blocked a number of roads.

My development, Swan Point, was hit particularly hard, with some roads impassable because of the debris. In attempts to contact Mr. Graves, it became clear that he was unaware of the situation in the southern end of his district, and the Swan Point community eventually had to negotiate directly with the county public works department to obtain relief for debris removal.

Clearly, one example, such as cited above, might be at the worst end of the current "communications gap" in District 1. In my view, however, there is a significant "communications gap" between Mr. Graves and his constituents. I have to contrast the district's communications gap under Mr. Graves with a significantly different approach taken by Ken Robinson, who is challenging Mr. Graves.

In the past five years, as president of the Swan Point Property Owner's Association, Mr. Robinson has significantly and effectively brought forth many of the modern-day communication methods, such as community e-mail to property owners of the association's monthly meetings and allied events within the county that impact upon the community, voice mail warnings of fierce storms heading toward the Cobb Neck area and using audio/visual techniques to transmit through the association's Web page monthly meetings to a larger audience.

While one cannot say emphatically that the past is the best predictor of the future, the communication channels that Mr. Robinson has initiated within the Swan Point community would serve the broader-based District 1 well, were they to be applied across the district.

Frankly, I have yet to see such visions and efforts put forth in a meaningful way by our current commissioner.

Norman Chlosta, Swan Point