HoCo Watchdogs Newsletter
Issue # 1
Welcome to the inaugural issue of the HoCo Watchdogs newsletter! This newsletter provides a concise list of articles, videos & social media posts for you to stay well informed about important Howard County, Maryland issues such as public school policies, land use & development, and county governance.
Staying informed is a community effort! If you have content to recommend for a future HoCo Watchdogs newsletter, please send the title & link to hocowatchdogs@protonmail.com .
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Articles / Blog Posts
authored by HoCo Watchdogs, 9/9/2021
Why did Howard County Executive Calvin Ball block the public release of over 1350 emails that fell within search parameters for a Maryland Public Information Act request that asked for all correspondence between him and a local developer lobbyist?
authored by HoCo Watchdogs, 8/7/2021
Instead of applying all received emergency COVID-19 “ESSER II” funding to student supports & school re-opening measures, Superintendent Martirano has proposed to apply a half million dollars of this funding for an attorney to assist with fighting parents of special needs students who request or legally demand better supports for their children.
authored by Chao Wu, 5/30/2021
Dr. Chao Wu, Chair of the HCPSS Board of Education, discusses how the impact of new housing developments on HCPSS school student enrollment has been greatly underestimated for many years now and presents evidence that real enrollment impact is as high as SIX times greater than predicted.
authored by HOCO APFO, 9/17/2021
A concise breakdown of the Howard County government’s “HoCo By Design” survey, which shows that the questions are loaded and intended to have casually informed residents select “feel good” answers that ultimately will allow for extreme changes to the county that residents might otherwise not approve of.
authored by Frank Hecker, 9/20/2021
A seven-part series of blog posts that proposes a comprehensive overhaul to expand the Howard County Council to make it more responsive to the larger population it now serves.
authored by Hiruy Hadgu, 8/1/2021
A deep dive into just one example of how a variety of important community considerations, including school capacity, fiscal impact, traffic studies, and water & sewage studies have been misrepresented during proceedings for the approval of new Howard County residential developments.
Videos
Why Should We Oppose Overdevelopment in Howard County?
Heated County Council Discussion Regarding Controversial Nominees for Volunteer County Positions
Lack of Science Lab Space Due to Overcrowded HCPSS Schools & Mismanaged Education Funding
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