I am a little split on this.  I was down in front of the Planning Board a lot when she was there, and on the plus side I have to say that when Betty was chair she ran a tight but fair ship.  She and I have disagreed on things over the years but it's always been respectful and cordial and she's always been completely honest with me.  Nobody ever got told to sit down and shut up; the process was open and you got a full hearing even if you didn't like the results.  That's in stark contrast to the Parker operation which is a complete disgrace.

On the other hand, the county needs a fresh start and I'm not sure how that fits in with all these folks from the past coming back.  That's just a perception thing more than anything else, but as we all know this county has a serious perception problem.

Just my opinion....I guess we'll see.

sbf

-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr. [mailto:joseph@...]
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 01:32 PM
To: PG-Politics@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [PG-Politics] Washington Post article today - Elizabeth Hewlett / Curry, Planning Board

I think that it is true there are times when we need change and new voices and faces in Prince George's County. That may very well be the case with the planning board, however it is important to note that Betty Hewlett was a great Planning Board chairwoman, an excellent member of the WMATA board and should she be appointed will be again. I haven't heard rumor that Ms. Hewlett will be returning to the planning board but should be appointed it is important to remember her tenure: 1) Winning the National Gold Medal Award from National Recreation and Parks Association and the National Sports Foundation for excellence in management five times---The only agency ever to win it five times. 2) A dramatic shift by the agency to incorporating citizen input into planning decisions. Even after leaving her post now as a lobbyist I remember being on the campaign trail visiting civic and community groups and seeing Betty practicing what she preached. As a lawyer lobbying for developers she took them directly to their community leaders to meet with them before going to the planning board. These meetings often ran late into the night and she would stay the entire time to answer questions and talk to individual residents who had concerns. This is what we want in Planning Board Members. 3) As chair she led many of the projects that are popular today through the approval process such as Bowie Town Center and the development surrounding the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station. Far too often I think we allow this list to become home to whisper and gossip campaigns. Has she been excellent? No. Has she made mistakes or judgements I disagree with? Yes. But to question her ethics without any decent evidence of wrongdoing is just wrong. Sorry if I am on my soapbox but at times it just becomes too much. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Rev. Joseph Lynn Kitchen Jr. 202-210-1889 Email: joseph@...                        Website: www.josephkitchen.com ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Follow Me on Twitter: @josephlynnkitchen Become a Friend: facebook.com/josephkitchen :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ~ "We do BIG things"--President Barack Obama, 2011 State of the Union --- On Fri, 6/24/11, Judy <robinsonawjr@...> wrote: From: Judy <robinsonawjr@...> Subject: [PG-Politics] Washington Post article today - Elizabeth Hewlett / Curry, Planning Board To: PG-Politics@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, June 24, 2011, 10:01 AM   Can anyone post the Washington Post article today in Metro on Elizabeth Hewlett coming back to the Planning Board. The Post site keeps closing out. Ms. Hewlett was on the Metro Board that awarded the huge contract to Wayne Curry / Michaels Co. Rushern is putting in all of the old Glendening / Curry people who got this county where it is today with property values 1/3 of MOCO and the highest taxes in the state.