Miller, Martin, Cullum Elected to Havre de Grace City Council

Miller -490
Martin -458
Cullum -412
Correri -375
Anderson -356
Gamatoria -326
Walker -174

It was a beautiful Election Day in Havre de Grace on Tuesday; it seems like it is every year, although maybe that’s because I still have lingering frostbite from the frigid Aberdeen Election Day of this past November.

This was a strange election for Havre de Grace, really unlike any other I can remember from my 8 years or so covering elections in Harford County. There were no issues that truly caught traction, no real spats or bad blood between any of the candidates (at least none which was spilled publicly) and no one running for office with a bold plan for change. Continue reading Miller, Martin, Cullum Elected to Havre de Grace City Council

HAVRE DE-CISON 2008 - 7 Candidates Seek 3 City Council Seats in Havre de Grace On Tuesday

Seven candidates will be on the ballot Tuesday in Havre de Grace and your votes will determine, which three of them will end up sitting at the dais for the next two years as members of the City Council.

For those who want a final look at the candidates, a forum has been organized for Sunday night at 8 p.m. in the Havre de Grace police station. We’ve also compiled some information here on each of the candidates and are offering Dagger readers, regardless of whether they live within the municipal boundaries of Havre de Grace, to cast your votes now for which three candidates you would like to see as the next Havre de Grace City Council members. Continue reading HAVRE DE-CISON 2008 - 7 Candidates Seek 3 City Council Seats in Havre de Grace On Tuesday

“A Classic Method of Wrapping Fresh Fish” And Other Uses For A Local Newspaper, Courtesy Of A Local Politician

The prolonged battle between Aberdeen City Councilman Mike Hiob and local newspaper The Record continued this week with the politician getting in the latest jab - a list of the top “uses” for the newspaper he read during Monday night’s city council meeting, which include wrapping fish, washing windows and checking to see how many headlines were ripped from The Dagger.

This war of attrition has been going on nearly since Hiob took office in November 2003 and was likely fueled by Hiob’s dislike for what he has called “sensational headlines” and “wrong information” in the paper and the newspaper’s dislike of Hiob’s propensity for verbose, minute and typically unwarranted/unjustified criticism - or nitpicking. Continue reading “A Classic Method of Wrapping Fresh Fish” And Other Uses For A Local Newspaper, Courtesy Of A Local Politician

Cops and Bloggers Part II: The Dagger Double-Teams Ed Norris on WHFS

UPDATE: Did you listen in? Tell us what you thought about Cindy and Mark’s appearance on The Ed Norris Show!

Back by popular demand, The Dagger will venture into the WHFS 105.7 FreeFM studios Friday, April 18 for its second appearance on the Ed Norris Show.

This time around, exactly three months from our last appearance on the the Ed Norris Show, it will be Cindy and Mark representing The Dagger as part of the panel for the popular Friday news Roundtable discussion.

The Roundtable segment, which features former Baltimore City top cop, Maryland State Police Commissioner and convicted felon Ed Norris and super-producer Maynard rehashing the hottest stories of the week with Cindy and Mark of The Dagger, will air from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the show’s new afternoon drive-time radio slot. Continue reading Cops and Bloggers Part II: The Dagger Double-Teams Ed Norris on WHFS

I Have Seen The Future Of Harford, And It’s Going To Snow! A Recent History Of The City of Aberdeen’s Internet Presence

“Has hell finally frozen over?” That was my first thought when visiting the City of Aberdeen’s new web site. Of course that may be due to being presented with a header graphic depicting a snow-covered evergreen with Aberdeen’s new slogan, “The Future of Harford”, perhaps a final bit a legacy from the city’s previous mayor.

As promised by the current administration in its transition report, Aberdeen has a fancy new home page. It certainly is a departure from the city’s previous attempts at entering this brave new world. Before we get to the highlights and lowlights of the new site, let’s take a trip down memory lane… Continue reading I Have Seen The Future Of Harford, And It’s Going To Snow! A Recent History Of The City of Aberdeen’s Internet Presence

Maryland Global Warming Bill Frozen as Session 2008 Ends

State Delegate Donna Stifler (District 35A), tells The Dagger that Senate Bill 309 has been killed by the House Economic Matters Committee.

The bill would have required the Department of the Environment to develop plans, adopt regulations, and implement programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% from 2006 levels by 2020. It also would have set goals of reducing emissions 90% by 2050.

To read more about the now-defeated bill, you can see it here: http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/SB0309.htm.

Glengarry (Wetlands Redux): Aberdeen Considers a Softer, Gentler 500-acre Annexation Request

Take the Aberdeen Annexation Survey and let them know what concerns you the most!

The Aberdeen Planning Commission will entertain a request next week for the city to annex the nearly-500-acre Glengarry Community, which is basically a rebranding of the already-once-defeated Wetlands Golf Course property annexation attempt - minus a key group of Locksley Manor residents.

Before addressing the planning commission next week, the development team, led by engineering firm KCI Technologies, will present their annexation proposal in Aberdeen City Hall on Wednesday, April 2 during a 6:30 p.m. community input meeting.

It remains to be seen how the new look city hall, helmed by Mayor Mike Bennett and his chief booster Art Helton, will deal with the return of the annexation request, which was largely responsible for booting former mayor S. Fred Simmons from office and ushering Bennett into his seat.

In anticipation of the community meeting, Wetlands/Glengarry development partner Chris Michel issued a letter through KCI to select property owners, apprising them of the situation, informing them of Wednesday’s meeting and also presenting a questionnaire regarding citizen opinions in specific areas: Continue reading Glengarry (Wetlands Redux): Aberdeen Considers a Softer, Gentler 500-acre Annexation Request

Life and Death in the Havre de Grace Yacht Basin: What’s Going on in the City’s Tydings Park Marina?

Much like the Hatfields and McCoys, this feud is over territory and owners’ right, but, rather than Kentucky backcountry, this fight takes place on the waters of Havre de Grace’s Yacht Basin.

First came the complaints of nuisance and negligent boat owners causing problems with fellow mariners at the Yacht Basin. Then came assertions of unequal treatment, unfair punishment and even unlawful operation and expenditure of taxpayer money at the city marina. Next we heard about improperly designed and incorrectly installed railings, parking spaces and other equipment.

And now we have a dead body.

Missing since late February, 53-year-old Donald Walter McGlothlin was found Monday on Swan Creek by a pair of fisherman. He had died from drowning and hypothermia, or perhaps some combination of the two.

Mr. McGlothlin was also one of the few residents of the Tydings Park Marina - he lived in a house boat on Pier 4. Continue reading Life and Death in the Havre de Grace Yacht Basin: What’s Going on in the City’s Tydings Park Marina?

Billion Dollar Man David Craig Reduces Harford County’s FY 2009 Budget, but Includes a Hefty Employee Raise

County Executive David Craig announced his proposed Fiscal Year 2009 budget for Harford County last Thursday, March 27. With all the fanfare that went along with the proposed $34,184,425 decrease in budget, I couldn’t help but wonder what about the 9 percent total increase in salaries for eligible county employees.

The 9 percent was broken up very carefully across 3 different raise categories:

- A wage package consisting of a three percent merit increase and three percent COLA for all eligible staff.

- A Classification and Market Adjustment of three percent for all eligible staff. Members of the Cabinet will not receive a merit raise or market adjustment.

In total the proposed FY 09 budget is $895.8 million dollars with the general fund making up over half of this amount at $472 million. County Executive Craig states that this is the smallest increase over the last 10 years at 4.3 percent. This includes the very large raise for county employees. What is the average raise for county employees across the state?

Continue reading Billion Dollar Man David Craig Reduces Harford County’s FY 2009 Budget, but Includes a Hefty Employee Raise

Harford County’s Hotel Tax Tanked by State Senate; Identity of the Bill’s Assassin Remains Unknown

This news was passed along this morning by Delegate Dan Riley:

“Hotel tax, for Harford County, killed in the Senate.

It is with great disappointment I’ve learned the hotel tax for Aberdeen was killed in the Senate.

The bill was doing well until someone offered an amendment. The amendment was accepted and became part of the bill thus killing Aberdeen’s chances of getting the hotel tax this year. I do not know what Senator was behind the amendment, I can only guess…maybe a friend of Hess?

I will bring the bill back next year, and the next year, and the next year…until it passes or the opposition, in the Senate, to the bill is retired by the voters.” Continue reading Harford County’s Hotel Tax Tanked by State Senate; Identity of the Bill’s Assassin Remains Unknown

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