On My Mind

Where’s Rikki?

The worst kept political secret in town has seemed to gain some exposure, you know the one, Baltimore City Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki” Spector maintaining her “official residence” in her district (our neighbhorhood), but pretty much living with her boyfriend at his Inner Harbor condo.
I mean, I’m sorry, but we as constituents don’t ask forso much that we hope our elected officials can actually deliver, but could we at least demand that you live in the place that votes you in office?
Plenty of us would love to spend a night in an Inner Harbor hotel or apartment, but we can’t afford it. Something about day school tuition and having to live within proximity of our synagogues.
Come on Rikki, you know better than this. At least, I hope. You represent people who are your friends and long-time neighbors. You have created a negative “buzz” on this one, something we all do without.
You hear best from your constituents when you shop with them, when you worship with them, when you run into them at the JCC or walking on the street. Your constituents aren’t in the Inner Harbor, and neither should you be, if that is you still want to represent us at all.
Representation is a 24/7 business.
Also, Rikki, how important is it for the City Council that we have a so-called “Jewish seat” on the Council, and you’re not full-time in the neighborhood you’ve been given the responsibility to represent?
You run for re-election, make sure you tell everyone in the district you’re there full time for them. Because, truth is, I don’t think you are anymore.
And if the Jewish community is smart about this one, and we do have this so-called “seat” on the City Council, maybe it’s time to vote someone in who at least wants to spend the night here.

Development With Heart

Can we talk nicely to one another about something I’ve never written about before….house building.
I have no idea of how the process of finding land and deciding to build a home on it works. None.
But something just doesn’t seem right to me, and I want to address it.
I have these friends. Newly weds no less. They purchased a gorgeous house. Adjacent the house was a lovely cluster of trees. My friend could open her kitchen window and just listen as the wind sedately breezed through the trees.
I knew that feeling. My wife and I purchased a home in 1986 in Randallstown. Behind us was a working corn farm. We had dear, mice and even a turtle or two in our backyard. And we loved it. The quiet of the corn field was sedating.
Then one morning barely at 6, the rude sound of a machine brought us to a mean reality. The corn was being cut down, and over the next months, a neighborhood of concrete, siding, hammering and sawing ruined our little landscape.
Instead of dense rows of cornstalks, we were staring from our back window into the back window of a new neighbor.
Fast forward to today. The home being build next to our friend’s home completely changes the wonderful exclusivity of their home. Sure, this is a free country. Sure, there’s money that can be made here. Sure, the developer, the owner, the builder had every right to build on this small parcel of land.
But did they really have to?
How much money did they really make out of this deal?
Was it worth changing the lives of this newlywed couple, who now really look at their house differently.
Sometimes, I think we lose our sense of midot, human civility and caring about other people in exchange for a buck or two. I don’t know, it seems to me the “Jewish” thing to do would have been to leave this piece of land and other pieces of land like this alone for all of us to enjoy the trees and breezes. Isn’t this what G-d gave to us?
Or is it always about the cash taking priority over someone else’s happiness.
Please, I’m not anti-development at all.
But can’t it be done with some heart?