March 2012 Hyattsville Life & Times

Included: The March 13, 2012 Issue of The Hyattsville Reporter — See Center Section

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HyattsvilleMarch 2012Hyattsville’s Community NewspaperVol. 9 No. 3

Life&Times

THE TRADITION CONTINUESCity Easter egg hunt marks 76 years. PAGE 2

HELPING FAMILIESA snapshot of The Parenting Time Center, based at St. Matthew’s Church.PAGE 7

AUNTIE DILUVIANAA new column premieres, highlighting the collected wisdom of Hyattsville’s Aging in Place group. PAGE 4

By Paula Minaert

Chris Vermillion, Hya� sville’s newly hired human resources di-rector, started work on February 27. It’s a new position, created by the city council last year.

Vermillion, by all accounts, has his work cut out for him. During his � rst week on the job, Public Works Director Patrick Ryan re-signed, e� ective March 16, to ac-cept a job in his native Midwest.

� at makes the fourth director-level position without a perma-nent, full-time sta� person. � e department of code enforcement has had an acting director, senior inspector Chris Guinta, since 2009. Police Chief Douglas Hol-land is acting city administrator and Communications Manager Abby Sandel is acting director of recreation and the arts.

Longtime city employee Julia McTague has been recommend-ed to take over as acting DPW di-rector, although at press time no announcement had been made. Last August, she was assigned to oversee various continuing DPW construction projects.

� e city has struggled with sta� ng issues for some time. Re-cently, it had two parks directors and two treasurers in the space of two years. In addition, the assistant city administrator and

by Susie Currie

Federally mandated redistrict-ing could displace up to six city council incumbents, according to plans unveiled at the March 5 council meeting.

� e 2010 census showed that Hya� sville’s population grew from 14,733 on April 1, 2000, to 17,557 a decade later, an increase of almost 20 percent. Much of that was in Ward 3, where an-nexation led to an imbalance of 1,000 residents.

Making sure they get evenly distributed was just one consid-eration for the three-member re-districting commi� ee.

Commi� ee chair David Rain presented six plans to the coun-cil. He described the existing boundary lines, drawn based on

BILL JENNEIt was a busy month for Franklins Restaurant, Brewery and General Store. The Second Annual Beer Dinner, featuring five courses paired with beers, sold out well before the February 22 event. Later that week, on February 26, the local landmark celebrated its 10th anniversary with brewery tours, wine tastings and more.

Council members may land in new wards2000 census data, as “jagged and irregular.”

One reason for that, he said, “had to do with moving the lines around [to keep] incumbents in their wards. We did pay a� ention to that, but we didn’t focus on it

exclusively.” � ey also focused on drawing

“compact, contiguous” boundar-ies and, in keeping with the Vot-ing Rights Act of 1965, creating a minority-opportunity ward, with a minority population of at least

50 percent. But that proved harder than ex-

pected, because “there aren’t a lot of pockets of concentrations,” explained Rain. “It’s a virtue [for

by Julia Duin

Hya� sville Elementary School is facing the loss of � ve crucial sta� a� er the school’s Title 1 status was removed earlier this year, reducing its budget by $200,000.

To receive Title 1 funds, 75 percent of a school’s students must be from families whose income qual-i� es them for free or reduced-priced meals in the school cafeteria. � is year, that percentage dipped to 73.4 percent, barely missing the cuto� . � e

school’s free breakfast program will not be a� ected by the reduction.

Among the � ve positions to be cut is the bilingual parent liaison, Cecilia Penate. Of 511 enrolled stu-dents, 150 take English for Speakers of Other Lan-guages (ESOL) classes. And 48 percent of school families are Spanish-speaking.

On March 6, anguished Spanish-speaking par-ents protested the loss during an early a� ernoon

Challenges for new city HR director

School loses federal funds, � ve sta� members

FUNDING continued on page 11

REDISTRICTING continued on page 12

raise a

GLASS

Page 2 Hyattsville Life & Times | March 2012

A community newspaper chronicling the

life and times of Hyattsville

Mailing address: PO Box 132, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Hyattsville Life & Times is published monthly by Hyattsville Community Newspaper, Inc., a 501c(3) nonpro� t

corporation. Interested reporters should send their e-mail addresses to the editor to be reminded of deadlines and receive internal news. Articles and news submit-

ted may be edited. The deadline is the last week of the month for the following month’s issue. Letters to the editor and opinions are encouraged. For all e-mail

correspondence with HL&T: news, features, tips, advertising and business write to hyattsvillelifeandtimes@gmail.

com. To submit articles, letters to the edi-tor, etc., e-mail [email protected].

Executive Editor Paula Minaert

[email protected]

Managing EditorSusie Currie

[email protected]

Editorial InternScarlett Salem

ProductionAshley PerksAdvertising

[email protected]

Writers & ContributorsVictoria Hille, William Jenne,

Valerie Russell, Kimberly Schmidt, Fred Seitz, Hugh Turley

Board of Directors Julia Duin - President

Chris Currie - Vice PresidentJoseph Gigliotti - General Counsel

Paula Minaert - SecretaryPeggy Dee, Bart Lawrence,

Karen J. RileySusie Currie - Ex O� cio

Circulation: Copies are distributed monthly by U.S. Mail to every address

in Hyattsville. Additional copies are dis-tributed to libraries, selected businesses, community centers and churches in the

city. Total circulation is 9,300.

HL&T is a member of the National Newspaper Association.

FromTheEditor

by Paula Minaert

I often walk around the city. I don’t cover all of its 2.67 square miles but I’ve been to a large portion of it. And I’ve noticed, as I think most of us have, that Hyattsville has changed over the years. I decided to look at the 2010 census recently to see what I could learn from it and if my off-the-cuff observations were accurate. It was a fascinating exercise.

We do have more people living here, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. Since 2000, the city’s population has grown from almost 15,000 to more than

Who are we, anyway? a drop in the group 75 to 84 and a jump in the 85+ group.

Interestingly, though, the me-dian age here hardly changed at all, going from 34.4 to 34.6 percent. I thought it would have gone up more. Perhaps it’s related to the increase in the number of Hispanic resi-dents, who are typically young.

As for the money, it appears to be good news. We have a smaller percentage of people who earn less than $25,000 a year (from about 20 percent to 16 percent), although if the dollar amount were adjusted for in� ation it seems likely that the proportion of low-earners has increased modestly from ten years ago. � e percentage of people who earn more than $100,000 went up signi� cantly, from 7.4 per-cent to 22.5 percent.

But there are some things that don’t make sense. Family income,

adjusted for the Consumer Price Index, increased – but household income dropped. What’s the dif-ference? Do we have a large num-ber of households that are not fam-ilies? Are they students? Are they unrelated people forced to live to-gether by economic problems?

And there’s something even more puzzling. � e median in-come of men working in perma-nent full-time jobs dropped about 3 percent, adjusted for in� ation, which isn’t hard to understand, given the economic downturn. What is startling is that women’s median income dropped by 16 percent. What’s that all about?

I’m not a statistician, so I can’t really interpret all these num-bers. But it’s critical informa-tion to have (though perhaps we shouldn’t accept it uncriti-cally) as we try to discern our city’s future needs and allocate our resources.

17,000: almost a 20 percent in-crease. You can a� ribute it to, among other things, new con-struction along Route 1 and the annexation of University Hills.

Something else the census confirmed for me: Hyattsville is significantly more diverse than it was ten years ago. In 2000, the breakdown of white, black and Hispanic was, ap-proximately, 34 percent, 42 percent and 18 percent. Now the figures are 24 percent, 34 percent and 34 percent. This explains all the Spanish I hear spoken on the sidewalks, at the gym and in the stores. Actual-ly, we have more foreign-born people of all nationalities; that number jumped from 24.5 per-cent to 35.7 percent.

� e census records that we have proportionally fewer chil-dren than we did in 2000; the 0 to 14 group went down from 20.6 to 18.3 percent. But this doesn’t seem to jibe with anec-dotal evidence. I’ve noticed large numbers of families with young children and I’ve heard that our schools are bursting at the seams. Could there be an undercount?

We have proportionally more people aged 20 to 34. Could that be caused by the people who’ve moved into the new housing on Route 1 and by the students I assume live in the recently-annexed University Hills neighborhood?

We have proportionally fewer people aged 35 to 44 and we have more aged 45 to 74. � ere’s

by Peggy Dee

In 1936, the City of Hya� sville was caught up in celebrating its 50th an-niversary. � e � rst annual Easter Egg Hunt was held in April and local women dyed 500 eggs for the event. By 1941, the Magruder Park event had be-come a highlight of each spring. By that time, there were 1,500 hidden eggs, with prizes for the � nders ranging from a nickel to 50 cents in cash or ice cream cones from the local Hot Shoppes.

I recently had a delightful chat with former Mayor George “Co� on” Har-rison, a Hya� sville native who now lives in Frederick. His home was on the 4000 block of Shepherd Street, which is now Kennedy Street. Co� on was a Ward 4 councilman for 10 years and was elected mayor in 1972. He has fond memories of a� ending the many events held at Magruder Park, espe-cially the Easter Egg hunts, which were always held on Easter Monday. � ey were sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.

Co� on laughed as he recalled the scene. All children participating in the hunt were behind a rope on the le� side as you entered the park. When the whistle blew and the rope dropped, there was a wild stampede of children heading toward the right side of the park, where the eggs were hidden. � e grand prize was $5 for each golden egg that was found. Every year, many of the li� le girls paraded around the park af-

terwards to show o� the lovely chi� on dresses that they wore for Easter.

Many of the local politicians and busi-nessmen were in a� endance. Playing a prominent role each year was Walter Smith, who owned the popular Smi� y’s Restaurant, located at the end of Ham-ilton Street. Dave Ginsburg, who was a� ectionately known as Uncle Dave, was the usual master of ceremonies for the day. Uncle Dave also managed the Hya� sville Movie � eatre, which was located on Baltimore Avenue.

Former Ward 1 Councilmember Douglas Dudrow, who also grew up in our fair city, remembers one Easter weekend in the early 1960s when the egg hunt had to be moved inside be-cause of the inclement weather. It was held at the Hya� sville Movie � eatre.

Elaine Miller remembers taking her son and daughter to the festivity in the late 1940s and then returning with her grandchildren and grown daughter in the early 1960s. A� er the hunts, they topped o� the day with lunch at the Hot Shoppes in downtown Hya� sville.

It is reassuring to all of us to know that the City, a� er 76 years, still car-ries on the same tradition. � is year, the Great Egg Hunt will take place at Magruder Park on Saturday, April 7, beginning with a pancake break-fast from 9 to 11 a.m., with the hunt to follow. Please call the City at 301.985.5000 to make your reserva-tions.

Hunting eggs on Easter MondayPOSTCARDS FROM THE PAST

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Hyattsville Life & Times | March 2012 Page 3

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by Nina Napolitano

Home. If you’re from Nigeria, it may seem impossibly far away. But many � rst-generation im-migrants have found a second home in the heart of historic Hy-a� sville.

� e Nigerian Catholic Com-munity is preparing to celebrate its � rst Easter in its permanent home: St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, where it has been since May. For nearly 18 years, the NCC has served native Nigerians in the metro area from a series of rental locations that changed ev-ery couple of years.

Last spring, a change in the St. Jerome weekend Mass schedule cleared the way for an NCC ser-vice every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. In July, Fr. Charles Edeh arrived from Enugu, Nigeria, to serve as chaplain to the group.

“We’re very happy to have the Nigerian Catholic Community worshipping with us,” said Fr. James Stack, pastor of St. Jerome. � e NCC is happy too, because being in and out of rental church-es and rooms would be tough on any congregation.

On a recent Sunday, Edeh took up a special collection for much-needed building repairs. “We’re going to be using [the building],” he said, “So please be generous.”

But it’s the building of the com-munity that he really cares about. “We want to create a niche of Nige-rian Catholics in the Washington area so that our children who are born here have something of their culture,” Edeh explained in an in-terview, “Something that they lost from their homes.”

To that end, the group has elab-orate celebrations for Nigerian Independence Day (October

1) as well as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. But on any given Sunday, the sounds, sights and atmosphere evoke memories of the parishioners’ homeland.

A large choir sings in a local dia-lect as musicians play native instru-ments. A special prayer asking for the alleviation of distress, bribery and corruption in Nigeria is a regu-lar part of the service. Many wom-en wear the traditional buba and wrapper (blouse and skirt) or kaba (one-piece dress), all fashioned from brilliant fabrics. � e geles (head wraps) that many women wear look like nature’s most fes-tive blossoms in various stages of blooming. Some men wear frocks in fabrics just as exuberant as the women’s. It’s a family that prides itself on dress and appearance as well as actions.

“We’re known for our generos-ity,” said longtime community member Victoria Agvar. “People are dressed like you. � ey speak like you. It’s like home.”

One woman from Riverdale Park, who identi� ed herself only

as Beatrice, began a� ending the service with her family nine months ago a� er years of going to another Mass at the parish.

“I come here because my mom likes it. � is makes me feel like we’re back home,” said Beatrice, whose son is a student at St. Je-rome Academy.

A� erwards, everyone stays to chat with friends and family, or even to learn; Edeh doesn’t stop teaching a� er the closing prayer. Recently, he stayed a� erwards to instruct a large crowd of lectors how to pronounce di� cult English words.

� e weekly Mass draws people from as far away as Baltimore and Howard County, and Edeh hopes that many more will follow. “Now that we have a permanent site, we want permanent members,” he said. “Our future is bright.”

� e NCC is the only Nigerian faith community recognized by the Archdiocese of Washington, but it is not unique. Catholics from Italy, Korea and Portugal, to name a few, all have similar congregations.

Nigerian Catholic Community� nds a permanent home here

NINA NAPOLITANOAfter a recent Mass, Fr. Charles Edeh bestowed a birthday blessing on one Nigerian parishioner as others gathered in prayer.


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by Sally Middleton

How to make our homes safe and accessible as we age was the topic when architects Mark Ferguson and Mike Ar-nold spoke to an audience of at least 40 at the Municipal Building. Sponsored by the Hyattsville Preservation As-sociation (HPA), the Feb-ruary 9 talk and slide show aimed to raise awareness as well as offer practical solu-tions.

As Ferguson went through

the list of likely changes in vi-sion, hearing, , strength, and balance as we age, groans of dismay could be heard from the audience. But soon the topic of falling and ways to prevent this common threat had everyone’s attention.

Not surprising, but worth repeating, are the main places around the home where falls occur: outside steps, inside stairs and bathrooms. And that’s without ice and snow!

Looked at your railings late-ly? Turns out railing height,

placement, sturdiness and even graspability must all be considered.

The Americans with Dis-ability Act (ADA) does not pertain to residences, but is a source for good, practical ad-vice related to safety and ac-cessibility.

For example, Arnold urged taking time to consider what’s called the “primary accessible route.” For a public space, this starts with parking and get-ting into the door; for home-owners and apartment dwell-ers, this would be thinking about getting from the car to the house, from the bed to the bathroom.

Going over this route will identify possible hazards and obstacles, probably more than you suspect. Often, bet-

ter lighting is needed. An ex-ample is at the outside door, where you fumble with your key.

Inside, carpets may have to be removed or securely fas-tened and furniture moved. Outside, a ramp may be advis-able, but not without careful consideration and planning. What are the possible routes? Will the ramp be temporary or permanent? What options are available regarding materials? And don’t forget the handrail!

Discussions about aging in place will continue. On April 4, Jean Cook, president of the Greenbelt Intergenerational Volunteer Exchange Service (GIVES), will speak at a meet-ing of the newly formed group Hyattsville Aging in Place (HAP). She will explain the

workings of the 15-year-old volunteer system, which is de-signed to help frail, disabled or elderly Greenbelt residents with such tasks as meal de-livery, light housework, and yard work, enabling them to remain in their homes. The Aging in Place group is con-sidering establishing a similar system in Hyattsville.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Hyattsville Mu-nicipal Building, 4310 Galla-tin St.

� is is a new occasional column that shares the insights of members of Hya� sville Aging in Place, an organization dedicated to helping seniors stay in their homes and re-main active in the community. It is edited by Molly Parrish.


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by Susie Currie

While Newt Gingrich was giving his Su-per Tuesday victory speech in Georgia earlier this month, his half-sister Candace Gingrich-Jones was working late at the Human Rights Campaign in downtown Washington, D.C.

Then she headed home to Hyattsville, where she lives with Rebecca Gingrich-Jones, a playwright she married in a Bos-ton civil ceremony in 2009. The couple met playing rugby for the Washington Fu-ries in 2004.

Rebecca, who earned a master’s de-gree in playwriting last spring, has adapted Candace’s 1996 memoir, The Accidental Activist. A stage reading at 7 p.m. on March 14 will kick off Busboys & Poets’ new Beltway Drama Series, a monthly event showcasing D.C.-area playwrights.

Though not a full production – “basical-ly, it’s people on stage with music stands,” says Rebecca – the 90-minute story traces the complicated relationship of siblings who are, in many respects, polar oppo-sites. The updated material she added, in-cluding Newt’s presidential campaign and the Gingrich-Jones wedding, may only

sharpen the distinctions. “I like to write plays that focus on com-

mon humanity. Everyone can relate to family life,” said Rebecca, who received one of this year’s top three p l a y w r i t i n g grants from the Maryland State Arts Council.

The main char-acters, of course, are Candace and Newt (played by Bill Brekke), with four other actors in ensemble roles.

The brother and sister have the same mother – and a com-plex history. When Kathleen Gingrich mar-ried her second husband, Richard, in 1946, he adopted the son from her first marriage, 3-year-old Newt. The couple went on to have three daughters.

When Candace, the youngest and a self-described “empty-nest baby,” was born in 1966, her sisters were 16 and 18. Newt, at 23, was a married fa-ther himself; his sec-ond daughter was born the same year as Candace.

The age differ-ence makes for a relationship she describes as more like un-cle-niece than brother-sister. Since they’ve always lived in different states, see-ing each other more

than a hand-ful of times a year is rare,

although that may be slowly changing. Candace says that “Rebecca and Callista are very proactive” about getting together on special occasions.

The Accidental Activist and the Presidential Candidate

Newt ascended to the national spot-light in 1994 as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. As journalists raced to profile him, the spotlight expanded to include his par-ents and sisters, who were all living in the Harrisburg area at the time – and who had known of Candace’s sexual identity for years.

“I didn’t call a press conference [to an-nounce my orientation],” she said. But when an AP reporter asked, she didn’t hide it.

Invitations followed. She moved to the D.C. area in 1995 to start work with the Human Rights Campaign, which was on its way to becoming the nation’s larg-est LGBT advocacy group. Her slogan in those early years: “Your brother doesn’t have to be Speaker for your voice to be heard in Congress.”

Now, her voice is being heard in Hy-attsville. Going over the script recent-ly, she asked Rebecca, “Will this really be acting? It doesn’t feel like it. I’ve lived it. It’s me.”

The show is from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Howard Zinn Room. Next in the Belt-way Drama Series is A Patch of Earth, by Kitty Felde. Set in Bosnia, the full-length reading is scheduled for April 14 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Organizer John Feffer, who also lives in Hyattsville, hopes the series will be an on-going one.

“It all depends on turnout and excite-ment level, “ he said. “There’s no shortage of good material written by local play-wrights.”


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MissFloribundaDear Miss Floribunda,

� e past few winters have been dis-concerting: blizzards two years ago, a more or less normal winter last year, an almost balmy one coming to a close. I just don’t know if all the gardening rules have changed. In one of your early columns you advised pruning roses when forsythias bloom. Well, forsythias have been blooming around Avondale since January! It seems to me I could go ahead and prune. I’ve al-ready planted radishes and last year’s broccoli has self-seeded and sprouted. I’m wondering if I could go ahead and plant le� uce, spinach and peas, and maybe even sow some � ower seeds like sweet peas and lupins. Winter seems to be over early.

Avid to Spring Forth on 40th Avenue

Dear Avid to Spring Forth,

First of all, there are few gardening rules anyway. What you call “rules” are usually guidelines that are ad-justable to circumstances such as weather. Weather even in ordinary times is notoriously capricious. � ese are not ordinary times.

As you are probably aware, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map has been revised because of global warming. I input your zip code in

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Hya� sville on the usda.gov web-site’s interactive map and learned that your zone has changed from 6b (last frost April 11 to 20) to 7b (last frost April 1 to 10). But even so, as you have pointed out, such things can change from year to year.

Second, in my March 2008 col-umn on rose pruning I recom-mended that roses be pruned when the forsythia blooms in your own yard, or at least in a garden no more than a few doors down. Citizen Cane, my advisor from the Ameri-can Rose Society, had impressed upon me the importance of micro-climate by giving me an imperative reason to respect it. He explained that what happens when you prune a rose is that you signal it that winter is over and it can start pu� ing forth new growth. If a hard freeze comes a� er it ventures to do so, the whole plant is damaged. � en you prune again and hope for the best. So you see, it is a risky proposition. By the time you see this in the newspaper, the traditional time for pruning ros-es has certainly come and you can spring forth all you want.

Concerning weather in gen-eral, I’ve consulted my friend Dr. Meriwether, who is not only a meteorologist at the National Oce-anic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) but a master gardener. He recommended two very helpful sites, not only for this spring but for the future. You will want to book-mark them, I’m sure. � e � rst is NOAA’s “� ree Month Outlooks” page, which gives o� cial weather forecasts for an entire season. Find it by Googling “NOAA seasonal outlook.”

� e second site to consult is Root Simple’s zone-based planting sched-ule, with interesting comments on all sorts of related topics. It can be found by searching “planting sched-

ule” on www.rootsimple.com.In addition, Dr. Meriwether gave

me a common-sense rule of thumb any farmer would give: “You know spring has come when birds return to nest.” Again, let me add that you should see them nesting in your own garden or one in your immedi-ate neighborhood.

To be on the safe side with le� uce, spinach and peas, why not start them in containers? If you know the temperature is about to plummet, you can just bring the pots indoors. � is particular year I truly doubt another hard freeze is coming, and the traditional date for planting peas and le� uce is March 17 anyway.

As it happens, March 17 is the date for the joint meeting of the Hya� sville Horticultural Society and Hya� sville Aging in Place. � e guest speaker, Master Gardener Greg Dwyer, will provide a wealth of information about container gardening. In these times of cli-mate change, container gardening is more a� ractive than ever. � e meeting will take place at 10 a.m. at the Hya� sville Municipal Building.

Miss Floribunda recommends that roses be pruned when the forsythia blooms in your own yard rather than relying on generic guidelines.


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by David L. Levy

Every other weekend at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hyattsville, the day school turns into the Parenting Time Center. It offers neutral ground where parents who are separated, divorced or never married – and who are having problems with each other that reach the courts – can meet. Instead of hanging up phones or slamming doors, they can peacefully transfer the child in the presence of trained supervisors.

Here is how it works. Parent A will bring the child to the Center on a Friday evening between 7 and 8 p.m. to hand off the child to Parent B. Two days later, on Sunday evening between 6 and 7 p.m., Par-ent B will return the child to the same center.

The center at St. Matthew’s, which is located at 5901 36th Avenue, is one of two county locations operated by the Children’s Rights Council, a na-tional nonprofit child advocacy organization based in Lanham (www.CRCkids.org). It alternates week-ends with a CRC center at a church in Brandywine.

The transfers and supervisions are free to parents; they are paid for by the Prince George’s County Circuit Court under a contract with CRC. Anyone who resides in the county or has a court case in the county is eligible to use the center.

In cases where there is abuse, neglect, or fear of pa-rental flight with the child, the court will not allow a parent to take the child home for the weekend. Rather, there will be “supervised visitation” at the Parenting Time Center on Saturday mornings. The court will authorize a parent to have either two or four hours, from 9 to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or the entire four-hour period from 9 to 1, to be with their child.

St. Matthew’s operates a child care center during the week, and rooms with child-sized chairs and tables are available on Saturday morn-ings. Most children who use the Parenting Time Center are between 3 and 8 years old. Trained staff people monitor the supervisions and trans-fers. Most training occurs at the CRC national office in Lanham, but on-the-job training occurs at the church.

Churches are selected by CRC because houses of worship can encourage cooperation and calmness. Nevertheless, the Circuit Court requires that CRC hire armed officers to guard the centers. Maryland is one of only 12 sole-mother custody states in the U.S. – that is, states where mothers are highly fa-vored to receive sole custody – and where joint cus-tody is rarely if ever assigned by a court without the consent of the mother.

However, of the mothers who are not awarded custody, some are assigned to utilize the centers in order to see their children. This appears to be because high conflict can affect both mothers and fathers. Without these centers, some par-ents might go weeks or months without seeing their children.

The happiest moments come when a child who has not seen a father or mother in a while leaps into the parent’s arms as soon as they spot each other. That love and affection is at the core of the entire enterprise. The welfare of children is at the heart of these Parenting Time Center.

Attorney David Levy, who has lived in Hyattsville since 1980, is President Emeritus of the Children’s Rights Council. He provides custody consulting and supervised visitation. His website is www.custodyconsulting.org.

Strengthening the ties that bind

Hyattsville Reporterthe

No. 236• March 14, 2012www.hyattsville.org • 301-985-5000

Page HR1 Hyattsville Life & Times | March 2012 Hyattsville Life & Times | March 2012 Page HR2

IN OTHER NEWS...

MARCH 2012

CALENDAR

Thursday, March 15Code Enforcement Advisory Committee Meeting, 7:00 PM

Monday, March 19City Council Meeting, 8:00 PM

Tuesday, March 20Planning Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM

Wednesday, March 21Hyattsville Environmental Committee Meeting, 7:30 PM

Monday, March 26City Council Meeting & Budget Work Session, 8:00 PM

Monday April 2 - Friday, April 6Spring Break Camp Escape at Magruder ParkSee http://www.hyattsville.org/camps for information

Monday April 2City Council Meeting, 8:00 PM

Saturday, April 7The Great Magruder Egg HuntSee http://www.hyattsville.org/egghunt for information

Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the City Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR CITY SUMMER CAMPS

The Department of Recreation and the Arts offers a fun-filled week in Magruder Park for kids ages 4 through 12 during the Prince George’s County Public Schools Spring Break Week. This week’s camp takes place from Monday, April 2 through Friday, April 6. Camp counselors strive to foster creativity and confidence in each child. Activities range from games and sports to arts, crafts, and eco-themed projects.Regular camp hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The week-long camp costs $100 per camper. Be-fore Care is available from 7:30 to 9:00 AM at $3/day, and After Care is offered from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, also at $3/day. Lunch and snack are included in the camp rate, and Before Care also includes breakfast. For more information visit http://www.hyattsville.org/camps

REDISTRICTING CONTINUES; FIND INFORMATION ONLINE

Looking for information on the City redistrict-ing process? Visit the City’s website: http://www.hyattsville.org/redistricting. Recommendations were presented to the Mayor and City Council on Tuesday, February 21, 2012.

CALL FOR GROUPS TO MARCH IN ANNIVERSARY PARADE

The City’s 126th Anniversary Parade will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Community groups, youth groups, classic car drivers, march-ing bands, step teams, fire and police units, and other civic organizations are invited to partici-pate! Please visit http://www.hyattsville.org/pa-rade for details, including a registration form.

COMMUNITY YARD SALE DAY REGISTRATION OPEN

Twice each year, the City offers residents a chance to participate in a Yard Sale Day, no permits re-quired. This year’s dates are Saturday, April 21st and Saturday, October 6th. Registration is now open for April 21st! There is no requirement to register. However, residents who register will be included on the map showing all addresses. Visit http://www.hyattsville.org/yardsale or call 301/985-5000 to register. Check the website af-ter 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18 to down-load a complete list of all participating addresses, or stop by the City Municipal Building at 4310 Gallatin Street to pick up a copy. Happy bargain hunting!

PAVILION PERMIT INQUIRY FORM NOW ONLINE

The Magruder Park pavilions are reserved by permit only from April through October. For in-formation on rentals and rates, please visit http://

www.hyattsville.org/pavilion. To inquire about availability, call 301/985-5020 or use the form found online!

NIXLE

The City is now using Nixle to send public safety alerts and information via both email and text message. This system replaces the SafeCity web-site previously in use. Many of our neighboring jurisdictions also use Nixle to send out informa-tion. If you have a nixle.com account, there is no need to create a new one. Simply log in and add the City of Hyattsville to your wire. New to Nixle? Register at www.nixle.com or enroll using the widget online at http://www.hyattsville.org/stayinformed.

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

Are you on Facebook? You can now keep up with City events and happenings at www.facebook.com/cityofhyattsville. When you see Vainglori-ous, the silver metal bird sculpture at Centennial Park, you’ll know you’re in the right place. He is kind enough to serve as the City’s wall photo.

Carnival coming to Magruder ParkHappy Birthday, Hyattsville! The City is 126 years young this April, and there’s a party in Magruder Park to celebrate.

Thursday, April 12 - The Carnival rolls into town for a preview night on Thursday, with rides opening at 4:00 PM and running until 9:00 PM.

Friday, April 13 - Rides are open from 5:00 to 10:00 PM, with a special Freaky Friday the 13th dance party planned for teenagers ages 13 through 17. (Please bring your school ID for admission!)

Saturday, April 14 - The City’s Anniversary Pa-rade steps off from Hyattsville Middle School (6001 42nd Avenue) at 11:00 AM. The parade follows 42nd Avenue south to Jefferson Street, turns right on Jefferson and heads to Hamilton Street, where turns left and continues to the reviewing stage at Magruder Park (3911 Hamilton Street).And that’s where the fun really begins! Our sched-

ule is not complete yet, but some of the plans include:

• A nineteenth century base ball game• Community news and information booths, in-

cluding several City services• Musical entertainment, featuring Cousin John

Band and Mambo Combo• The biggest news? Fireworks are back at Magrud-

er Park for the first time in three decades! The show starts at 8:00 PM.

Sunday, April 15 - The Carnival wraps up with a special Ride-All-Day deal for families. Carnival hours are 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM. The local Fra-ternal Order of Police will play the Hyattsville Vol-unteer Fire Department in a charity game. During last November’s Finest versus Bravest touch foot-ball match, the HVFD Bravest walked off with a resounding victory!

Parade participants are still being accepted. For more details, call 301/985-5020 or visit http://www.hyattsville.org/parade.

Citizen Police AcademyIn cooperation with the Prince George’s County Police, the Hyatts-ville City Police Department will host a ten-week Citizens’ Police Academy this spring.

There is no charge to attend, but an application is required. Par-ticipants must be 18 years of age or older by the first day of classes, and pass a basic background test. (Applicants should have no out-standing arrest warrants and have no felony convictions, including domestic violence, drugs, or the use of a weapon.)

Classes meet Thursday evenings at the City Municipal Building, be-ginning Thursday, April 19, 2012.

Participants will learn about many aspects of police work, including:

• Crime Scene Process • Firearms Training Simulations • K9 Unit Demonstrations • Traffic Law • Detectives and Investigation

For questions or to apply, please contact Officer James Denault at 301/985-5060 or [email protected].

For more information on the City’s police department, please visit www.hyattsvillepolice.org.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Great

Egg HuntSaturday, April 7, 20119:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

Magruder Park, 40th Avenue & Hamilton Street

MagruderPark

Pancake Breakfast, 9:00 to 11:00 AM, $5/dinerEgg Hunt, 11:30 AM to Noon, Free


City of HyattsvillE

CarnivalParade &126th Anniversary

Parade takes place on Saturday, April 14, stepping off from Hyattsville Middle School, 6001 42nd Avenue, at 11 AM

Magruder Park Carnival40th Avenue & Hamilton StreetThursday, April 12, 2012: 4 PM to 9 PMFriday, April 13, 2012: 5 PM to 10 PMSaturday, April 14, 2012: 12 NOON to 10 PM

Sunday, April 15, 2012:12 NOON to 5 PM

Special ride-all-day rate on Thursday and Sunday. Fireworks at 8 PM on Saturday night! Regular rides start at $2 Live music & free family fun all weekend.

www.hyattsville.org/parade • 301/985-5020

SummerJam 2012

presents

Admission is free; delicious food for sale

The second Friday of every month, May through September, 6:30 to 8:30 PMCity Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin StreetRain or Shine!

May 11 – The Magic BandJune 8 – Blues ConditionJuly 13 – JP McDermott & Western BopAugust 10 – N2NSeptember 14 – Just Us

COMMUNITY CALENDARMarch 16 and March 30Missing meat on Fridays? Let someone else do the cooking at the Lenten Fish Fry, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus to benefit St. Jerome Academy. All menu items are available for eat-in or take-out. A meal, which in-cludes fish, two sides, a roll and a drink, costs $7 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. Items can also be purchased a la carte. From 5 to 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. 5207 42nd Place. 301.927.6684.

March 16Watch some of the area’s most tal-ented middle school spellers put their skills to the test at the 2012 Prince George’s County Annual Spelling Bee. Contestants will be vying for top honors in the county and the chance to advance to the National Spelling Bee. Free. 7 p.m. Dekelbourn Concert Hall, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park. 301.405.2787.

March 17The Family Crisis Center of Prince George’s County, Inc. is holding a bake sale fund-raiser with proceeds helping

to defray operating costs. The group invites both buyers and bakers (with items to donate) to attend. Family Crisis Center, 3601 Taylor Street, Brentwood. 301.779.2100.

The library book discussion pick this month is Tatiana de Rosnay’s “Sarah’s Key,” a New York Times bestseller. Free. 3 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 301.985.4690.

March 24Calling Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of all levels! On Scout Wings Day you can explore the history of aviation and sci-ence flight through fun, edu-cational activities that count towards badge requirements. Pre-registration is required. $4. Noon to 4 p.m. College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Drive, Col-lege Park. 301.864.6029.

Q: What can a penny buy these days?A: Your ad, in full color, delivered by U.S. Mail to a Hyattsville-area house-

hold (and with change to spare!)Contact 301-531-5234 or

[email protected]

Julie WiattDance Afire members bring their pyrotechnic performance to Art Hop Takoma on March 24.


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Eleanor Pernia Studio of Dance

est. 1962

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301-937-423010434 Baltimore Ave • Beltsville, MD 20705

Dance classes for all agesRegister For Fall

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March 24 and 25 This weekend’s Art Hop: A Main Street Takoma Celebra-tion showcases the work of 30 artists, along with street music, demonstrations, performance and more, including a Saturday evening show by Dance Afire. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, with perfor-mances until 9 p.m. on Satur-day. Most of the action will take place along Carroll Avenue. For a map and schedule, visit www.ArtHopTakoma.com.

March 25The First United Method-ist Church marks National Women’s History Month with Winning the Future: The Health Factor, a program that includes a luncheon, panel dis-cussion and a keynote speech by the Kaiser Foundation’s Su-san Spurlark. Free. 11 a.m. First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville, 6201 Belcrest Road. Contact Mary Carter-Williams at 301.270.1216. or [email protected].

March 26The Independent Film Series presents Blossoms of Fire, a film that highlights the extraordinary lives of the Isthmus Zapotecs of southern Oaxaca, Mexico. After-wards, local filmmaker Andrew Millington will facilitate a brief discussion of the film. Free. 7 p.m. Hyattsville Branch Library, 6530 Adelphi Rd. 301.985.4690.

March 29 to April 8Quest Visual Theater brings workshops, master classes and many perfomances to the metro area for QuestFest 2012. Joe’s Movemement Emporium is hosting a full lineup; schedule and admission information var-ies. Call for details. 3309 Bun-ker Hill Road, Mt. Rainier. joes-movement.org. 301.699.1819.

March 30 and 31Sample Caribbean cuisine at the grand opening of Under the Co-conut Tree, which is back in busi-ness under owner-chef Sheldon Gill. He has activities planned throughout the weekend, and the restaurant will be open 24 hours both days. 5124 Baltimore Avenue. 240.667.1100.

March 31 and April 1Washington’s elevated duo, Arachne Aerial Arts, presents two high-flying shows this week-end. Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 4 p.m. $20, students and seniors $15, youth $10. Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt. Rainier. 301.699.1819.

March 31 Looking for an Easter activity for the kids? Join the College Park Arts Exchange for egg hunting and crafts at the Annual Egg Hunt! 10 a.m. to noon. College Park Youth and Fam-ily Services, 4512 Nantucket Av-enue, College Park. 301.927.3013.

April 6At the annual Paper Airplane Day, visitors can build their own entries to compete for priz-es in the Paper Airplane Derby. Noon to 4 p.m.; derby starts at 3 p.m. Free with museum ad-mission: $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 ages 18 and under. College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Drive, College Park. 301.864.6029.

April 10 and April 11Check out the local student talent at the University of Maryland Chamber Jazz two-part series. Chamber works will be performed by student jazz combos on both evenings. 7:30 p.m. both nights. Free. Clarice Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park. 301.405.2787.

April 13For a look at local music of yore from Maryland alums, author Mark Opsasnick and filmmaker Jeff Krulik host Rock and Roll in Prince George’s County, a slide-show and show-and-tell of stories about PG County at the dawn of rock and roll. Come hear and also share stories about teen dances at the Hyattsville Armory and Blad-ensburg Fire Hall and more about the county’s bands, bars and night-clubs in the 1950s through 1970s. Free. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Road, College Park.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOUG

chris currieDoug Dudrow blows out the candles at his 60th birthday party, held February 25 at First Baptist Church. Dudrow, a lifelong resident, spent 30 years as a city councilmember.


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“Out Like a Lamb” Coat Sale!

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COMMENTARY & OPINION ON HISTORY & POLITICS

Hugh’sNews

Loving Care PediatricsJanet V. Johnson, MD

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Tel: 301-403-8808Fax: 301-403-1341

School Physicals • Immunizations • Sport Physicals • Minor Emergency Care • Ear Piercing • Urgent/Sick

Child Visit • CPR/First Aid ClassM-F 9 - 6 p.m. • Evening & Saturday hours by appointment

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Prince George’s Soccer, Inc. Celebrates its 13th season of small-sided soCCer in the City of hyattsville

• All individual players and recreation level teams are welcome• Pure recreational soccer as recommended by USYSA• Grades pre K - 6 at same location on Saturday mornings• New All-Girls 3rd/4th grade division

Registration starts March 14th and practices start March 28th

Games start Saturday, April 21st and run to the tournament on June 9th

To register, please contact PGSI at [email protected] our soon to be up and running website at www.pgsisoccer.com

By Hugh Turley

� e U.S. presidential election resembles the recent presidential race in Yemen. On February 21, Yemen elected President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, the former Vice President under longtime ruler Ali Abdul-lah Saleh. Hadi was the only candidate on the ballot. On April 3, Barack Obama will be the only presidential candidate for the Democratic Party in the Maryland primary.

One might think at least one person in the Democratic Party would challenge President Obama for continuing the Pa-triot Act and for breaking his promise to close the Guantanamo prison. Where are the 2008 anti-war candidates Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinich, now that Obama has expanded President Bush’s wars into

Pakistan, Libya and Yemen?On the Republican side, the media has

narrowed the field by giving most at-tention to Mitt Romney and Rick San-torum, although Newt Gingrich has vowed to stay in the race until the party convention in August. None are likely to be accused of being a “dove.”

Democrats and Republicans who oppose war and a police state may think they have a choice in Ron Paul. But it’s a magician’s choice – meaning there is no choice, only the illusion of one.

Unlike candidates who walk into a busy restaurant to appear with a crowd, Paul has genuine popular support. But, strangely, he seems to avoid his support-ers. On February 20, Presidents’ Day, some 2,000 military veterans who support

Ron Paul marched from the Washington Monument to the White House to rally against the wars. Some came from as far away as Detroit.

But not Paul, who is himself an anti-war military veteran.

Earlier in the month, Paul skipped the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., where he had won a presidential straw poll two years in a row. Sales were brisk at Dan-iel Williams’ booth selling Ron Paul swag, and bu� on salesman Frank Enten, who has a� ended every CPAC convention, said, “Ron Paul bu� ons are my best seller, with Romney a close second.”

This year, when it matters most, the popular favorite did not show up or even have a booth in the exhibit hall

Presidential election choices? like the other candidates. Romney, Gingrich and Santorum all spoke at the convention. Romney won the straw poll this year, with the absent Paul fin-ishing dead last, behind even Gingrich, with only 12 percent of the vote. Is Paul really a serious candidate?

In Yemen, the paper ballot had only a picture of Hadi with a circle next to it for the voters to mark. � e American press dutifully reported the election of Yemen’s new president, complete with images of people lined up to vote at the polls. Why vote when there is no choice?

American elections provide a be� er ap-pearance of choice. In November Ameri-cans will choose between two candidates who will continue the same Middle East policy, wars, Patriot Act, searches of citi-zens, and inde� nite detentions.

Voters in neither the U.S. nor Yemen have any real choice. But at least in Ye-men, they don’t pretend to.


Dr. Mark H. Sugar and the Belcrest Surgery Center

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PTA meeting. Several rose to say how much they would miss Penate, the only bilingual em-ployee in the school office. She is constantly called on to trans-late conversations between par-ents and staff, the newsletter, various notices and even stu-dents’ homework. Hers is the voice parents hear on automatic phone calls relaying school an-nouncements.

Four other staff, on the read-ing intervention team, will lose their jobs as well: Karen Stan-ford, who is also the school’s web master and edits the elec-tronic sign on 43rd Avenue; Nick Richards, the technology coordinator; Johnette Boden, who works with kindergarten readers; and Leslie Marks, an-other reading specialist.

School officials have been re-searching how they can fund the five salaries through other grants, but so far nothing has come up. Some parents are coordinating a letter-writing campaign that will ask the county to step in.

“In a county with a growing Hispanic population, this [bi-lingual] position should be standard, not something that can only come from Title 1 funds,” said PTA officer Can-dace Hollingsworth.

A representative at the school district’s Title 1 office said that the federal program mandates a cutoff at the 75 percent mark. Schools that fall below that mark – no matter how infinitesimally – cannot get funding.

Another such school is the 385-student Princeton Elemen-tary in Suitland, whose ratio is 73.2 percent. It stands to lose close to $300,000 in Title 1 funds next year, says its principal, Henina Bunch.

“There’s nothing we can do to make up that much money,” Bunch said, adding that the amount pays for four positions. “But we’re not going to allow money to discourage us from educating our children.”

But the school district ap-pears to have quite a bit of lee-way on how Title 1 funds are spent. According to a policy brief written last June by the D.C.-based Alliance for Ex-cellent Education, districts can hand out Title 1 funds to schools with poverty levels as low as 35 percent. And those levels can be calculated by any of several formulas besides the school lunch counts.

Principal Jeanne Washburn says that when she arrived eight years ago, 69 percent of the student body qualified for the program – and yet the school was receiving the mon-

ey, as it has done every year since.

The school district has held to the 75 percent mark only recently because of the failing economy, which has thrown many families into poverty status. That in turn has made more schools eligible for Title 1. Last year, the federal gov-ernment made cuts to Title 1 funds, making less money available for an increasing number of schools.

The poor economy may have worked against Hyattsville Elementary because middle-income families that might have sent their children to pri-vate school are sending them to HES, lowering the school’s poverty percentage.

“We’re getting wealthier people, but we’re still getting a lot of people who qualify [for Title 1],” Washburn said.

Prince George’s County has 48 Title 1 schools this year. Neigh-

boring counties Montgomery and Howard have 25 and six, re-spectively.

Julia Duin is the mother of a kindergartener at Hyattsville El-ementary. Parents wishing to ex-press their concerns to the school district can call Andrea Phillips-Hughs at 301.618.8390 at the Title 1 office. They can also email Amber Waller, the school board member for District 3 at [email protected].

FUNDING continued from page 1


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the city], but makes our job a lit-tle harder.”

Still, two of the six plans do cre-ate such a ward, with Hispanics making up just over half the pop-ulation in Ward 5. Another pair of plans would keep all incumbents in their wards, while meeting few other criteria.

The scenario that divides the population most evenly has a dif-ference of only 75 people between the largest and smallest wards. But it’s one of two plans that would re-district six council members out of the wards that elected them.

Candace Hollingsworth (Ward 1) pointed out that in most sce-narios, the councilmembers who would be displaced are up for re-election in 2013, “so they’d be running anyway.”

But putting three incumbents in one ward, as some plans do, would lead to a game of musical chairs in which the rules have yet to be written.

“When do the boundaries take effect?” said Mayor Marc Tartaro later, giving examples of questions that would sur-face. “How do you figure out who’s running against each other? These are all things we would have to decide.”

City Attorney Richard Cola-resi agreed, saying “that is really a council problem to solve.”

It’s one of many, as several coun-cilmembers have made clear in recent months. At the previ-ous meeting, on February 27, the increasingly public discord prompted Paula Perry (Ward 4) to offer a motion for a team-building council retreat.

“I dislike retreats probably more than anyone, because I’ve been to so many,” said Perry, who is second in seniority only to Ruth Ann Frazier (Ward 5). “But this is one that I personally will make sure, if at all possible, takes us in the direction we need to go in. We have things that need to be worked out before the budget [discussions].”

Those things are not likely to be fixed with redistricting.

“We did not have a mandate to

fix city council dysfunction or solve a lot of other problems,” Rain said. “We were given pretty clear marching orders. We were told that the council thought the best plan was to stick with five wards, so that’s what we did.”

The 10-member body, composed

of two representatives for each of five wards, is the second largest in the state. During the presentation, at least one councilmember was open to changing the structure, although she acknowledged that it would likely stay the same.

“I regret that we didn’t give you a little more free rein,” in designing the plans, Shani Warner (Ward 2) told Rain. She cited “the historic problem we have getting people to run for election, the low turnout we have in some wards … [and] the issues with comity and civil-ity that we’ve had recently on the council” as reasons to re-examine the structure.

Colaresi explained that there were two ways to restructure: “Create more wards and keep one person for the seat, or lessen the number of wards and keep two people in staggered elections.”

But, he added, “the fewer wards you have, the less likely there is any minority-opportunity ward.”

All plans can be found on the city website, and the public is encouraged to give feedback on them until March 19. To com-ment, send an e-mail with the subject line “Redistricting 2012” to City Clerk Douglass Barber at [email protected].

The committee will meet again the week of March 26 to incorpo-rate the responses into a second round of plans. Those, said Rain, should be presented to council next month.

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REDISTRICTING continued from page 1

Putting three incumbents in one ward, as some plans do, would lead to a game of musical chairs in which the rules have yet to be written.


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newly created assistant treasurer positions are vacant.

Councilmember Shani Warner (Ward 2) said, “That’s why we’re paying [Vermillion] the big bucks [$110,000 a year] and more than we anticipated. We got the best person we could, one we thought had the capacity to handle all the stuff we’re going to throw at him.”

Vermillion understands the ur-gency. “Certainly, recruiting is a high priority for any organiza-tion,” he said.

However, it appears there is no real consensus on the council about what he should do in his first months on the job, despite several discussions during council meet-ings. The most recent occurred on February 27, the meeting where Vermillion was introduced.

Some council members said they wanted him to move immediately to address the city’s staffing prob-lems, especially vacancies, and possibly introduce drastic changes in city structure. Others thought he should learn about the city and tackle basic human resource issues before making major changes.

Warner falls into the first school of thought. “He needs to get up to speed quickly. There isn’t go-ing to be a nice honeymoon pe-riod where he can spend the first month just talking to people and getting a feel for the city.”

Along those lines, Candace Hol-lingsworth (Ward 1) said she thought the council should give Ver-million a clear list of priorities for the first 90 days, so the council can accu-rately evaluate his performance.

Mayor Marc Tartaro, however, said, “I want him to become fa-miliar with the personnel manual and key staff, and come to un-derstand how the organization works. He needs to immerse him-self in the organization, not make premature judgments. Until we

update position descriptions and redo the organizational chart so it’s functional, we shouldn’t try to make wholesale changes.”

Vermillion agreed that there are two schools of thought on the council about the priorities of his job, but added, “They’ve given me some latitude to determine which approach would be best and I as-sume they’ll get my input.”

In the past several months, the council has indeed discussed the possibility of a major reorganiza-tion of the city staff. Sandel said

that that issue is “hanging out there. It’ll be discussed in the upcoming budget process but it’s a big conversation. It won’t be wrapped up in one budget cycle.”

When asked for his impressions of Hyattsville, Vermillion said that it’s a vibrant city and the people who work here have a real affection for the town.

“We have dedicated city em-ployees who work hard to do their jobs.”

CHALLENGES continued from page 1

It appears there is no real consensus on the council about what [Vermillion] should do in his first months on the job.

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March 2012 Hyattsville Life & Times