Talk:Washington Grove, Maryland

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Latest comment: 15 years ago3 comments3 people in discussion

the Government section discussion of Washington Grove's Town Meeting form of Government

is incomplete, focusing only on the Town Meeting itself
lacks a citation to the Town Charter
lacks balance

Please see the official town webpage for a copy of the town charter. The official town website is listed on the main page. The town meetings are all open to the public and every issue is discussed publically according to rules of procedure. There are rare exceptions in which government meetings are closed to the public.

I have trimmed this section, cutting the side discussion of direct democracy. If readers want to know more about that topic, Wikipedia has a separate article on it. With what's left, it all lacks proper citations. Please see Wikipedia's policies on citing sources, verifiability, and reliable sources. I also agree that it lacks balance. Wikipedia requires that the article be written with a neutral point of view. --Aude (talk contribs) 07:48, 30 July 2006 (UTC)Reply

The citations would be provided if the town released its information to the public, which, as you may guess, it does not.

The charter on the municipal website shows an elected mayor and council, not direct democracy. I left a fact tag, in case it has been changed and the web not updated, but otherwise we would need to show accurately the form of government in the Government section. "Issues" can be its own section, although they still need balanced viewpoints and support for assertions.Lisamh 01:09, 15 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

Please look at the town history page under "Our town". You will see that "By 1937, the Camp Meeting Association was dissolved, and the Town of Washington Grove was incorporated with a Mayor and Council/Town Meeting form of government". The Town meeting form of government is a direct democracy. The mayor leads the meeting, but issues are left to the interested parties who attended. Further proof of their lack of respect for property rights is on the same page: "One of the greatest threats to be successfully averted was the multimillion dollar suit by the Southland Corporation, owners of the 7-11, when the town restricted zoning at the commercial corner." Despite making the investment, the company's attempt to establish a business was destroyed ex post facto by the town re-zoning the area. From that precedent, they could rezone any location in the Grove to get rid of anything they decide is "undesirable".

Also, please note that the town advises "In order to vote in Town elections and at Town Meeting, you must be currently registered to vote in Montgomery County at an address in Washington Grove. To verify your registration with the County, call Voter Registration Information at 240-777-8683.". Do you need further proof of the direct democracy nature of the town?

Please see Wiki's own page for open town meetings for futher information.

It appears to me that this section, as now drafted, is NPOV and complete. Unless there is objection, I will remove the POV tag. Argos'Dad 15:06, 6 August 2009 (UTC)Reply

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