REVOLUTIONARY FIGURE Wootton students honor unsung hero with marker. A-3
The Gazette
A&E: Silver Spring resident directs Arena Stage sendup of famed Russian author. B-5
ROCKVILLE | ASPEN HILL | POTOMAC | OLNEY
SPORTS: Star Richard Montgomery softball player changes role after injury. B-1
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
25 cents
Travel budget is on the rise
At Magruder High, it’s no joke
Rockville mayor, council cite value of attending events n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Throughout the year, Rockville officials travel and attend various events to represent the city, and taxpayers foot the bill. But how much travel is appropriate? And just how big should the public’s figurative dime be? These questions and others arose during the mayor and city council’s discussion Monday night of the proposed $122 million fiscal 2016 budget. Each year, the city allocates money for the mayor and council members to attend events in and outside of the city, including national conferences. In fiscal 2013 and 2014, the mayor and council were budgeted $10,000 for travel and events. In the current fiscal ’15, that rose to $12,500, said Gavin Cohen, the city’s finance director. But they overshot those projections. In fiscal 2013, they spent $11,042 for travel and $4,440 for events, according to city staff. That spending rose in fiscal ’14 to $13,899 and $5,045, respectively. The proposed budget for next year includes $12,800 for travel and $1,000 for events. That would give each member $2,000 for travel and $200 to cover expenses if the money is allocated evenly among the mayor and four council members, as well as
(Above) Jackie Trahern, a junior at Magruder High School in Rockville, portrays the victim of a fatal crash who was thrown from the back of a pickup truck during 21 Reasons, a program Tuesday at the school about the dangers of drunken driving. The program was to conclude Wednesday with a talk by police and a video depicting the legal and medical aftermath of Tuesday’s “crash.” (Right) Students wearing makeup and representing some of the people killed in drunken-driving crashes every 15 minutes watch the demonstration at Magruder High. PHOTOS BY DAN GROSS/THE GAZETTE
a remaining collective $2,800 to cover reimbursements for parking and mileage. In June, Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and Councilwomen Beryl Feinberg, Virginia Onley and Julie Palakovich Carr attended the annual Maryland Municipal League convention in Ocean City, at a cost to the city of nearly $3,900, according to city records. In November, Councilman Tom Moore and Palakovich Carr attended a five-day conference for the National League of Cities in Austin, Texas, at a cost of more than $1,500 each. Moore said he found the conference informative and productive, especially for a city of Rockville’s size. Members were divided Monday over whether the travel and events costs should be separate items or added together. Attending events and conferences helps the mayor and council members learn and grow, said Councilwoman Virginia Onley, who said she thinks the amounts should be a lump sum for each member rather than individual items. One problem with having the items broken out separately is that it’s not always immediately clear where an individual conference will be held, Feinberg said. Council members shouldn’t be constrained by trying to determine whether something is a travel item or an event item, she said. Palakovich Carr and
See TRAVEL, Page A-12
‘Pain’ art causes some Rosa Parks students delve into discomfort at GreenFest the woman behind the name Festival exhibitors moved to keep children from seeing drawings at college
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BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
Questions about the appropriateness of an art exhibit at Montgomery College’s art center in Silver Spring led to a venue change Saturday at GreenFest. About 30 festival exhibitors were moved from the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center to another building after county officials suggested that art on display in the center’s foyer might not be appropriate for the familyfriendly event, said Patrick Lacefield, a spokesman for County Executive Isiah Leggett (D). The county originally asked the col-
lege to move the art before the entities agreed to find an alternate venue. At issue were drawings by artist Cindi Hron of Pennsylvania in an exhibit titled, “Back Pain.” Hron’s collection depicts an unclothed female torso — from both the front and back — marked with scars, wounds and more. The Montgomery County GreenFest took place at Montgomery College’s Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus and at Jesup Blair Local Park. It was held on Saturday and included musical performances, exhibitors and information about a variety of environmental issues. A festival of films with environmental themes was part of the day, too. College spokesman Marcus Rosano did not return multiple phone calls asking
In 1993, Rosa Parks attended the dedication of the middle school in Olney named in her honor. To today’s students at the school, that’s practically ancient history, so their knowledge of the civil rights leader has come primarily from textbooks. Last week, a group of 30 students from the school were invited to visit an exhibit on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 at the Library of Congress in Washington,
See PAIN, Page A-12
See PARKS, Page A-12
INDEX A&E Automotive Business Calendar Classified Opinion Sports
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Photo of civil rights leader’s Olney visit in Library of Congress exhibit n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
NEWS B-5 B-14 A-13 A-2 B-9 A-14 B-1
Volume 28, No. 12, Two sections, 32 Pages Copyright © 2015 The Gazette Please
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RISING UP Hopkins hosts fourth-graders for bread baking activity blending science, charity.
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PHOTO BY SHAWN MILLER/THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Rosa Parks eighth-grader Michael Manago (left) and his schoolmates examine materials from the “Civil Rights Act of 1964” exhibit at the Library of Congress.