Towson needs its own government [Letter] – Baltimore Sun

The list of valid concerns expressed by the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations (“Officials, developers must work with community,” Sept. 9) will likely fall on deaf ears, if past behavior is any guide. The county leaders, in their zeal to transform Towson into a high-density, Manhattan-like urban cityscape, clearly disdain Towson residents who seek to preserve a low-density suburban environment, as benightednimby obstructionists to be ignored or patronized. The forlorn hope that this County Executive and Council will work in a collaborative fashion with the community to preserve Towson’s cherished open-space, low building height nature is just wishful thinking.

The fundamental problem is that Baltimore County government, by its very structure, is not representative of the Towson area. The only real solution is home rule. Towson should be master of its own house, by incorporating and having its own elected mayor and city council answerable to the community. Many Maryland cities smaller than Towson, such as Bel Air, Ocean City, College Park, and Frostburg are incorporated and making local decisions about their future for themselves, rather than deferring to an unrepresentative county government where they have no real voice or power.

James Howes
Lutherville

(Original article on Baltimore Sun website has been deleted): Towson needs its own government [Letter] – Baltimore Sun