The County. Public servants are generally bred from the meeting rooms of civic associations and service clubs. It was time for Trent to become actively involved in the County. Budget issues took center stage in the early 1970's, and she joined the Howard County Citizen Association's budget committee. She became Vice President of the organization in short order and soon began to write letters to the editor (Tab 5).Eventually, she became a spokesperson on local topics such as councilmanic districting (Tab 6).
The City (Columbia). Trent also became involved in Columbia -- which as anyone who lived here in those days knows, was entirely different from being active in the "County". Indeed, a vast number of residents of the "County" went to sleep at night hoping that when they awoke, Columbia would be nothing more than a bad dream; Columbians had the same dream, in reverse. Interestingly, the zoning for the Columbia concept was approved by a panel of Republican County Commissioners as a way to contain and control growth – an embryonic effort at "Smart Growth". Unfortunately for what was at that time a relatively conservative, rural county, Columbia's totally planned environment tended to attract liberal Democrats, crowds and crime. But there were exceptions. . .
When asked, Trent would explain that perhaps the primary reason she and Dick moved to Columbia to start a family was to avoid having their future children "bussed" to far-off schools. (Because Columbia was already a racially integrated community, there was no need to "bus" kids across town to created appropriate racial balances.)
This explanation always brought a look of confusion to the liberal listener, who believed that the only reason Republicans opposed bussing was to keep their children from having to attend integrated schools.
"But the schools in Columbia are integrated!" they would say, trying to figure it all out.
"I know that!" Trent would reply. "We want our kids to attend schools where they meet a wide diversity of kids. What we DON'T want is to have them sitting on a bus in traffic for two hours a day!"
The other reason Trent and Dick picked Columbia was their illicit delight in seeing Rouse's Brave, New Planned community grow and prosper. Columbia -- the Perfect Socialist Community – created and brought to you by American Capitalism!
Among : ◊ Chair and a charter member of the Columbia Economic Model Committee which spent its days trying to ensure that this capitalist enterprise remained solvent. ◊ Member of the Alternate Finance Committee. This group was formed to figure out how residents could legitimately deduct the Columbia Association homeowner's assessment from their taxes. After many months of study, the committee recommended that Columbia become a "special tax district" of the County.Trent was the only dissenting voice. She wrote a minority report articulating why this would not be a good idea. Much to her surprise, her Minority Report garnered high praise from the Editor of the (very liberal) Columbia Flyer!
Trent Kittleman for Howard County 3000 Kittleman Lane * West Friendship, Maryland 21074 *(301) 661-3344 * Campaign Manager: Josette Wheatley (410) 206-9539 Trent@Kittleman2010.com * Josette@Kittleman2010.com