Shut out on Mall security
Dear Coalition Friends:
Today's Washington Post has my Letter to the Editor responding to Philip Kennicott's commentary on the Washington Monument security meeting last week. You can read his piece here.
Please take a moment to join the discussion and help raise public awareness of the problem by commenting at the Post's Local Opinions.
What kind of reforms are needed?
# # #
THE WASHINGTON POST
Letters
By Judy Scott Feldman, Rockville
Thank you for publishing Philip Kennicott’s commentary alerting the public to the travesty of the National Park Service’s “public” scoping meeting last week for Washington Monument security [“A public failure of monumental scale,” Nov. 10].
Mr. Kennicott’s piece is a snapshot in time of a broken process that discourages public participation. While laws call for meaningful public involvement in federal planning decisions, in practice we, along with numerous other nonprofits and private citizens participating in Mall projects, have found our informed and thoughtful comments and suggestions consistently ignored or dismissed — except, maybe, when those comments agree with predetermined agency decisions. It’s time for reform.
The writer is chair and president of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall.
Today's Washington Post has my Letter to the Editor responding to Philip Kennicott's commentary on the Washington Monument security meeting last week. You can read his piece here.
Please take a moment to join the discussion and help raise public awareness of the problem by commenting at the Post's Local Opinions.
What kind of reforms are needed?
# # #
THE WASHINGTON POST
Letters
Shut out on Mall security
By Judy Scott Feldman, Rockville
Thank you for publishing Philip Kennicott’s commentary alerting the public to the travesty of the National Park Service’s “public” scoping meeting last week for Washington Monument security [“A public failure of monumental scale,” Nov. 10].
Mr. Kennicott’s piece is a snapshot in time of a broken process that discourages public participation. While laws call for meaningful public involvement in federal planning decisions, in practice we, along with numerous other nonprofits and private citizens participating in Mall projects, have found our informed and thoughtful comments and suggestions consistently ignored or dismissed — except, maybe, when those comments agree with predetermined agency decisions. It’s time for reform.
The writer is chair and president of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall.