Aug. 29, 2001
 
 Mayor Lee Fiedler is trying to convince the people of South Cumberland that they should accept a proposed 60 unit low income housing project planned for Fourth Street. Why? Because, according to Mr. Fiedler, it isn’t really “low income” at all. Except that it’s financed by the state Department of Community Development and will be required to “assist families of low or limited income.” And except that the developer has been meeting with county Social Service agencies that provide services to low income families, to: a) get their support, and, b) see if they can provide services on site at the project.
 
 But other than that, it’s really for middle income people.
 
 Yeah, ok, Lee. Whatever.
 
 According to the Resolution the Mayor and City Council must pass in order for the developer to be subsidized for the project’s construction, the term “low income” is distinctly used in two different paragraphs, and it is made quite clear that the state Department of Housing and Community Development “may provide some or all of the financing for the project.”
 
 Last time we checked, the state of Maryland wasn’t financing the construction of housing for the middle class, but now that we have this important information, we may ask them to finance our kitchen renovation.
 
 Of course the state is not financing housing for the middle class. That’s ridiculous. So why is Lee Fiedler trying to make people believe that?
 
 We have no idea. We know the developer, Kevin Bell, is a registered lobbyist from Annapolis. We know his arrival in Allegany County to build low income housing was announced with great fanfare last spring by Cas Taylor, who avoided the words “low income housing” by using the much nicer sounding “affordable housing” instead. He’s so clever, isn’t he?
 
 Why Mr. Bell and his friend, Mr. Taylor, are so bent on building low income housing in Allegany County is a mystery.
 
 Consider the following:
 
 • According to the Census, 14% of the city’s housing stock is vacant. Of that vacant property, some is too blighted for use, but city staff estimates that 60% to 70% of it can be inhabited with some rehab work.
 
 • The Cumberland Housing Authority, which manages the Jane Frazier Village, Fort Cumberland Homes and Benjamin Banneker low income housing projects, is placing families in units approximately two to three months after making application. There is no significant waiting period for apartments.
 
 • Crunch the Census numbers, and you discover the city is losing population at the rate of approximately 200 people per year. Obviously, the formation of new households is offset by this outward migration.
 
 • South Penn School, in whose district this project will be located, is already slightly over capacity. Where will the 100+ kids this project could generate go to school?
 
 We have no idea why our elected officials tried to slip this past the public with no notice as to what was going on. If this is such a great idea, why no public meetings about it? Why can’t our city’s elected officials, four of whom originally approved the project last spring, explain to their constituents why this is good for the city?
 
 The only city official who voted against it the first time is Councilman Terry Rephann. He raised questions at last night’s council meeting as well, and stated that he will be at a public meeting on Sept. 4 that Lee Fiedler set up with developer Kevin Bell at the old Penn Avenue school.
 
 We hope everyone who owns property in the city shows up. It’s a meeting none of us can afford to miss.