The last few weeks have been very busy for my campaign, so I am a bit behind on the updates here. Sunday a week ago saw me at the NAACP Freedom Fund annual dinner. Lt. Governor was the key note speaker. Took some photos - will get them posted soon.
The event was held in the beautiful new event room at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Rockville.
Attended the District 15 annual legislative wrap up dinner at Normandie Farms Restaurant in Potomac; enjoyed good food, great conversations and terrific popovers! Thanks to Daphne Bloomberg for her leadership!
Then on to the Western Montgomery Citizens Association the next night in Potomac where 3 MCPS students demonstrated their winning Science Fair projects...the younger generations are definitely getting smarter! I was quite impressed. We also heard the Legislative round-up from the D15 legislators-(whom I had also heard the night before.) There were also 4 women there of extraordinary achievement: Liza Durant the group President and energizer, Diana Conway, the quite effective President of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance, Ginny Barnes, who was recently acknowledged as one of the county's Premier environmentalists over the last 40 years since Earth Day Also in attendance were Joe Horgan and has wife Diane Cameron, the storm water management guru. We do have many people who help make this county special.
Friday evening saw me dressed up and celebrating at the Black Rock Arts Center Gala. My friend Tom Hoffman, a former board member, was being honored; it was fun to celebrate with him and his family in such a beautiful setting. I met lots of really nice people, bid on some silent auction items...and won a couple. I am looking forward to their summer lawn concerts again this year.
Sunday evening saw me at the Annual Democratic Spring Ball (dressed up again)where awards were the order of the evening and faithful Dems were rewarded for their service. Hats off to each of the award winners! Even got a bit of dancing in! And of course I had more good food!
Well. will keep you updated on my travels around the District...let me know of places I should go...come with me if it is your group. Politics can be fun you know!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Campaign update
We had a great campaign kick-off on the 14th with lots of enthusiasm and energy among those in the crowd. If you missed the event at Cafe Mileto, you missed seeing a fine restaurant and interacting with many supporters of our issues.
I enjoyed sharing my thoughts and getting feedback from the audience. Now I'd like to hear from you - what are the concerns that you would like to see addressed? I'm continuing to hear complaints about traffic, ICC tolls, and the need for new jobs in the county; I promise to work on several of those issues when elected. Many in the county are hopeful that we can get many jobs promised by Northup Grumman if they decide to locate here. But then that remains a question - are they going to come to the county - if so when and how many jobs will be created?
The county budget is another serious issue. Cuts are going to happen. Frequently we see each interest group or non-profit giving reasons why their particular programs should not be reduced. Since some say we all need to feel the pain; where would you cut programs if you were the person with the budget scissor? Half of our tax dollars fund education - over 2.3 Billion Dollars. Another huge chunk is in fixed expenses, such as employee salaries and supplies and maintenance for county buildings. Discretionary spending is a small proportion, but that is an area from which many cuts will come. Furloughs, as I understand them, will be phased out across the year, so paychecks will get smaller but will continue as scheduled. Some savings will come through attrition; as employees leave their jobs will be discontinued.
This is a major problem. I will not claim to have a magic bullet, but I do know that we need to approach this issue with care and concern. Let me learn of your priorities - send a reply here - let's start a dialogue.
Thanks,
Sharon
I enjoyed sharing my thoughts and getting feedback from the audience. Now I'd like to hear from you - what are the concerns that you would like to see addressed? I'm continuing to hear complaints about traffic, ICC tolls, and the need for new jobs in the county; I promise to work on several of those issues when elected. Many in the county are hopeful that we can get many jobs promised by Northup Grumman if they decide to locate here. But then that remains a question - are they going to come to the county - if so when and how many jobs will be created?
The county budget is another serious issue. Cuts are going to happen. Frequently we see each interest group or non-profit giving reasons why their particular programs should not be reduced. Since some say we all need to feel the pain; where would you cut programs if you were the person with the budget scissor? Half of our tax dollars fund education - over 2.3 Billion Dollars. Another huge chunk is in fixed expenses, such as employee salaries and supplies and maintenance for county buildings. Discretionary spending is a small proportion, but that is an area from which many cuts will come. Furloughs, as I understand them, will be phased out across the year, so paychecks will get smaller but will continue as scheduled. Some savings will come through attrition; as employees leave their jobs will be discontinued.
This is a major problem. I will not claim to have a magic bullet, but I do know that we need to approach this issue with care and concern. Let me learn of your priorities - send a reply here - let's start a dialogue.
Thanks,
Sharon
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