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I became a candidate for
Cumberland City Council because I want
to make a difference. Now, from a
Council position, I intend to do just
that.
I
care deeply about Cumberland, having
been born and raised here. I choose to
make the City my home because I
recognize all that Cumberland has to
offer. But, I also recognize all of the
challenges facing our City.
It
is time that we turn our attention back
on the community that we know and
love. I believe we must change our ways
and refocus our energy on what we have
and allow Cumberland’s charm and spirit
to be the engines that promote our
community. We must take an aggressive
stand against vacant blighted properties
in our community and encourage
revitalization or demolition of these
structures. We must help those in need,
who live in blighted buildings and
neighborhoods. We must hold landlords of
blighted properties responsible.
We
must do everything we can to eliminate
the circumstances that promote drug
sales and gang activity. We must support
our police force and stand up to report
suspicious activities. We must aim to
rid our City of the forces that prey on
our youth and our vulnerable citizens.
As
your Councilman, I am working closely
with residents to pay closer attention
to what is taking place in every
Cumberland neighborhood. I will work to
preserve the character of Cumberland
through Smart Growth and redevelopment
of existing infrastructure. I will work
to make doing business in the City
easier and make government more
responsive to citizens’ needs.
Since taking office, I have joined
together with or been appointed to work
with many community groups and
commissions. I am now serving you and
our community in a number of volunteer
capacities, including with the Volunteer
Team and as Vice Chairman of the Western
Potomac Chapter of the American Red
Cross. I am an active participant with
the City’s NAC (Neighborhood Advisory
Council), Cumberland Blight Committee,
Historic Preservation Commission,
Allegany Museum Board of Directors,
South Cumberland Business & Civic
Association, Fort Hill High School
Scholarship Board, and many more. I
regularly attend the meetings of all
Cumberland neighborhood associations and
I hope to see you in attendance and
involved.
Cumberland can only change and grow once
again if we all work
together. Government is not always the
answer. Higher taxes and fees are not
the answer. The only way to bring about
the change we need is to be that
change. We must all be a part of the
revitalization of our community through
community involvement and activism.
Now
that the United States Congress has
passed the Federal Economic Recovery
package and the City of Cumberland’s
list of capital improvement funding
requests, according to parameters set by
President Obama’s Administration, has
been released and submitted to Governor
O’Malley’s office for review and
approval, it’s time for all residents of
Cumberland to get involved.
The
list of capital improvements, carefully
assembled by department heads in the
City of Cumberland, meets the
requirements set for federal aid as part
of the economic recovery package. The
list can be viewed online at
http://www.ci.cumberland.md.us.
The projects are all critical
infrastructure and they are all “shovel
ready,” ranging from 90 days to 2 years
before launch. Many can begin in the
immediate future. The projects range
from street repairs to preservation of
our water system, including efforts to
reduce combined sewage overflows,
thereby improving the quality of our
streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.
The
list of needed capital project funds
will require the support of all
Cumberland residents in order to get
them approved by our Governor. The old
adage that the “squeaky wheel gets the
grease” is undoubtedly true.
Please lend your voice and help to make
this recovery funding a reality. Please
phone the Office of the Governor
(410-974-3901) and relay the message
that 100% of the requests should
be honored in order to stimulate the
economic situation in Western Maryland,
to put more people to work, and to
maintain our infrastructure. Contact
Delegate Kelly (410-841-3404), Delegate
Myers (410-841-3321), and Senator
Edwards (410-841-3565) and ask them to
appeal to the Governor for full funding
of Cumberland’s critical needs, to the
tune of over $120 million to meet our
critical infrastructure needs. Write a
letter to the Governor’s Office (100
State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401) today
and encourage full support of the
funding in an effort to see President
Obama’s plans of a real and true
economic recovery that includes creating
more jobs and rebuilding our country’s
infrastructure come to fruition.
The
Governor needs to hear from every
resident of Cumberland today, by
phone, and by mail, with one voice and
one message: please support the full
funding of Cumberland’s requests.
At
this important time in our nation and
city, it is important that we stand
together to bring about this funding
that will make a difference in
Cumberland, for generations to come. It
is critical that we all stand together
and put our desire to see change to
work. We are all in this together;
together we will make a difference! |