Annapolis, MD—The Maryland Tourism Council and Maryland Destination Marketing Organizations have organized Tourism Day, Friday, Feb. 5 in Annapolis to connect tourism professionals with their elected officials in the legislature to heighten the awareness of tourism’s economic impact in the State and to ask for full funding of the $6 million mandate for the Maryland Tourism Development Board to market the State’s tourism products, services, and industry.
The Maryland Office of Tourism is responsible for marketing the State’s many tourism assets and building the State’s visibility as a desirable tourism and meeting destination and for the last year has operated on a budget of just $2.7 million, the lowest marketing budget since the early 1980’s. Maryland not only competes with surrounding states for tourism and travel dollars but tourism within Maryland is a significant job and revenue provider which is challenged when there are not sufficient funds ...Continue Reading
Six high school seniors were recently selected to serve as student pages for the 2010 Maryland General Assembly, including Rachel Cooper and Alex Hutcheson of C. Milton Wright High School, Brandon Ellis of Joppatowne High School, Kate Kidwell of Fallston High School, and Katherine Clarke and Kate Froelich of John Carroll High School.
Pages were selected after submitting an application and participating in an extensive interview before a 12-person committee, consisting of students and educators from around the county, who tested the applicants on their knowledge of politics and other various topics. The committee was not informed of which school the applicant attends prior to the decision.
A Student Page Breakfast was held December 3, 2009, at Fallston High School, and the newly-elected pages spent the morning getting to know each other and the elected o?cials they will assist during the session. They were a?orded the opportunity to ...Continue Reading
The following letter was sent by Roy Whiteley, president of Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation:
Last evening we were privileged to speak before an estimated 3,000 cold, but determined, enthusiastic, patriots assembled in Lawyers Square in front of the State Capitol to join in voicing the concerns of a constituency dissatisfied with the way our government is operating.
A number of organizations lead by Americans for Prosperity together with Campaign for Liberty, Institute for Liberty, Annapolis, Bel Air, Cecil County and Hagerstown Tea Party, Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation, Maryland Taxpayers Association and others provided several hours of specific, high spirited rhetoric aimed at one theme. We are watching your actions during this legislative session. We are in tough economic conditions and you need to listen to us and act appropriately. Many legislators and former Governor Bob Erhlich were in the audience. Prior to the 7 PM rally, we had the ...Continue Reading
The year 2009 opened on a sad note in Harford County with residents still mourning the death of prominent, longtime school superintendent Jacqueline Haas. Before the year was over, Harford County would lose two other wellknown female leaders – former delegate Joanne Parrott and Harford County Councilwoman Veronica Chenowith.
It was also a year of contradiction. Even as President-Elect Barack Obama slowed his inaugural train ride through Edgewood in January to wave and thank a thousand or so supporters, there were a thousand or so more Harford County residents who fought tooth-and-nail in September to prevent President Obama’s live address to be shown to their children during the school day.
Bel Air High School was demolished and Fallston Library was spared from closure. Art Helton survived another political scandal in Aberdeen while Harford County’s delegation to the Maryland General Assembly played a furious and humiliating game of musical chairs in Annapolis.
The following letter was received from the office of Delegate Wayne Norman:
Our state is in a dire fiscal situation. That is the only way to describe our current budgetary shortfalls. The economy has hurt everyone, but the state doesn’t have a recession problem so much as a spending problem. The FY2010 budget allocated over 32 billion dollars for state programs; in FY2008 Maryland’s revenues came in under 18 1/2 billion dollars.
The state cannot expect a sudden revenue boom; just weeks after the record setting high-dollar budget passed, Governor O’Malley was forced to make millions of dollars in one-time cuts. Our state workers were put on furloughs, and services to Maryland citizens were decreased, halted, or canceled.
Now the Governor’s Salary Commission has recommended pay hikes for the leaders implementing cuts. The governor’s pay is to increase $10,000 to $160,000, in addition to the governor’s free mansion, ...Continue Reading
The following letter was distributed to members of Marylanders for Fair Property Taxation. A copy was provided to The Dagger by group president Roy Whiteley:
December 2, 2009
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE — STATEWIDE
Senator Barry Glassman has once again prepared draft legislation for introduction in the 2010 session to aid the property taxpayer. The task force bill, which we have tried for several years to have passed, has been revamped and is to be introduced at the beginning of the session. This bill when enacted will create a task force to review, evaluate the effectiveness of and recommend, adopt, and implement reforms to the property tax assessment procedure and assessment appeals process. The task force would be formed from one member of the Department of Assessments and Taxation, and one member from each of Maryland’s 23 jurisdictions. Individual members would have experience in the fields of agriculture, building construction, engineering, financial, manufacturing, real estate ...Continue Reading
While American families begin preparing to celebrate their family traditions and homecomings for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Delegate J.B. Jennings (R-7th Legislative District), members of the Towson Elks Lodge No. 469, and several volunteers gave their thanks by spending their evening serving Thanksgiving dinners to United States Veterans.
On Thursday, November 19th, Delegate Jennings and others volunteered their time to provide a holiday dinner for the Veterans from the Greens Street and Loch Raven VA Medical Centers at the Elks Lodge No. 469, located in Towson, Maryland.
Every year, the Towson Elks Lodge hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner for Veterans spanning from WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf War, as gesture of appreciation and honor for their sacrifices and service to our Country. The Veterans received an All-American home cooked holiday spread and a played a few rounds of ...Continue Reading
The Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA) has announced that Harford County State Delegate Donna Stifler (R, Distict 35A) will be honored on November 13 with an Outstanding Leadership Award for her tenacious pursuit of legislation to ensure the safety of elevators in the State of Maryland.
The non-partisan legislation which was signed into law by the Governor after the 2009 Legislative Session brings Maryland in-line with its surrounding jurisdictions and allows the use of third party inspectors. The new law not only reduces State expenditures and eliminates the backlog of inspections, but, more importantly, increases the safety of the vertical riding public.
“This is a win –win,” said Stifler. “On one side of the ledger, it reduces state spending. On the other side, it brings in revenue. It also provides opportunity to small businesses to obtain state contracts. This is a stimulus ...Continue Reading
The following letter was received from the office of Del. J.B. Jennings:
Dear Editor:
It is that time of the year. American families are preparing to celebrate their family traditions and homecomings on Thanksgiving as well as begin their early holiday shopping. Yet, amid the enjoyment of these festive times and memorable moments with our family and friends, we must never allow ourselves to forget.
For each holiday we celebrate, for every anniversary we remember, for every birthday we share, for each new day we are given, we must never forget those men and women who have provided us the right to celebrate. They have sacrificed their time, their freedoms, and their lives, to ensure our fundamental foundations of rights, principles, and freedoms – our American way of life.
As our lives become more complex and “time” turns into a valued commodity, we tend ...Continue Reading
The following was received from the office of Del. Rick Impallaria:
I have two interesting pieces of legislation which I plan to introduce in the 2010 session. The first one is a direct result of bad legislation which I fought against, and voted against last session. In their infinite wisdom the General Assembly, over loud objections from myself and other members of my party, felt it was time to allow convicted felons released from prison to have the right to vote. Yes, this includes murderers, rapists and child molesters.
I find it offensive that these people would ever be allowed to have the right to vote, let alone, in many cases, to have the right to walk among us in society. On the floor of the House I asked the sponsor of the bill, Delegate Cardin, whether a convicted felon who had raped and murdered one of my ...Continue Reading
