The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Breakfast was held at the North Point High School this morning.  I was pleased to see that several hundred people had taken the time to attend this important rememberance of Dr King. This event was co-sponsored by the NAACP and the Nu Zeta Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.  These types of events are a great way to reinforce Dr. King’s message because that all Americans commit to Community Service. I can think of no better way to honor Dr. King’s memory.  His legacy to each of us is to make our communities a better place to live for our families and all others.

Tonight was the Presidential Ball of the Charles County Chamber of Commerce.  Helen Heier of Bridgett, Mock & Associates served a President for 2008 and welcomed Ken Weikel of Chick-Fil-A as the President for 2009.  I’ve had the pleasure to work with Helen over the past year and she has done a tremendous job of promoting the Chamber. I am confident that Ken will continue her great work.

The Crossing at Casey Jones Restaurant received the 2008 Reed W. McDonagh Business of the Year Award and Country Florist was named the 2008 Small Business of the Year Award.  I believe a strong and vibrant business community is vital to the growth and success of Charles County and it is great to see businesses giving back to the community through support and involvement in community affairs.

This afternoon I had an opportunity to visit with Tri County Youth Services to meet Dr. Harriett Nettles and her staff. They presented me the Advocacy in Action Prevention Award given by the Maryland Association of Youth Services Bureaus for sponsorship of MD House Bill 199: Public Schools – Bullying, Harassment, and Intimidation – Policy and Disciplinary Standards. This bill seeks not only to protect victims of bullying, but to provide early intervention for youth who bully. As a former teacher I can say that bullying contributes to high risk suffering and often health issues later in life. My thanks to Commissioners Wayne Cooper and Reuben Collins, Sheriff Rex Coffey, as well as members of the Board of Education for attending the ceremony.

The Charles County Delegation met at 8:30 today to discuss the legislative package forwarded by the Charles County Commissioners. There was a lively discussion concerning information the Delegation had received from constituents concerning various issues in the package such as public safety, which is a very important issue to me, and questions which needed answers before the delegation could agree to submit legislation on these requests. What other issues beyond Public Safety interest you?

I had a chance to meet today with Bill Fisher and Meg MacDonald of the Maryland Teachers Association about their concerns that educational funding continues to be a priority of the state. Maryland was recently ranked #1 by Education Week. I believe that investment in early education and college readiness is a crucial component to our success. They are also interested in labor relations mediation when there are disputes between teachers and the Boards of Education.