I visited with the 4th and 5th District Democratic Club members tonight for their monthly meeting at Shymansky’s Restaurant on Cobb Island. These local clubs give communities a chance to come together over a nice meal and learn about political issues that affect their districts. This being an election year, they also give political candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves to the public and explain the platforms they are running on. Communication with my constituents has always been of the utmost importance to me and so spending time with these friendly club members is a wonderful opportunity for me. All of us running for political office were allowed a few minutes of official speaking time too. Candidates seeking election as Delegate, Sheriff, County Commissioner, Judge of the Orphan’s Court, State’s Attorney, Register of Wills, Clerk of the Court, Charles County Democratic Central Committee Member, and Charles County Board of Education Member were all represented here. I encourage Charles County citizens to become responsible voters by learning about the candidates running for office and then exercise your right to vote in this gubernatorial election. The Primaries are coming up soon on September 14.

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown visited La Plata today to speak about the significant steps that Governor O’Malley has taken to move forward on education here in Maryland. This Question & Answer session was held at the Sleep Inn & Suites on Rte. 301 where teachers and interested citizens gathered to pose questions and give their feedback to the Lt. Governor. As this was a simulcast event, questions came via the internet as well. I was honored to be part of the Lt. Governor’s panel for the event along with Roberta “Bobbie” Wise, Charles County Board of Education Chair. Maryland Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton provided the introductions to start the event. During this recession, the Governor has made difficult budget choices in order to prioritize the education of Maryland’s students. Indeed, by focusing on funding for schools and community colleges, Governor O’Malley has made it possible for our young people to be better prepared to go into the job market. In my panel remarks I also gave credit to our School Superintendent Jim Richmond. Under his leadership and vision, our Charles County kids are readied for the high tech global jobs of the future as well. We can be very proud of North Point High School and the planned St. Charles “green” high school opening in 2013 which serve as state models for new high schools. Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown both stand with us in their efforts to improve education standards and to move students out of temporary trailers and into permanent classrooms. I applaud their achievements.

The annual National Night Out celebrations were held tonight uniting citizens, law enforcement officers, and fire & rescue teams for the common cause of crime prevention. Begun in 1984, this event is celebrated across the United States, showing the spirit and energy of our communities when we come together as neighbors.  At many locations, the Sheriff’s officers provide K-9 demonstrations, fire fighters give children rides on fire trucks, and EMT’s show off the equipment on their rescue vehicles. Citizens provide their hot dog grilling skills, hospitality, and outdoor games for the kids. I am proud to say that Charles County is so active in its participation on National Night Out that we won a national award for it in 2009. I enjoy these nights as a way to visit with many of you in your own neighborhoods and learn about your public safety concerns. I was at several of these gatherings tonight but if I didn’t see you, please feel free to contact me with any issues you’d like to discuss.

Today I had the real pleasure of attending the Educational Exchange IV where it was encouraging to hear School Superintendent Jim Richmond speak on new opportunities for Charles County and its students. The “green” high school coming to the St. Charles community will be built and operated using many green products, methods, and smart technologies. It brings such promise to our county wherein students will have environmental technology studies, including real life problem solving opportunities. Most importantly, graduating students will enter the job market ready for the future jobs in new green technology. I am grateful to Governor Martin O’Malley for approving 300 more student placements, and to U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski who secured 5.5 million dollars toward this school with its high tech, digital classrooms. Our county benefits tremendously from their support.

Also on the agenda was a fascinating presentation by guest speaker Dr. Amitabha Ghosh, a planetary geologist serving as the missions operations person for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. He helped develop, and currently monitors, the Mars Rover activity. This advanced robotic vehicle is shedding light onto this mysterious planet and showing us that there are many geologic similarities between Earth and Mars. Who knows how much can be learned about our own planet from these studies in far off space?

This enlightening event was held at North Point High School in Waldorf where the Culinary Arts students prepared the lunch for us and did a great job as always.

Last night the Charles County Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity and Inter-Group Relations held their monthly meeting once again at the College of Southern Maryland. This group works hard to provide an open forum for understanding through discussions on race relations, religious tolerance, and the old prejudices that exist among long time residents of the county and our many newcomers.  This Commission regularly invites important county figures to come in as guests for question-and-answer sessions regarding progress in the areas of diversity training and acceptance within their organizations. In light of this important work, I asked my representative, Julie Vanderslice, to attend on my behalf since I was scheduled for another event that evening. As is often the case, I learned that participants held lively discussions during this Blue Ribbon Commission’s meeting. I encourage the public to attend these meetings to provide your own input to this ongoing conversation on our differences and our unity.