Trachtenberg Office Attends Countywide National Night Out Celebrations

I was pleased to join in Montgomery County’s annual “National Night Out” (NNO) celebration. I attended the Olney’s popular NNO parade and celebration, while members of my staff fanned out across the County to support the community’s efforts to promote public safety and crime awareness. In addition to Olney, we visited with neighbors in the Indian Spring neighborhood at the Indian Spring Terrace Recreation Center, the Lyttonsville-Rosemary Hills community at the Coffield Recreation Center, in South Four Corners at the Forest Glen-Dallas Avenue Neighborhood Park, in Northwood and North Four Corners at the Forest Knolls Pool, and in the Park Hills neighborhood in East Silver Spring. We were pleased to see County Executive Ike Leggett, Police Chief Tom Manger, State’s Attorney John McCarthy, and Congressman Chris Van Hollen visiting our communities as well.

National Night Out is an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). It is designed to generate neighborhood support and participation in crime prevention efforts and to enhance police and community relations.

Check out the following National Night Out photos from around the County:

Thank you, East Silver Spring!

I was very pleased to be a guest at last night’s meeting of the East Silver Spring Citizens Association’s meeting at the Sligo Creek Recreation Center in Silver Spring. I was impressed at the very large turnout of community members on a stormy night, and we appreciated the wonderful food and drinks provided.

I talked at length about the difficult budget decisions that the County Council must make before we approve a FY11 Operating Budget. These decisions regarding possible new sources of revenues and severe program cuts will have wide-ranging impacts on the future form of our County government and the services that it provides to our residents and businesses.

There are no easy decisions in this process. We are considering increased energy taxes, an emergency transport fee, employee furloughs, limits on compensation and benefits for County employees, and additional cuts in education, health and human services, public works, and other important services. I said that our responsibility as a County Council and as a community is to develop consensus around a budget that is balanced in the short term and sustainable in the long term, a budget that maintains our commitment to public safety, education and assistance to the most vulnerable. We will make these decisions in the next few days.

With regard to Silver Spring issues, I reiterated my support for the new Silver Spring Library, the Live Nation/Fillmore project, and greater attention to the public infrastructure, especially roads, that serve the community.

I enjoyed the very lively question and answer period that followed my remarks. We discussed the County’s bond rating, our reserve policy, support of Montgomery County Public Schools, and issues related to the Emergency Transport fee.

Many thanks to President Bob Colvin and the members of the East Silver Spring Citizens Association for their very warm welcome. I appreciated it.

Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival Kicks Off

The first ever Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival, a unique celebration promoting the arts and human rights, is being held throughout downtown Silver Spring, Maryland April 23-25. The festival will present over 400 artists and performers and more than 200 arts and advocacy events at 40 venues in downtown Silver Spring. The activities will begin at 4 pm today, and run through late night on Sunday, April 25. All events will be free and open to the public.

The springtime festival will include art exhibits, film, theater, dance, music, poetry, photography, digital arts and a sculpture garden as well as dozens of workshops, book readings, performance art, a flash mob dance and activities for children. A dozen advocacy groups will also be running “Festivals within the Festival.”

Councilmember Trachtenberg is a member of the Honorary Committee.  She will participate in the Violence Against Women Conference, one of the "festivals within the festival," Saturday morning in the City Place Mall.

Planning Board Meeting on Long Branch Sector Plan Draft Scope of Work

On Thursday, January 7, 2010, the Planning Board will hold a meeting to review the Draft Scope of Work for the upcoming Long Branch Sector Plan. Public testimony will be taken. The Planning Board’s agenda, Long Branch item number and Draft Scope of Work can be found by clicking the site below:

http://www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/agenda/2010/agenda20100107e.html

For more information on the Long Branch Sector Plan and how to participate in the January 7, 2010 meeting, click on the Long Branch Sector Plan website link below:

http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/community/longbranch/index.shtm

East Silver Spring Citizens Association

The Trachtenberg Office was represented at the monthly meeting of the East Silver Spring Citizens Association held at the Sligo Recreation Center in Silver Spring.

The featured speaker at the ESSCA meeting was Montgomery County Council President Nancy Floreen, who discussed a broad range of issues and answered many questions from ESSCA members. Among the issues discussed were redevelopment in Silver Spring, the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza, a new Silver Spring Library, the Purple Line, financing infrastructure, supporting small businesses, community gardens, recyling, clean energy, and the County budget.

The Trachtenberg Office was represented by Chief of Staff Alan Bowser, who lives in Silver Spring. Reemberto Rodriguez, Director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center and Joseph Ayong, representing Councilmember Valerie Ervin and State Senator Jamie Raskin were also present.