Early Voting Starts Next Week

Early Voting Starts Next Week!! Early voting in the Democratic and Republican primaries takes place from Wednesday, June 14th through Wednesday, June 21st.  The hours for early voting are 10 AM to 8 PM.   The most convenient early voting centers for District 47A are: 2413 Pinebrook Avenue, Landover Kentland Community Center 5051 Pierce Avenue, College Park College Park Community Center 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Center   A complete list of early voting locations is here:  https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11692/Early-Voting-Sites-PDF Regular voting is on Tuesday, June 26th from 7 AM to 8 PM at your local election precinct.   We Need Your Vote!!   Delegate Diana Fennell and I are running for re-election as your  State Delegates from District 47A.   We are hoping that you will support us.  Over the last four years we have accomplished a lot in Annapolis.  As opposed to what is going on in Washington, DC, where Republicans are moving us backward on education, the environment, workers’ rights, and economic justice, in Annapolis we have been making progress. In the last four years we have:   Banned fracking in Maryland Prohibited offshore oil drilling Passed paid sick leave Ended the disenfranchisement of ex-felons, who can resume their status as citizens and vote in elections, after they’ve served their time Passed the Justice Reinvestment Act to address some important issues of prison reform Provided debt relief for college graduates with high student loan debt, through tax credits Provided state Incentives for college saving plans Made community college free for thousands of Marylanders Increased tax credits for renters and homeowners There is much more to be done. We’ve come a long way in gaining influence in the legislature since the beginning of our first terms nearly four years ago. Delegate Diana Fennell, who brings to her position 10 years’ experience as the Mayor of Colmar Manor, has already been appointed to the powerful Economic Matters Committee and to leadership positions in the Legislative Black Caucus and the Prince George’s County Delegation.  Her experience is a great complement to my skills from a lifetime advocating for workers’ rights, years of working behind the scenes in progressive political campaigns, and seven years on the Mount Rainier City Council. Along with our legislative efforts in Annapolis, we’ve worked throughout our first term to help solve the local problems of people in our district; whether these problems involve state, county, or municipal issues. We believe strongly in government transparency. You have regularly heard from me via email about what is going on in Annapolis, not just as bullet points but in the kind of detail that is hard to find elsewhere. And we keep ourselves grounded in our communities. I have probably been at your house more than once in the last four years, and Diana and I go to every event and meeting in our district so we can hear from our constituents, tell them of our activities, and help to solve their problems. In addition, from time to time I send out surveys so you can let me know where you stand on some of the more difficult issues we vote on. We have to have a good team to be successful.  Diana and I are working with and supporting Malcolm Augustine, who is running for State Senator in District 47, to fill the vacancy left by Victor Ramirez (who is running for Prince George’s County State’s Attorney).  Malcolm is a member of the WMATA Board of Directors and has shown leadership in being an advocate for mass transit in our area.  He has also been a tireless advocate for the community, attending nearly every community, civic, and municipal meeting for the last four years. We believe he will be a very good State Senator and will work well with us in Annapolis. Diana and I have been encouraged by the appreciation for our efforts that we hear from constituents throughout District 47A. But now we are facing competition and need your vote in this month’s primary. If you would also like to help by making some phone calls, working at the polls, putting a sign in your yard, or canvassing your neighborhood, please email me at jtarlau@gmail.com . It’s been my honor to serve you for the past four years. I hope to continue to do my work for the next four!  NOTICE FROM THE STATE DOT ABOUT GRASS CUTTING ON STATE ROADS Currently this spring, MDOT SHA and hired crews in both Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties continue to perform their first pass (grass cutting cycle) along state roads despite the torrential rains which have led to exponential grass growth and impeded our daily mowing activity. Crews can lose up to two days for every day of rain—one day while the precipitation falls—and another day to allow the grass to dry out somewhat so that equipment hours are not lost due to damage from cutting wet grass. With the record rainfall we’ve experienced so far this spring, we thank you in advance as we work to continue to perform mowing along state roads. Customers or community groups that have concerns about vegetation management-related sight lines at interchanges, intersections and along acceleration and deceleration lanes of state roads (where grass mowing and trimming happened most frequently) are urged to submit an online service request here: http://marylandsha.force.com/customercare/request_for_service Once submitted with an e-mail address, customers will received an electronic conformation and service request number. Weather, workload, emergencies and manpower permitting, the work will be performed.