Friends, 

I hope you will join me on Thursday, February 19, from 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m., at the Riverdale Park "indoor" Farmers Market, for Experience, Expand, Explore District 3, my first in a series of events throughout the District. Come on out and enjoy some local, fresh food, drink and conversation and support the effort to bring retail activity to a vacant storefront. Meet my staff and other District 3 residents. Share your thoughts and ideas with me and pick up information. And, of course, enjoy all that the Riverdale Park "indoor" Farmers Market has to offer including fresh, organic vegetables, meats, and dairy as well as jewelry, music, activities for kids, and local  prepared food vendors.  Prince George's Department of the Environment Director, Adam Ortiz, will join us to share great information on programs you can take advantage of such as rain barrels, the Rain Check Program as well as other projects the department is working on.   

This Wednesday, I was proud to stand with County Executive Rushern Baker III and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett as well as business leaders and advocates from across the region to promote the Purple Line. The leaders of Prince George's and  Montgomery Counties are working together with the business community and other stakeholders to actively support the Purple Line in Annapolis. Please make your voice heard by reaching out to Governor Hogan to let him know the Purple Line is important to you and our community.  

One of the reasons our County continues to lag behind in the economic recovery is that neighboring jurisdictions have a dramatically higher commercial base. It is my top priority to ensure that businesses in Prince George's County stay in Prince George's County and that we continue to attract world class investment in our County.   

In District 3, this includes focusing on delivering development at our metro stations and reinvestment - new businesses, retail, young professionals and empty nesters, as well as harnessing the energy of entrepreneurs along our key corridors such as Route 1, Kenilworth Avenue, Rt. 450 and Lanham Severn Rd.  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the County are working closely to move forward on the first phase of development at the New Carrollton Metro Station and the latest update on projects moving forward in the College Park area can be found here.    

Over the next few weeks, the County Council, in conjunction with Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III, will be making extremely difficult budget decisions to close a Fiscal Year 2015 short fall.  I also look forward to your feedback and suggestions throughout the Fiscal Year 2016 budget process. Please email me anytime at [email protected] The County Executive will present his budget to the County Council in March and there are several upcoming opportunities to make your voice heard in the budget process; I've included those dates on the right. 

 
Two important teen opportunities are happening in February. I hope you will encourage the young people in your life, ages 13-21, to attend the free Teen Dating Violence Summit on Thursday, February 12th, from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the Newton White Mansion in Mitchellville. Also, there will be a free college tour of Howard University provided on February 13th when Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is closed. Find out more about how to register and about transportation here. 

I mentioned in the last newsletter how important the Zoning Rewrite is to the future of District 3 and our county. The community forum closest to our area was postponed due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled.  Click here for details. Please plan to attend. 

This month is also Black History Month and there are a multitude of events throughout the county. Recently, my daughter researched for her school project one of my heroes from when I was in elementary school - Harriet Tubman.  As a child, I was always amazed by her strength and courage. In the midst of researching her, we found this quote of hers, "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." I hope you will find the courage to reach for the stars this month. 

As always, feel free to reach out to me and our District 3 team if we can help you in any way. 

Together Strengthening Our Community,