Tom Hucker, Jamie Raskin,
Heather Mizeur, Sheila Hixson
Welcome
It's 2010 and we are now entering the election season. I would like to thank all of my constituents and volunteers who make it such a great pleasure serving as a Delegate for District 20.
We have such diversity and energy in our district and everyday seems to bring up something new. We have much to be proud of and I feel great personal pride in having a role in these improvements for our communities. Maryland now has the nations #1 ranked school system in the country and Montgomery County Schools are ranked the best in the State. I feel very proud that I was able to help make this happen with the passage of the Thorton Commission legislation nearly 20 years ago.
Silver Spring has been rebuilt and reimagined. It has great restaurants, a thriving arts and entertainment scene and it is now a pleasure to walk around and hard to remember what is was like just a few short years ago. These improvements in our district have been achieved with hard work and determination and reflect the imagination and energy of our community. But more work needs to be done.
We are living through very difficult times and we need to work on new challenges. Maryland is in better shape than many other states but there is much work to be done. We need to maintain and improve our education system to meet the challenges of the future. We need more well paid jobs and a business climate to help maintain and expand those jobs. We need to create more Green jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. We need to improve our Healthcare system so it is accessible and affordable for all. We need to carefully manage our state's financial resources so that we can continue to deliver the services that Marylanders deserve.
I am happy and proud to be running again for the position of Delegate from District 20. Please join me by sharing your ideas with me, volunteering, or making a contribution to our campaign. I am constantly impressed with our young volunteers who share with me such great energy and optimism for the future. I am sure some of them will be running for office soon!
I look forward to seeing you all out in the District. And thank you so much for your support.
Sheila
2010 End of Session
The following is a wrap-up of this 2010 Session. Major priorities included balancing the budget, public safety, job creation and education.
BUDGET
Maryland is constitutionally required to balance its budget every year. Details are as follows:
The Operating Budget:
- Cuts spending by $525m for the next fiscal year, bringing the General fund budget down to $13.19B. This source is below 2007 levels. Overall spending also decreases almost 2%. (FY10=$32.2B compared to FY11=$31.9B).
- Makes government smaller and more efficient with 4,000 fewer State government positions over the past four years.