Being Thankful

Post #17

Last week, I attended the annual Thanksgiving Luncheon hosted by the American Jewish Committee (on whose board I have served for about ten years). In addition to other board members, AJC invited its partners from other faith and ethnic communities. As we enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, we were asked to swap stories of our own family rituals of the holiday. In addition, we were asked to share what we were grateful for this year. I thought I’d share a much-extended version of my list:

• I’m fortunate to have been raised in Montgomery County, where I got a great public school education (K-12) and where I continue to learn from others in the community every day.

• I’m lucky to have a beautiful home in Rockville that provides us not just with shelter and warmth, but a welcoming venue where we regularly host friends and family.

• I have a wonderful husband whose kindness, patience, flexibility, and support provides me with more than I could have ever imagined.

• I’m blessed with loving friends and a dynamic extended family.

• I am privileged to have had a career that has given me the opportunity to make a difference in others’ lives.

• I’m grateful that I have health insurance and access to health care professionals who take care of me and my family.

• I’m challenged by living in this time of constantly changing technology and love learning about incorporating it into my life each day.

• I love being involved in the arts community. The warmth and creativity from artists and musicians bring all of us untold joy year-round.

• We should all be grateful for everyone else who works to make our communities and our lives better. Thanks to our firefighters and police officers; those who work year-round with the hungry, homeless, and abused; our teachers and librarians; and government employees at all levels who are usually underpaid and underappreciated.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader! What are you grateful for this time of year…and year-round? Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views. Please be sure to indicate which post (#17) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading. I will post again soon.

  Give Where You Live

Post #16

Even when I grew up in Montgomery County in the '60s, there were families with needs. The demographics though, were closer to the stereotype of how we're still seen by others around the state. Today, there is more economic, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. Each of these adds both challenges and opportunities for our government.

Enter the nonprofit sector and private giving. As the former Executive Director of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation, I was privileged to work with the creative and dedicated community leaders and the many funders who supported their work.

We are lucky to live next to Washington, DC. It allows us to work and observe our federal government in a way that most other Americans don't have. Our proximity, however, means that Montgomery County residents are more likely than most Americans to support national (and international) charities rather than those closer to home.

The Montgomery County Community Foundation, very capably run by Sally Rudney for the past 14 years, helps guide those with wealth toward worthy local organizations. Last year, they helped distribute over $5 million to area nonprofit groups ranging from Manna Food Pantry to CASA de Maryland to Interfaith Works.  

We are blessed in this community to have successful residents who feel a desire (and an obligation) to give to those less fortunate than themselves. At this season of giving thanks, we should thank them... and join them. In whatever way and at whatever level, we can each help someone else in need. At your holiday party, collect canned food for the hungry or toiletries for the homeless. Make a donation to a local group doing work you admire. And, make time to be grateful for those who make a difference with their work and their funds year-round.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  Do you support local groups working in Montgomery County? How did you identify which are worthy of your donation(s)?  Do you have ideas about how to get others to “Give Where They Live”?  Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#16) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Harmonious Notes for our Business Community

Post #15

As readers may know, my husband and I are very involved in the world of folk and acoustic music.  Just back from a regional conference where we saw performers from the entire Northeast and beyond, I was musing about what makes for the “whole package” for me.  I came up with four criteria: a great voice; strong musical ability (guitar usually); interesting and compelling lyrics; and a warm and engaging presence on stage.

In the same way, I've wondered what the right 'recipe' is for successful businesses.  As I campaign and talk to owners of businesses of all sizes, I hear a combination of optimism and fears.  Some are struggling mightily in these difficult economic times.  Others are doing just fine and talk about significant upticks in their client load in recent months.  In a way, there is a similar need for the entire package in order to be successful. 

A business must offer a good or service that is needed and high-quality.  Their customer service must be responsive, and their presence on the community stage must be visible and memorable.

Like performers, there is also a need for active networking, influential mentors, and plain old luck.  Outside judges like those evaluating songwriting competitions help launch performers just as government or venture capital funding add credibility and expansion potential to businesses.

While there are obviously countless differences between these two communities, there is much they might learn from each other.  Artists need to market themselves, take risks, and be sure their work is the very best quality they can create.  Businesses, on the other hand, can learn something about creativity, collaborating with others, and spreading joy.   In a tight economy, we should work to support both of these vitally important sectors to be sure they continue to make our world a better place to live.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  What makes you choose which businesses you patronize?  Are there things they could be doing in these tough times?  Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#15) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

Capping Contributions: Can We Become Known as “Clean Seventeen?”

Post #14 

Today, the most widely read political blog, Maryland Politics Watch, began a six-part series on the topic of campaign finance (You can find it at www.maryland-politics.blogspot.com.)

Against the advice of many talented campaign advisors, I made a major announcement at my State Senate campaign kickoff event several months ago.  Campaign finance reform is not the #1 most important issue for most people in these challenging economic times.  It is, however, a key factor for winning and retaining the voters’ trust in their elected officials. 

Most people believe that it is “Special Interests” (defined differently by everyone, I suspect) that have a disproportionate influence in policy decisions.  Insurance companies are seen to have a heavy hand in health care reform.  Oil companies are perceived as blocking many needed environmental proposals.  As an independent-minded Democratic member of the House of Delegates, I voted the way I thought best for my district, Montgomery County, and the State of Maryland.  That meant that I voted both with and against the views of the Governor, the Speaker, and any of a number of organizations.  I operate from the premise that I was “hired” by the people to make the best decision I could.  Unfortunately, campaign funding leads many people to the opposite conclusion.

Current Maryland law allows you, the reader, to make a $4,000 contribution to the candidate you support.  If you are associated with a political action committee (PAC), the limit increases to $6,000.  The most worrisome part is the so-called “LLC Loophole.”  This permits anyone with multiple corporate entities to write checks for the maximum amount from each account as a way of evading the limits for the rest of us. 

Back to my kickoff announcement.  At that event, I pledged to voluntarily cap my donations at 50% of the allowable limit.  $2,000 for individuals or $3,000 for a PAC still seems like a lot of money to me!  I also promised that I would voluntarily close the LLC Loophole.  I also called on all candidates for the House or Senate in District 17 to abide by the same limits.  Five months have now passed, and none of them have made the commitment to be part of “Clean Seventeen” on campaign finance.

All of these voluntary restrictions will make it more difficult for me to raise the monies I will need to communicate with the voters in order to win their support and their votes.  For that reason, I am working very hard to raise my campaign funds in modest amounts from neighbors, friends, and colleagues.  A check for $50 from a Gaithersburg activist or a $100 online gift from a friend in Rockville generally also mean volunteer support and their votes! 

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  How important is campaign finance reform to you?  Do you share my hope that others will take this same pledge so that we become known statewide as “Clean Seventeen” here in Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Garrett Park?  Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#14) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.

REMEMBERING JEAN CRYOR

Post #13

Tomorrow, Jean Cryor will be laid to rest.  She was my friend, former House colleague, and co-teacher at Montgomery College.   As the community prepares to pay its respects to this tremendous woman, I thought I’d share my thoughts.

She was respected and liked by virtually everyone who ever knew her or knew her work.

She was a ferociously devoted mother and grandmother, perpetually bragging about her family.

She was thoughtful, always writing personal notes to friends and constituents.

She was wise, with an ability to see beyond party lines and beyond geographic borders.

She was elegant, always looking like the ‘grande dame’ that she was.

She was funny, with almost a schoolgirl’s ability to giggle and share stories.

She was really smart, understanding the fiscal implications of proposed policies intuitively.

She was not a techie, although I think she loved relying on her daughters and others for assistance.

She was a gracious host.  When I went to her home to work with her on our syllabus for Montgomery College, she had prepared a lovely platter of fruit, cheese, and crackers.  It looked like she was expecting fancy company… rather than just me!

Jean and I used to joke that we were co-chairs of the “Thinkers’ Caucus.”  There was a Women’s Caucus, a Sportsman’s Caucus, a Rural Caucus, a Black Caucus, and many other demographic or geographic groupings.  Jean and I were two legislators who were comfortable working with (and voting with) colleagues from the other party.  We based our votes on what made sense to us, not on parties or polls.  Jean often commented that rather than meeting in a large committee room, our hypothetical “T.C.” would likely convene in a telephone booth!

It could be frustrating to talk to Jean.  Because she worked so hard in each of her capacities (journalist, legislator, Planning Board member, etc.), she often assumed that everyone else had her level of knowledge.  She’d be talking about a bill or proposed project as though we all knew the acronyms and details that she was immersed in.  (Sorry, Jean, for ending this sentence with a preposition;  the grammatically correct alternative sounded too stuffy!)

She was a devoted friend and neighbor.  Among her cherished confidants was my beloved cousin, Elaine White, who died earlier this year.   Jean was among the girlfriends who visited regularly at the hospital during Elaine’s long illness.

In the days immediately following Jean’s death, I called a number of current and former members of the House of Delegates and asked them what words first came to mind when they thought about our late colleague, Jean Cryor.  The answers I got included: 

• Funny
• Classy
• Very Smart
• Independent
• Fair
• Decent
• Rational
• Polite
• Savvy
• Principled
• Nice
• Thoughtful
• A Uniter
• Devoted to Public Service
• Gentle…but Strong, and
• Remarkable.   

I think that captures our friend Jean.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!   Do you remember Jean Cryor?  Did you ever get the opportunity to work with her?  Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#13) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.