FILL OUT YOUR CENSUS TODAY!
An accurate census count is important for funding, redistricting, and research/planning. In Maryland, each person not counted costs $18,250 over the ten years. Many government programs are allocated funding through census data. Furthermore, redistricting impacts congressional apportionment, representation in districts, and especially representation of minority districts.
To take the census, you can mail in paper forms sent in March, May, & July. You may also call 844-330-2020 to complete your census by phone (use prefix 468 for Spanish assistance, 477 for Creole, and 392 for Korean). Lastly, you may complete it online my clicking the button below or by going to www.my2020census.gov.
COVID-19: WHAT NOW?
Make sure to pay attention to all state guidelines when handling your risk of exposure to COVID-19. In the meantime, check out these great resources and focus on reducing your social contact. Check out my Instagram for a complete list of restaurants where you can still order carry-out/delivery.
In the meantime: Fauci is a HERO! Check out the link attached to the photo below.
ANGELA BLAKE FOR DISTRICT 5
Leadership in Motion
CHECK IT OUT!
A hugh thanks to Greg Bassett and PAC 14 for the invitation to this interview.
BACKGROUND
A Commitment to Community
Angela Blake came to Salisbury in 1988 to pursue an undergraduate degree in Social Work at Salisbury State University; now Salisbury University. After graduation in 1992, she began her social work career coordinating youth programs for the Salvation Army and directing the Family Center at East Salisbury School. Later, she provided therapy in local mental health agencies, both in the private and public sectors. In 2003, Angela earned her master’s degree from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. As a licensed certified clinical social worker, she specializes in providing therapy to families and children.
Currently, Angela is employed by the Wicomico County Board of Education as a school social worker and continues to provide therapy for families and children at Balanced Life Counseling Services.
Through the years, she has served on several agency boards, been active in P.T.A.’s across the county, and advocated for children’s mental health services.
Angela lives in Salisbury with her two cherished Shih Tzu’s; Mr. Bailey and Ms. Bella. Her grown son, Kenneth Ackerson, lives in New York City and is a senior software engineer.
*Angela Blake pictured at Acorn Market; keep it local!
BLAKE'S HISTORY
SALVATION ARMY DAYS
1992
Angela pictured with a girls' group at the Salvation Army. She developed and led pro-social girl support groups in the community. The group provided support on an array of topics from self-esteem to conflict resolution.
BEING HONORED AT THE EAST SALISBURY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1998
Angela, the former family center coordinator, is pictured with former governor, Parris Glendening, the former principal, Leslie Hughes, and the former Lieutenant Governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
The Daily Times wrote, "This young project - barely 4 months old - rides on the energy and advocacy of a social worker and child therapist who is the director and is pushed along with college students and caring parents."
HONORED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSEPH CURRAN
June 24, 1998
Angela was honored by the Attorney General for having outstanding programming at East Salisbury Elementary School.
ANGELA HOSTED A FRENCH EXCHANGE STUDENT
Summer of 2019
Pictured is Angela with her student, Melvyn Martel, and Mayor Jake Day. She was excited to host him and show off not only the great things Delmarva has to offer, but also the exceptional wonders that are found here in Salisbury.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, HONORS, AND RECOGNITION
1997-2000: As the coordinator for the family center, Angela wrote and was awarded Hot Spots grants. She was honored by the governor's office in 2000 for having ongoing successful programs at East Salisbury Elementary School.
March 1999: Angela was honored by the Wicomico County's Commission for Women for her work and dedication to the youth of Salisbury.
October 2000: Angela was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the East Church Street community by the Salisbury Promise.
2002: Angela was awarded a grant by the Department of Justice to further expand after school programs in East Salisbury Elementary School to continue creating a safe haven for students. This grant was particularly special to Angela due to Representative Wayne Gilchrest's involvement on the state level who happened to be her cherished high school teacher.
2005: Angela was awarded lifetime memberships to Parent Teacher Association (PTA) by North and East Salisbury Schools for her ongoing dedication to students' programming.
2006-2008: Angela served on the Life Crisis Board to assit with developing programs and expanding advocacy.
2014-2016: Angela was a representative of the National Association of Social Work (NASW) for the Eastern Shore.
1994-Present: Angela is the coordinator for the Mark Blake Scholarship fund. The scholarship awards a Kent County high school student money every year for books and tuition to a Maryland State school in remembrance of her brother who was killed in a car accident in 1988. The scholarship has been ongoing for 31 years. Last year, Angela rode 100 miles from Salisbury University to Kent County High School to raise $5,000 for this scholarship.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Angela was appointed and sworn into office on February 11, 2019 after having been interviewed with two others to fill the District 5 seat vacated by former councilman Hardy Rudasill.
Her time in office has provided familiarity with the city charter, policies, departments, and the budget process. This experience has prepared her to be the best candidate for the city council seat in district 5.
In the first six months of her appointment she participated in the following accomplishments: No tax increases, no increased fees in water/sewer services, continued downtown growth and development, positive relationship with the mayor and council, and demonstrated a commitment to district 5.
VISION FOR SALISBURY
The city has made great strides with revitalization, partnerships with businesses, agencies and communities to make Salisbury a safe, economically viable, citizen friendly, as well as fostering a climate of optimism. These are all qualities Angela admires and deeply appreciates as a citizen of Salisbury. Angela sees this opportunity of councilwoman as continuing her service to the community she lives in and loves.
Angela's top priorities for Salisbury include:
CONNECTING CITIZENS TO COMMUNITIES
CONTINUED DOWNTOWN GROWTH and DISTRICT PROJECTS
ENVIRONMENT
CONNECTING CITIZENS TO COMMUNITIES
It’s no surprise that Angela supports the city’s programs of connecting citizens to communities. These programs include partnerships between the city, agencies, private and non-profit groups that bring services for the Newton and Truitt Street Youth Centers, S.W.I.F.T., C.O.A.T., the city's homeless program, and local community gardens.
CONTINUED DOWNTOWN GROWTH AND DISTRICT PROJECTS
As the city continues to revitalize its downtown, bringing businesses and family centered events and activities, district 5 has a long list of projects as well. Angela is committed to supporting growth and development which grows the city’s tax base providing an economically stable community.
ENVIRONMENT
The upkeep of our parks and zoos, the implementation of rails to trails, keeping our waterways clean and healthy, and supporting city efforts for the Salisbury sustainable Green Team are also priorities.
2020 ELECTION & MORE
Democratic interests and how they are being affected, everyday.
FLATTEN THE BALLOT CURVE: A MESSAGE FROM THE MD DEMS
August 13th, 2020
In the most consequential election of our lifetimes, we need all hands on deck to make sure Marylanders can vote safely and conveniently at home, early or on Election Day. Every tool should be deployed to keep ourselves and each other safe. Governor Hogan’s decision not to mail every voter a mail-in ballot will make voting during the pandemic even more challenging.
These are uncertain times and we still aren't sure what exactly election day voting will look like. We are working with state and local leaders to make sure election day is safe and voters have every opportunity possible to cast their ballot, but we need your help.
Maryland Democrats must step up now to help make this election a success. Voting by mail, submitting your ballot applications early, and urging others to do the same will help prevent massive disenfranchisement and “flatten the ballot curve.” Democracy must continue and Democrats must lead the way.
Please share this information with your friends, family, and neighbors:
Election Day will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 with polling locations open on Election Day and various early voting locations open throughout Maryland beforehand.
The Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE) will automatically mail a mail-in ballot application (not your actual ballot, as was done in the primary) to the address that they have on file for you. You may also request a mail-in ballot online by October 20, 2020. The mail-in ballot application and the ballot itself will come with prepaid postage. You can check which address SBE has on file for you here.
If you need to register to vote or update your current address, you must do so by Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Or you may exercise your right to “same day” register and vote during the early voting period and on Election Day. You can find further guidance on this process here.
Once you receive your ballot, be sure to fill out the entire ballot, sign the oath on the envelope, and postmark it by Election Day. You can also place your ballot in a secure ballot drop-off box in your community. Drop-off box locations will be provided with your mail-in ballot. If you are unable to vote by mail, you must vote in-person during the early vote period or on Election Day at your designated polling location in your jurisdiction.
Getting our message out to every Marylander about the opportunity to cast their vote against Donald Trump in this election will take real legwork. This election will be different. We can’t count on the Governor to get the word out about how, when and where to vote-- which is why we must work together to ensure Democrats make it to the polls in November!
MARYLAND CONSERVATION
August 2020
Dave Wilson, principal of Conservation Community Consulting based in Berlin, made an exceptional Zoom presentation to Wicomico Democratic Club members this week. In response to members' inquiries, he has shared a number of links about subjects covered during his Zoom.
Sign up for legislative enews:
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/advocacy
https://www.mdlcv.org/weekly-hotlist
https://www.sierraclub.org/maryland/legislation
https://www.commoncause.org/maryland/
https://chesapeakeclimate.org/
https://www.cbf.org/action-center/take-action.html
Wicomico River water quality
http://www.wicomicoenvironment.org/science.html
Recycling (general)
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/where-do-recycled-items-go#:~:text=Single-stream%20recycling%20means%20there%20is%20no%20need%20to,a%20sorting%20center%20where%20the%20real%20magic%20begins.
Eastern Shore pipeline
https://chesapeakeclimate.org/maryland/eastern-shore-pipeline/
Dakota Pipeline
https://www.aol.com/judge-gives-u-three-weeks-233646297.html
Keystone XL pipeline
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/politics/keystone-xl-supreme-court-pipeline/index.html
MD Legislature
http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite
Land use/type (you can also use this to find state land to hike)
https://gisapps.dnr.state.md.us/MERLIN/index.html
Greys Creek Nature Park entrance
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.3737748,-75.1845165/Delaware+Rd,+Bishopville,+MD+21813/@38.414521,-75.237354,17289m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b8d0d5a366f327:0x4336461e6fa80c9d!2m2!1d-75.1093456!2d38.449838
Heron Park in Berlin
https://berlinmd.gov/park/heron-park/
Where are birds and when?
https://ebird.org/home
2021 MD state wildlife bills of interest that will return
Chlorpyrifos Ban HB0229/SB0300 on the bird-killing pesticide chlorpyrifos would have terminated the use of this toxic chemical by the end of 2021. Gov. Hogan vetoed the bill, citing a dubious MDA policy to phase it out by 2022. Needs veto override in 2021.
Maryland Sustainable Buildings Act (HB0192/SB0299) would have protected birds from window strikes in state-run or funded buildings. The bill passed out of the House but ran out of time to get out of its Senate committee.
Balloon Release prohibition (HB0013) died when it passed both chambers but failed to be reconciled.
Plastics and Packaging Reduction Act (HB0209/SB0313) would have banned point-of-sale plastic bags. It made it through the House but hit the time crunch in the Senate.
Environmental Accountability and Transparency Act (SB0460/HB0614) would have created an “ombudsman” to better enforce state environmental laws. It moved out of the Senate but didn’t have time to be voted out of its House committee.
Just Transition Off Coal (SB0887/HB1545) would have closed the state’s coal burning plants and provided training and funding for affected workers. It had positive hearings in both chambers but failed to move due to the time constraints.
Climate Solutions Act (SB0926/HB1425) would have required the state to achieve net-zero statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030. The bill made it out of its Senate committees but had issues in the House.
Low Impact Landscaping (HB0279) would permit gardens for food or wildlife in restrictive HOAs. It made it through the House but never got a Senate sponsor.
Birding with Jim and Dave
http://delmarvabirding.com/
ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS
August 2020
The IRS has been unable to distribute these payments to an estimated 9 million SNAP households because the households did not file federal income returns for the 2018 and 2019 tax years. The IRS is asking for the help of state agencies and community organizers to get the world out. Households have until October 15, 2020 to access the IRS website and provide their contact information.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
When we work together, magic happens! Find out how you can get involved and start making a difference. Your support is important and valuable to Angela Blake. Whether you would like to volunteer your time, or make a monetary donation, every little bit that you dedicate helps tremendously.
Authority of Friends of Angela Blake
Devin Smith - Treasurer