Monthly Archives: July 2010

Hi Everyone,

Some wonderful events are taking place in our neighborhoods.  I hope to see you there.

July 31 • 11 am – 8 pm

Hamilton Street Festival and Car Show

2 stages, live bands-community demonstrations

Visit www.hamiltonlauravillemainstreet.org

On Saturday July 31st - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

Waverly Main Street

400 Block of East 31 (formerly known as Waverly Avenue) between Barclay & Greenmount Street

Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Beer, Wine, Soda, Door Prizes, And a Walk through Waverly’s History

Featuring LIVE R&B music by the Waverly Street Boys

It was an interesting debate between the incumbent and I at the Northside Baptist Church on Thursday. In an effort to clarify some on the information that was offered, let me provide you with the following details.

To preface this blog post, those of you who were in attendance last night will understand that the direct wine shipment legislation is a sensitive subject for Senator Conway.  This is not the first time she has lashed out at me in a public forum for addressing the issue.  Every time the topic comes up, the Senator engages in wild theatrics ranging from her paid “supporters” heckling from the audience, to she herself laughing and pacing in an attempt to upstage my opportunity to speak.  It usually ends with her calling me a liar.  Well, here is my chance to set the record straight.

Members of Team Torres Gather after the NECO Debate

In an emotionally charged discussion on the facts regarding the wine legislation killed in committee by Senator Conway, she stated that the wine industry did not want this legislation. Let me refer you to the Marylander’s Better Beer and Wine Laws website for a look at their issues and their Board of Directors, which is composed of wine vintners from around the State. This includes the Maryland Grape Growers Association.

The implications of this issue are multi-faceted.  Consumers have the right to purchase a broad array of wines from throughout the country and have them shipped to their homes.  Maryland’s wineries should have the right to ship their products to other states.  Typically, this is only allowed if there is reciprocity.  Finally the legislation opens up the door to much needed new sources of tax revenue.

Why am I persistent with this issue? Simply put, it reflects the way the Senator handles her office, and reflects who she really represents.  The legislation was supported by 108 legislators and had clear popular support among Marylanders.  Why, then, did she single-handedly kill the same legislation that has been embraced by a majority of states?  The answer, as it often is in politics, can be found by following the money.  Conway has accepted more donations from the liquor lobby, including distributors, retailers and even producers, than I have spent on my entire campaign.  I’m forced to ask- who are you really representing Joan?  Click here for the details.

Coincidentally, the Baltimore Sun editorial today also found this to be an important issue for Maryland consumers. Click here to see the full text of the editorial.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Tonight, thanks to the North East Community Organization (NECO) and Councilman Bill Henry, a candidates Forum will take place at the Northside Baptist Church, 1100 E. Northern Parkway from 6-9 pm. The debate will be moderated by Channel 11 WBAL’s own, Jane Miller. The Mayor, as well as all the House of Delegate and Maryland Senate candidates will also be in attendance. Please plan to attend.

If leaving home is a problem, tune into WEAA, FM 88.9 tonight, Thursday, July 29th at 7 pm for a listen as Joan Carter Conway and myself speak with George Collins about the issues in this campaign.

Need another opportunity? The York Road Partnership is sponsoring a candidate forum Wednesday August 4 from 7:15 pm – 8:45 pm. The York Road Partnership (YRP) is an umbrella group of neighborhoods and institutions along the York Road corridor. The forum will take place at the St. Mary’s Church Halll, 5502 York Rd (enter from rear parking lot).

Its nice to know that I beat the local paper to the punch with my announcement endorsing the Healthcare initiative being promoted by Healthcare For All. My July 22nd post seems to go hand in hand with their July 25th editorial. Check out what the Baltimore Sun had to say.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-dime-a-drink-20100725,0,2864189,print.story

Friends and Supporters,

While high rates of violent crime are frequently on the minds of Baltimoreans, there are certain times when we are tragically reminded of the crippling capacity of unchecked crime in our city to undermine the efforts of the folks who care enough to attempt to build a better Baltimore.   As I browsed various news sources this morning I came across the following video on Adam Meister’s Charm City Current blog detailing an incident of violent crime in Pigtown and the aftermath.  While I am in no way endorsing the City Council candidate featured in the video, I think the community leaders featured in the video make important points about the potential for crime to force good residents out of our neighborhoods.  The last thing this city needs is to lose residents who involve themselves civically and contribute to the dwindling tax base.

As I continued to read the news, this time the Baltimore Sun,I was disheartened to find yet more salient examples of violent crime crippling our neighborhoods.  A young breast cancer researcher at the Johns Hopkins University was stabbed to death last night in an attempted robbery just outside our district, on the 2600 block of St. Paul.  I checked out Investigative Voice to read about shots fired Saturday morning at an illegal after hours club that has been a nuisance for years on Greenmount Ave in the district. Something needs to change.  We cannot build a better Baltimore if we cannot control the crime that continually undermines progress.  I hope to serve as your State Senator and dedicate myself to both bringing the resources to Baltimore required to properly control crime, and to work with community leaders to find creative solutions to address instances of crime in our own neighborhoods.  One such example is the spread of Citizens on Patrol programs throughout the City- they work.  Efforts such as Harbel’s North Harford Citizens on Patrol actively help to keep our neighborhoods safe.  As your State Senator, I will actively take the time to walk with you- this is not idle talk, ask any of the hundreds of North Harford resident’s who’s doors I have knocked on in the 100 degree heat.  I believe that securing resources for funding police efforts and strengthening partnerships between the police and our neighborhoods is the best way to eliminate the criminal elements that is stifling development across Baltimore City.  See below for full articles.

Hector

http://investigativevoice.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5093:shots-fired-in-air&catid=25:the-project&Itemid=44#yvComment

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-ci-md-homicides-stabbing-20100726,0,2408555.story

I am proud to announce that I have signed on to support the Lorraine Sheehan Health and Community Services Act of 2010, a resolution being promoted by the Maryland organization Health Care for All.  The Health Care for All! Coalition is a nonprofit organization that has been working to make quality health care affordable and easily accessible to all Marylanders since 1999.  The Lorraine Sheehan Health and Community Services Act calls for a dime a drink increase in the state alcohol tax to save lives from alcohol abuse and to fund health care coverage, services for people with developmental disabilities, mental health needs,  alcohol and drug prevention and treatment, tobacco prevention and cessation and health care worker training.  While I have been told it is not politically savvy to address taxation in an election, I can firmly say that I support this measure to increase health care for Marylanders.  It is an innovative solution that addresses the needs of people in the state, while creating a sound increase in state revenues amid a financial downturn.  I think this source of revenue is particularly appropriate given how out of date Maryland’s alcohol taxes are- see the fact sheet below.

Below is some information from the Health Care for All! Fact Sheet to help you understand why I think this is such an important and sensible piece of legislation.

Maryland’s Alcohol Taxes Currently:

• The spirits excise tax was last raised in 1955, when Eisenhower was president.
• The beer and wine excise taxes were last raised in 1972, when Nixon was president.
• Current excise tax on beer is $.09 per gallon, on wine is $.40 per gallon and on spirits is $1.50 per gallon. These are the equivalent of less than a penny ($.0084) a drink for beer, and less than two cents a drink for wine ($.0156) and spirits ($.0176).
• Maryland’s alcohol taxes are among the lowest in the nation. The spirits tax is 47th in the nation, the beer tax is 44th and the wine tax is 37th.
• From 1977 to 2006, the share of the state budget paid for by alcohol excise taxes has dropped sevenfold – from 0.7 percent to 0.1 percent.

What HB 832 & SB 717 would do:

• Increase alcohol taxes by a dime per drink in the state of Maryland.
• Raise $214 million in new revenues. The existing tax (which goes to the General Fund) will comprise 12.75% of total revenues after the increase; the remainder (new revenues) would be divided as follows:
  • 15% to Development Disability Support Fund, § 7-207 of the Health – General Article
  • 15% to the Addiction Treatment and Prevention Fund, § 8-207 of the Health – General Article
  • 15% to the Mental health Care Fund, § 10-209 of the Health – General Article
  • 42.25% to the Maryland Medicaid Trust Fund, § 15-103.6 of the Health – General Article, to fund health care coverage for childless adults
• Save $249 million annually in healthcare costs, avert 15,000 cases of alcohol abuse, 316 assaults, 67 incidents of severe violence against children, and 37 premature deaths every year.
• Create and preserve jobs in crucial sectors of healthcare and other state services.
• Reduce drinking among young people and heavy drinkers.

“While Democratic State Sen. Joan Carter Conway is being challenged by former city fire department. spokesman Hector Torres, he has a lot of catching up to do in the fundraising department before he can be taken seriously.”

This is the opening paragraph in the July 18th edition of the Examiner.com article on my campaign.  While its true that I hold no expectation of raising the amount of money the incumbent has accumulated, I believe my grass roots campaign is already having a positive impact.  For starters, I can be proud of every single donation to my campaign- but that’s an issue for another day.  I am confident that in the next few months I will be greatly outspent, probably 2 to 1.  This will not stop me from working tirelessly to win this election.  No number of expensive campaign signs or paid canvassing staffs can make up for the fact that I will personally knock on the door of every voter in the district before the September primary.

I would suggest you click on the names listed above to see the true difference in the candidates.  While you won’t be able to navigate anywhere else on Senator Conway’s page (the stock legislative website, funded by your tax dollars and developed by State workers), please be sure to check out the daily posts on my blog, detailing interesting events and articles pertaining to the district and my campaign, as well as the additional static content on other pages.  Tools such as this WordPress blog don’t cost money, just a little bit of dedication- sometimes its not about how much you have to spend.

Periodically, I want to share some of the information I provide to questionnaires I receive regarding my campaign.  This question comes from Maryland’s Environmental Community.

“Open and honest communication is a critical feature of good government. How, both formally and informally, will you provide such communication? Specifically, what mechanisms and what amount of access do you expect to provide to the environmental community? What will be the role of the public in your decision making?”

Communication is one of the most important cornerstones of my campaign.  I have created a blog, at www.torresmaryland.com, where I keep my supporters updated on the progress of the campaign, and post relevant articles and issues.  If elected, I will maintain this blog as a way to openly communicate with groups, such as the environmental community, and constituents.  I have allowed any viewer of the site to comment on posts, and I am able to use the sites polling technology to gather constituent input in real time.  In research prior to my campaign I read about legislators in other states who had taken this approach.  By using a blog or facebook page they were able to post in real time, while in session, to not only list their votes but also explain the rationale behind the decision making.  This is incredibly important to me.  This is what representative government should look like, and how I intend to conduct my office.  The state legislature is incredibly opaque, even to people who take the time to request information from legislative services.  I plan to be proactive in improving the access to government for my constituents and for all interested parties.

It is getting to be that time of year where our neighborhoods begin to wear their democratic spirit on their shirtsleeves, as campaign signs and political advertisement color the landscape.  As a candidate running in a primary challenge, yard signs are an important tool for my campaign.  They raise the profile of my candidacy, generate awareness, and promote name recognition.  All of these things are vital to our success in September.

Help us make this happen!  Please consider hosting a yard sign on your lawn.  These short few weeks, barely two months, between now and the primary will decide my fate as a candidate, and I need the active and vocal support of all my friends to make my dream of serving in the state senate a success.

If you’re interested in a yard sign, send an e-mail to hector@torresmaryland.com with your name, address, and telephone number.  We’ll get it up immediately.

Join us on August 7^th for a Salsa Dance Party at Duburns Arena in Canton.  The party begins at 8 pm with an hour-long dance lesson, followed by open dancing from 9 pm – 1 am.  Our dance area will only hold 150 people so make your plans early.  Guests will also be treated to food from area restaurants.  The evening will also include a Salsa Demonstration by SalsaNation and a Belly Dance by Jackie Fortunato.  The event is BYOB, but beer will be available for purchase.  Reservations can be secured by making a $30 donation on the Support Hector tab on this website.  Come support this fundraiser for my campaign.

What:    A Salsa Social

Where: Duburns Arena, 1301 S. Ellwood Avenue, 21224

When:  August 7, 2010 from 8 pm – 1 am

Why:     To Support Hector Torres

How:     With a $30 donation