None of this would have been possible without the support of so many of you.  While I want to post this ‘thank you’ publicly, consider it simply a place holder.  I will be in personal touch with each and every one of you that allowed me the opportunity to pursue this dream.

To Senator Conway

My congratulations go out to you on the successful defense of your Senate seat.  The citizens of the 43rd legislative district have put their confidence in you to represent their issues in Annapolis.  As a citizen of the district, I offer my help to you.  Let’s make this district the best in Maryland.

Also, blogger and examiner.com writer Adam Meister, who expressed his support of the campaign late last month, published further information about Conway’s campaign financing. In the post, Conways’ connections to special interests, problem liquor stores and unethical community members come even further into light–check it out here:

http://www.examiner.com/politics-in-baltimore/i-endorse-hector-torres-for-state-senate-the-43rd-district-curious-carter-conway-finance-info

http://www.wbaltv.com/video/24947144/detail.html

Please click HERE to provide your availability for election day, that way our Field Director can communicate with you and get you outfitted in a Team Torres t-shirt for the big day!

Hector needs you on Tuesday the 14th.  Please give one day to make our friend and colleague Hector Torres a Senator.

-Team Torres

If you haven’t had a chance to get actively involved in our campaign you can still add a lot of value to it.  On election day, we hope to have volunteers at each and every polling place in the district.  Please consider donating time to the Torres team.  Spend your Tuesday, September 14th with us and help bring positive change to our city.  Even if you can’t give us the entire day, a few hours in the early morning or early evening, greeting voters at the polls, will help our efforts.  We’ll even provide you with one of the very trendy Torres t-shirts you’ve seen on the website.  Please contact our field coordinator at max@torresmaryland.com and let him know your hours of availability, any preferred polling location in the district, and any other relevant information.  We truly appreciate your support!

-Hector

 Senator Joan Carter Conway gave us a prime example this past legislative session when she abused her power as a committee chair over a seemingly straightforward consumer-friendly bill: allowing Maryland citizens to buy wine online from wineries and retailers.  This seemingly benign legislation, a consumer right enjoyed by over 80% of Americans in 37 states, was immediately targeted by the liquor wholesalers in Maryland, some of her most generous campaign contributors.  Although this legislation was endorsed by an overwhelming majority of legislators throughout the state, it never saw the light of day in Senator Conway’s committee.

 Knowing that the public and Senator Conway’s colleagues supported this bill, the liquor lobbyists played their final card, “bottling up” the legislation in Senator Conway’s committee.  No matter that seven of the nine committee members pledged their support for it, the chair refused to bring it up for a vote.  In fact, Senator Conway went on the record in the Baltimore Sun before the bill was even heard in her committee to say that the bill “is not going anywhere.”  How can it be that a single person can hijack something so many people want at the expense of our democracy?

 Let me be clear: It’s not about the wine!  It’s about the process.

 During our district debates, Senator Conway has talked about this issue.  She has mentioned several justifications for her action, all of which ring hollow and misleading.  She claimed to be concerned about underage drinking even though the 37 other states with legalized wine shipping have lower rates of alcohol abuse.  She claimed that the House of Delegates needed to act first, but no Senate procedure requires this.  Finally, she made the argument that we, her constituents, are not concerned about this consumer right and dismissed the over 75 letters she received from constituents as not representative of the 43rd District.  Interestingly enough, she became the prime sponsor of a bill to require mandatory insurance coverage for an obscure in vitro fertilization procedure after hearing from just two people in the 43rd.   

 Does she listen to us or not?

 Did the thousands of dollars in donations made by liquor interests influence the manner in which this legislation was handled?  Can the Senator really accept thousands upon thousands of dollars from lobbyists and not be swayed by her donors?  She claims she can take money from anyone and still be impartial.  If that is the case, then how does she explain her willingness to champion an issue for two constituents while ignoring the will of the people?  Make your voice heard this election season and vote me into office.  I promise I’ll listen to you.

Tomorrow night the 901 Arts, the Better Waverly youth art center at 901 Montpelier, hosts its first annual fundraiser- 901 Day.  The event is at 901, on 9-01, and costs $9.01- come out and support this wonderful community based program in our district.  901 Arts is special space dedicated to providing arts to community residents, especially to neighborhood youth. There are visual art classes, drawing classes, piano lessons and monthly Saturday workshops for different age groups. In the summer there is MICA/MACA art camp for youth culminating in an Artscape exhibit- efforts like these are already helping us to build a better Baltimore- come out and support!  I hope to see you there.

Hector

In an article for the Baltimore Examiner, Adam Meister, a local blogger, brings to light the unsettling fact that Sen. Joan Conway was among three Baltimore City politicians to receive campaign contributions from defamed former-Mayor Sheila Dixon.  In the article he also states his support for my campaign in no uncertain terms:

“Make sure you vote Hector Torres (Over Joan Carter Conway) in the 43rd District State Senate Election” – Adam Meister

Adam has done some impressive investigative journalism regarding the campaign finance of candidates across the city, and I am honored to receive his endorsement.  For the full article, click here.

In other news, the campaign continues to build great momentum- I’ve spent every evening for the past few weeks walking the wonderful neighborhoods of the 43rd with friends and neighborhood activists- a great thanks to Don Akchin, Mark Counselman, Katrina Odom, and Tommy Lovelist, and Nia Govan for showing me around this week!  We’re in the final few weeks and we need all the help we can get to make this grassroots campaign a success, please contact dan@torresmaryland.com if you’re ready to get involved!

Hector

Friends,

Tonight I attended a wonderful event supporting four candidates seeking election to the State Central Committee in the 43rd District.  Kevin Brooks, Ashira Barbosa, Bill Henry, and Nia Govan bring a wealth of experience and diversity to the representation of the district, and I am excited to support their candidacy.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for profiles of these candidates on my campaign blog.

Hector

Hector Torres Takes a Firm Stance on Increase in Targeted Violent Crimes

An increase in violent crime against Latinos in southeast Baltimore has prompted police to investigate a possible correlation between the crimes and Hispanic victims.  Hector Torres, who is currently running for Maryland Senate in the 43rd District, has been recognized by Forbes.com as “ one of the area’s most visible minority leaders.” Prompted by media inquiries, Mr. Torres took the opportunity as a Hispanic leader to address the issue.  

 ”The rise in violent crime targeting the Latino residents of Baltimore City is horrific, but it is typical of criminal behavior.  Criminals are opportunists.  They will prey on the vulnerable among us” Torres said.   “Unfortunately, the Latino community remains one of our most vulnerable populations.”

 When asked to comment on the police response to the situation, Torres continued “I am pleased to hear that police leadership is responding appropriately.  Increased deployment of foot patrol officers is paramount to protecting our most vulnerable residents.  I am confident that with increased police attention, and ample cooperation from the State’s Attorney in prosecuting perpetrators, we can secure our streets to protect all residents.  I am also pleased that the community itself is galvanizing its efforts to educate the community.  Many of the service providers in the community are communicating with residents to make them more aware of the resources available to them.  As with all efforts to combat crime, we all need to be engaged”.