Ambassador Theatre – Sandy Rosenberg

All politics is local.

So are budget appropriations.

Where state dollars are available, it’s my job to try to bring them to the 41st District.

The capital budget is for construction projects.

The Pimlico Race Course redevelopment, the Ambassador Theatre renovation, and a new Enoch Pratt Library branch in Park Heights will each get more than $1 million, thanks to the efforts of myself and my 41st District colleagues.

Governor Hogan and the General Assembly just reached agreement on tax cuts for retirees and working families.

Individuals 65 and older who make less than $100,000 in retirement income will receive a $1,000 tax credit. For couples earning less than $150,000 in retirement income, the credit is $1750.

In addition, certain medical, personal care, and child care products will be exempted from the sales tax.

Additional spending was also announced.

I’m aware of increases in public safety that could enhance police protection in Howard Park, scene of a triple homicide earlier this month, and other neighborhoods.

I’ll review the Governor’s supplemental budget to see if there are other programs where the benefits can be local.

“We do have slots money that could be used for that purpose, and I’m going to begin working on that tomorrow morning,” Del. Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg said in response.

https://baltimorebrew.com/2016/05/06/amid-a-rash-of-shootings-howard-park-sends-an-sos/

That’s what I said at a community meeting prompted by four shootings in less than a week in Howard Park. That’s what I did the next morning.

Last Wednesday’s meeting, called by the Concerned Citizens of Howard Park, filled the cafeteria at Calvin Rodwell Elementary School. The school’s renovation plan will be presented to the School Board for approval in July.

Next door is a Shop Rite, which opened in 2014 and did away with the area’s designation as a food desert.

One block north is a street corner notorious for loitering and drug activity. That’s where the shootings occurred.

In Annapolis, I make public policy. Back home, my colleagues and I are the advocates for our constituents.

They don’t hire a lawyer. They elect us to represent them.

The morning after the meeting, I wrote two e-mails and made a phone call.

One was to the Mayor’s Office, urging urge expedited consideration of funding to resolve the status of the decaying Ambassador Theatre, trim trees on the Liberty Heights corridor to improve visibility, and provide brighter lighting on the corridor.

There is a liquor store on the corner where the shootings occurred. At the community meeting, both residents and the police were concerned about the adequacy of the City ordinance that authorizes the closing of a business that has become a nuisance to the community.

My second email asked the City Police to consider what changes are needed in this law.

Lastly, the liquor store has an LBD7 license that is highly valued. I spoke with an official at the City Liquor Board who sent me the relevant statutes and regulations.

People like to be asked and people like to be thanked, Tip O’Neill said.

They also like to have problems solved so that they can live in a safe community.