|
| |
|||||
 |
||||||
Activities > Introductory remarks from candidate forum Introductory Remarks Good evening. I’m Tracy Miller, a candidate for the House of Delegates from the 42 nd District. I grew up in Baltimore, graduating from Western High School and then the University of Wisconsin. My Master’s is from Towson University, where I am an academic advisor and teacher. I’ve been there for more than 25 years.
You know, there was a time in the not too distant past when many Democrats crossed over to elect a Republican governor who ran as a moderate. They thought he was the better alternative. They were very sorry when Spiro Agnew showed his true stripes. As you can see, parallels with the 60’s extend beyond the Iraq/Vietnam comparisons we see so much today.
From the time I was in high school in the 60’s, I was an activist. At the time, we said, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” I have lived my life according to that precept. I went from protest marches to serving in civic organizations, from room mother to PTA president.
I raised my sons in the Land of Pleasant Living. They lived in affordable housing. They played in a safe neighborhood. They swam in the Chesapeake Bay. They went to good schools, and had great job opportunities.
After my son Nick Ziolkowski was killed in Iraq, I decided that I needed to put myself on the line as he had done (and I didn’t think the Marines would want me). Having been active in the League of Women Voters, I decided that the House of Delegates was the ideal place for me—that I could best serve my community and my son’s memory.
Nick’s death was just the spark that ignited my campaign. I’m running to keep this district a place where my 18-month-old granddaughter, Madelyn—who lives in Loch Raven Village—can grow up and attend great public schools, where she will have green parks and open space to play, where she will one day be able to afford a house and where she will one day have affordable health care coverage.
In Maryland, more people die each year from cancer than in Iraq. Our rates for lung, colon and breast cancer are the highest in the nation. Each year more of us cannot afford healthcare. Home prices are skyrocketing out of reach. Bankruptcies are at an all time high. Retirement dreams are turning into nightmares. Our rivers are polluted, and rockfish are dying in the Bay. The Land of Pleasant Living has seen better days.
As good neighbors, as good citizens, we ask ourselves, How has this happened? What can we do to help?”
I am a trained mediator, and—after seeing the last few contentious sessions—I believe my skills are needed in Annapolis.
Over the next few months, I am going to work hard to get elected—and if I am fortunate enough to win a seat in the House of Delegates, I will work hard to represent our community.
As I was contemplating running for office, I talked with close friends and family. A friend of mine—with whom I have little in common politically—told me I was a natural fit. He said my integrity and work ethic would serve our community well. And it is that integrity and work ethic that I offer to you.
By
Authority of the Team for Tracy Miller, Gary Rosecrans, Chairperson, and
Lamont Steedle, Treasurer, |
||||||
