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Thursday, October 17, 2013
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Page A-4
Baker appoints Latino liaison
Happy at spray
New staffer hired to improve outreach n
BY SOPHIE PETIT STAFF WRITER
GREG DOHLER/THE GAZETTE
Bowie resident Mary Locker (right), 17, a member of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department, helps Emerald Ferguson, 4, of Upper Marlboro work a fire hose Saturday as her brother, Sage, 1, awaits his turn during Fire Prevention Day at Station 39 in Bowie. The event also featured demonstrations on preventing and extinguishing fires in the home.
Shutdown forcing some office closures Many members working with limited staff, some regional offices closed
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BY
RYAN MARSHALL
spetit@gazette.net
Gansler picks Ivey as running mate
STAFF WRITER
The federal government shutdown has closed federal agencies, national parks and the National Zoo’s Panda Cam, but the effect on congressional offices around Maryland has been mixed. Several members have kept their offices open during the funding battle that has seen government workers around the country furloughed until Congress can reach a resolution. Other congressional members have kept some offices open and closed others and some have shut down offices completely. Rep. John Delaney (DDist. 6) of Potomac announced at the beginning of the shutdown, on Oct. 1, that his offices in Washington, D.C., Gaithersburg and Hagerstown would stay open during the shutdown. Delaney cited a need to continue representing his constituents. The office has suspended office hours in Cumberland and McHenry during the shutdown, Delaney spokesman Will McDonald said on Oct. 10. “I think everyone’s hopeful we can get a deal done and get the government open and back to doing the people’s business,” McDonald said. Staff for Rep. Steny Hoyer
To better represent Prince George’s growing Latino population, County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) has appointed his first full-time Latino liaison. Dinora A. Hernandez, a lifelong resident of Hyattsville, said she will speak directly with members of the Latino community, serving as a point of contact for Latinos to discuss their concerns, which she will in turn discuss with and advise Baker on. “The county executive often talks about the county’s diversity and how it’s one of the strengths of the county, so I believe this position will help us better connect with the Latino community, which I think we’ve been missing,” Hernandez, 27, said. Prior to her Oct. 10 appointment, Hernandez received her law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan then served for a year as a legislative aide to Baker. “Dinora Hernandez has demonstrated a true passion for Latino affairs on both a personal and professional level,” Baker said in an Oct. 10 statement. “I am confident that she will work diligently to improve the [county’s] service and interaction with our Latino citizens.” Prince George’s has the second highest percentage of Latino residents in the state, and the numbers are growing, according to data provided by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C. Over the past decade, the number of Latinos living in the county has nearly doubled to 132,496, making up 15 percent
of the county’s population, according to the data. Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA of Maryland, a Latino and immigrant advocacy nonprofit based in Langley Park, said he was excited to hear about the new liaison, especially since so many Latinos call Prince George’s home. “We need someone who is bilingual and bicultural, who understands our community and who, I believe, can make a difference,” Torres said, adding language barriers are a huge issue facing Latinos. Hernandez said her fluency in Spanish and familiarity with Latino culture as well as the immigrant experience will help her to engage the community. “Both my parents were immigrants from El Salvador here to the United States and the county, so I know the Latino experience,” she said. “I know that for my parents, language barrier was a lot. A barrier to getting them more involved with the county.” The District, Montgomery County and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s office all have Latino liaisons, said Baker spokesperson Scott Peterson. Will Campos served as the county’s last Latino liaison under Jack Johnson, the county’s executive from 2002 to 2010. “The Latino population is a growing community in our county,” Peterson said. “[Baker] has found it very important to have someone such as Dinora Hernandez in his specific office advising him on the issues, the challenges as well as the opportunities that exist in the Latino community and to improve service for our Latino residents from the county government.”
Brown campaign quickly fires back
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BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
A notice on Sen. Benjamin Cardin’s website notes the office is closed. (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville and Rep. Donna Edwards (DDist. 4) of Fort Washington said that their regional offices would continue to taking calls during normal business hours. “Congresswoman Edwards is keeping her offices open,” spokesman Ben Gerdes wrote in an Oct. 10 email. “Her district is home to 760,000 residents, and the counties she represents have 90,000 federal workers and retirees. It’s essential that they receive assistance while the Congresswoman fights for a clean funding bill to open the government for all Americans.” Offices in Washington,
D.C., and Towson for Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Dist. 3) of Towson were open, but offices in Burtonsville and Annapolis are closed, according to a statement from his office. Calls to all offices are being forwarded to the open offices during business hours. Meanwhile, a phone message at the Washington, D.C., office of Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D) of Pikesville said that the senator’s offices would remain closed until the shutdown is over. A message on Cardin’s website announced that phone calls, emails and letters to staff would not be returned
until the shutdown has ended and that communication would not be possible. The shutdown marks only the second time Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) of Baltimore has closed her offices during her 27 years in the Senate, according to a statement from her office. But while the office remains closed, the phones at Mikulski’s Washington office are being monitored, and constituents can leave messages for the senator on Twitter and Facebook, according to the release. rmarshall@gazette.net
Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, a Democratic hopeful for Maryland governor, has named Del. Jolene Ivey as his running mate for 2014. A two-term delegate and former journalist, Ivey (D) of Cheverly represents District 47 in Prince George’s County, the home county of one of Gansler’s opponents in the gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D). While voters generally vote the top of the ticket, who a gubernatorial candidate names as a running mate can indicate what that candidate is thinking, said John Willis, professor of government and public policy at University of Baltimore. Adding Ivey to his ticket shows Gansler is not afraid to fight for votes in Prince George’s County, Willis said. As a general rule, a candidate needs to carry three of the four big Democratic voting jurisdictions — Prince George’s
County, Montgomery County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City — to win, he said. With most Democratic voters concentrated in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, approximately 37 percent, Willis said it make sense for Gansler — who calls Montgomery home — to pick a running mate from Prince George’s. Within hours of the announcement Monday, Brown’s campaign issued a his-and-hers list of where Gansler and Ivey stand, and differ, on policies. During his campaign tour in September, Gansler promised to bring more diversity to Annapolis and Willis said naming an African-American female as a running mate is a positive move. Ivey has been a voice for women and families, according to a news release from Gansler’s campaign. Her legislative record includes efforts to pass legislation that protects families, children, and small businesses, the release said. Brown’s running mate is Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. Del. Heather Mizeur (DDist. 20) of Takoma Park has not named a running mate.