I would like to thank the Teachers Association of Baltimore County, the Maryland State Education Association, and to all Baltimore County teachers for your endorsement of our campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 8. Further, thank you for your continued desire to improve our schools and to teach our children. It is with your continued commitment that Maryland is number one in educational excellence nationwide.

I believe that supporting public education in the county is one of the best ways to improve and enhance our quality of life. It is important to support our teachers, whose passion and creativity help our students learn and succeed — in school and in life.

It is with great pleasure that these organizations have chosen to support my candidacy for Delegate and that the recommendation has also been approved by the MSEA. It is a testament to my campaign’s commitment to education, and I am honored that they believe I have the knowledge and vision to help us protect and enhance our great school system. This includes making sure that educators are heard and are part of the process of moving ideas that are going to benefit education going forward.

The TABCO Representative Assembly approved endorsements for various county elected positions and state wide races. “We stand behind our endorsement process and look to support candidates that will support public education and public educators,” commented President Cheryl Bost.

“We also look for candidates we believe will include TABCO in the decision making process at all levels as we move forward. Throughout this endorsement process, candidates completed lengthy questionnaires and sat for interviews, then the recommendations go through three levels before final approval. These are early endorsements because school’s out as of June 18 and we want to encourage our members to get out there and work for our endorsed candidates.”

As a student of both public (Pine Grove Middle School) and private schools (Calvert Hall, Immaculate Heart of Mary), I know firsthand the challenges our students and teachers face everyday. The fact is, no matter how knowledgeable, competent and prepared the teacher, the child who comes to school hungry, exhausted from a job or from caring for younger siblings, in pain from a toothache or fearing for his safety – this child is not ready to learn. Our teachers of today continue to look beyond the classroom and, in many cases, must support the efforts of families. This is a daunting challenge, but it is also an opportunity to do important work.

I look forward to listening to our educators, and to work with them in providing our teachers the support and tools they need to be in front of the classroom and not behind a desk.

Cal

www.calbowman.com

www.facebook.com/calbowman2010

Let’s talk about how you and I can support the small businesses in our own community to ensure they can continue to provide jobs for our neighbors and our friends. We all need to think about shopping, dining, and entertaining locally. The businesses in our district have so much to offer and by supporting them, you support your neighbors, you support companies that reinvest money into our communities, and heck, you just might find someplace you really love.

As many of you may know, I’m a huge Baltimore Orioles fan and I try to get to games at Camden Yards as often as possible. Unfortunately, taking care of a family, my son, and my dog while working full time and running a campaign can make that difficult. But I can’t complain because there are so many excellent places to catch a game and enjoy and ice cold frosty beverage. One of my favorite haunts is a little bar near the corner of Taylor Avenue and Harford Road called Racers. Here I can catch an O’s game (or maybe some European soccer) and get the real feeling of being at the park by eating some peanuts and throwing the shells on the ground. When I kick back with a Resurrection Ale (brewed locally by the Brewer’s Art in Baltimore) I know I’m doing my part to support a local business and the jobs they create. There are a ton of other great places to catch a game with friends in District 8 – like Desantis’ and the Batter’s Box in Perry Hall, Jerry D’s in Parkville, the Emerald Tavern, or Casey’s Bar and Grill.

Another favorite of mine is Mastellone’s Italian Wine Shop and Deli on Harford Road. The italian sub is great and so are the meatball marinara subs as well as the deli meets and italian ingredients. I could go on. Who doesn’t love a great sandwich on a freshly baked roll. And District 8 is full of great places to find a phenomenal italian sandwich like Canella’s in Perry Hall. Or maybe pit beef is more your style. Try the beef and ham combo from the Charcoal Grill on Old Harford Road and pick up a six pack of Heavy Seas IPA (another Maryland brewer) at the Liquor Pump next door. Visit Mueller’s Deli for some declious german sausage.

Maybe you are a seafood fan. Grab yourself a delicious steaming paper bag full of Maryland blue crabs at Bill’s Seafood on Bel Air Road or an award winning crab cake at Pappas’ Restaurant on the corner of Oakleigh Road and Taylor Avenue.

What about breakfast? Try the Fenwick Bakery for fresh donuts or the locally owned franchise of an Ocean City Maryland staple, the Fractured Prune. Maybe sweet breakfast isn’t your style and you can hit up the Double T Diner for some bacon and eggs.

That’s the beautiful thing about where we live. There is variety waiting around the corner. Your new favorite hang out, night spot, sandwich shop, or breakfast place is out there waiting to be discovered. The best thing about exploring the small businesses near you is that you’re not only helping yourself to the things you enjoy but you’re also supporting the businesses and people that live in your neighborhood. Your helping small business owners to continue to thrive and prosper. Your helping them to hire new people and reinvest in the communities you call home.

So next time you head out to grab a bite or a beer, the next time you want to try something new, how about trying something local and supporting your neighbors.

Now, what I’d like to hear from all of you is your favorite places to visit in the District. The local places and haunts that people should know about and support not just because of the great goods and services but because it helps our neighborhood as a whole. I want to hear from you because I know I’ve only begun to discover the variety in this District and I’m always hungry for something new.

At the beginning of this campaign I pledged to get to know everyone in District 8.  Not just shake hands, but really connect with our MD neighbors so I can bring their – and your – voice to Annapolis.  I also want to start a discussion about the Maryland issues you care about most and keep that dialogue going, and I’m confident my campaign web presence is an ideal place for that constructive conversation to grow organically.

I’m not looking to boost numbers of fans and followers; rather, I invite people from all corners of Baltimore’s District 8 to weigh in on questions or comments I post on, say, my Facebook page or Twitter feed.  That’s one way you read the pulse of a community.  The internet is a great equalizer because it empowers those who don’t have a voice and gives everyone a fair shot at discourse, no matter how brief or limited.

So let’s use the free (yes, free!) social media tools available out there to really talk to each other and engage in meaningful debate. I encourage interaction, discussion, dissention, comments and questions everywhere I’ve put my flag in the sand online. Point out issues you think deserve my attention. Tell me what I’m doing right, tell me what I’m doing wrong. Invite your friends. Check out what your fellow voters are saying. It’s on top of your voice that together we can build a better Maryland and a better District 8.

Go online. Be heard. Make a difference.

Website:
http://www.calbowman.com

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/calbowman2010

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/calbowman2010

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/calbowman2010

Hello world, my name is Cal Bowman and I am running for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates in Baltimore County’s District 8. As we continue to build out the campaign team, I will be sharing ideas about the campaign, the evolution of our web site, and anything (and everything) else about Maryland, Baltimore, and our District 8 right here in our blog section.

Baltimore County, this is your campaign, and I am here to serve you. I am actually writing this on late Tuesday night in my Villa Cresta home as we ready the new blog feature on www.CalBowman.com. Our campaign team is working to develop an initial set of tools and functionality that will hopefully help a lot of people like you better understand what my House of Delegates campaign aims to accomplish and contribute to the momentum our campaign has with the culture of self-organizition that we are trying to build.

I can only say that I hope you’re as excited as we are about the opportunities you have here to take this Maryland House of Delegates campaign into your own hands. This site, and this campaign in general, will always be a work in progress. It’s going to be a work in progress because of your input. I am here to listen to everyone and anyone who wishes to share.

From me, my family, and everyone in Baltimore County that has stepped up and have become a part of this campaign, THANK YOU! We’re excited about the amount of momentum we have to this point, and everyone here is excited to see what we can do together. Cal Bowman for Maryland House of Delegates in Baltimore County’s District 8!

Cal Bowman

www.calbowman.com

www.facebook.com/calbowman2010