The Laurel Independent, Jul 2024 edition is out
The latest monthly edition of The Laurel Independent is out with lots of good information for goings-on in Laurel. This month’s edition includes yours truly with coverage around my election and swearing-in, while also containing much more helpful information 😉 like:
- New Maryland law passed outlawing “exhibition driving” and sponsored by our District 21 Maryland Delegate Mary Lehman
- A new President elected for The Woman’s Club of Laurel. (Proud to say my mom was a member many moons ago before her passing.)
- Coverage of our City’s Juneteenth celebration
- And other great articles of interest.
One of the sections I like to peruse is the City’s Insert pages highlighting legislative actions as well as a handy Community Calendar where you can see what activities are coming up this and next month – For example, I see “Touch-A-Truck” is scheduled for July 23 from 6:30 - 8 p.m at Emancipation Park and it’s always a favorite of my little guys to come out and climb around rescue vehicles, tow trucks, John Deere tractors, and more.
For this and more, be sure to check out the edition in your mailbox, local retail store, or right online. And to donate to this community-supported journalism effort, be sure to visit the website of the non-profit publishing the paper, Street Car Suburbs.
Follow Laurel's Socials for the Latest
A great way to learn about upcoming events or stay in touch with what’s going on around Laurel is through the City’s social media streams. Whether Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram, below are some helpful infographics prepared by our City team listing where to look. They include announcements from:
- City of Laurel Government: Useful for official meetings & city-wide announcements.
- Laurel Police Department: For police-sponsored community events or updates on law enforcement around town.
- Office of Emergency Management: For preparedness tips and alerts on current goings-on.
- Parks & Recreation: For all of the fun events hosted by our City for residents of all ages.
- Economic & Community Development: For the latest in local businesses, farmer’s market, and resident economic programs.
- LaurelTV: For real-time streaming of official meetings plus special programming featuring Laurel businesses, non-profits, residents & more.
Gov. Moore proposes cutting state budget $150 million
This week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore proposed further cutting the state budget by $150 million in what he described as “targeted and strategic spending cuts”. According to the Baltimore Sun,
It also comes as Maryland faces looming multibillion-dollar financial shortfalls, putting at risk the future of government services and expensive, decadeslong plans such as the Red Line transit project in Baltimore and the education-focused Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
Moore has routinely said he has a “very high bar” for raising taxes as a way to solve deficits. His proposal earlier this year for the current 2025 fiscal year budget was focused on pulling from the state’s “rainy day” fund, borrowing more than usual and cutting back some areas that have grown in recent years, like higher education.
The cuts still need to be approved by the state Board of Public Works, and in Laurel, we’ll be continuing to monitor how the shifts in state spending will affect, if at all, some of our City’s programs. But it is good to be mindful of even resident of the state of Maryland.
Council Meeting - 8 Jul 2024
See the City of Laurel’s meeting page for the official record, and if any agenda item holds interest for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself and members of the Council as we want to serve you and the people of Laurel.
AGENDA
- Call to Order - Council President James Kole
- Roll Call - Sara A. Green, CPM, CMC, Clerk
- Report of the Mayor and City Council
- Bharati Dhruva Arts Council 07/08/2024-07/08/2027
- General Public Hearing
- Bid Recommendation- Granville Gude Park Path Banners- Department of Parks and Recreation
- Leasing Agreement- Bigbelly Compost Bins for Multi-family Compost Collection- Environmental Programs
- Fleet Acquisition- FY2025 CIP- Fleet Replacement Schedule- Department of Public Works
- Fleet Leasing Purchase- FY2025- Laurel Police Department
- Bid Recommendation- Ammunition Purchase- Laurel Police Department
- Adjournment
UPDATE: Mayor Sydnor shared items of note during his report this evening, three of which I’ve listed here if helpful to you:
- There are sites around Laurel (including Laurel High School) that are participating in the Maryland Summer Meals program where free breakfast and lunch are provided to youth aged 18 or younger. Visit the Maryland Summer Meals Finder to locate the site nearest you.
- For Laurel residents who may be experiencing mail theft issues, they should first report the theft via the United States Postal Service website (since it is a federal crime), and for further support, constituents can sumbit a case via U.S. Congressman Glen Ivey’s website with the USPS theft submission tracking number for his offices to facilitate.
- The Mayor launched a Safe Summer Nights program starting July 13 where all City of Laurel youth aged 12 to 16 can go to the Laurel Armory on Montgomery Street for games, education, and activities in a safe environment. They’ll need to be checked in and out by their parents and more details can be found at the page linked above.
July 4th Celebrations in Laurel!
Growing up as a kid here in Laurel, I’ve long known that Laurel takes its July 4th fireworks seriously. 😃 And all that hard work results in a spectacular show for all our residents and folks from neighboring towns.
Thank you to the volunteers that step forward to make this event happen - we truly appreciate you! And if you like fun, dancing music, colorful things that go boom in the sky, and more - This is the place for you and you are needed: jump on over the Laurel 4th of July Committee website and join up!
It was a highlight for me to join the Parade as part of the Council and to see so many of you along the parade route. Right behind us was a float featuring volunteers from so many of Laurel’s community organizations and non-profits. The classic car show was sweet. Gotta give a shout to my Pack + Troop 1250 friends who assisted the American Legion with Pack 602 with the flag raising. The live music leading up the fireworks was such great fun. (Check out the Laurel City Council doing the Cupid Shuffle on the City’s & LaurelTV’s Facebook page.) ;) And there were so so many more.
Happy 4th Laurel and happy birthday America! 🎆
(Photo credit parade & car: City of Laurel. Remainder: Me) :)
Council Work Session - 5 Jul 2024
I participated in my first Council Work Session immediately after my swearing-in ceremony. See the City of Laurel meeting page for the official record, and the agenda was as listed below.
Please know that if any agenda item holds interest for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to myself and members of the Council as all of us want to serve you and the people of Laurel.
AGENDA
- Call to Order - James Kole, Council President
- Bid Recommendation- Granville Gude Park Path Banners- Department of Parks and Recreation
- Leasing Agreement- Bigbelly Compost Bins for Multi-family Compost Collection- Environmental Programs
- Fleet Acquisition- FY2025 CIP- Fleet Replacement Schedule- Department of Public Works
- Fleet Leasing Purchase- FY2025- Laurel Police Department
- Bid Recommendation- Ammunition Purchase- Laurel Police Department
- Adjournment
Swearing-in Ceremony Memories
Truly memorable for me to have my wife and little guys with me for the administration of the Oath of Office. As it turns out, the littlest one is an especially enthusiastic waver of the City of Laurel flag. :) (Thank you to Mayor Sydnor for providing, as it helped keep their attention during the proceedings.)
A huge thank you to my wife for her support and for what we know will be commitments for our family. A big part of our motivation is to help contribute to a Laurel for our kids and all the kids in our town where they can enjoy, connect, and build great memories of their own.
Thank you also to all those who came out in-person or were able to share by TV — Your support means a lot and this is something we really all do together to build and make our City a great place to live, work, and play.
Thank you again, and now on to the work ahead! :)
(Photo credit: City of Laurel)
Celebratory Drinks at Skyvibe!
Following the results of Monday night’s election, friends and I went out for celebratory drinks at one of Laurel’s newest hotspots: Skyvibe Restaurant & Lounge on Main Street.
What a treat! - If you haven’t visited, please take my encouragement to come check it out. My wife and I visited for date night drinks and desserts shortly following the soft opening, including sampling of complimentary puff puff - Nigerian deep fried dough that’s absolutely delicious. And I had a Red Wine Margarita, which was equally great.
On Monday, Skyvibe was celebrating their Grand Opening with complimentary wine for visiting patrons: A great time to be stopping by. 😃 And our group also enjoyed both chicken and beef Eko Tacos, an infusion of African flavors into taco stylings that really pops (and works well with red wine).
The decor is so tastefully and beautifully decorated, the staff were exceedingly kind both times I’ve visited, and it’s a top notch experience. The owners are also actively soliciting customer feedback and looking for opportunities to even further refine as they get all cylinders well-oiled at this new gem here in Laurel.
It was a distinct pleasure to celebrate at Skyvibe and I encourage you to check out for any occasion!
Amazing, surreal, honored
Amazing, surreal, honored. Three of the many emotions I felt tonight in the process of being selected to fill the vacant Ward 1 seat on the City Council.
Thank you to the Council for your confidence. And thank you to the voters and residents for your support in last fall’s election - Although we came up just short at the time, your strong support in the last election cycle (highest among all unseated candidates) was a major factor in tonight’s result. Please accept my heartfelt thanks! :)
During my closing statement, I shared my vision for the role of a Councilmember - One who:
- Exercises good financial stewardship of the monies entrusted to the City by its residents
- Thinks to the future on how to lay a foundation on which residents can build true community
- Promotes a spirit of unity and collaboration
- Serves as a personal connection residents can reach out to for answers and to know that their voice is heard
I now take it as my task to live these out on behalf of you and our City. And I want to encourage us all to continue building our friendships, churches, neighborhood organizations, small businesses, hobby clubs, civic organizations, and more — Each one of the small moments shared between people is truly what makes Laurel great!
And happy 4th of July! :)
(Photo credit: City of Laurel)
