Keeping Up with Christiana!
Greetings!

Welcome to our February Newsletter! As we celebrate Black History Month, I encourage residents to take some time to learn more about black history and culture both in Howard County and across our country.

As we reflect the incredible contributions of African Americans in the United States, the County Council recognized one of Howard County's "Living Legends" earlier this month, Lieutenant Herman Charity. Lt. Charity had a distinguished 30-year career with the Howard County Police Department, including as Howard County's first African American cadet in 1968 and first African American police officer in 1970.
As we continue through the winter season, please don't hesitate to contact my office if you are experiencing any issues in your community or would just like to get in touch. We are here to help with your concerns and listen to your feedback. Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy February!

Yours in service,
Christiana Rigby
Councilwoman, District 3



February 2020
January Legislative Highlights
I was proud to pass several pieces of legislation with my colleagues at our February 3rd Legislative Session, including:

  • CR14-2020: legislation adopting Howard County's Pedestrian Master Plan, Walk Howard. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.

Additionally, the County Council voted to table several pieces of January legislation for further discussion, including:

  • CB1-2020: legislation altering the number of years that projects must be retested under APFO's school capacity test. Introduced by Liz Walsh.

  • CB3-2020: legislation allowing permits for electric scooter sharing systems in certain areas of Howard County. Introduced by the Chairperson at the request of the County Executive.
February Legislation
This month, I joined my colleagues on the County Council in introducing and sponsoring several pieces of legislation, including:

  • CB7-2020: legislation to create local whistleblower protections in the Howard County Code. CB7-2020 lays out the grounds for a whistleblower complaint and prohibits any threat or retaliation against employees that make a disclosure. You can learn more here. Introduced by Christiana Rigby. Co-sponsored by Opel Jones, Liz Walsh, and Deb Jung.

  • CB8-2020: legislation requiring a public fiscal analysis on certain bills before the County Council. This bill provides the public with important information about the financial impact of County legislation. Introduced by Opel Jones. Co-sponsored by Christiana Rigby and David Yungmann.
HB1300/SB1000: The Blueprint for Maryland's Future
This week, I was honored to testify on behalf of the Howard County Council in strong support of HB1300/SB1000, the Blueprint for Maryland's Future.

As a County Councilwoman, graduate of Howard County Public Schools, mother to an HCPSS kindergartner, and an active parent volunteer in my daughter's school, I understand that passing and implementing the Kirwan recommendations is imperative for the future success of our students.

As we continue to have conversations about educational equity in our schools, this legislation takes significant steps forward to provide a world-class education for Maryland’s students, regardless of their zip-code.

By addressing the need for full-day pre-K, additional school staff, well-deserved teacher raises, and career technical education to prepare our students for the workforce, we can accomplish our joint vision of raising the bar and closing the gap for all our students.

You can watch my verbal testimony below or read the Council's written testimony here !
Upcoming Council Dates
February 18, 7:00pm Legislative Public Hearing

February 24, 9:30am Legislative Work Session

March 2, 7:00pm Legislative Session

March 9, 9:30am Joint Meeting with the Board of Ed

March 16, 1:00pm Monthly Meeting

March 16, 7:00pm Legislative Public Hearing

March 20, 9:30am Legislative Work Session

Upcoming Community Events
If there are any community events that you would like us to include in upcoming newsletters, please email ffacchine@howardcountymd.gov with the event information.
Upcoming District 3 Pre-Submission Meetings
Leadership U Application
Leadership U is an experiential leadership development, and community service opportunity.  Eligible students must either live or attend school in Howard County. Students apply as sophomores and participate in the fall of their junior year. This unique four-month program involves a week-long summer program of hands-on activities, as well as involvement in a student-driven, team community service project.  By providing experiential learning, mentoring, and unique opportunities, these students become confident, caring leaders in their communities. Students tells us they love our program because it builds confidence, and strengthens their leadership and problem solving skills. They build their professional network by meeting so many community leaders. They implement their own project to make a difference in our local community, and they make so many new friends from all around the county that they would never had met before.

We invite both 9th and 10th grade students and their parents to attend one of our information session to learn more about Leadership U and hear from some of our recent graduates and their parents.  

  • Monday, January 27 at the Miller Library from 7-8 pm
  • Thursday, February 13 at the Central Library from 7-8 pm
  • Sunday, March 1 at Miller Library from 3-4 pm

Please visit our website – http://www.leadershiphc.org/leadership-u-2/  for additional information and to apply.
Want to Get in Touch?
Christiana Rigby
Councilwoman, District 3

crigby@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-2001
Colette Gelwicks
Special Assistant

cgelwicks@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-2421
Felix Facchine
District Aide

ffacchine@howardcountymd.gov
410-313-3108
Please feel free to contact us by email or phone. Plus, you can stay up-to-date with Christiana by following us on social media, where we post daily updates on events, county news, legislative priorities, and Christiana's activity! Don't miss out on any District 3 news!