April 2008

Dear Residents,                                  

My second year in office has been a time of "building."  I have sought to build upon projects that the Commission started earlier. At times this has been arduous, to say the least. Parks and Planning is in the midst of another Marlboro Pike Sector study. As an inner Beltway community, we need upscale and innovative businesses to partner with us. We need a "major player" to trust what we, and our sister municipalities are doing and put down roots in our neighborhood. We also need to present a united front, whereby District Heights, Capital Heights, Suitland, and Fairmont Heights show others that we are serious about reducing crime, and that we have invested our own resources as a first step. As you might imagine, this takes time and more time. People have to get to know you, business people and our fellow elected officials.

The Facade Program is another example of a time-consuming project. It sounds simple and straightforward to take the grant funds that the City received in prior years and put a facelift on the oldest business district in our City (6300 block of Marlboro Pike). However, after diligent efforts on the part of this Commission, we are still not able to break ground. We are awaiting the County's Plan to be approved by HUD (yes, the Federal Government's HUD ), and then it goes back to the County (DHCD specifically) for a written contract to be drafted for us (the City of District Heights). I have personally attended many meetings, making sure that our documents were in order and that the County authorities were well versed in what we want to do, as well as responded to numerous correspondence. Alas, the wheels of government are…… the wheels of government. I can honestly say that the Commission has plowed ahead, and we will see this project through in the summer of 2008.

I have tried to represent District Heights by building relationships with people who can help our Community. I have testified in Annapolis before the General Assembly. Our State Delegates invite us to speak on behalf of bills that they believe will impact our Community, in a positive manner. I feel that our State Delegates (Melony Griffith, Aisha Braveboy, and Derrick Davis), along with our State Senator (Ulysses Currie) are working hard for us and are responsive to our needs. I have also been trying to build new relationships with folks who may have been overlooked previously. Regularly, I email and invite colleagues and business owners to lunch. I am confident that these relationships will be fruitful in the years to come.

Finally, I have sought to move our budget process forward a bit. This year I have asked our Treasurer to have a draft budget prepared earlier than in years past. By doing this, we will be in position to make better decisions in light of a worsening economy. It will also allow our residents more time to review and comment on the proposed budget.

It has been a pleasure once again to serve you, the residents of District Heights.    

 Sincerely,

Lee Collins
Commissioner (Ward II)