Dear Friend,

With 2009 thankfully behind us, and the 2010 Maryland Legislative Session underway in Annapolis, it is a good time to update you on my efforts to serve the public as an elected official. It has been an honor to work with my colleagues on the Gaithersburg City Council in a spirit of consensus and nonpartisanship to provide innovative and thoughtful leadership in very challenging times. Campaign season is once again upon us, and I hope that I can count on your support as I begin to explore the options available for me to continue serving the community.

While I have not made any final decisions yet, and the political landscape for 2010 remains fluid so early in the year, some initial fundraising helps to ensure viability and gives our campaign team the resources needed to fully explore our options. In many ways, such contributions are far more critical to success than contributions made closer to Election Day.

To make a contribution today, please click here and follow the instructions to either mail a check or make a secure donation online via credit card. I am very grateful for the generous support of so many in our community.

Sincerely,

Ryan Spiegel


P.S. – Please click here to make a contribution today.


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A RECORD OF ACTION

I recently passed the midpoint of my current term on the Gaithersburg City Council, and while big challenges remain for all levels of government in the months ahead, I am proud to report several significant accomplishments:


• Balancing the budget without a single layoff or furlough, without taking on any debt, and without raising the tax rate – which hasn’t changed in 45 years.

• Fighting to maintain critical health, food, and housing assistance for those in need, including funding for nonprofit groups and mandatory set-asides for affordable housing.

• Advocating for government reform and modernizing our ethics and election laws to be more transparent and more accountable, as well as conducting a comprehensive search for senior staff and updating personnel policies.

• Spearheading the “Bank on Gaithersburg” program that helps families obtain long-term financial security while simultaneously helping local businesses and reducing the need for government spending.

• Instituting cutting-edge environmental policies such as our Green Building Ordinance and our Green Streets pilot program.

• Providing enriching resources and programs for our children, with the opening of two new state-of-the-art Youth Centers, grants to our local schools, and a wide array of cultural programs and scholarships.

• Working to maintain the quality of our Senior Center programs and our robust investment in the Arts, as well as our excellent Parks and Recreation programs.

• Prioritizing economic development with incentives that have attracted and retained hundreds of good jobs and significantly reduced commercial vacancies.

• Supporting Public Safety initiatives that resulted in a 20% increase in the size of our Police force, reductions in many types of crimes, and more resources to address gang activity and unsafe driving.

I also continue to work with our sister municipalities like Rockville, and the County, State, and Federal governments – as well as important organizations like the Maryland Municipal League – to look out for our community’s interests in regional Planning & Development, Education, and Transportation issues, and to pursue needed funding. I have been a vocal advocate for the Corridor Cities Transitway, as part of an overall Smart Growth strategy that is good for the environment and the economy at the same time. I serve on the Climate, Energy & Environment Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, as well as the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee of the National League of Cities.