I wanted to start by reminding everyone that our Happy Hour Fundraiser is tomorrow (Thursday), May 25th, from 5-8 pm at Caliente Grill. I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to a margarita and some delicious Latin cuisine at the end of a long week. Please RSVP as soon as possible, either by purchasing a ticket (remember, kids are free) at  www.robsavidge.com/calendar  or emailing [email protected] if you plan to buy tickets at the door. It will be really helpful to Roxana at Caliente Grill to know ahead of time how many people to expect, so please be sure to let us know. Also, we would really appreciate it if you could spread the word. Invite friends via facebook by going to the event page , hovering over the 'Share' tab, and inviting friends and sharing on your page to let everyone know. In addition, feel free to email a link to the event website: http://www.robsavidge.com/calendar.  We look forward to seeing you there!

In other news, this past Friday, I joined dozens of other cyclists in Bike to Work Day. Biking is such a healthy and wonderful way to start the day, but Annapolis needs to find ways to make it safer. By encouraging cycling through the implementation of the bicycle master plan, we can improve the health and well-being of our citizens and the environment, decrease car traffic, and help with the parking situation downtown. Some studies even claim that bikeable cities have stronger economies, check it out here. 

On Saturday, I volunteered with the Backcreek Conservancy to help out at the first annual "Feet for the Creek" Walk-a-Thon. Around 50 people showed up to support and learn about creek conservation, rain gardens, and future projects to protect the creek during a 6K walk from Annapolis Sailing School to the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Guava Jelly played some great, family-friendly music and participants enjoyed a boatride from Davis's Pub at the end back to the starting point. Keep an eye out next year for this fun event!

If you haven't read it yet, you can check out my recently published Letter to the Editor in The Capital Newspaper here. It is thanks to the tireless efforts of many local environmental advocates, over the last several years, that the City of Annapolis finally made the decision to protect the priority forests that developers of Parkside Preserve had planned to destroy. This is the project that led me to speak out against the failures of The City's Department of Neighborhoods and Environmental Programs, where I worked at the time as an environmental reviewer. Unfortunately, many of these names were left out of the conversation when the City announced its plans to purchase the parcel in question from the developers. Read my letter to find out who to thank for their hard work. 

Here in Ward 7, I have been keeping busy with door-knocking and attending community events, as usual. Feedback has been very positive overall, but I could still use your help to spread the word. Please see the Get Involved section of the website to sign up as a volunteer. I am raising money now for yard signs and mailers, and would appreciate any amount of donation that you can provide. We greatly appreciate all of your support and encouragement!

Rob