Coming up on newsstands this weekend....


Democrat may be more conservative than 3-term GOP House Leader


SOLOMON'S ISLAND (July 27, 2010) ---  Citing a need for greater commitment to the community, Chris Davies, a social studies teacher for St. Mary's County Public Schools, will seek the District 29 C seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. Davies, a Democrat, formally will announce his candidacy Aug. 11 at the Ruddy Duck Restaurant for the seat which covers Calvert and portions of St. Mary's Counties.

Davies is running against Del. Tony O'Donnell (R. Lusby), who was first elected in 1994 when he formerly worked at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.  While O'Donnell no longer has any employment other than as a Delegate, he has been giving ad sales a whirl for the McKay newspaper, even attempting to sell ads to those who are regulated by the General Assembly, but, heck, this is Maryland. 

Davies pointed out that O'Donnell voted for all the "fee hikes" of the Ehrlich Administration, which were actually tax hikes, affecting everything from park fees to motor vehicle registration costs.

"Our district needs a delegate who is committed to economic recovery, education and preservation of our environmental resources," said Davies. "Just being against everything doesn't work. We need a strong, independent, fiscally conservative voice for Southern Maryland who can work with others in Annapolis to get things done, not just score political points."

There are four main points to Davies? campaign platform: accountability in economic recovery, creating jobs, education and the environment. Davies wants to eliminate wasteful spending and believes it is important for Maryland to retain its AAA bond rating. This accountability will help Maryland to have the resources to weather our ongoing economic recovery. To create quality, stable, and good-paying jobs, Davies said he would fight for tax policies that will encourage economic development and support policies that make it easier for small businesses to obtain the capital they need to grow and thrive.

As a public school teacher for 20 years, Davies understands the difficult and unique challenges facing our schools. Maintaining Maryland's #1 ranking in the nation is one of his main concerns. He and his family are committed to the health of our environment working with community programs to raise oysters and build sanctuary reefs to help clean the Patuxent River. Protecting natural resources and establishing sustainable fisheries is a job he will pursue as delegate.

Davies is a life-long Marylander and has been brought up with a strong sense of service. He is an Eagle Scout and has been active in the Calvert and St. Mary's communities as a teacher, coach and Boy Scout leader. He and his son, Calvin, just completed Calvin's Eagle project which grew oysters and created a sanctuary reef in Mill Creek in Lusby. His daughter Connor just graduated from Patuxent High and will be attending the University of Mary Washington in the fall. He credits his wife, Colleen, a teacher at Mill Creek Middle School, with encouraging him to continue his service to the people of Southern Maryland as a delegate.

"Southern Maryland (Calvert & St. Mary's Counties) has gone through amazing changes in the last fifteen years. We need a delegate who lives & works in Southern Maryland. We need a Delegate who will look out for all the citizens, to protect & improve on our wonderful quality of life," said Davies.