Breezin’ Through June: Your Monthly Newsletter

June 14, 2022 0 Comments by Team McCray in Blog

June 2022

Dear Neighbor,

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the start of this beautiful summer season! It has been quite a while since I’ve sent an in-depth update, so I am overjoyed to share with you some recent developments and events that have taken place over the past month.

As a proud alumnus of Baltimore City Community College, I was honored to have served as keynote speaker for the institution’s 73rd Commencement Ceremony. I truly treasure my past experiences at BCCC. Coming home to deliver words of wisdom and motivation to the graduating students was such a great privilege. I would like to share the message I delivered with the Class of 2022: stay resilient, stay inspired, and always believe in yourselves. If you’d like to watch the recorded highlights of the ceremony, please click here.

I had such an amazing time speaking at the 2022 Patterson Highschool Senior Farewell. I was overjoyed to celebrate the accomplishments of our city’s students—they have a boundless potential for greatness. I am extremely proud of all our high school seniors during this graduation season, most especially for sticking it out during challenging times and coming out on top. I look forward to their success. To read more about this event, click here.

I was grateful to serve as a guest speaker at the combined 75th-80th Christopher Place Employment Academy graduation ceremony. The COVID-19 pandemic threw several events off course, but it was great to witness these determined individuals receive the recognition that they deserve. If you’d like to see more pictures of this milestone event, please click here.

Baltimore’s youth are some of the most driven and talented people to grace this earth. I was fortunate to attend the 5th Annual Dream Big Essay contest, sponsored by the Lyric. The youth are our future, and the young people who performed truly exemplified just how well equipped and invested they are in becoming that. The speakers presented very well— touching on complex topics with spectacular articulation and message clarity. I was happy to have had the opportunity to experience this incredible event and eagerly look forward to what the youth presenters have in store for next year’s contest. For more on this, check out this article by WBAL-TV.

Many families in our city are experiencing grief from having lost loved ones. Providing support to remedy that pain is critical to rehabilitating the parts of our city that need change most. Organizations like Roberta’s House are major players in the mission of healing these communities. I am beyond grateful for the token of appreciation I recently received from them. I hope to see continued investment in this productive and impactful organization, and I look forward to supporting them.

I am pleased to inform you all that I will be running unopposed in the upcoming elections. Considering this, I am dedicating my time to supporting candidates who show promise and are passionate about serving the people of the 45th District. Last month, we hosted our coordinated campaign office opening in East Baltimore. It was great to be in the company of all those who showed up and made this event what it was meant to be: a gathering of a strong and engaged community. Follow the embedded links to see the photos and video recap of this event.

**Election Day is coming up on July 19th. It is imperative that you cast your vote to further support the change our city is seeking. I hope you will vote for Tom Perez and Shannon Sneed for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

As many of you know, there has been a continuous debacle between E-Z Pass and its customers. I am pleased to inform you all Senate Bill 59—the legislation I sponsored to address the debacle— has been signed into law. This measure guarantees the waiving of late fees stemming from lack of timely communication on the MTA’s behalf, as well as reimbursement to those who have already paid these fines. I am hopeful this law will bring relief to all those affected. Click here to read more about this.

Great News! The General Assembly’s efforts are blooming into fruition. A bill that I sponsored in 2019 requiring the Police Commissioner to redraw district lines is finally being put into effect. There is an urgent need to remap the district lines created over 50 years ago, as our city has undergone significant change. With this measure put into effect, the boundaries will soon reflect the Baltimore of today. Click here to read more about this development in a special by the Afro, and/or here for an article by Maryland Matters.

In closing, I am exceedingly grateful to serve such a vibrant and engaged community. As we enter the second half of the month, I look forward to the successes our District will cultivate. I will continue to work hard to bring forth progress and positive change to the 45th!