<div><div dir="auto">Councilwoman Dixon --</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Thanks so much for this overview. I've participated in one of the legislative committee meetings and the most recent Council meeting -- and have been really impressed with the willingness of councilmembers to offer up those platforms (and many others) for feedback.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I've actually offered critique of the process in the opposite direction -- even leaving one committee meeting frustrated that there has been *so* much process that it's been slow and laborious. Any claim that this legislation is being pushed through without input is simply *very* far from the truth.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I look forward to seeing this proposal continue to move through the legislative process, and am grateful for your leadership in shepherding it through.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">-Heather (Ward 1)</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div>On Fri, Mar 30, 2018 at 12:50 PM Marsha D. <<a href="mailto:ehmteadee@gmail.com">ehmteadee@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Fellow
residents --<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Though I
generally tend to stay off of TownTalk as a councilperson and interact with
this list primarily as a resident, it was brought to my attention that
yesterday a resident posted to this list excerpts of a private email
conversation between the two of us regarding a piece of legislation I have
proposed. And while I have no issue at all with residents holding me
accountable to my sworn duties as the elected representative of Ward 1, I do
take issue with posting excerpts of a conversation in order to mislead
residents of this town.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">One of my core
values <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline">–</span> both personally and in my role as councilmember is transparency – and
I have done everything possible to move legislation regarding voter expansion
through the governance process with 100% transparency. To email this list with
portions of a conversation in order to make it appear that I have operated with
anything other than full transparency is not simply a mischaracterization --
it's not aligned with a democratic process.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I recognize
that the resolution on voter expansion stirs up a plethora of emotions in Town
residents. I have received feedback ranging from residents who are in full
support to those who have been so angry that it has caused them to scream at me
and point in my face. As a public figure, I have chosen to put myself in a
position to listen to residents who may find my decision-making controversial
at times. However, I implore everyone in this Town to maintain respect, honesty
and integrity with in our correspondences — even, and maybe even especially,
when we disagree.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Over the past
few months, I have made a concerted effort to ensure that full
transparency has been provided in the proposal regarding voter expansion that
is currently before the Council. In addition to notifying residents in various
issues of the Town Crier, Town staff posted the Legislative Committee agendas
publicly and I also tweeted to encourage residents to attend the committee
meetings in order to provide feedback and ask questions about the resolution. I
have used various mediums to receive feedback and answer questions from Town
residents regarding the legislation -- including e-mail, phone calls, informal
conversations at Town Center Market, and more. In fact, many residents
have attended the meetings we've publicized and have offered feedback, and I
have made alterations to the proposed legislation in accordance with that
feedback.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">During the
first Committee meeting, we spent hours discussing the legislation and
listening to feedback from residents. To give legislative committee members and
residents an opportunity to mull over and understand the legislation, the
committee waited two weeks before holding its second meeting on the
legislation. During the second meeting, residents were again given an opportunity
to provide feedback to the committee members and have their questions answered
-- which many residents also participated in. The proposed legislation was the
only item on the meeting agenda and the meeting lasted over three hours.
Minutes were taken at each of these meetings and I have made very clear to
residents who have reached out to me, regardless of their position on the
proposed legislation, how to access those minutes -- including to the resident
who wrote this list yesterday, which he left out of his excerpts. At the most
recent work session, the full Council heard feedback and answered additional
questions from residents.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I continue to
encourage residents to provide feedback on the proposed resolution to
councilmembers and ask for your patience in receiving a response. All
councilmembers serve the Town in a <u>very</u> part-time capacity while
balancing full-time jobs, family, and other commitments. But I know that all of
my colleagues will agree that we will all respond as quickly as we're able, and
will strive to be clear about the timeline for response that's realistic for
us.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">I will continue
to make myself available to residents who wish to offer feedback on this
proposed legislation and on other Town matters. I continue to believe in this
Town, and it continues to be an honor to serve on the Council.<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Sincerely,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Councilwoman Marsha Dixon</span></p><div><br></div><div>
<span></span>
<p class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s1" style="font-kerning:none">----------------------------------------------------- </span></p>
<p class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s1" style="font-kerning:none">Councilwoman Marsha Dixon, Esq.</span></p>
<p class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s1" style="font-kerning:none">Riverdale Park, MD - Ward 1</span></p>
<p class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-p2" style="margin:0px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica;color:rgb(4,46,238)"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s2" style="font-kerning:none;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Phone: <a href="tel:%28301%29%20531-4230" target="_blank"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s3" style="text-decoration:underline;font-kerning:none">(301) 531-4230</span></a> </span></p>
<p class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-p1" style="margin:0px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;font-family:Helvetica"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s1" style="font-kerning:none">website: <a href="http://www.marsha4ward1.com/" target="_blank"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s4" style="text-decoration:underline;font-kerning:none;color:rgb(4,46,238)">www.marsha4ward1.com</span></a> | Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/cbh726" target="_blank"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s4" style="text-decoration:underline;font-kerning:none;color:rgb(4,46,238)">@</span></a></span><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s3" style="text-decoration:underline;font-kerning:none">marsha4ward1</span><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s1" style="font-kerning:none"> | Facebook: <a href="http://hyattsvillelife.com/meet-the-2015-candidates/www.facebook.com/cbh.hvl" target="_blank"><span class="m_-8591507055497288628gmail-s4" style="text-decoration:underline;font-kerning:none;color:rgb(4,46,238)">www.facebook.com/</span></a>marsha4ward1</span></p>
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