Is Garrett Forward for You?
We are Garrett County residents who are deeply concerned about the future of our families, our nation and our county. We believe in democracy and a government that truly represents the best aspirations of our citizens, not the narrow interests of the most wealthy and powerful interests, nationally or locally.
We don’t accept the notion that our best days are behind us. That is not the spirit of Garrett County where folks face tough times with resilience and community. That is not the spirit of hundreds of our county’s residents who fought slavery in the Civil War or fought fascism in World War II. That is not the spirit of the Garrett County Roads Department workers who struck for the right to form a union.
Some consider the current political polarization to be a permanent feature of our future. We disagree. Our county is full of neighbors helping neighbors. Civic engagement at the local level is still not only possible, but essential to overcoming our divisions.
The county’s majority, who work for wages, who staff the building and tourism industries, our schools, and our healthcare providers, face deep challenges. Many can no longer afford to live in our county. Our county is aging. Our seniors and many of our county’s children rely heavily on federal programs like Medicaid that are now being slashed in the name of fighting “fraud and abuse.”
We don’t claim to have all the answers to the problems we face. But we know progress only comes when we are willing to organize ourselves to make our voices and our votes heard. It is with this goal in mind that our members have:
- Increased attendance at bi-monthly meetings of our county commission.
- Initiated public discussions in local and social media on how federal budget cuts will affect citizens of our county, our retirees, our veterans, our workers.
- Successfully joined with others to push for our county commission to help fund out-of-county services for citizens requiring medical treatment at WVU or UPMC.
- Pushed for more economic equity in Garrett County by mobilizing to support increases in transfer taxes on high-dollar properties and increases in the accommodations taxes to benefit our county’s working families.
- Supported our postal workers who are faced with calls for privatization of their services and weakening of their unions.
- Joined with Indivisible, Mountain Maryland Voices, Garrett County Pride, and others across the nation to stand up for the rule of law and against any efforts to undermine the separation of powers, due process and civil rights that are the bedrock of democracy.
In these difficult days, it’s hard to find time to do everything that needs to get done to build stronger communities and neighborhoods, let alone a stronger nation. But each of us can do SOMETHING. If you agree. Join us. We need your experience, your intelligence, your creativity and your love for our community.