Hey, hey.
Welcome back to Operations Unfiltered, the
podcast that takes you behind the scenes
of influencer and talent management.
I'm your host and your favorite marketing
project manager, girly Zuryna, and
today's a special segment that I like
to call Baltimore County Unfiltered.
It's where I break down what's
going on in our communities
without all the fluff or jargon.
So if you live, work, or spend
time in Baltimore County,
Maryland, this one is for you.
Let's get into it.
First up, I wanna talk about
summer meals for the kids.
You guys know I'm a big fan of anything
that supports families, especially
during the summer months when kids
don't have access to school meals.
Baltimore County Public Libraries is
stepping up in a big way, and from June
23rd through August 15th, they're offering
free meals for youth ages 18 and under.
It's happening Monday through Friday at
several branches across Baltimore County.
A couple things to note.
Meals have to be eaten on site.
So no grab and go options and
it's first come first serve.
So if this is something that
you, , a friend, a neighbor could
use, make sure you plan ahead and
be sure to check their website.
I'll put the link in the episode notes,
but for reference, it's bcp dot i nfo.
Bcp dot i nfo.
That's the best place to get a full list
of participating locations and the times.
Now let's talk redistricting.
This is a little bit more
complex, but it's super important.
If you've never heard
that word, redistricting.
Redistricting.
If you've heard that word and immediately
zoned out, please stay with me because
this directly impacts how you're
represented at the county level.
So here's what's happening.
I went over to baltimore banner.com,
the Baltimore Sun, W-J-Z-A-B-C,
Fox 45, all the things to collect
as much information as possible.
And essentially, Baltimore County's
redistricting commission has voted to
recommend a new map that would change the
current seven council districts into nine.
Why?
Because we voted for it last November,
we voted to approve the expansion of the
county council from seven members to nine.
So lines have to be redrawn.
And of course with any change, there's
a little bit of pushback and drama.
The proposed map that the commission
has come up with, creates two majority
black districts on the west side
of the community and two majority
minority districts on the east side.
With one more on the west, it
sounds like progress to me.
So that way there's equal
representation across the county.
But of course not everybody's happy.
To get more context on what's going
on and why certain council members are
not supportive of the proposed idea.
I reached out to District Five's,
Councilman David Marks, and
I specifically asked him what does he
feel constituents in Baltimore County
should know about the redistricting
or the proposed redistricting?
And he says, quote, the redistricting
process is required because of the
expansion voters approved last fall.
But the current proposal passed with
a narrow four to three vote from the
commission with the opposition from both
East Side and West side representatives.
So even within the commission we
can see that there's disagreement.
When I asked him specifically why
he opposed it, he said, end quote,
the proposal splinters communities
like Middle River and appears to
be driven by partisan purposes.
End quote.
That's a big claim, and whether
you agree or not, it highlights how
contentious redistricting can be.
We're not just moving lines on a map.
We're talking about who gets heard,
how resources get distributed, and how
communities maintain their identity.
So now the nitty gritty,
what does this mean for you?
Why is this important?
Especially if you live in Baltimore
County, work in Baltimore County.
Well, the new map is not final yet.
That's the first and most
important thing to note.
It still needs to go through the county
council, and that includes public
hearings where you can share your opinion.
A public hearing is scheduled
for July, and you can submit
written comments as well.
You just have to email county
council@baltimorecountymd.gov.
And if you're like me and just wanna
review the proposed map for yourself, I'll
include some links to articles that I've
read on Baltimore Banner, W-B-A-L-W-M-A-R.
I'll include those in
the show notes as well.
Honestly, if you're a Baltimore County
resident, this is truly your chance to
speak up before decisions are locked in.
Even if you've never emailed a
government office before, this
is a great time to start because
your voice truly does matter.
All right.
So that's it for this first episode
of Baltimore County Unfiltered.
But before I go, I wanna make sure
that I give you all the ways that
we can keep this conversation going.
So, for example, if you have a question
about something that's going on in
your specific district in Baltimore
County, or you wanna highlight or
raise a concern or complaint, send me
an email at info@livemoreagency.co.
That's info@livemoreagency.co.
Or shoot me a DM on Instagram
at Operations Unfiltered.
I'm here to break it down, filter
out all the noise and keep you
informed without all the fluff.
And if you found this helpful.
Go ahead and hit that follow button.
Share this episode with your network
like me on Spotify, apple Podcast, or
wherever you get your podcast from.
Until next time, thank you so much
for staying unfiltered with me.