Ehrlich on Washington column, December 22, 1996

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of December 22, 1996 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. CHRISTMAS IN THE DISTRICT The 1 996 holiday season is upon us. Whatever your faith or nationality, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, I hope you have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. December has been an especially busy month for me. Like many of your families, my wife Kendel and I have been doing some traditional holiday things. We bought Christmas presents and spent time with family members and friends. We even managed to drop by a few Christmas parties here and there. Most of my time, however, has been spent traveling around the district, making official visits and appearances. With Congress out of session until January, I want to use the extra time here at home to meet and get to know as many of you as possible. Here are a few of the things I have done over the past several weeks. On December 1 , at the invitation of the Essex Revitalization and Community Corporation, I attended the annual lighting of the Essex Christmas tree. It was a wonderful event, and I was pleased to participate along with Delegate Ken Holt, Councilman Lou DePazzo, and a host of other elected officials and community leaders. On December 12, 1 attended the 1997 Economic Outlook Conference sponsored by the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson State University. I participated in a panel discussion on business concerns along with Casper Taylor, Speaker of the Maryland House of