Keep Ron Young in Annapolis

Frederick News-Post Letter to the Editor

I have known Sen. Ron Young since I relocated my business to Frederick from Ellicott City in 1973. It was a time when throughout the country businesses were abandoning city centers and fleeing to the suburbs. Empty storefronts and vacant older buildings were plentiful, and Frederick city was no exception. Fortunately, Frederick had just elected a mayor who brought new energy and vision at a critical time, and so Frederick escaped the wrecking ball and resulting demolition of historic and architecturally significant buildings that was occurring in so many older cities throughout the country. Ron’s determination, vision and effective leadership as mayor of Frederick ignited a transformation that galvanized local support, attracted national attention, and soon became a model for downtown revitalization — all done without destroying existing historic and architectural fabric in a city noted as being one of the finest naturally preserved Federal Period cities in the United States.

Further, his leadership following a devastating 1976 flood when Carroll Creek overflowed its banks and caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage to downtown businesses and properties, enabled a visionary plan which turned the often unruly stream into a landmark linear park with adjacent development sites that over the following years has resulted in redevelopment and new buildings in the center of the city totaling several hundred million dollars together with hundreds of new employment opportunities, all of which was accomplished with only very minor demolition of existing historic buildings or disruption to existing businesses.

Today Carroll Creek is not only a major tourist destination bringing thousands of visitors into our beautiful city from all over, it is also an important economic engine for all of Frederick County. Much of the prosperity enjoyed today in Frederick can be traced to initiatives taken during Ron Young’s time as mayor.

Later, as our senator in Annapolis, Ron Young’s record of accomplishment and success has been hugely important in facilitating the public-private partnership that will likely result in the long-awaited and much-needed downtown hotel and conference center that when built will become a magnet attracting each year tens of millions of dollars into local businesses and providing hundreds of permanent employment opportunities for local citizens.

Clearly, over and over again during the last five decades, Ron Young has proved that he has the leadership ability to consistently produce solid results that benefit our community.

Past performance is always the best predictor of future results. We need to keep Ron Young where he is.