My Fellow Citizens:

When I began running for public office, I had three main goals:

• To preserve our agricultural heritage
• Water conservation, and
• Transparency (open-government)

I came into office with a desire to create an atmosphere where all citizens are served in a fair, friendly and civil manner. When I was a little girl, government was there to serve the people. For a period of time that attitude changed. I am proud to say we have turned the tide again and County government has moved from closed to open.

In my current term, I have been able to make plans and strategies for the future. Many of the things we planned have been built. There is much more to do. We are currently working on the next Master Plan, which will set the direction for economic development, residential growth and public facilities for years to come.

I support the creation of reservoirs, and working with the towns to maintain their water supplies. We need to protect the quality of water we drink, and ensure that we do not grow beyond the water supplies we have.

Through my involvement with the National Association of Counties, I was able to bring home a free prescription discount plan that is available to all citizens. Since it came to Carroll in 2005, our citizens have saved over 1.7 million dollars at no cost to the County. We now have over 1,000 participants county-wide. I am currently working on a discount dental plan that will help all county residents save on dental care.

I believe that County government must always be as efficient as possible, and we must do all we can to minimize the cost to all citizens while providing necessary services. We have established the Senior Tax credit in order to make it possible for senior citizens to stay in their homes. We improved the homestead tax credit by lowering the cap from 10% to 7%, as a way of reducing the effect of escalating home values. In 2011, we will lower the cap to 5% to save citizens even more.

I have been at the forefront of the planning and negotiations for Senior and Community Centers. I am so pleased to see the wide usage of the North Carroll facility. I helped negotiate a long term lease of this building at far below current market values. We just recently opened the new center in South Carroll, and are already seeing great attendance there.

As a seventh generation Carroll Countian, it is my goal to protect our rural heritage by preserving farmland. Many years ago we set a goal of 100,000 acres in preservation. We are now approaching 60,000 acres. This is beautiful farmland that will not become residential development that requires schools and other spending for infrastructure.

For your awareness, our local Delegation has decided that as of 2010, Carroll County will move from a three Commissioner Board to five. Commissioners will be elected by district, each receiving one vote. You will now be voting for ONE Commissioner. To view the new districting map, please visit http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/topics/redist-map/comm-district-map.pdf. To view a brief video clip regarding the change, visit http://ccgovernment.carr.org, go to the Video and Agendas icon on the left hand side and type "Districting Map" in the Search Box. You will find the clip at the bottom of the screen.

Because of these changes, I will need your support to continue to make Carroll County a great place to live, to work, and to play. After all, it is your government.

Sincerely,

Julia W. Gouge

My husband, Jesse, and I have been married for 51 years. We are the proud parents of four children and nine grandchildren

We have also been the parents of four foster children and sponsors for three foreign exchange students. We are active members of Shiloh United Methodist Church.

As a family we have been active in our church, volunteer organizations, civic organizations, 4-H, and Boy Scouts. I personally have been a 4-H Leader and an active member of the Federated Woman’s Club, Soroptimists, extension Homemakers and Lioness Club. The love and cooperation of my family have made my life in public service possible.

If you would like to help my campaign, either financially or by working with the campaign team, please call me at 410-239-3119 or send your check to:

Friends of Julia Gouge
444 Lees Mill Road
Hampstead, MD 21074