For Immediate Release:

August 17, 2010

Contact: Justin Ready (410-259-6561)

Justin Ready Receives Major Conservative Endorsements

Westminster, MD – Over the weekend, Justin Ready received word of two major endorsements in his campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates.  Ready was endorsed by the Maryland Republican Assembly, which promotes Reagan, conservative principles in the Republican Party, and Tripwire, a 2^nd Amendment rights organization.

“I’m honored to receive the endorsements of both of these great, conservative organizations” said Ready.  “These endorsements show the continued momentum our campaign has.  I’m so thankful for the support we’ve received.”

“Fighting for conservative values, from lower taxes to the right to life to protecting and expanding gun rights is the core of why I am running for State Delegate,” Ready concluded. “Carroll County residents can count on me to bring conservative change to Annapolis.”

"I have known Justin Ready since I was elected to the MD House of Delegates in 1998. He is a true conservative who understands fully the legislative process. Justin is READY to serve the good people of Carroll County without special interest. It is with honor that I fully endorse his candidacy for Carroll's next Delegate in District 5A."

- Former Delegate Carmen Amedori (R-5A)

Thank you Carmen!

July 18, 2010

Delegate Shewell Endorses Justin Ready for House of Delegates

Westminster, MD – On Saturday, Justin Ready received the official endorsement of Delegate Tanya Shewell in his campaign for the seat she is vacating in the Maryland House of Delegates.

“I enthusiastically endorse and support Justin Ready for the House of Delegates in this district,” said Del. Shewell.  “Justin is an energetic, principled conservative who will stand up for what’s right and will work tirelessly for Carroll County residents in the General Assembly.”

“Justin’s experience as both a small business owner and past experience as a staff person in both the House of Delegates and State Senate has prepared him to serve Carroll County.  I know he’ll do a great job for us in Annapolis,” Del. Shewell concluded.

“I’m honored to receive Delegate Shewell’s endorsement,” said Ready. “She has truly been a passionate and committed leader for Carroll County.  She’s shown that one person can make a difference for common sense ideas in Maryland,” Ready said.  “I’m running to continue her legacy of hard work and top-notch constituent service in Annapolis and fight to turn the tide back toward limited government and lower taxes in Maryland.”  

In  the six years Delegate Shewell served in the General Assembly, she fulfilled her campaign slogan of “Results not Promises” by sponsoring and passing five bills, helping to pass twenty-three Carroll Delegation bills, and helping to pass one hundred thirty bills she co-sponsored. Her work on the issue of responsible free newspaper delivery brought her national attention and was written about in the April 2008 issue of the magazine, State Legislators. She was appointed by the House Speaker to the Special House Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and served as Deputy Minority Whip from 2007-2010.

Justin Ready moved to Carroll County with his parents at age 11.  He attended Carroll Community College before finishing his education at Salisbury University. Ready has staff experience in both the House of Delegates and State Senate.  He also served as Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party.  Justin and his wife Ruth, a teacher, live in Westminster.  For more information visit www.justinready.com.

For Immediate Release:

June 14, 2010

Contact: Justin Ready (410-259-6561)

Ready Receives Major Endorsements in Race for House of Delegates

Westminster, MD – Today, the Ready for Delegate campaign announced two major endorsements.  House Minority Whip, Chris Shank (R-Washington County) and State Sen. David Brinkley (R-Carroll and Frederick Counties) announced their support for Justin Ready for House of Delegates in District 5A, which includes Westminster, Finksburg, Hampstead, and Manchester.

“I am honored to have the endorsement of these two great Republican leaders in the Maryland General Assembly,” said Ready.  “Sen. Brinkley and Del. Shank have stood strong for common sense, conservative principles against tough odds.  My message to the outnumbered conservative Delegates and Senators in Annapolis is – ‘Help is on the way’,” Ready concluded.

More endorsements will follow soon.  Justin Ready is a small business owner with staff experience in both the House of Delegates and State Senate.  He also served as Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party.  Justin and his wife Ruth, a teacher, live in Westminster. For more information visit www.justinready.com.

June 8, 2010

Six months ago, I announced my candidacy for the House of Delegates here in District 5A.  Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to talk personally with hundreds of voters about the need for new, energetic leadership for our county in Annapolis.  You may have seen me some mornings waving at traffic on the side of the road as well. 

Voters in this district will choose two State Delegates in the September 14^th Republican primary and November general election.  With Delegate Tanya Shewell’s retirement, there is now an open seat. 

I'm running for House of Delegates to make sure that Carroll County remains a place where families and retirees can afford to live and businesses can thrive.

As a small business owner myself, I know the struggle that businesses and working families face just to pay the bills and save for the future.

As your Delegate, I'll fight in Annapolis to expose wasteful spending and cut the fat from our state’s budget.  Maryland has one of the heaviest tax burdens in the country and we must relieve that burden.  I’ve joined Bob Ehrlich in calling for a repeal of Martin O’Malley’s 20% sales tax hike from 2007, and that will be one of the first things I work on if I’m elected. 

It’s also critically important that we lighten the load on small businesses, which create a large majority of the jobs in Maryland.  Every year, it seems, the General Assembly finds new regulations and fees to pass on to businesses.  With Maryland’s unemployment rate at a 20 year high, we need to be empowering entrepreneurs and business owners to hire more people, not finding new ways to squeeze money out of them.

Finally, I’ll make constituent service my top priority.  I will be visible and involved in the community and people who contact me will get a timely response.  I look forward to talking to as many voters as possible over the next few months.  For more information, please visit my website, www.justinready.com, and feel free to contact me directly at 410-800-4315.  Thank you.

Justin Ready

The writer is a Republican candidate for the House of Delegates in District 5A.

On Tuesday night, Delegate Tanya Shewell (R), one of our two delegates in District 5A, announced that she would not be seeking re-election.  Tanya is retiring and, along with her husband Ralph, plans to spend a lot more time with her family which is spread out all over the country, travel, and do more missions work.  She also said that she will be working to help elect more strong, conservative candidates to office in Carroll County and Maryland.

She made the announcement at the Carroll Republican Women's Club meeting.  I was scheduled to speak at the meeting and I wanted to repeat what I said about Del. Shewell to you.  I really appreciate her tireless service to our county and state.  Tanya was very helpful and kind to me, both in the past, and even during the early stages of this campaign, even though we were possibly going to be competing for the same office.  I wish Tanya, Ralph, and their family all the best.

This really throws the race for the House of Delegates wide open.  I expect we'll see some other people join the race.  Now is a great time to talk to your friends and family about this campaign and how we're working to bring energetic, conservative leadership to Annapolis.  We now have an even greater opportunity in this race and your support is critical in ensuring victory on September 14th and in November.  If you could click here right now and make a contribution of $10, $20 or even $50, it will help our campaign immensely.   We're making progress toward meeting our campaign budget but we're not there yet - so even a small donation will really help a lot!  

Thank you!

Justin

Campaign Update:

We're arriving at the end of May, three and a half months until primary day, September 14th.  Our campaign's effort at Hampstead Day was a huge success.  Thank you to everyone who came out to volunteer or visit.  We picked up a lot of new supporters and really had a great time meeting voters.  Now we are really headed into the crunch of the campaign, the summer time.  I'm going to be either door-knocking, making phone calls, and of course, sign-waving every day.

Now, what our campaign has to really focus on for the next couple of months, in addition to talking to as many voters as possible, is raising the rest of the funds that we need to implement our entire voter contact and advertising plan.  We're making progress, but have to stay focused. 

With that in mind, I want to invite you to our next campaign event on Saturday, June 5th.  Friends of mine are hosting a House Party for me in Westminster (Details below).  The cost to attend is a gift of $25 per person.  We're also selling sponsorships if you can give a larger contribution at the following levels: Sponsor: $100, Host Committee: $250.  Please click here to buy your tickets/sponsorship.  Even if you can't make it, any donation you can spare would be a big help as we work to raise the money needed to meet our budget.  I'm very confident that we will win if we have the resources.

June 5th House Party Details:

When: Saturday, June 5th - 6:00-8:00
Where: Home of Al & Shelly Bandy
1569 Hughes Shop Road
Westminster, MD 21157

Cost: $25 per person
Sponsor: $100
Host Committee: $250

Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 2nd
Click here to purchase your tickets.

Finally, there is one more date to put on your calendar.  The next Saturday, June 12th, is going to be our next big volunteer door-to-door effort.  We're going to be knocking in Westminster, meeting at 9:45 and going from 10:00-1:00.  Lunch will be provided as we conclude at 1:00.  If you are able to come during this time, or even give us an hour or two, it would be a huge help.  I'll have more details on this later.

Thanks for all you're doing to help our campaign!

May 9, 2010

The following is a letter to the editor that I've submitted to the Carroll County Times.  It is scheduled to appear on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.  As your Delegate, I will oppose any tax increases or new taxes and fight to relieve the tax burden on our families, businesses, and retirees.  In my own backyard, I'm joining with hundreds of other Westminster residents and saying "no" to raising city property taxes at a time when many are struggling just to stay in their homes.  Please join with me and if you have any questions or want to talk about this issue, you can contact me at readyfordelegate@gmail.com.  

-Justin

Constant Push to for Tax Increases Has Taxpayers Crying “Uncle”

Last week, I received a letter from Westminster City government detailing the mayor and council’s plan to raise my property taxes a whopping 43%.  This is after our water and sewer bills have more than doubled.  As I’ve been knocking on doors for my House of Delegates campaign, this has been a hot topic of conversation.   Maryland’s combined tax burden (state, county, municipal) is already one of the highest in the country.  People just cannot afford to give the government any more of their hard-earned money. 

The list of projects that the city wants to fund mostly seem reasonable, but why weren’t all of these problems (damaged roads, drainage systems, city building repairs etc.) built in to previous and future budgets?  The mayor’s letter documented how revenues have increased 23% in the last ten years – but expenditures have doubled over that time.   Why?  There was no explanation. 

Westminster is not a large city and the municipal government has a relatively small list of responsibilities.  The idea that residents are going to have to pay $39 a month (not annually, monthly!) or more is unacceptable.  We can’t afford it.  This is not a small fee increase or a one-time assessment – this additional expense will be the last straw for many homeowners who are already struggling.  This is precisely the reason that Maryland as a whole is losing families, retirees, and small businesses to other states – and losing revenue as a result.

The common response of politicians when we complain about taxes is: “We have to pay for the services you greedy taxpayers demand”.  Well, we taxpayers never get the opportunity to turn down any services, especially in Maryland.  The government just assumes that we want them to always do more.  How about giving people a real choice - higher taxes or reduction of some services?  Or, do the most urgent project or two now and spread the others out over the next two or three years.  My fellow Westminster residents and I will survive the delay, I promise!

Justin Ready

Westminster, MD

I'm very honored to announce that I've received the endorsement of Red Maryland, the leading conservative blog in the state.  Brian, Mark, and the other guys involved have been on the forefront in exposing the ridiculous left-wing policies being enacted in this state and calling for Republicans to stand strong and make a difference by sticking to conservative, free-market principles.  

Red Maryland also is a real go-to site for campaign and policy news.  Be sure to bookmark them!

You can read their endorsement statement by clicking here.

-Justin

Campaign Kick-off Picnic a Big Success

I just wanted to update you on the progress our campaign is making in a very important area - fundraising.  While I'm never satisfied, we are certainly on the right track.  This weekend's campaign picnic was a really fun time in Westminster City Park.  I want to thank everyone who came out or contributed to the event.  You helped make it a big success, both in terms of money raised, visibility to the others at the park, and distribution of our yard signs and bumper stickers.

This campaign is moving forward at a fast pace and we need everyone who has a little time, can give a little money, or spread the word to their friends and neighbors to do so.  We'll have more coming out soon about volunteer opportunities.  Be sure to also check the front page of our site for the campaign calendar to see where our team and I will be in the coming weeks.

Can you display a yard sign or place a bumper sticker on your car?  Want to help with our door-to-door effort or write a letter to the editor of our local papers about the Ready campaign?  Go to the Contact page to contact me directly or volunteer.  And, click here if you can make a donation of any size to help us continue our momentum and pay for the advertising it will take to win this race. 

Thank you for your strong support! 

Justin

New, Energetic Leadership for Carroll County

I just wanted to share my campaign's latest press release with you...I'm calling for a repeal of Martin O'Malley's 20% sales tax increase, which has not just harmed businesses in Carroll County, but has lead to dropping tax revenues.  I'm joining Governor Ehrlich who has called for a repeal as well.  I'll be speaking on this subject at the Westminster Tea Party this Thursday evening at 6:30 PM.

-Justin

Ready Joins Ehrlich in Call for Repeal of Sales Tax Increase

Will Make Tax Reduction Top Priority 

Westminster, MD – As members of Maryland’s General Assembly convene for the final day of the 2010 Legislative Session, Justin Ready, Republican candidate for Delegate in District 5A – Carroll County, joined Governor Bob Ehrlich in calling for a repeal of Martin O’Malley’s 20% sales tax hike from 2007.  “Maryland’s oppressive tax burden has wreaked havoc on our state’s economy and deeply hurt our families, retirees, and small businesses,” said Ready.

“I commend Governor Ehrlich for taking a strong position at his campaign announcement to repeal the sales tax increase and, in the House of Delegates, one of my first actions will be to support legislation to do just that,” Ready continued.

“With a sales tax that is generally higher than any of the four states bordering Maryland, our state’s businesses are at a competitive disadvantage.  Businesses in my district are among the hardest hit because of our close proximity to Pennsylvania, where clothing and food purchases are not taxed,” Ready said.   “Sales tax revenues have steadily dropped since O’Malley and the current Maryland General Assembly passed a 20% increase in 2007,” he concluded.  “A sales tax reduction will actually help turn our economy around and lead to greater revenues.”

Justin Ready will be speaking on this topic at the Westminster Tea Party on Thursday, April 15^th. The event is from 6:30-8:00 PM.  For more information visit www.justinready.com.

Below is a press release from the House Republican Caucus with statements from Minority Leader Tony O'Donnell and Minority Whip Chris Shank.  The Democrats in Annapolis have an insatiable appetite for spending and raising taxes.  I applaud the House Republicans for trying to amend the budget to insure that there would be no new taxes over the next four years.  As a signer of the "No New Taxes" Pledge, I have promised the voters of District 5A that I will reject any attempts to increase the tax burden as their Delegate.  My goal is to to lessen the state's crushing tax ball and chain by any means necessary.

Governor Ehrlich's entry into the race against Martin O'Malley underscores our need for strong, energetic conservative leaders who will stand up for families, small businesses, and retirees who are being persecuted and often, have to leave Maryland to make ends meet.  You can count on me to join great conservatives like Del. O'Donnell and Del. Shank in the fight.

Justin

House Republican Caucus:

House Democrats Vote to Support Tax Increases  

ANNAPOLIS – House Democrats today made their appetite for future tax increases very clear.

House Minority Whip Christopher Shank offered an amendment to the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (SB 141) that would have expressed the intent of the General Assembly not to raise, expand, or create new taxes over the next four years.  This amendment was offered after a series of Republican-sponsored amendments to reduce the budget and eliminate the structural deficit were rejected.

“It is clear from the debate on the budget and rejection of our amendments that there is no political will in the General Assembly to truly reduce spending,” said Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell.  “Our budget analysts have told us that we are at the bottom of the barrel and there are no more funds to raid.  If spending is not truly reduced, taxes are the Democrats’ only option.”

“It is time to level with the citizens of Maryland,” said Delegate Christopher Shank.  “While tax increases will not be pursued this year, rejecting this amendment makes it clear that the Democrats in the General Assembly plan to raise taxes after the election - just as we saw in 2007.”

The amendment was rejected 39-94.

February 24, 2010

Last night, I had the opportunity to speak to a new group forming here in Carroll County, the Teenage Republicans (TARS).  This is a statewide organization with chapters in many counties and it is exciting to see one getting started here in Carroll.

Engaging students and young people is so important for our party and our state.  We often don't give conservative teenagers the tools they need to effectively persuade their peers and, respectfully, debate teachers who are attempting to indoctrinate.  They certainly don't get much encouragement.

I spoke to the TARS about the importance of getting involved and encouraging them to pursue their goals.  Also, we talked about some of their concerns and why I was running.

I'd encourage any young person or parent of a politically interested young person to consider getting involved with this group.  There are going to be a lot of local campaigns (including this one!) where the opportunities to volunteer and get great experience are limitless.

My campaign is all about bringing new energy, new leadership, and fresh ideas to Carroll County and Maryland.  I look forward to working with the TARS and other groups to make Maryland a place where families and businesses can afford to live, not have to leave.

For information on Carroll County TARS, feel free to contact me and I can put you in touch with the adult advisors.

January 29, 2010

Ready Officially Files to Run for House of Delegates

Promises Energetic, New Leadership for Carroll County

Westminster, MD – Yesterday in Annapolis, Justin Ready officially filed his statement of candidacy for the House of Delegates in District 5A with the State Board of Elections.  “In the short time since I announced, my campaign has received an outpouring of support,” said Ready, a Westminster native and small business owner.

“Carroll County residents are eager for new, energetic leaders that will fight for us and for our shared conservative principles.” Ready continued. “Maryland is currently swimming in debt and a crushing tax burden is forcing families to leave Carroll County and businesses to re-locate or shut down altogether.  It's easy to just assume that nothing can be done to turn the tide of out-of-touch, anti-taxpayer policies.  We must reject that complacency!” 

“When the right leaders step forward, ready to work tirelessly, we can bring about real, lasting change,” Ready said.  “I’m running to make a real difference in Annapolis and turn the tide back toward limited government and lower taxes in Maryland.”