By Keith Gamboa
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Nearly 100 men and women who live at Oak Crest—joined by media representatives, Erickson staff members, and political aides—recently gathered at the community’s Crestview Hall Conference Room to hear Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley and Maryland Delegate Anthony Brown speak on issues important to older adults.

The event brought together a mix of Democratic loyalists and others, curious to hear what the Democratic ticket for Maryland Governor and Lieutenant Governor had to say.

To emphasize the importance of anticipating and meeting senior needs in the state, the mayor pointed out that in 2004, for the first time ever, the number of Marylanders over the age of 60 (859,326) exceeded the number of children enrolled in public schools (850,780). He went on to say that the number of people over 60 would increase dramatically in the years ahead as more and more baby boomers joined their ranks.

“Older Marylanders are the people that built and gave to us the quality of life that we enjoy in our state,” he said.

“And with baby boomers coming into their sixties . . . if we fail to make the adjustments and the investments necessary in order to handle this stage of our history—that’s irresponsible.”

The significance of O’Malley’s appearance was explained by Joe Gunzelman, chairman of Oak Crest’s Residents Advisory Council, which serves as a conduit for ideas and issues between residents and management.

“This brings to the attention of the folks here at Oak Crest the different parties that are vying for election,” Joe points out, “and gives them the opportunity to evaluate what they hear at this press conference.”

Tom Foster has lived at Oak Crest for nearly 11 years and was on hand to photograph the mayor’s appearance for the Village Voice, the community newspaper.

He observed, “We have our own voting precinct here at Oak Crest. With about 2,100 people here, we qualify for a precinct.”