There is plenty of discussion these days about infrastructure - and here in Maryland's First District, we desperately need an upgrade for the next decade. We need new roads, bridges, and electrical grids. We need clean water, better sewage treatment, and predictable sources of local renewable energy. We need it all - and we need the leadership and vision to make it happen for our communities.

I'm the only candidate in Maryland’s First District who has actually managed major infrastructure programs around the world. We built schools, clinics, roads, solar facilities, and water systems for communities left behind and forgotten in the global economy.

Here is a story about just one of the many infrastructure projects I led as a senior American diplomat. But before I tell it, I've got to ask really quickly if you can contribute $20 to my campaign.

In the old City of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, I worked with American construction firms and local leaders to revitalize the city’s historic market, not far from Manger Square.

Mayor Vera Baboun, a Palestinian Christian woman leader from Bethlehem, wanted to create a better market so locals and tourists would shop, stroll, and enjoy the bounty of Bethlehem. We wanted to make certain that the two million annual visitors to this little village would have a chance to experience an authentic market and meet real, local vendors. The mayor and I got to work.

We knew that viable markets, local producers, and high-end buyers would help jumpstart the Bethlehem economy. We knew that more shops, more customers, more sales meant more jobs and household income for farmers, merchants, and artisans. We knew a better economy would lead to more opportunity for youth to stay in Bethlehem and build meaningful lives.

I believe that infrastructure can jumpstart economic growth - particularly in more rural communities. Here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, we can build the next-generation economy with our historic towns, dynamic seafood markets, and extraordinary human talent if we can just tighten the nexus to high-end markets along the Eastern seaboard and round the world.

I grew up in rural Maryland and I know we have the vision, smarts, and experience to shape our destiny for ourselves and our children. Join me as we forge our future and build our economy for the next American Century.

Can you donate $20 to my campaign today and join me?

-- Dave