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A thermal shirt under state Sen. Robert J. Garagiola's tan blazer was the legislator's only extra protection this past weekend as he visited with constituents at supermarkets around District 15.

Garagiola, a Democrat, spent the morning of Super Bowl Sunday passing out fliers to shoppers at grocery stores in Germantown and Poolesville. On Saturday, he visited two stores in Germantown. Next Saturday he will stand outside Giant Food stores in Cabin John and Potomac.

It's part of a yearly ritual that helps keep him in touch with constituent demands, Garagiola said.

Stretching from the Frederick County line along the Potomac River, District 15 includes Clarksburg, Darnestown, Germantown, Poolesville, Potomac and portions of Bethesda and Gaithersburg.

Garagiola and Matthew Bohle, a special assistant in his office, handed out pale yellow fliers that highlighted Garagiola's focus this legislative session on increased funding for transportation projects, the state's venture capital fund for businesses and renewable energy programs.

He also distributed a survey that asked residents to rank what budget items should be cut to close the state's $1.6 billion 2012 budget gap. Other questions included whether a medical marijuana program should be established in Maryland and if the state should allow or recognize same-sex marriage.

The two passed out about 50 fliers an hour. They already have 200 responses to the survey from an e-mail sent recently to supporters.

Garagiola said his reception at these events varies. Some shoppers decline to listen or take a copy of his paperwork, while others come out to the stores specifically to discuss a particular issue.

Carrie Laurencot of Boyds stopped at the Germantown event Sunday morning, to give Garagiola a stack of paperwork outlining her opposition to a private airstrip proposed in her neighborhood.

"I don't know if [Garagiola] can help, but as a resident and supporter of the Ag Reserve, I think it's something everyone should care about," Laurencot said. "This is a precedent-setting decision."

The County Council has set a hearing later this month to decide whether a special zoning exception that allows airstrips in rural areas should be reworked. The new exception stipulates that the flights would have to meet an agricultural purpose and could not be recreational.

The issue has caused her to be more politically involved, Laurencot said, and she intends to continue her interest in civic affairs even after it is resolved.

"I think it's important to support and meet with our legislators. We elected them," she said, gripping the survey that she planned to fill out online.

Last month's shooting at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson, Az., where six people were killed and 13 injured, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), had no impact on Garagiola's decision to continue the grocery store meetings, he said. He has been holding these events early in Maryland's legislative session for almost a decade.

"You can't hide in a shell because of what happened. Obviously, it was tragic and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, but we do need to go out and visit our constituents," he said. "For me, this is just what I've done for each of the eight other years I've been elected."

dgaines@gazette.net