District 1 voters have been presented with a clear choice: to vote for clear, effective, and responsible leadership or to be stuck with questionable practices and uninspired ideas. Clearly, we need principled leadership so that we can all move forward together in this county– we cannot let Howard County become the stomping grounds of a select few.
We are all proud to call this county and this district home. There is no reason to believe that our district cannot live up to the hopes we all have, whether we were born here or chose this amazing community to be our home. We all choose to live in this county because of our shared belief that it offers the best possible future for our families. However, there is much still to do in District 1. We must work towards a more responsible and transparent government that reflects the values of this community. We must recognize that unlimited taxing and pet projects are not the solutions we need. We need to invest in common sense job creation plans. We must strengthen our schools. We must ensure that this county is affordable for all residents, especially our seniors. We must move forward together.
We live in a great community but complacency is the enemy of progress. I believe together we can accomplish great things, but only if we challenge ourselves and embrace our diversity. There are small common sense solutions we can immediately accomplish but we also need to identify the big and bold ideas that make this district a better home for all. I have been blessed to start this conversation with you on the campaign trail but now, heading into the last month of the campaign, let’s focus even more on how we can renew our commitment to a brighter future for our families.
Every decision and action I undertake on your behalf as your Councilman will stem from these fundamental guiding principles:
1.) Empowerment Through Fiscal Responsibility – Our county and our district are strongest when we make commonsense investments for everybody, not a select few. This means that we live within our means, so that when making choices, we don’t continue down the path of being a county just for the wealthy. It is unreasonable to think that we can keep increasing taxes and fees. The status quo is straining our families. When our state can provide less assistance to the county and in light of stagnant wages, it is irresponsible to demand even more for projects for solely the wealthy and well-connected.
The politician that says “YES” to every request, racking up political points and questionable supporters, bankrupts our children’s future. We are charged with creating a balanced budget. Every dollar that goes to enforcing a nonsense regulation, a political favor, and an individual whim is one less dollar that goes to educating our children, fixing our roads, and attracting more jobs.
Our county government also needs to think of every resident, not a select few. We must make decisions factoring in the impact on seniors and others on fixed incomes. We also need to consider teachers, firefighters, and police who can’t afford to live in the county they serve. We must protect families (i.e. not have the county contribute to financial pressures) in all income classes, and we can never forget that the best anti-poverty program is ensuring that everyone can apply for a well-paying and secure job, not other half-measures.
Our community is empowered when we are responsible with our finances and make investments for all.
2.) Engagement Through Open, Honest, And Collective Dialogue- Too often in this county we are not having discussions incorporating our entire community. Diversity of ideas is essential to make sure the best concepts and solutions rise to the top on our priorities and are enacted. We can only make the hard decisions when we have the best possible conversation amongst all stakeholders, parties, groups, and neighbors.
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