Issues
Better Public Education
We must improve our public schools. All children must have a fair, strong chance to be prepared for college and employment. It’s in their interest and it’s in ours too, as a community and nation. Students who under-perform or drop out become alienated. Too often we lose the entrepreneurs and workers of the future, and they too often drift into criminal behavior.
Early Child Care and Parenting
Government is no substitute for what families should be able to do for themselves. But some families are less able than others, and children, for their own sake and for the wellbeing of our communities, must be assured a healthy, nurturing start.
Jobs and Economic Development
Good jobs and a productive economy are at the heart of almost all the good things that we want for our families and communities. Good jobs support strong families. On the other hand, the lack of good jobs – as a result of unemployment or underemployment – causes great stress on families while depriving them of the essentials of daily life.
Citizen and Neighborhood Participation
What any Delegate does is often determined by how the Delegate goes about doing the work. For me, the lifeblood of my campaign and my service as a Delegate will be the flow of ideas from neighborhoods and everyday citizens. Lobbyists can play a constructive role in shaping legislation. But they sometimes dominate the process, crowding out less organized and less well-placed voices.
Our Debt to Seniors
As a community and state, we do a lot for our seniors but not all that we should. Those who have worked so hard to create the world we enjoy and to whom we owe so much should be paid back with our love, our respect and a continuum of services that enable them to live vibrantly as they age. We are blessed that the community of seniors is increasing: the number of seniors over 85 has tripled in the last 10 years and will continue to grow dramatically. But their needs are multiplying too, and becoming more complex.
Protecting our Environment - Protecting Ourselves
We, our children and our children’s children are endangered by the many ways in which our air, water and land are being abused. We know that environmental risks are greater than ever and that failure to act will bring economic as well as environmental harm throughout Maryland. But the good news is that we know more about what we can do to combat the risk. Now we need the political will to do it.