Maryland House of Delegates District 22

A: We can close the structural deficit by promoting fairness and equity in the tax code and making sure everyone is paying their fair share– including the ultra-wealthy and corporations. We could achieve this by closing the corporate LLC loophole, implementing worldwide combined reporting, increasing the state capital gains tax, passing a wealth tax on the ultra-wealthy, and empowering the Comptroller’s Office with the personnel and resources to crack down on tax fraud and under-reporting by wealthy individuals and corporations.

A: I believe that electoral reforms, the cost of living crisis, and guarding against federal attacks on our state’s most vulnerable communities are the most pressing issues facing Maryland. I have spent the last two decades of my life helping elect Democrats up and down the ballot, and my experience has shown me that how we select our leaders influences the policies that get passed or don’t get passed. That is why I support reforms like ranked choice voting, special elections for state legislative vacancies, and public financing for elections so that Marylanders always have a meaningful voice in who represents them. The current cost of living crisis has compounded problems for a generation of young people who have already endured multiple recessions while trying to graduate college, learn a trade, and begin their careers. The stark reality is that many traditional milestones of adulthood like buying a home or deciding to raise a family are simply out of reach for many folks. Lastly, we must continue to protect our most vulnerable members of our state– including immigrants, communities of color, and the LGBTQ+ community– from the continued attacks from the current administration.

A: If we are going to effectively tackle the affordability crisis, we must support a living wage. I support passing a $25/hour state minimum wage indexed to inflation so that we can get closer to achieving one fair living wage for all workers in Maryland. In addition, we must ban regressive commercial practices like electronic labeling systems and algorithmic rent price-fixing software that disproportionately impact working class families. Stronger labor protections, including expanded use of labor peace agreements and project labor agreements, can also prevent wage theft and provide workers a safe and structured way to voice pay concerns.

Utility costs in Maryland are skyrocketing due to corporate greed, unstable oil prices, and increased regional demand from data centers. We need better utility regulation coupled with green energy investments to make our homes, schools, and workplaces energy efficient and powered by renewable sources like wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and “green” hydrogen. We must also prioritize environmental factors, rising consumer energy costs, and local community concerns against any expansion of data centers.

A: The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future must be fully funded, and some of the tax reforms that I proposed in the first question could help raise revenue to ensure all components and programs of the education plan can continue. I support empowering local governments to raise additional revenue with progressive reforms that allow for variability in the property tax rate, like HB090 sponsored by Delegate Kris Fair. This will give local governments more flexibility in how they can raise revenue to fund services like public schools.

A: The quality of my office’s constituent services will be a metric by which voters can review my job performance. I began my career in political organizing because I wanted to improve the material conditions for my friends, family, and community. A large part of that work involves constituent services. Having managed constituent services for two congressional district offices in Maryland, I know what it takes to help constituents cut through bureaucratic red tape and find resolutions to a range of issues, including immigration, housing, taxes, social benefits, and veterans affairs.

A: As Maryland works to address its structural deficit, I believe revenue solutions should prioritize fairness and sustainability, ensuring we can continue funding public education, healthcare, protecting the environment, and essential supports for the families who need them most.I believe budget decisions should be tied to measurable outcomes. That means using data and program evaluation to ensure public investments are improving public health, supporting safe communities, and helping students succeed. We must be willing to assess what is working, make adjustments when needed, and ensure taxpayer dollars are delivering real results, which includes cutting funding to programs that are not performing.In addition to supporting combined reporting and closing the LLC loophole, I believe Maryland should pursue additional tax fairness measures that ensure the wealthiest individuals and large corporations are contributing their fair share while protecting working families. For example, I think we should consider a tax on corporate landlords who purposefully sit on vacant properties long term while writing off losses on their taxes while negatively impacting the community by keeping the property vacant.We must ensure that budget decisions do not disproportionately harm those who already face the greatest barriers.

A: I believe the top three most pressing issues facing Maryland are education, the environment, and economic opportunity.First, I am committed to strengthening public education by fully funding and effectively implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. We must ensure our education funding and policies are aligned with meeting the needs of every student while supporting and retaining our educators. This includes taking a thoughtful look at how technology is used in classrooms and expanding mental health supports so students can learn and thrive.Second, we must fight climate change and invest in protecting the environment. Climate change disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities, so we have to invest more intentionally in those neighborhoods to both ensure a long term healthy place to live and thrive, but also expand access to affordable housing, improve public transportation options and bike and pedestrian safety, and protect green spaces. These investments strengthen neighborhoods, improve quality of life, and create more equitable outcomes for families across our state. Finally, Maryland must expand access to opportunity and economic mobility. That means creating good-paying jobs and diversifying our economy, particularly as our state has recently lost thousands of federal jobs.

A: The state must invest in affordable housing, childcare, energy costs savings, and healthcare, all of which help reduce cost of living for Maryland residents. I believe we need to focus on the programs that have the largest return on investment for Maryland residents, because state resources are limited right now. We have to be creative and ensure state dollars are working as hard as possible to support Maryland residents in real and impactful ways.

A: The state should raise new revenue to cover the costs of the Blueprint, because it is so important to invest in our students at this critical time. However, I think the state should cut funding for technology in classrooms, including chromebooks for elementary age students. The data is clear that screen usage for young children actually harms educational outcomes, why are we continuing to spend millions on something we know is harming our students? With all state funding, we need to look at what is working and what is worth state investment, and how we can ensure responsible use of Marylander’s tax dollars.

A: I believe constituents should always expect their elected officials to be responsive, both to policy questions and for constituent services. I am always willing to listen to every constituent’s viewpoint and explain my position on an issue, and I will always strive to problem solve if there is an issue our office can help with in the district. I will prioritize constituent communication in my office, ensuring that we quickly respond to constituent concerns.