Prince George’s County Council District 4

A: My primary focus as a council member will be improving the everyday quality of life for Prince George’s County residents in practical, measurable ways.

That means prioritizing affordable housing so families can remain in the communities they love, strengthening early childhood education so every child starts with a strong foundation, and expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare so no resident is left behind because of cost or circumstance. I will also focus on economic opportunity—supporting small businesses, workforce development, and job pathways that allow residents to build stability and generational wealth. Just as important, I will advocate for safer, more connected communities where seniors feel supported, youth are engaged, and families can thrive without fear or instability. My approach is rooted in listening first, acting with accountability, and ensuring government resources directly improve the lives of the people they are meant to serve.

A: The county’s funding commitment to public schools should remain a top priority because strong schools are the foundation of a strong community. Investment in education is not just a budget line—it is an investment in economic mobility, public safety, and long-term stability for the entire county.

At the same time, I recognize that the county must balance education funding with other essential needs such as housing, public safety, infrastructure, healthcare access, and social services. The solution is not to treat these priorities as competing interests, but as interconnected systems that strengthen one another.A responsible approach requires transparent budgeting, efficiency in government operations, and a focus on outcomes—not just spending levels. We must ensure that education dollars are reaching classrooms, supporting teachers, and improving student achievement, while also identifying areas where collaboration between agencies can reduce duplication and maximize impact.Ultimately, my approach is guided by accountability and equity: protecting strong investment in our schools while making thoughtful, data-driven decisions that ensure every county resident—students, families, seniors, and working people—feels the benefit of how public dollars are used.

A: As a council member, I believe accountability and investment must go hand in hand. Prince George’s County should continue to fully support our public schools, but funding alone is not enough—we must also ensure that those resources translate into measurable student success.

First, I would advocate for clear, transparent performance metrics that focus on student outcomes such as literacy, math proficiency, graduation rates, and college or career readiness. We cannot improve what we do not consistently measure and openly discuss. Second, I would support stronger collaboration between the County Council and the school system to ensure alignment between funding priorities and student needs. This includes regular public reporting on how resources are being used in classrooms, as well as identifying what is working and what is not. Third, I would encourage targeted investments that directly impact learning outcomes—such as early childhood education, teacher support and retention, tutoring and intervention programs, and safe, well-equipped learning environments. Finally, accountability must be paired with partnership, not punishment. Our educators and administrators need support, but also clear expectations and honest evaluation.

A: Prince George’s County must reduce its dependence on federal employment by building a more diverse and resilient local economy. That means attracting growing industries like healthcare, technology, education, green energy, and small business development so residents have more options close to home.

At the same time, we must invest in workforce development that helps federal workers and others transition into new careers by turning their existing skills into opportunities in the private sector or entrepreneurship. When layoffs or budget cuts happen, residents should have clear pathways to retraining, job placement, and business support. Most importantly, we must make sure opportunity exists right here in our county—so people can live, work, and thrive without having to look elsewhere for stability.

A: Immigrant families are part of the fabric of Prince George’s County, and public spaces like schools, hospitals, and county facilities should remain places where people can access services, education, and care without fear or confusion.

I support approaches that prioritize clear boundaries around the use of county resources, ensure due process, and build trust between residents and local government. When families feel safe coming forward for healthcare, schooling, or public services, the entire community becomes stronger and more stable. Beyond legislation, the county can do more by strengthening “know your rights” education, expanding access to trusted legal aid resources, and ensuring community organizations are equipped to help residents understand their protections and responsibilities. Clear communication and community trust-building are just as important as policy. At the heart of it, my focus is on ensuring Prince George’s County remains a place where every resident—regardless of background—can live safely, contribute fully, and access essential services without fear.

A: The data center task force should be used as a guide to help the Council make informed, responsible decisions—not just as a report that sits on a shelf. It should shape clear rules before projects move forward, so we are planning growth, not reacting to it.

We have to take energy, environmental, and community impacts seriously from the start. Data centers can bring jobs and investment, but they also affect electricity demand, water use, land, and nearby neighborhoods. Those impacts should be fully understood before approval—not after. Most importantly, residents should have a real voice in the process. Growth should never come at the expense of quality of life. The goal is simple: welcome progress, but do it in a way that protects our communities and ensures the benefits are shared fairly.

A: Yes—data centers can play a role in Prince George’s County’s economic development, but that role must be thoughtful and well-managed.

They can bring significant private investment, increase the county’s commercial tax base, and create construction and technical jobs during development and operations. In some cases, they also help position the county as a player in the growing digital and technology economy. However, they are not a complete economic strategy on their own. They must be balanced with their real impacts on energy demand, land use, infrastructure, and surrounding communities. If we pursue them, we should do so with clear standards—ensuring they use sustainable energy practices, contribute fairly to the local economy, and do not place undue strain on residents or public resources. So yes, they have a place—but only as part of a broader, diversified economic development strategy that prioritizes long-term sustainability and community well-being.

A: Housing affordability is one of the most urgent issues facing Prince George’s County, and we need a multi-pronged approach that increases supply while protecting existing residents.

First, I would support policies that incentivize the development of true affordable housing—through tax incentives, public-private partnerships, and requirements that ensure a meaningful percentage of new developments are accessible to working families, seniors, and first-time homebuyers. Second, we must preserve existing affordable housing stock. That means investing in housing rehabilitation programs, protecting residents from displacement, and strengthening tenant support resources so people are not priced out of their own communities. Zoning reform also has an important role to play. Thoughtful zoning changes can allow for more mixed-use and mixed-income development, especially near transit corridors and job centers. However, these changes must be balanced with community input to ensure growth does not come at the expense of neighborhood stability or quality of life. Ultimately, the goal is simple: more housing people can actually afford, in communities where they can live, work, and stay rooted.

A: My priorities are simple and clear: 1) Make the County more affordable for everyone, starting with the seniors who helped build it—by reducing Metro Access fares for medical appointments; 2) Fully support our public schools by ending the expectation that teachers pay out of pocket for classroom supplies, fixing school transportation instead of blaming parents, and restoring funding for specialty education programs; 3) Enforce our zoning laws so development strengthens our communities—not just developers’ bottom lines.

A: First, the County should continue to commit to real maintenance of effort as a starting point. Second, ensuring the efficiency of business systems, and high standards for performance of both classroom instructors and administrators remains key to attracting quality teachers and keeping middle class families enrolled in the system—we cannot survive without these families well rooted and engaged. From the County Council, a serious push to follow up on ongoing performance audits will pay off in the long-term. The goal is to ensure all taxpaying families (AKA all families) are getting the best bang for their buck. The system cannot afford to lose any family all are precious and should be treated with the care they deserve. Finally, our Delegation in Annapolis fights valiantly each year to ensure our kids get their fair share from the State of Maryland, the Council’s role is to be focused on supporting classroom instruction, doing what we can to generate funding for the successful specialty programming which did so much to attract and keep families in the system. Proper operation of the school system keeps families engaged and it keeps those same families investing in our local economy.

A: Pursuing persistent performance audits ensures a transparent and consistent review of where the system fails to meet the needs of our children and the quality educators needed to achieve excellence. In the past, the County Council was able to present the inciting communications which lead thorough performance audits. It’s been nearly a decade since the County Council successfully pushed through the Continuous Business Process Improvement Study (2016). The Council should consider another.

A: I believe that the County’s Economic Development Corporation, FSC First, and Employ Prince George’s are currently equipped with the internal tools necessary to guide newly separated former federal government employees towards new lives and skills—what is necessary (and perhaps missing) is the funding commitments from government and private partners to lift our local workforce toward their next chapters. Prince George’s County is rich with human capital and the Council can play a role in accentuating these attributes by committing to fund the existing programming which guides new entrepreneurs and trains them to be able to open doors to the next level of capital needed to grow their private enterprise. A diverse economy has to start by looking inside. Simultenously, the display of a disciplined, efficient and productive local government can help the County compete for the larger enterprises needed to scale up local employment and support the volume of tax receipts needed to support a health PGCPS.

A: Federal agents swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment is clear: no agent should enter or search a resident’s home without a judicial warrant. Our local government cannot rewrite federal law, but we can set firm boundaries, demand accountability, and use every tool available to protect the civil rights of our constituents. In a county as diverse and interconnected as ours, roving street activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) create fear and instability that ripple far beyond any single enforcement action. Already, our own public safety officials are encountering law-abiding residents suffering in silence, hesitant of reporting domestic abuse due to fears of triggering federal deportation actions. Federal actions are not making our communities safer or more prosperous; they merely spread terror, hamper our economic activity, and is another clear example of the federal government spreading policies of immiseration in black and brown communities.

A: Energy and infrastructure equity are essential. Transparency in development processes matters. To me, any proposal for new data centers should be tied to clear sets of minimum requirements for the use renewable energy. Further, developers and operators should be required to pay their fair share toward grid upgrades, while and the State of Maryland should, by then, have entered into long-term agreements with utilities to avoid costs being shifted onto the heads of residential and low-income ratepayers. Additionally, community benefit agreements and project labor agreements should guarantee that certain amounts of local hires and enumerated levels of unionized labor participation as standard. Any new project should support workforce pipelines for local residents, job training in related building trade fields including renewable energy infrastructure development and operation. Finally, certain amounts should be paid directly into community solar grid programs, as well as contributions made to existing environmental justice and public infrastructure project funds.

A: Prince George’s County does not have to choose between economic growth and community health. The voice of the people is clear: no new data center should be authorized without clear, tangible protections and benefits for existing communities. Health and environmental protections must be strengthened.

A: Keep our Right of First Refusal program and the managing DHCD funded to protect the occurrence of NOAH at critical development zones within the County. Explore the use of accessory dwelling units in certain zones to increase the number of available livable units near development zones. Broaden the use of rent control for unsubsidized senior housing units.