Anne Arundel County Council District 5

A: My top priority is ensuring responsible growth in District 5 by maintaining and strengthening our Adequate Public Facilities (APF) standards. Growth must be matched with the infrastructure we need, roads, schools, and public safety, so our communities remain safe and accessible. That means making sure residents can reliably get in and out of our district while also preserving the environmental protections that make Anne Arundel County such a special place to live.

A: My top priority for the county is ensuring our budget reflects the real needs of our residents. That means investing in our workforce, including supporting our unions, while also strengthening our partnerships with the state so we can bring resources back to Anne Arundel County. By doing that, we can create pathways to good-paying jobs, expand access to safe and affordable housing, and build a stronger future for our families.

A: I view the council’s role as setting clear, consistent rules that allow for responsible development while protecting our communities. That means strengthening our Adequate Public Facilities standards and improving the permitting process so developers have a predictable path forward.

At the same time, we have a responsibility to ensure growth is properly planned, protecting our environment, managing infrastructure impacts, and preserving the character of our communities, including our agricultural areas. We need to make sure development decisions support our farmers and protect the long-term viability of agriculture in Anne Arundel County. Development should be thoughtful, sustainable, and benefit the long-term health of the county.

A: The county council serves as both a governing partner and a check on the county executive. Under the county’s charter system, the council is the legislative branch, it passes laws, approves the budget, and represents the interests of residents, while the county executive leads the administration and implements policy.

That means the council works collaboratively with the executive to move priorities forward, but it also has a responsibility to provide oversight, ensure accountability, and make sure decisions are in the best interest of the public. It’s a balance of partnership and independent responsibility.

A: I take that question very seriously, and I don’t believe in second-guessing individual votes without fully understanding the context, stakeholder input, and tradeoffs that went into them. That said, there have been decisions over the past several years where I would have approached things differently, particularly when it comes to how we manage growth. I believe we need to be very intentional about strengthening our Adequate Public Facilities standards, ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with development, and fully considering the impacts on our communities, including our agricultural areas. For me, it comes down to approach. I want to make sure we’re asking the right questions upfront and prioritizing long-term planning. We should be making decisions that are transparent, collaborative, calculated, and clearly tied to the needs of our residents.

A: My top legislative priority for my district is to help make it affordable to continue living here, by keeping our taxes lower, limiting increased unnecessary fees, and being thoughtful with growth so that we do not overstrain existing infrastructure. My top constituent priority is to continue to offer responsive constituent services to the residents of district 5.

A: To provide essential government functions, like adequate public safety staffing, high-rated public schools and sufficient infrastructure.

A: The council’s role is to both review and amend zoning code to modernize with today’s land uses. The council needs to carefully consider land policy decisions that balance both growth and existing infrastructure. I have been opposed to legislation that would create increased density in my district because I know the challenges we face with infrastructure in our immediate area of the county. We are also responsible for amending burdensome requirements that make it difficult for businesses and smaller-scale development, like single-lot construction, from being affordable. Our small businesses are part of the fabric of our communities and they can get bogged down and drained from the permitting and approval process.

A: The county council is the legislative branch responsible for laws that are enforced by the executive branch. We are both partners, and a balance to the executive branch. I have supported growth in the legislative branch in an effort to bring more parity with the executive branch.

A: I am very thoughtful in all votes I have taken and would not change any of my past votes.