Howard County Council District 1

A: My top priority is to ensure we are funding our schools and supporting our teachers and students. That means we fully fund our schools at historic levels. Like many families, my wife and I moved here for the world-class education. We have hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance and many students are learning in substandard conditions. In recent years the operating budget for education has also been underfunded. HCPSS is the jewel of Howard County, and I intend to treat it as such.

Closely connected to schools is walkability. I’m shocked at how many homes are within sight of the schools in District 1, such as Ilchester, Ellicott Mills, Elkridge Elementary, yet have no safe walking paths. We spend almost $75 million dollars a year on student transportation, and if we build sidewalk infrastructure near schools, we can connect communities and save money.

A: In addition to schools, my top priority for the county is to make sure that we live up to our legacy as a welcoming, diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. In order to be an inclusive county, we must be an affordable one. Jim Rouse, the founder of Columbia said he wanted to build a community where, “the janitor and CEO could live side by side.” Many residents are squeezed by lack of affordability, be it housing, energy, or childcare. Many of these issues come down to zoning and permitting, something the County Council controls locally. We can expand childcare access by allowing daycare centers in different zoning jurisdictions, thus giving providers and parents more options. In another example, because Howard County recently became a community solar developer, it can now sell energy back to the county residents. This increased energy supply drives down costs and makes it more affordable for residents to live here. We should be expanding energy production this way. Lastly, we don’t have a single reproductive health clinic in Howard County. This is an issue of equity for women and ensuring that all aspects of healthcare are available to all genders.

A: I was disappointed in the amendments made to the Housing Opportunities Trust Fund CR 40-2026 that restrict bonding authority to homeownership only. This severely limits the ability of the county to build affordable homes and limits options for working families like those employed by the county such as paraeducators, library shelvers, or childcare providers. The majority of affordable housing funding comes from federal tax credits, which are exclusively for rental housing. Not everyone can afford to buy a home, and that shouldn’t mean that they are pushed out of our community. Montgomery County has a nationally recognized housing program which has broad authority to fund homes; it has done so successfully for decades. We need to implement a similar program. A fund that makes an inclusive and affordable Howard County for all is still needed.

A: The County Council has an essential role in supporting education. In the budget cycle, the Council has the ability to restore funding in the superintendent’s proposed budget if the County Executive removes it.

I’m proud to be endorsed by the educators’ union. After having knocked on over 5000 doors in the district, the number one issue I’ve heard back from voters is support for our schools. As councilmember, there needs to be strong and collegial working relationships between the County Executive, Superintendent, and Board of Education. Councilmembers are very attuned to their communities and are often the first line of constituent services. Being able to reflect and represent their concerns is important for proper and appropriate funding decisions.

A: The next council will be implementing the general plan, HoCoByDesign. This plan means that the next Council will be conducting comprehensive rezoning, which is an important process for the county to manage and forecast growth as well as to address our housing shortage. Since much of our commercial real estate is vacant and many of our village centers are showing their age, both these areas are primed for revitalization. By redeveloping these locations with mixed use and residential, the county can address the housing shortage while preserving our environment and tree cover.

In order to ensure funding of our schools and great county services, we need to have healthy, sustainable economic growth. About 90% of our county revenue comes from property and income tax. Unfortunately, economic growth in Maryland is low at 2%, which is well below the national average. Combined with federal layoffs, this has led to increased budgetary pressures on the county. A housing policy that is focused on keeping our communities affordable to those currently residing here and to families who wish to call Howard County home is important in ensuring we have a resilient local economy that is not subject to uncertainties of the federal government.

A: I am running to represent District One on the Howard County Council, including Old Ellicott City, which suffered two devastating floods in 2016 and 2018. Given this well know history, anyone representing this area on the County Council must be committed to protecting our green and historic spaces.

On the Council I will protect these vulnerable areas from further development, and during the upcoming comprehensive re-zoning. I will also work to finalize and improve the County’s Safe and Sound program that provides storm water relief to OEC, including the newly dug North Tunnel. And while we should be taking steps to fix our affordable housing issues, I will not support efforts to try to address our housing shortage by eliminating green or historic spaces.

A: My top priority for the County overall is to fully fund our public schools. Our public schools are a huge asset for the County and on the Council I will fight to ensure public school funding is put back to pre-pandemic historical levels of funding.

In recent years we have increasingly asked teachers and staff to do much more with less. And for the past two years the school system has been forced to let go more than 100 positions due to the underfunded operations budget. We are also looking at millions of dollars in deferred maintenance at our aging school publics. Given this, it is clear our public school system is trending in the wrong direction, and we need an immediate course correction.Especially in light of the Trump administration’s economic chaos, we are going to need County specific solutions to generating revenue, and should focus on expanding our County’s economy by leveraging our highly educated population and proximity to two large metro areas.

A: Liz Walsh, District One’s current Councilmember, sponsored a bill (CB29-2025), which would have ended development waivers in the Tiber Branch Watershed, and provided greater protection to this most vulnerable area of our District.

Unfortunately, Councilmember’s Walsh’s bill failed, as she was the only member who voted for it. It is essential that we ensure the protections we put in place are followed and strengthened. While the newly created North Tunnel offers meaningful relief and safety for Old Ellicott City, we can not take its existence as a license to continue to destroy the natural safeguards that exist. We cannot expect to always be able to out engineer our problems, especially in the face of worsening global climate change.

A: The Council’s role in supporting education in Howard County is to work, alongside the next County Executive, to fully fund our public schools.

As a proud Maryland public schools graduate, I know the far-reaching benefits of a public-school education, and as the husband to a former Maryland public schools’ teacher, I know how difficult the job can be even in the best of environments. On the Council, I will consider my election to be a mandate from the voters to restore funding back to its historic levels to ensure the system is fully funded. Once elected, I will spearhead a majority of the Councilmembers to make our voices heard from the onset of the budget cycle that fully funding our public schools is a make-or-break issue in supporting the County Executive’s budget. And while we will work to fully fund our public schools’ budget, we must hold school system leadership, alongside the Board of Education, accountable for our tax dollars.And finally the Council should strongly advocate for an Elkridge High School to ensure that the Elkridge community has the high school it has long deserved.

A: The County should focus, through the upcoming comprehensive re-zoning and other measures, on allowing more moderate-income housing to be built in areas of the County that will not over stress our already over-taxed infrastructure. Simply increasing the supply of million-dollar homes will not impact of prices nor solve our affordability problem.

Likewise, I do not believe that getting rid of school overcrowding protections is a smart way to address our housing shortage. For two decades our local APFO law has put guardrails on out-of-control development. One-way APFO does this is through the schools question, which requires developments to wait four years prior to being permitted to build into overcrowded schools. Recently an advisory committee recommended ending the schools question, instead permitting developers to pay a fee and skip the wait. I sent in testimony before the Committee, and still believe, that this was a mistake, as it would lead to additional overcrowding, and would increase disruptive school redistricting. I believe we can solve our affordable housing problem while not worsening problems related to our schools and infrastructure.

A: My top priority for District One is making sure growth is matched with infrastructure so residents see real improvements in their daily lives. Many parts of the district have experienced rapid growth, but investments in schools, roads, sidewalks, and public facilities have not kept pace, creating challenges with capacity, traffic, and safety.

We need to move from reactive to proactive planning by aligning development decisions with infrastructure and delivering long-promised capital projects. That includes better coordination between land use and capital planning, and a focus on everyday quality-of-life issues like safe streets, reliable transportation, and access to community spaces.Residents deserve to see progress they can feel. My focus will be on accountability, delivering results, and ensuring that planning decisions translate into real improvements for our communities.

A: My top priority is to fully fund our schools. Education is the foundation of our community, and we must ensure that students, educators, and families have the resources they need to succeed.

This year, the County Executive’s proposed budget funds 99.3% of the school system’s request. That is a positive step, but it is not enough. We need to reverse the impacts of reductions over the past two years and provide consistent, predictable funding moving forward.We must also address the growing backlog of deferred maintenance in our school buildings. When repairs are delayed, costs increase and learning environments are affected. Taking care of our existing facilities is just as important as building new ones.By fully funding our schools and addressing deferred maintenance, we can protect the quality of education and ensure long-term stability for our community.

A: Rather than focusing on a single vote, I believe the county could have acted more proactively and strategically on school infrastructure and deferred maintenance. These needs have been known for years, while at the same time the county has had periods of strong revenue.

I would have pushed for earlier and more consistent investment to reduce the growing backlog in school maintenance and facility upgrades. Delaying these investments increases long-term costs and disrupts learning environments for students and staff.Going forward, we need a more comprehensive, multi-year, data-driven approach to capital planning, with clear priorities and accountability. My focus is on improving how decisions are made so we can better align resources with long-term needs and deliver results for residents.

A: The County Council plays a critical role in supporting education through funding, oversight, and long-term planning. While the Board of Education manages the school system, the Council determines the level of funding that supports students and educators.

That includes fully and responsibly funding the operating budget, investing in school facilities, and addressing deferred maintenance. The Council must ensure transparency and accountability so residents understand how resources are allocated and used.The Council also plays a key role in aligning broader county decisions with school needs. Land use, housing, and infrastructure decisions all affect school capacity. Close coordination with the Board of Education and Superintendent is essential to ensure that growth does not outpace our schools. Strong schools are the foundation of a strong community, and they must remain a top priority.

A: Howard County is experiencing a real housing shortage. We need to expand housing opportunities for young families starting out, seniors who want to age in place, and working families who want to live and work in our community.

The Council should support a mix of housing types, including more affordable options, workforce housing, and housing for seniors, so residents at all stages of life can find a place here. We also need to improve predictability and efficiency in the development process so appropriate projects can move forward.At the same time, housing growth must be aligned with infrastructure. Schools, transportation, and public services need to be part of the planning process from the beginning so growth does not outpace capacity.We also need to be strategic about where we build, focusing on redevelopment sites, activity centers, and areas near transit and employment. By coordinating land use with long-term capital planning, we can support sustainable growth that expands opportunity while protecting our communities.