Maryland House of Delegates District 10

A: I would take a balanced approach by tightening spending, closing loopholes, and protecting working families. On spending, I’d support agency reviews to cut duplication, reduce administrative costs, and leave nonessential vacancies unfilled, while protecting core services like education, healthcare, child welfare and public safety. On revenue, I’d start with fairness by closing corporate tax loopholes and ensuring large multistate companies pay their share. I would prioritize targeted, progressive options over broad tax increases. I would also support targeted increases on luxury or higher-income activity before considering broad-based taxes that hit working families. We also have to grow our way forward by investing in jobs, workforce development, and revitalizing commercial corridors to strengthen the tax base over time.

A: The three most pressing issues facing Maryland are the cost of living, strengthening public education, and expanding economic growth and opportunity. Families are feeling real pressure from housing, utilities and everyday expenses, so we have to focus on lowering costs where we can and making sure wages and opportunities keep pace. At the same time, we need to fully fund and strengthen our public schools by investing in early literacy, modern facilities, and directing resources to the students and communities that need them most. Third, we have to grow our economy by investing in workforce development, supporting small businesses, and revitalizing commercial corridors so we create jobs, expand opportunity, and bring long-neglected properties back into productive use.

A: Lowering the cost of living starts with focusing on the biggest pressures families are facing. I would strengthen oversight of utility rate increases so residents aren’t asked to carry costs that should be borne by companies, and push for energy policies that protect ratepayers while expanding efficiency programs that lower bills. I would also back policies that raise wages and expand access to good-paying jobs, including apprenticeships and career pathways in high-demand fields. I would also support targeted tax relief and consumer protections that help families keep more of what they earn while preventing unfair pricing practices.

A: The state should protect the core promise of the blueprint, not abandon it. That means prioritizing what most directly helps students: early literacy, Pre-K, special education, community schools, educator recruitment and retention, and college and career pathways. Before rolling programs back, I would support responsible adjustments to timelines, stronger oversight of implementation costs, and closing corporate tax loopholes to generate fair revenue. We should be honest about costs, but we cannot cut our way to better schools. The goal should be to sustain the blueprint in a way that is fiscally responsible and focused on results for students.

A: Voters should measure my performance by whether I’m focused on the long-term well-being of our community. That means three things. First, am I solving real problems and moving meaningful legislation forward — especially on stronger schools, economic revitalization, and responsible stewardship of public resources? Second, am I building consensus and bringing people together? Voters should see me working with colleagues, local leaders, and community organizations to deliver durable solutions. Finally, am I strengthening public trust? That means being accessible, communicating clearly, and making decisions grounded in evidence, fairness, and the long-term interests of Maryland families. If residents can say their representative worked with integrity, delivered thoughtful solutions, and made a real difference in their daily lives, then I’ve done what I set out to do.

A: In 2025, I was pleased to co-sponsor HB 1014 - Fair Share for Maryland Act of 2025, which sought to restructure our tax code to ensure everyone pays their fair share. While we may have made changes to state income taxes, which seeks to close income and racial disparities, there is still more work to do. I support strategies such as combined reporting, closing corporate tax loopholes, closing the LLC loophole, and other strategies that will help generate revenues in our state. Paired with revenues, I believe our state must continue to find opportunities to make cuts that would lead to better horizontal integration, streamline processes, and reduce duplication of efforts.

A: Access to affordable and high-quality childcare; ongoing presence of immigration enforcement in our communities; rising costs of utilities.

A: One of the significant costs Marylanders are facing are prescription drugs. In 2024 and 2025, I was pleased to be one of the lead co-sponsors of legislation that expanded the authority of the first-in-the-nation Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Recently, the board set upper payment limits on Jardiance, which is estimated to save state and local governments $320,000 a year and $9 million to $16 million a year for private payer markets when upper payment limits are expanded to everyone. As a member of the House Health Committee, I look forward to engaging with our Prescription Drug Affordability Board and other key stakeholders to expand access to quality, affordable healthcare.

A: As we continue to implement the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, we may need to raise new revenue that will ensure we’re meeting the goals, expectations, and needs of our students, educators, and public school community. After completing a full and independent evaluation of the Blueprint, we will have the information on what was successful and what efforts were not implemented to determine how we move forward and make adjustments. Until then, we must remain committed to implementing the blueprint.

A: My job performance should be reflective of how I serve constituents through my legislative record, responsiveness, constituent case work, presence in community, legislation I have sponsored and support, advocacy for our district, and accessibility.

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A: Better quality of education, reduce crime, and control high costs for running small businesses.

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A: The programs should be held until the state has money to pay for it without any new taxes.

A: I have an excellent record of providing constituent services and remaining responsive to the needs of the voters after getting elected for the eight years I was a member of the House of Delegates.

A: Maryland’s structural deficit requires a balanced, disciplined approach and not quick fixes that create larger problems down the road. As Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Appropriations Chair Ben Barnes have emphasized, we must maintain a structurally balanced budget, protect our reserve funds, and avoid one-time solutions. At the same time, we should take a targeted look at spending. We must prioritize programs that deliver results, eliminating duplication, and making adjustments where outcomes are not being achieved, while continuing to invest in core areas like education, workforce development, infrastructure and public safety.

We also need to grow our economy in a way that strengthens the state’s revenue base without overburdening working families. That means supporting small businesses, improving access to state contracting opportunities, and positioning Maryland to compete in high-growth sectors. Ultimately, closing the gap will require a combination of disciplined spending decisions and thoughtful consideration of revenue options, guided by fairness, economic competitiveness, and long-term fiscal stability. In addition, fiscal prudence in an uncertain economy requires us to continue to make investments in our reserves. Keeping and attracting citizens in Maryland is essential to growing our tax base and economy.

A: One of the most pressing challenges we face is the impact of federal policy decisions on everyday life in Maryland. Trade instability from tariffs to strained relationships with allies is driving economic uncertainty and raising costs for businesses and families. At the same time, aggressive immigration enforcement and threats to critical safety net programs are placing additional strain on our most vulnerable communities. These aren’t abstract issues, they are directly affecting household finances, economic stability, and quality of life across our state.

A second challenge is affordability. The rising cost of living is putting real pressure on Maryland families. Housing prices and rents continue to outpace wages, and utility costs, particularly energy, have become a major strain on household budgets. We need to increase housing supply, preserve affordability, and address the drivers of high utility costs so people can stay in their homes. Third is economic opportunity and pathways to wealth. Many Marylanders are concerned about whether they can get ahead. That means expanding access to good-paying jobs, strengthening workforce development, supporting small and minority-owned businesses, and ensuring fair access to capital and contracting opportunities. Long-term stability depends on creating real pathways to economic mobility across every community.

A: I would focus on lowering the cost of living by advancing policies that expand attainable housing, increase access to affordable childcare, and reduce utility costs, especially by promoting more local energy production and energy alternatives like small modular nuclear and battery storage and driving inefficiencies out of the system. I would also advocate for targeted relief for working families and stronger pathways to higher-paying jobs so Marylanders can not only keep up, but get ahead.

A: The question of whether to raise new revenue or roll back the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is premature. We first need a clear understanding of the out-year costs and a disciplined review of implementation before making structural decisions.

I would focus on identifying sustainable funding mechanisms, improving efficiency, and evaluating the pace of implementation while preserving the core goals of the blueprint. Any decision on revenue or program changes should be data-driven, transparent, and balanced with our responsibility to both students and taxpayers. In addition, we should be looking closely at the outcomes from our investment. Early results from the blueprint show progress, particularly in expanded access to pre-K, increased investment in teacher pay and recruitment, and additional resources for high-poverty schools to provide wraparound and extended learning supports. At the same time, implementation remains uneven, and long-term outcomes like improved student achievement will take time, making it critical that we continue evaluating results while ensuring the investments are being deployed effectively.

A: Constituents should judge my performance by the results I deliver, both in policy and in leadership. That includes the legislation I’ve championed, such as advancing justice reforms, like protecting minor victims in our court system, juvenile justice reforms, ensuring due process in immigration enforcement, expanding pathways to build and protect generational wealth through Transfer on Death deeds, strengthening oversight and transparency in state procurement, and supporting small and minority-owned businesses through increased access to state contracts. These are concrete efforts that I led which reflect my focus on fairness, opportunity, and accountability.

They should also evaluate my leadership and presence in the community. As chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and the Criminal Law Subcommittee, I’ve been entrusted to lead on complex issues and deliver outcomes. Just as importantly, I measure success by how well we serve people directly, helping constituents navigate state government, bringing resources back to the district through capital investments like Reisterstown Main Street revitalization, and advocating on local priorities that improve quality of life. Ultimately, my performance should be judged by whether I am producing real, measurable results for the people I represent.