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.