Education:

            The excellence of our public schools provides our children with limitless opportunity and supplies our community with an asset that serves all residents. Investing in education not only serves our children now, but it guarantees our community a positive future. To maintain our current standard of excellence, we must first guarantee Montgomery County receives adequate funding from the state. 

As your State Delegate, I will act as a watchdog to ensure Montgomery County receives its fair share of funds from the state government.  This would include mandating the state abide by the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI), which recognizes the higher cost of education in Montgomery County.  Fully funding the GECI and the Thornton Plan will allow us to construct new buildings, improve existing structures, decrease class size and foster a stronger learning environment for our children.

It takes more than bricks and mortar to educate our children.  We must work to further improve teacher pension plans.  The state legislature took positive steps this session to improve the teacher pension plan, but there are significant improvements yet to be made.  We take pride in the quality of our school system, a direct result of great teaching.  A first rate school system with first rate teachers must have first rate benefits.

Health Care:

            Health care is not a privilege, it is a right of every citizen, and it is our responsibility to see to it that not a single citizen goes another day with the fear of a medical emergency sending them into a financial freefall. It is my goal to move Maryland toward quality universal health care coverage.

Seniors should not have to navigate a maze to get the care or prescriptions they need.  I will fight to simplify Medicaid and protect our seniors from insurance companies.  Our youth will have a mandatory buy-in into the system, and as they age, the choice of using state run health care will be theirs. We can create health insurance pools for small businesses so they can grow without outrageous insurance costs.

Large corporations must be held responsible for the care of their employees.  Legislation like the “Wal-Mart” Bill and mandatory reporting of employee coverage will ensure companies are not shifting the cost of care onto taxpayers through emergency room care.  This will be a long process, and we are behind, but we must begin moving in the direction of protecting all citizens, and we need to do it now.

Transportation:

            Everyone in the Washington DC area feels the effect of increased gridlock and continuous traffic problems. This in large measure is the result of years of neglect and a failure to implement a comprehensive transportation policy.  I will pursue viable options to solve our transportation woes through a balanced approach.

We can not pave over everything, we must seek options with a minimal affect on the environment, and alleviation of traffic congestion. We can not do it with roads alone; a significant increase in the transit program is the long-term solution.  I fully support the Purple Line and will seek full funding for that project.  Additionally, I would push for enhanced bus services along the Viers Mill Road and Route 97/Georgia Avenue corridors with an overall increase in transit services county and statewide. 

While the ICC just received the green light from the Federal Government and seems poised to happen, we need to assure that we minimize its impact both on growth and the environment.   For too long, land-use development has outpaced the required infrastructure.  Therefore, this road must not be allowed to trigger new, uncontrolled growth. Nine of the eighteen miles of the ICC will be in District 19, and I assure the citizens of 19 that I will work tirelessly to keep the ICC from infringing on our quality of life in any way.

Public Safety:

            I have committed my professional life to keeping our community safe.  I have seen first hand the horrible consequences of unregulated firearms in our neighborhoods.  That is why, as your delegate, one of the first pieces of legislation I will introduce will be a real ban on assault weapons in Maryland.  Our streets can not be completely safe with these weapons of death available, and I will not quit until we have removed all assault weapons from our state.

            Gangs are an increasing problem for our community, and a solution will require a multi-pronged approach. First we need proactive outreach to prevent at risk youth from joining gangs. Second, we must give the tools, such as racketeering laws, to law enforcement to combat these criminal organizations. Finally, we should seek mandatory sentences for those who engage in gang related crimes.

            I will continue to protect our children by seeking stricter sex offender registration laws.  These laws would prohibit registered sex offenders from being near a school, much like our current drug laws.  Not only should these sex offenders be registered, but to guarantee the safety of the community, the offenders must be properly and constantly monitored.

            Our elderly are particularly susceptible to crimes of economic exploitation.  I have seen the devastating impact on individuals as they are scammed out of their life savings.  I will draft legislation to mandate restitution in these cases and hold the offenders accountable through stiffer penalties.

Taxes:

            No one likes paying taxes, but the most important thing is that our tax system be fair and equitable so that we pay for the services we need in the fairest way possible. Those who make more should pay more, and so I favor a progressive tax structure. Our tax system should encourage social mobility and decrease the gap between the rich and the poor. We cannot balance budgets on the backs of the working poor.  

I will seek to close loop holes that corporations have been taking advantage of for decades. If a company is located in Maryland, employs Maryland citizens, and uses Maryland services, they will have to pay their share of Maryland taxes. These steps will ensure the highest quality public services, while further allowing people to invest in their own futures.

I will also fight for an increase in the minimum wage. The minimum wage is far from a living wage, and how a community compensates the people who do the heavy lifting for the rest of us is a sign of a community’s humanity.