I am running because District 34B needs a strong, proven conservative voice that will stand up for our community in Annapolis. I am concerned with the rising cost of living, rampant fiscal irresponsibility, attacks on public safety and overreach from Annapolis forcing local communities to permit overdevelopment out of step with the character of our neighborhoods. As Bel Air town commissioner, I have the proven record on balanced budgets, fully funding the police and fighting overdevelopment that we deserve in our next delegate.

President Ronald Reagan inspired a great counter-cultural conservative revolution in this nation that brought us back from the brink of socialism. We revived the American spirit and reminded us that liberty is never more than one generation from extinction. We are learning that lesson once again in Maryland as our current leadership threatens to bankrupt our state and fundamentally alter our communities.

The Reagan Revolution was ushered in, in large part, by the energy and courageous spirit of the youth of his time, and it is that spirit which I hope to help renew among young Marylanders who want to save their home and preserve it for their children.

Nothing about this governor's "strategy" for dealing with his spending addiction has been "mixed." While the governor might claim to be cutting costs, we know that when Annapolis says "cut," they mean "pass down to local government." In other words, the size of government doesn't shrink, and the tax payer still picks up the tab.

The only thing on every legislator's mind this coming session should be getting Annapolis' spending problem under control, and that means reigning in irresponsible programs like Blueprint and other entitlement obligations that threaten to bankrupt the state over the next several years. Our fiscal condition was designed to fall off a cliff on July 1, 2027, just after this election year. Voters cannot afford to return the same politicians who created this mess back to Annapolis to fix it next year. We know they won't. The only way that our children won't be saddled with crushing down and worthless credit is by immediately and aggressively cutting programs that we simply cannot afford. I would never vote for a budget that grows government by more than the cost of living or refuses to reckon with impending financial crises, as this past year's budget failed so miserably to.

Maryland cannot crucify itself and its ratepayers and upon the cross of renewable energy targets. While some in Annapolis are prepared to sacrifice the most vulnerable Marylanders, who cannot afford to heat and cool their homes, upon this altar, I am not. Maryland must immediately begin transitioning decommissioned coal-fired plants to natural gas with due regard to minimizing downtime in generation. We must further invest in natural gas infrastructure and in building the groundwork for modular reactors around the state, or a single major expansion to our existing nuclear infrastructure. Only through efficient alternatives like natural gas and nuclear power will Maryland be able to achieve these goals without thrusting the state into rolling blackouts.

We must get serious about investing in real generation, not unreliable fads like wind turbines and solar panels that have a larger environmental impact to manufacture than they will ever offset in their operating lifespan. Generating goals and green energy mandates are policies set by bureaucrats and politicians; they are arbitrary, negotiable. The ability of Marylanders to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer is not.

First and foremost, land use is and must remain a local issue. I am highly suspect of any policy Annapolis might entertain under the guise of "housing affordability" that is really just an attempt to subvert the authority of county and municipal elected officials to represent their constituents and their views on overdevelopment, infrastructure and the character of their communities.

Instead, Maryland can tackle its housing affordability crisis by tackling its overall affordability crisis. By decreasing the cost of energy, raw materials and labor in the state, Maryland will decrease the price of the final product. There is no silver bullet to be fired here, and it certainly should not be fired directly into the heart of small towns and rural counties like ours that are just trying to preserve their communities. Instead, it will take a long, concerted effort to turn Maryland back around and put the focus back on affordability overall. That means getting government out of the way and out of people's pockets, cutting reckless, inflationary spending and ending costly regulations.

The nine scariest words in the English language: "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help." The governor seems to have fallen hook, line and sinker for the lie told by career politicians and bureaucrats that wealth is created in committee hearing rooms and legislative chambers instead of on job sites and sales floors. The government's role in "job growth" is to reduce its interference, not to delude itself into thinking that it is a vital part of the economic engine that drives this state. People create jobs and wealth. The government creates obstacles. It's our job as legislators to remove as many of those obstacles as possible to make our communities more prosperous.

The General Assembly has erred greatly in halting the critical 287(g) program, which permitted cooperation between local corrections and federal law enforcement, removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities. I will fight to restore this critical program to keep all Marylanders safe. Marylanders of all backgrounds deserve to feel secure in their own communities, and I will fight for policies to hold criminals accountable and keep our families safe.

Law enforcement officers at all levels of government need more tools to do their job, not fewer. My record is for fully funding and fully supporting the Bel Air Police Department, and, as a state legislator, I will always have the back of those who stand in the breach for us every single day.

As I've mentioned above, my experience as a local elected official has been greatly instructive. Local government is where the rubber meets the road. It's where trash gets collected, criminals get arrested, streets get paved, snow gets plowed and people's voices get most heard. The rising tide to increase financial burdens on local governments while stripping them of responsibility and authority over their own backyards is a recipe for disaster. As state delegate, preserving local control will be one of my foremost priorities. When Annapolis looks for opportunities to punish places like Harford County and Bel Air for standing up to its harmful agenda, I will be there, standing in the way, speaking up for our neighborhoods and communities every single time.