VISION FOR CHARLES COUNTY

MAKE CHARLES COUNTY A PLACE TO:

WORK | PLAY | GROW

Charles County has long been called a bedroom community—a place where people live but travel elsewhere for work, opportunity and commerce.

I believe it’s time to change that.

My vision is to help transform Charles County into a self-sustaining hub for Southern Maryland—a place where people come not only to live, but to work, build businesses, educate their children and enjoy life.

We shouldn’t be building housing developments that send our residents elsewhere each morning. We should be building a county where opportunity lives here.

A county that is:

• A place people come to work

• A place families choose to raise their children

• A place entrepreneurs start and grow successful businesses

• A place people come to shop, gather and play

Charles County has the location, the talent and the potential to become the economic and community hub of Southern Maryland. With the right leadership, we can unlock that potential.

Colin Powell. I admire his disciplined leadership, commitment to public service and ability to lead with both strength and humility.

I would prioritize spending discipline and economic growth before asking Marylanders to pay more in taxes.

Maryland cannot tax its way out of a structural problem. We need a thorough review of state spending to identify duplication, administrative inefficiencies, underperforming programs and mandates whose costs are growing faster than our revenues. Essential services—including public safety, education, transportation infrastructure and programs serving our most vulnerable residents—should be protected, but every dollar should be tied to measurable outcomes.

At the same time, I do not believe responsible governing means adopting an absolute “no new revenue under any circumstances” position. If, after meaningful spending reforms and efficiencies, additional revenue is necessary to protect essential services, I would evaluate targeted proposals carefully. Any new revenue should avoid placing additional burdens on working families and small businesses and should not make Maryland less competitive with neighboring states.

Most importantly, we must address the other side of the equation: economic growth. Maryland needs more businesses, more jobs, a stronger tax base and greater private sector investment. Long-term fiscal stability will not come simply from deciding who pays more, it will come from creating an economy that generates more opportunity and sustainable revenue.

My approach is simple: reform first, prioritize essential services, grow our economy and consider additional revenue only when clearly necessary.

Maryland should stop prioritizing energy-intensive data center development at the expense of families and small businesses.

When residential energy rates are already rising sharply, it makes little sense to encourage projects that place enormous new demands on an already constrained electric grid. Data centers consume tremendous amounts of power, require costly transmission upgrades and can leave ordinary ratepayers carrying the financial burden. I do not believe that is a sound economic development strategy for Maryland.

Our priority should be lowering costs for existing residents and businesses, strengthening grid reliability and expanding dependable in-state energy production. Maryland should pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes nuclear power, natural gas, renewables, storage and other emerging technologies, while streamlining projects that can safely increase generation capacity.

The state should also demand greater accountability from utilities and PJM Interconnection, closely scrutinize transmission and distribution costs and ensure that infrastructure investments produce measurable benefits for ratepayers.

Economic development should make Maryland more self-sustaining. Rather than competing for massive data centers, we should strengthen farming, food production, manufacturing and other industries that create good jobs, support local supply chains and make Maryland less dependent on outside states for essential goods and services.

Our energy policy should put Maryland families first: lower costs, reliable power, stronger local industry and a more self-sufficient Maryland economy.

The General Assembly should address Maryland’s housing affordability crisis by making better use of the housing and infrastructure we already have before simply building farther outward.

Maryland should aggressively identify vacant, abandoned, deteriorating and underused properties and create stronger incentives to rehabilitate them and return them to productive use. We should also encourage the conversion of appropriate underused commercial properties into housing and make better use of surplus public property where it makes sense.

At the same time, we should streamline permitting and reduce unnecessary regulatory delays for new housing, especially starter homes, town houses and other attainable options for working families. Local governments should retain a meaningful role in land use decisions so that growth is supported by adequate roads, schools, utilities and public services.

I also believe Maryland should place greater emphasis on homeownership. Many working families can afford a monthly mortgage payment but struggle with down payments and closing costs. State programs should help bridge that gap and create more opportunities to build long-term family wealth.

My approach is simple: inventory first, infill second and new development where necessary. That allows us to expand housing supply while preserving farmland, protecting community character, revitalizing existing neighborhoods and making Maryland more affordable for the people who already live here.

The DECADE Act is a positive step, but it is not enough by itself to create the broad-based economic growth Maryland needs.

I support investing in industries where Maryland has a competitive advantage, including biotechnology, cybersecurity, quantum computing, aerospace and defense. These industries can produce high-paying jobs and help diversify an economy that has historically depended heavily on federal spending.

However, Maryland’s economic strategy cannot focus only on high-tech “lighthouse industries.” We also need to rebuild the industries that make a state economically resilient and self-sustaining.

That means expanding advanced manufacturing, food production and processing, agriculture, skilled trades, transportation and logistics and small business entrepreneurship. Maryland should make it easier and less expensive for employers to locate, expand and manufacture here by reducing unnecessary regulatory delays, improving permitting, strengthening workforce training and addressing high energy and housing costs.

We should also better connect high schools, community colleges, apprenticeship programs and employers so Marylanders can move directly into careers that pay family-sustaining wages without necessarily requiring a four-year degree.

The DECADE Act can help attract the industries of tomorrow, but our larger goal should be an economy that also produces more of what Marylanders need here at home. I favor a diversified economy built on innovation, manufacturing, agriculture, small business and a workforce prepared to compete.

I do not support a blanket ban on local law enforcement partnering with ICE.

Immigrant communities should be able to trust local police, report crimes, serve as witnesses and seek help without fearing that every interaction with law enforcement will become an immigration matter. That trust is important to public safety.

However, I also believe the state should not take lawful tools away from local law enforcement when they are dealing with individuals who have committed serious crimes or present a clear threat to the community. A blanket prohibition goes too far.

The better approach is to establish clear limits on when cooperation with federal immigration authorities is appropriate. Local police should remain focused on local public safety, not routine civil immigration enforcement. But when someone is already in custody for a serious violent offense, gang activity, trafficking or another significant public safety threat, local agencies should be able to coordinate with federal authorities when legally appropriate.

We can protect immigrant families from unnecessary fear while still allowing law enforcement to address dangerous offenders effectively. Those goals are not mutually exclusive.

Maryland’s policy should be based on public safety, due process and common sense—not an absolute rule that either requires local police to enforce federal immigration law or prevents them from cooperating under any circumstances.

Beyond the issues already discussed, I believe Maryland must focus on infrastructure, education and workforce development, public safety and government accountability.

In Southern Maryland, transportation remains a major challenge. Congestion, limited transit options and long commutes affect quality of life and economic growth. I would support greater investment in roads, regional transit and transportation planning that better connects Charles County to major employment centers.

Education must also do a better job preparing students for real careers. I support strong public schools, but we should place greater emphasis on career and technical education, apprenticeships, skilled trades, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and partnerships between schools, community colleges and employers.

Public safety remains fundamental. I would work closely with law enforcement, first responders, community organizations, and behavioral-health providers to reduce violent crime while addressing the conditions that often contribute to it.

Finally, Marylanders deserve a government that measures results. State programs should have clear performance standards, transparent spending and regular review so taxpayers know whether programs are actually achieving their intended purpose.

My goal would be to help build a Maryland where families can afford to live, businesses can grow, students can find opportunity, communities are safe and government is accountable for the results it delivers.