Endorsed by:

The Baltimore County Community PAC

seeking to promote community based responsible redevelopment and preserving rural agricultural and urban open spaces.

This is the most important race ever for the County and our district.  Four of the seven council seats are open & one’s hotly contested.  With the potential for real change, developers are funneling significant amounts of money into this race. This distorts our political process.

We can continue on the path drawn for us by the powerful or we can choose a straight honest path to take back our county.   If you’re concerned about this issue, I’m your candidate and need your help.

As a business owner, I am definitely a friend of business. I understand the need for economic growth and the important role that developers play in the success of our district. I am, however, deeply concerned about the extent of developer influence over land use decisions and the impact their large financial contributions have on our elected officials and their decision making. Unfortunately, there are candidates in this race who are deeply indebted to developer funding. I believe, we need to level the playing field in our district so that everyone has a voice, not just those who can afford to pay.

Listening to the community to promote “reasonable development” while taking tens of thousands of dollars from developer interests are mutually exclusive positions. For that reason, I have pledged to take no contributions from developers or any other special interests driven by narrow economic concerns.
Not being beholden to development interests, I will encourage and support:

• Legislation for transparent standards regarding comprehensive and coordinated planning for responsible land use and development.
• Focusing development on sites that already have infrastructure in place and/or are near transportation hubs
• Required attendance of elected officials at public meetings regarding large developments that will have a significant impact upon the community
• Granting citizen groups the same access to and consideration by public officials as developers and encouraging candidates and officials to not be indebted to developer interests by accepting large sums for “war chests.” How bad is this problem? Click here to read a case study
• Speaking out against legislation sponsored specifically to benefit a development that has not received adequate community input. Click here to read my testimony recently offered in Annapolis.
• Decision making that supports our communities, courts, police and schools instead of undermining them in order to increase developer profits.

For more information regarding development and transportation issues check out these links:

http://friendsofmd.org/: 1000 Friends of Maryland is a wonderful organization that addresses a variety of land use issues. Rebecca met them while testifying in Annapolis in opposition to HB1161

www.cmtalliance.org: The Central Maryland Transportation Alliance’s top priority is the critical transportation crisis facing Maryland. Likewise, Rebecca met them at the testifying at the Senate in opposition to HB1161

http://catonsvillevoices.org : Catonsville Voices has been an active community participant suggesting caution towards Spring Grove re-development. They are an advocate for responsible land use of State owned land and realize that when open space is gone, it’s gone!