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VOTE411 Voter Guide

Frederick County Council District 1

DUTIES: The Council is the legislative branch of County Government. Members of the County Council pass legislation, appropriate money to fund the capital and operating budgets, set county property and other local taxes, and make planning, zoning, and subdivision decisions. The Council makes appointments to the offices, committees, and commissions that report to the Council. It also exercises oversight over County programs. Council members have the power to initiate legislation. Legislative sessions are limited to 45 days yearly and non-legislative sessions as needed.TERM: County Council members serve for for years and no more than three consecutive terms.SALARY: $35,000 per year with no benefits.HOW ELECTED: The seven-member County Council consists of five members elected by district and two elected at-large.

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  • Candidate picture

    Jenn Alcorn
    (Dem)

  • Candidate picture

    Louisa Conklin
    (Dem)

  • Candidate picture

    Frank J. Hollewa
    (Rep)

  • Candidate picture

    Eric Smothers
    (Dem)

Biographical Information

How has your education and life experience prepared you to serve on the County Council?

What is your position on legislation regulating the placement of data centers in Frederick County and the provision of the electric power that they require?

What legislation would you support to address the rising cost of housing in Frederick County? How do you understand the role of local government in protecting renters from sharp rent increases, and under what conditions (if any) would you support rent stabilization as part of a broader housing strategy?

Considering the current federal actions by ICE, what actions, if any, should be taken to protect undocumented immigrants and people of color living in Frederick County?

What approach would you take to improve sustainability in Frederick County and to address disasters that may result from the current effects of climate change?

Campaign Website http://www.jennalcorn.com
Campaign Phone 301-748-5525
Campaign Email jenn@jennalcorn.com
Campaign Instagram jennalcorn4frederick
Campaign Mailing Address PO Box 31
Walkersville, MD 21793
My experience in hospitality and Human Resources, combined with more than 20 years of community involvement in Frederick County, has prepared me to serve with a collaborative, solutions focused approach. As a Leadership Frederick graduate and volunteer with organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Mental Health Association, and Frederick Tourism Council, I have developed a strong understanding of community needs. Currently a college student, I continue expanding my knowledge to serve.
Frederick County has established regulations for data centers, including zoning limits, setbacks, environmental protections, and requirements for sufficient electrical capacity before approval. I support maintaining and strengthening these standards to ensure facilities are located in appropriate industrial areas, protect neighborhoods and the environment, and align with the county's long-term planning and infrastructure capacity while expanding the commercial tax base to ease residential taxes.
Frederick County's Housing Needs Assessment shows we must expand housing supply and preserve affordable homes. I support policies to encourage diverse housing types in designated growth areas, strengthen workforce and affordable housing programs, and build partnerships with nonprofits and responsible developers. Local government should ensure fair protections for renters, such as clear lease terms and advance notice of rent increases, while supporting policies that maintain housing availability.
Frederick County should ensure all residents can safely access county services, regardless of immigration status. Local government should support language access in programs and forms, provide outreach so families feel safe using health clinics, schools, and housing programs, and maintain clear policies that county services do not require disclosure of immigration status. These steps protect civil rights and strengthen trust between residents and local government.
Frederick County must strengthen sustainability by protecting farmland and natural resources, encouraging renewable energy in appropriate locations, and improving energy efficiency in county operations. Implementing the Community-Wide Climate and Energy Action Plan will help reduce emissions. To prepare for climate impacts such as flooding and stronger storms, we should improve stormwater management, protect drinking water sources, and invest in resilient infrastructure.
Campaign Phone 2015323072
Campaign Instagram @CountOnConklin
Campaign Mailing Address 822 E A St
Brunswick, MD 21716-1708
My New Jersey public school education prepared me to graduate from Johns Hopkins with Honors ('06). I know the value of great public schools like ours, and will advocate with my full chest for a fully funded FCPS. I rented for fifteen years before I bought my first home in 2022 with my husband, and I'm ready to fight for tenant protections and affordable housing. I've used public transportation in the few major cities I've lived in for the 20 years I've worked, and still rely on the MARC.
I am opposed to the expanded data center overlay and to the use of land within rural preservation areas to build data centers. I believe data centers should have to supply at minimum 70% of their own power via renewables. If elected to office, my first action would be to introduce legislation to reverse the approval of the expanded overlay and approve the roughly 1600 acre site recommended by the county’s Planning Commission.
Frederick County needs rent stabilization, and we also need the state to enable us to enact good cause eviction. I'm concerned that the solutions for affordable housing we will see put forward will be developer-driven and market oriented. We can make improvements to zoning and permitting to make it faster and cheaper to build, but the county will need to play hardball to get developers to actually build the truly affordable housing our residents need. I'm prepared to hold the line on that.
Remember what it was like during quarantine, when we couldn't leave our homes, see our friends or family outside our household, send our kids to school? We have neighbors going through that because they are worried they'll disappear, or their kids will be taken. Whatever it takes, we need to ensure our sheriff's office is compliant with the reversal of 287(g). We need to support the organizations on the ground helping immigrants, and we need to keep working on building a more humane future.
Five years ago a group of experts put together the CRRR, a roadmap for cutting greenhouse emissions by 50% of 2010 levels by 2030/100% by 2050. A follow up report, the CEAP was released last year. We have good goals and a solid plan to achieve them; what we need is follow through. We need to weave cutting emissions and cooling our cities into every county decision we make; we need to keep thinking and talking about 2050- we can't throw our long term vision away for economic expediency right now.
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