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To encourage growth and maintain its rural character any development in the county should only occur where the existing infrastructure is not being over burdened. Too many of us in this county, must deal with excessive traffic that affects our everyday lives. Future planning must include smart growth planning to avoid this situation getting worse.
In addition, I strongly believe that our farmland, shorelines, wetlands and critical zones around Chesapeake Bay must be protected.
My top priorities are education, infrastructure, and public safety/health. It is essential to recruit and retain highly-qualified teachers. To achieve this goal, I would advocate for higher starting salaries for new teachers and pay increases for our veteran educators.
I would also like to work with the State to ameliorate our "at-grade" crossings on the 50/301 Corridor to make our highways safer.
In addition, I would like to open the Medical Adult Daycare that was closed in 2011.
It is critical to upgrade all wastewater treatment plants to enhance nutrient removal standards and to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus going into our waterways. A program that I support is Living Shorelines that provides habitat and filters run-off. Furthermore, I would vote to restrict development on areas of high environmental sensitivity and high-quality agricultural soils found throughout our County.
Finally, I would encourage the creation of several "round-abouts" throughout the County.
One of the most pressing issues facing this nation is the affordable housing crisis. This is true for our younger citizens who are often priced out of the current market. Unfortunately, Queen Anne’s County is not immune from this trend. I would explore grants like the Community Development Block Grant to fund housing studies and improvements. One innovation that many communities have used is public/private partnerships to increase the housing supplies.
One of the major deficiencies in the County is the lack of public transportation. Too many of our neighbors, especially senior citizens, are unable to access such essential services as grocery stores, medical care and county services. Although Queen Anne’s County does have a public transportation system, it needs to be expanded.
Our young people would benefit from community connectivity by creating additional bike/pedestrian pathways to connect our recreational areas throughout the County.
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I voted for the Kent Island building moratorium to study APFO impacts on schools, traffic, and sewer capacity. Slowing growth on KI is essential to our quality of life. The 2020 Comp Plan directs growth toward Sudlersville, where infrastructure costs are developer-funded. Up-county projects remain more affordable while preserving our agricultural "breadbasket" and maritime heritage. We are starting a multi-sports fields and business feasibility study up-county.
Growth, traffic, and affordability are the top issues. In my 3 years as Commissioner, D2
I have NOT voted for a single Tax increase on property, income, or business taxes. NOT One!!! My fiscal priorities:
1. Tax Stability: Opposing hikes despite state mandates.
2. Accountability: The BOE’s $12M over MOE request is unsustainable. They must negotiate with the ED & state rather than burdening you taxpayers.
3. Fiscal Responsibility: Up-county commercial development for jobs and attainable housing.
I have voted for every rural and farmland preservation initiative, including oyster restoration. I meet with MDE and EPA on upstream solutions at the Conowingo Dam, pushing the Army Corps to build sediment catchments and barrier measures to trap plastic bags, bottles, and debris before they hit the dam and enter the Bay. Regarding growth, I will scrutinize the upcoming APFO study to ensure it provides the strongest protections for our taxpayers, homeowners, property rights, and infrastructure.
As Commissioner, I will again protect our low-tax environment (2nd lowest property tax rate in MD). To increase workforce housing, I support using non-taxpayer funds to boost the MPDU program, providing first-time QAC buyers up to $50,000 in assistance. 2 developments currently have over 200+ new homes in the up-county pipeline with some for affordable housing. This action allows our younger residents and workforce to build equity and wealth in the community they serve without raising taxes.
We presently have a good bus transportation van system our rural landscape, connectivity means maintaining safe roads while expanding sensible transit options. I will continue to aggressively pursue federal and state grants for public transportation, though these funds have become increasingly competitive. My plan focuses on supporting on-demand shuttle services and "Park and Ride" improvements to better link our residential areas with schools and work.
The most effective mechanism to preserve what's left of our rural aspect would be to enact the necessary zoning, tax, and other regulatory steps to terminate major development (8houses or more) in QAC. A coming wave of traffic and congestion will accompany the upcoming Bay Bridge expansion. We urgently need to limit this. All constructive growth required will be accomplished without any required encouragement because of the positive economic/geographic circumstances of the County.
1 )Audit current QAC 5-year capital plan projects,currently no understanding/analysis of realities,consequences. Now excess of $100 million upcoming construction lacking analysis of cost/ benefit,priority.2)Release agreed-upon funding expansion EMS staffing Grasonville/Kent Island area settled in last budget, not now released. Proceed immediately. 3) See Commissioners adhere to common sense priorities of spending:specifically health and public safety prioritized before less urgent desires.
See my section #1 response. There are many subsidiary remedies, but closing down major development, the ability of developers to buy a farm and throw 300 houses on it (with 600 cars) is the most immediate and critical element.
Utilize available grants to purchase rental property and subsidize additional affordable housing for qualified applicants. Monitor programs through current Aging and Housing Authority programs now in place and operational. As current Chairman of Queen Anne's County Housing Authority, I believe we can actualize this with financial support from County Commissioners.
Queen Anne's County currently has in place good operational transport system called County Ride. Evaluate for expansion, analyze current bus transport into Annapolis/Washington/commercial areas for expansion and efficiency. Require School Board to evaluate if school transport system is maximum efficiency with collection points, times and reduced traffic obstruction
