Candidate For: Commissioner 3rd district
Political Affiliation: Republican
Born: November 11, 1956
Hometown: Westminster
Profession: Teacher/Wrestling Coach
Company: Carroll County Public Schools
Years Experience: 35
Military Experience: none
Political Experience: Current Councilman for the city of Westminster. Former planing and zoning commissioner for Westminster.
Marital Status: Married to Debbie
Children/Age: Christopher/28--Sarah/21
Current Employment: teacher
How Many Years: 13
Education: BS from Towson, MS from Western Maryland, graduate from the University of Maryland Academy for Excellence in local Governance
What are the three main issues you wish to address during your campaign and how do you plan to address them?
Issue 1: The dismantling of the Carroll County school system that has occurred under the current board of commissioners.The school system was one of the best in the country but hundreds of the teachers who put it on top have left.The system has to be adequately funded. Why would a starting teacher come to Carroll County and make ten thousand dollars less to work here? I know from being a teacher for 35 years that teachers do not teach for the money . However they like anyone else would like to earn enough to live comfortably in the communities they work. The school system must know in advance how much money it is getting from the county so it can plan for the upcoming year.
Issue 2: Jobs! Carroll County cannot continue to put the majority of the tax burden on homeowners. we need to attract more business so we can pay for the services that make a difference in the quality of our lives. Currently 88% of the tax burden sits on the homeowners backs. Carroll County cannot continue to be mostly a bedroom community. We need more jobs in the county so people can live and shop and work here. One way to attract more business is a point to point fiber optic network. We are currently in the design stage for a fiber optic system in Westminster and we already have businesses asking if they can be included in the pilot programs.
Issue 3: The Board of Commissioners must be able to work with each other as well as with other government agencies. They cannot "just say no" when a mandate comes from the state. They need to have a dialogue. They must also concern themselves with matters that have an impact on Carroll County. We should not be worried about drones when we have to update water treatments plants in the county. We should not be worried about the UN taking over our county when teachers are leaving our schools in droves.