2022 Voter Guide: Milad Pooran, candidate for Maryland House District 31

Why are you running for office?

I am choosing to run at this time because as a physician and veteran my goal is to help improve the quality of life for all Marylanders.††On the front lines of the COVID pandemic as a critical care physician and Chief Medical Officer for PHI Healthcare, I know first-hand the critical infrastructure gaps in our healthcare system that limit access to care, while driving up costs for all citizens. There is need at the state level to urgently address social and economic concerns such as childhood poverty and food insecurity within Anne Arundel County. These issues are set to only get worse with current economic pressures. The downstream effects of failing to cure these social deficits will result in stressed safety nets and impacts on the safety and welfare of all County residents.

What is the most pressing issue in your district?

Aging infrastructure and urgent need for economic revitalization. Specifically for neighborhoods east of Ritchie Highway which have disproportionately been affected over the last 3 years with the pandemic and now inflationary economic forces.

How will you help your constituents deal with inflation?

Tax code modifications to allow for economic revitalization. State support through grants or loans to support small business expansion and modernization.

What do you see as the top transportation priority in your district, and how would you address it?

District 31 lies in the heart of the Baltimore Annapolis Corridor. Worsening congestion across Route 2 with increased commercial traffic and limited public transportation options. A full scale study to evaluate the environmental and economic impact of current conditions as well as remedies needed to project out 25 to 50 years from now with anticipated advanced in electric and self-driving vehicles.

What should schools do differently during the next pandemic to help students, families and teachers?

The Pandemic revealed that in time of crisis, schools can not function with skeleton resources. Not only addition of infrastructural resources but also man-power to ensure that students are not falling though the large cracks created by remote learning and distributions to daily routine

How equitably do police officers treat people of color?

There is grave inequity in the treatment of people of color by the justice system. To single out police officers as being the source of trouble is to narrow and creates a toxic Us-Vs.-Them narrative. The justice system in this country since its inception has been geared to suppress and oppress communities of color. Those ills have never been remedied completely and some cases so codified by law and practice that the systemic injustice is normalized. To simply blame police officers, public servants, and not address core problem of the justice system and policing is in itself a political trope created to force further division. I strongly support aggressive and immediate reform of the justice system to reduce and eliminate systemic prejudice and injustice.

What would you do to make sure Maryland's voting system is secure and accurate?

Transition to full on-line and mail-in voting to ensure the largest number of citizens participate in the election process.

What are the right goals and deadlines for Maryland to reduce carbon emissions and develop renewable energy sources?

We need a strategic 10, 25, and 50 year plan with goal to be on renewable energy and off carbon by year 50.

What's Maryland's best use of federal COVID relief money?

Establish community based public health distribution networks which can be activated for all future public health emergencies as locations for testing/distribution/education and other needed activities.