2022 Voter Guide: Pamela Beidle, candidate for Maryland Senate District 32

Why are you running for office?

My results prove that I have been a very effective and productive legislator. My experience as a small business owner, an insurance agent, a bank director and a hospital board member have been important to my work as a legislator serving on the Finance Committee. I also feel that my many years of working as a member of non-profit boards has taught me to collaborate and build consensus in my work with others.

What is the most pressing issue in your district?

District 32 includes BWI Airport, NSA, Fort Meade, the National Business Park, Arundel Mills, Maryland Live and Laurel Racetrack. The district has experienced tremendous job growth and opportunities, but with it has come a great need for housing, additional schools and transportation. My district grew by 16,000 people since the prior census. Thousands of new homes have been built, but my schools are over-crowded, traffic has increased and there is a need for additional recreational opportunities. The most pressing issue is managing this tremendous growth.

How will you help your constituents deal with inflation?

We can help our constituents deal with inflation by providing a living wage for all employees. We have done that by increasing the minimum wage and I look forward to indexing that wage to the cost of living. We can also help by providing assistance with childcare for working families and improving the childcare scholarship program. We can help by providing community college and apprenticeship opportunities so employees can earn more income in better occupations and incentivize employers and businesses to hire and retain workers from underserved communities We helped our retirees with a tax credit and we helped our families with sales tax exemptions on items like diapers, car seats, medical devices and diabetic care products.

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

The top transportation priority in my district is getting employees to work. First, local transportation is needed from the light rail and the train station to jobs at BWI, Amazon, NSA and Fort Meade is important. We have provided some local shuttles to these job centers, but more could be provided. Many people move to my district to work in DC, a parking garage is planned at the Odenton MARC station, it has taken far to too long for this garage to be constructed. Finally, my SB 514 (Transportation - Investment Program - MARC Rail Service (Maryland Regional Rail Transformation Act) in 2022 will begin the planning for a better train network to connect Marylanders to good jobs in Delaware, Western Maryland, DC and Virginia.

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

Our schools and our employers were not prepared for the pandemic, but we learned a lot. We learned that we need better broadband all over the State and that infrastructure is currently being built. We learned that kids need more opportunities to learn remotely. I think there should be more opportunities for small learning groups with tutors to help the children that need additional help. I observed this working in some daycare facilities. Some parents were required to work, we need to help the children that do not have help at home. Children in private schools returned to school earlier, I think our public schools should look closely at that model.

How equitably do police officers treat people of color?

In my opinion police reform and accountability is needed for police officers that do not treat people of color more equitably. We all carry unintentional biases and the best way to overcome that bias is by creating intergroup relationships. In Anne Arundel County we have police officers in our communities every day, working with our youth groups, and attending community meetings. The officers are getting to know our communities and the communities are getting to know our officers. We are funding youth group activities and relationships are being built. Community policing works. However, if any officer mistreats a person of color, that officers needs to be held accountable and the proper punishment should be applied. I am pleased that Anne Arundel already has police body cameras and they are being used effectively.

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

While other states are limiting the opportunities for voters, I am proud that Maryland expanded voting opportunities making it easier to vote with early voting and "vote by mail" as well as adding additional polling locations. Mail-in voting continues to grow in popularity, in 2022 we passed a bill to make sure that voters that forget to sign their ballots will have the opportunity to "cure" it in time for their vote to be counted and we are allowing the local boards of elections to begin canvassing mail-in ballots ahead of Election day to avoid delays.

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

In my opinion Maryland has found the right goals. We are seeing drastic impacts and extreme weather increases, we need to take bold measures. The Climate Solutions Act set practical goals for reducing Maryland's emissions of greenhouse gases 60% by 2030 and becoming net neutral by 2045. Bold measures that are needed. We are electrifying our state vehicle fleet and local school buses, incentivizing new construction for new net zero schools and leveraging private funding for green energy investments. I was particularly pleased to add an amendment to research Sustainable Air Fuels since my district includes the airport and airplane fuel is 11.5% of our pollution.

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

It is difficult to name one best use, the legislature managed to create a number of important investments. We added 7.8 billion of Capital funds, this will create jobs and bring important investments to our communities. We need to be prepared to help with eviction prevention or we are going to have thousands of homeless families. We are investing in our State Parks, we learned that Maryland needs more outdoor opportunities. We are using Covid Relief money for our cyber network to fund the Cyber Preparedness Unit within the MD Department of Emergency Management and expand our broadband infrastructure. Finally, we are using some of the funding to create a 9-8-8 hotline for Marylanders that are having a mental health crises. Ultimately the COVID relief money is assisting Maryland in finally having a structural surplus.