I have spent my entire career working in communities and in neighborhoods and have stood side by side with community leaders to get things done on behalf of our residents. To this day I attend community meetings every night because I want to hear directly from you about what is impacting your home, your street or your neighborhood. In Towson, we as elected officials need to leave the four walls of our offices and meet you where you are to hear directly from you.
As County Executive I plan to do just that. I will create the Office of Community Conservation and I will completely overhaul the Office of Community Engagement so that instead of you coming to the government, the government will come to you. These offices and their employees will not solely be messengers. They will have authority in my administration. The Office of Community Conservation will have a seat at the table when we draft the county budget so your neighborhood’s priorities are addressed. Your values and priorities will be reflected in our budget. That will be the hallmark of the Patoka Administration – communities will come first.
Communities First
As a councilmember, I was happy to have led the efforts to expand the County Council from seven to nine members which scales the Council with our growing and diverse county. It also gives everyone a fairer shot at earning elected office. I have also introduced legislation that would create an Inspector General Appointment Board that would de-politicize the office and prevent any conflicts of interest in the hiring and firing of the Inspector General. In my administration we would also hold Neighborhood Cabinet Meetings where the County Executive and department heads would hear directly from residents on issues impacting their community. I would also require these department heads to “adopt” a community so that neighborhoods would always have access to county government instead of having to traverse the ever-growing web of bureaucracy.
While we have made strides in this regard, it is a fact that Baltimore County residents are losing faith in our County government. They feel left out of the process, their voices are not heard, and that their elected officials do not work for them but for their political party. That will change when I am elected County Executive. My administration will implement transparency and accountability in government by expanding the Inspector General’s scope to weed out waste and fraud in County government, work with our state partners to increase the Inspector General’s oversight of our School Board and our education spending and return trust and openness in our budget process by detailing each line item.
Each year our County sends over half of our county revenue to our schools and we have no say in how that money is being spent. As educational outcomes take a dive, our students and families need answers. It is clear we need an outside lens to investigate this spending and help our students.
Our budget is how we articulate our priorities and in the past 20 years Baltimore County has been purposefully vague in how we allocate expenditures. When I was drafting our County’s budget each line item had a purpose or project and a dollar amount attached to it. But recent County Executives have moved away from that process. Under my leadership we will return to clear, transparent, and predictable budget process.
We must balance protecting the beautiful greenspace in our county with the housing needs of our residents. That is why as Council Chair I was the lead sponsor on our County’s Mixed-Use Overlay District legislation which was passed into law. This focuses on developing vertically and removing restrictions on parking in these districts. This flexibility allows us to develop responsibly.
In order to address our county’s housing supply shortage, we must build more homes. It’s just that simple. But we must do so with intentionality and forethought to prevent any costly environmental impacts.
In Baltimore County it takes too long, often years to get the proper permits. This delays the buildout process and makes the county less competitive when it comes to building new homes. We need to restructure and re-tool our permitting department. To address this issue head-on, I will create two high level ombudsmen that will guide permits through the process.
Too many in our county live in food deserts and lack access to affordable, quality food. No one should have to drive 30 minutes to shop for groceries. To address this problem my administration will provide tax incentives to grocery stores to move into communities to help close the food desert gap.
Our energy bills are too high and no one in Baltimore County should have to decide between putting food on the table or keeping the lights on. I will work with our state partners in the General Assembly and to press the Public Service Commission to force energy providers accountable to lower energy costs for families.
We must also be vigilant of newer industries, like AI and data centers coming to the region. For energy dependent industries such as these, it requires infrastructure buildout. These building costs must not and will not be passed down to our families in my administration.
When teachers thrive, our students succeed. Which is why I support raising teachers’ pay and decreasing classroom size. We have to make Baltimore County attractive for talented educators. Our county’s strength depends on our schools which is why we as a county must hold our end of the bargain. Earlier this year, the county went back on a 3-year commitment we made to our teachers, support staff, and bus drivers. While we eventually came to an agreement, the negotiated raises weren’t what was initially promised. If we want to attract and retain good teachers, we can’t go back on a deal.
On the Council, I’ve supported record investments in education, higher teacher pay, and led on legislation to prevent classroom overcrowding to ensure “one student, one seat.” As County Executive these priorities won’t change.
Too many residents of Baltimore County feel that they are unsafe in their neighborhoods. We as a county can do better because if our communities don’t feel safe, it is difficult for our county to grow and thrive. I will work closely with our police chiefs, District Community Relations Councils, the County Sheriffs office and the City police department to make sure we are doing all we can to solve and prevent crime in the first place. This means we must modernize our law enforcement offices, create diversion programs for our non-violent offenders, and advocate vigorously for victims of violent crime. As a county we also have a lot of work to do in regards to pedestrian safety and vehicular safety (especially speeding). We must crack down on dangerous drivers in our neighborhoods and reduce speeding and aggressive driving.
In many neighborhoods across Baltimore County, the streets have become raceways and county government must work diligently to increase pedestrian and vehicular safety. We must crack down on dangerous drivers in our neighborhoods and reduce speeding and aggressive driving. To accomplish this we must engage our state legislators in order to increase the placement of traffic cameras and work to increase traffic calming measures on our streets to protect pedestrians.
Baltimore County has great beauty in its both urban and rural character. Development needs to be done right with respect to the environment, with respect to the community and with respect to the small business community. I plan on keeping the integrity of the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line, which was established in 1967. Inside the URDL is higher density development. Outside the URDL is much lower density. So the idea is to have growth where you plan to have growth. This demarcation line is a model for the state and the entire nation in terms of how to plan for good development. I will hold that line where it is. If we as a county do not manage development properly, development will manage us!
I have spearheaded efforts on the County Council to protect our county’s greenspace and clean-up our neighborhoods. I was the lead sponsor on the “Plastic Bag Bill” which urges residents to bring their own bag to grocery stores. Now as you drive around the county you rarely see plastic bag littering our streets and waterways.
My vision is to see a Baltimore County that is full of vitality and jobs and I will work to create recreational resources for all ages and implement Aging in Place programs for older adults.
These communities within I-695 are our oldest neighborhoods and where many of us grew up but they are being left behind. The roads are in rough shape, the water infrastructure needs to be replaced, and resources are being directed elsewhere in the county in the name of development. We must change course and invest in these communities.
I will create the Office of Community Conservation to act as a direct line of communication to County Government for our inner-Beltway communities. These neighborhood liaisons will have a seat at the table as we craft our annual budget so that community needs are met. The budget is how we articulate our values.
The revitalization of the Pikesville Armory has been a resounding success and continues to be a wonderful community space where residents come together to enjoy music, events, and more. We emphasized community engagement and input in the process prior to its reopening and in light of recent events impacting the Catonsville Armory, I believe that the process that we followed in Pikesville would be a useful model so that residents around the armory are heard.
Baltimore County is a diverse jurisdiction and it is time we hold an annual festival in Towson celebrating our LGBTQIA+ residents. I will also create a LGBTQIA+ Commission that will provide input and guide County agencies on how to support our LGBTQ friends, family, and neighbors in the policymaking process.
My parents were both Holocaust survivors and moved to this country because they wanted a shot at a normal life, a family, education and a chance at liberty. Their struggle and journey shaped my life, the person who I am and how I view the world. Now members of our community are being hunted down by masked federal agents every single day. They live in fear and are scared to send their children to school. This isn’t right – and let me be clear. ICE has no place in Baltimore County.
I was disappointed in the County Executive’s decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with ICE and in the way they failed to communicate and consult with the County Council. In response to this I have introduced a piece of legislation that sets guidelines and puts up guard rails in how our county can coordinate with ICE. It is simple – we shouldn’t have masked agents in our communities – no more masks. They should be in clearly marked vehicles, and they will not be allowed to enter county property and our schools to rip students out of classrooms. They will also have to provide prior notice for any of their actions. I will also codify the Baltimore County Office of Immigration Affairs.
As County Executive I will do whatever I can to keep ICE out of our communities because these immigrants’ stories are the stories of America and our greatest strength.
As County Executive, I will expand our county provided trash can program to the entire county. The small scale pilot program of 4,300 homes on the east side of the county has been a resounding success. This program will be integral in addressing chronic rodent and pest issues while also helping to clean up our neighborhoods.
