Previous political experience: No previous Political position held. I did campaign management for multiple local campaigns in the city, county, and state elections

I am running to be Ward 1 Councilwoman because I want to assist our City to be a safe & sustainable place for all Annapolitans, Residents, & Businesses, as well as for our visitors. I have six years of experience working with the city as an appointed commissioner for the Art in Public Places Commission & five years as its elected Chair. As Ward 1 Commissioner, I represented the Ward for installations & maintenance of public art as well as live performances. As Chair, I was the administrator of the Commission, overseeing our free public art programming & budgets we ran as a surplus in each fiscal year I chaired. I developed working relationships with City Departments, City Managers, Special Permits Office, Mayor's Office, Police, & Fire Departments, & the Office of Emergency Management for our numerous events throughout the City. I wish to use these partnerships within our beautiful community & our City government to ensure the "o" in Annapolis stands for opportunity, not oppression.

The main issues I am hearing from my neighbors are the cost of living, including property taxes, housing, bloated property assessments, and difficulty working with City departments. I have been researching solutions to ways that the city may create revenue outside of taxes and parking fees. I intend to present these implemented programs from other historic cities to my fellow City Council members and City Departments to see which actions we may be able to take here in our own municipality. I intend to also take time researching our layers of legislation to help identify archaic laws and codes that may be hindering our City and its Departments from properly functioning in addressing modern needs and issues. It is time for our City to elect solution-driven candidates who will do the research and work it takes for us to be a safer, more sustainable place for all to live. I pledge to work within our City's legacy and its community leadership to implement past and new legislation fairly.

Housing within our 10-mile radius city is complex in that it doesn't offer affordable middle housing for first-time home buyers. I rented in Wards 5 and Ward 8 before being able to purchase a home in Ward 1 in my 40s, the age of most first-time home buyers in Annapolis. Adding more affordable missing middle housing for first-time home buyers would help us retain multi-generations here to raise families near loved ones. Zoning reforms can permit a greater number of housing units on a property, similar to the existing scale of many historic districts, according to Preservation Maryland. Converting vacant commercial property to residential units for ownership would allow us to use space within the city without new developments. Transportation development improvements are needed within the city limits to expand safe pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure & improve traffic safety. Transitioning to electric buses and on-demand transit options improves efficiency & sustainability for residents.

I believe that a deep dive must be made into our codes and legislation from previous years to ensure we are not negatively impacting ways in which we are developing communities, particularly regarding regulations and economic development. I would coordinate with other council members and community leadership to make sure we are doing our due diligence in maintaining a sustainable and economically strong city for us now and in the future.

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