Below are some highlights from our February legislative session. Click here to watch the full session.
Redistricting Council Districts
The map of the new councilmanic districts has become law. There are two primary changes to our District 5. First is the loss of a portion of Fulton from Maple Lawn South heading up Lime Kiln/216 to Browns Bridge. That area is now part of District 4 currently represented by Deb Jung. Additionally, the part of District 1 from Marriottsville Rd. to Centennial Lane will join District 5. These changes in representation are not effective until the new Council takes over in December, but voters will vote for the candidates in their “new” district this year. While the changes to District 5 were not too controversial, several other proposals that would have united communities and reversed past gerrymandering were rejected along party lines which was disappointing and a reminder of why it’s so important to have a balance of representation in elected officials.
Citizens Election Fund
The creation of a Citizens Election Fund was approved by the previous Council and approved by the voters as Question A in 2018. This 2022 election cycle is the first for which this fund is available, and three notable candidates, Allan Kittleman, Deb Jung and Christiana Rigby, have stated their intent to use this Fund. However, an ambiguity in the original law opened the door to the County Executive holding back these funds until August 2022 (after the primary election). I introduced legislation to address this defect, which bill evolved into an emergency bill that was approved on February 7. I opposed the creation of this Fund because I do not believe the government should be diverting general fund money, funded through your property and income taxes, into campaigns. However, the voters approved this Fund and candidates had committed to using it, so I felt it was important to fix the issue so funds could be released this month.
