Elizabeth Walsh

Education Build the infrastructure to welcome back our special education students. Take direct control of bussing responsibilities. And consider sharing County workforces dedicated to printing, building maintenance and groundskeeping. Education Continue to prioritize deferred maintenance needs of schools’ buildings, particularly those pertaining to indoor air quality. Environment / Energy Continue bringing into the public domain properties with significant environmental or agricultural value like we have at Camp Ilchester and at the proposed Lawyers Hill Overlook. Immigration Train all county agencies and departments to document and report any known or suspected ICE activity, reaffirming the County’s mandate of non-cooperation. Education Continue to encourage re-purposing of existing County and school buildings to meet County-wide pre-kindergarten needs, e.g., using Faulkner Ridge, North Ridge, or Bryant Woods, to avoid overcrowding in nearby elementary schools. Government Reform No more waivers and favors for the same handful of land-use interests and their attorneys and lobbyists. This County will not be for sale. State and local law applies to everyone. Environment / Energy Preserve and mend our fleeting green spaces and natural waterways. Environment / Energy Accelerate electrification of County-owned buildings and new construction, and accelerate energy efficiency in those same spaces, too. Education Fairly pay educators and schools staff at least comparably with annual adjustments paid other County personnel, and continue to pay special educators a premium on that. Environment / Energy Repurpose school grounds, other County property, and vast parking lots into community gardens, micro-forests and other native, no-mow plantings. Install bioswales and bike lanes along roadways wherever possible. Environment / Energy Identify and implement best practices for reducing other waste (Right now, that’s plainly the Maryland Bottle Bill, pending HB232/SB346 in Annapolis.). Education Continue to champion a high school in Elkridge. Housing We need better and longer-term options for combating homelessness. We need to consolidate listings of affordable housing availability for rentals. Immigration Keep ICE from operating in or around any Howard County schools, libraries, and other government buildings and parking lots. Immigration Ensure local law enforcement protects and serves both the residents of Howard County and their constitutional rights against warrantless searches and seizures and to peacefully protest. Ensure our local law enforcement marks its vehicles and persons so as to clearly differentiate itself from federal civil immigration operations. Housing We need to expand and adhere to County law specific to new construction of affordable housing, especially those dedicated to our elders. And we need real, focused and measurable strategy and investment to increase availability of the smaller homes for sale that everyone wants. Taxes / Budget Every year for the past seven I’ve been on the Council, this agency has significantly underestimated annual revenues and overcounted annual expenditures. We need a more reasonable accounting of what likely is to come in and go out of County coffers year by year to make reasonable, timely decisions about how to prioritize and pay for the County’s needs.