Izzy Patoka

Education 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. Immigration 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. Criminal Justice / Public Safety 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. Environment / Energy 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. Education Right now there are no stand-alone public recreational facilities inside the Beltway between Woodlawn and Rosedale which means tens of thousands of students who simply don’t have access to afterschool programs and recreational facilities. This will change under my leadership. We will invest in inner-Beltway neighborhoods and communities. We must also provide programs and jobs training services to our students and introduce them to opportunities after high school outside of going to college – like the building trades or other technical certification programs. Criminal Justice / Public Safety 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. Defense / Veterans 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. Taxes / Budget 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. Environment / Energy 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. Housing 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. Environment / Energy 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! Immigration 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. Taxes / Budget 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. Taxes / Budget 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. Civil Rights 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. Housing 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.