As you do your research about all of the candidates, I would like to take a moment to provide you with information about what I have been doing while representing your interests.

When I was elected to this first term, I had made a promise to be conservative and effective. I have not forgotten those words and continue to remind myself of them every day.

My record shows a very strong conservative stand. I have challenged this administration on their damaging fiscal policies and never ending tax increases. I went toe to toe with the Governor during many public hearings in my committee – challenging him on everything from Offshore Wind to Minimum Wage. Many times, he was not able to produce the necessary information to make good, quality financial decisions, which resulted in altering his initial plans. I was looking out for you and your wallet at all times!

I made some very difficult decisions, especially when it came to the 4 budgets that were presented during my term. I ultimately voted against all of them, because the $1billion (or more) increase every year was simply unacceptable. Growing a budget by unprecedented amounts each year simply does not make sense. I, along with some of my colleagues, proposed legitimate alternatives that would not have increased the budget, but would still fund those areas that should be our priority. Unfortunately, the majority of the legislators did not challenge the administration and we are paying the price.

Education funding has become a very popular topic of conversation lately – and it should! Marylanders passed a referendum to allow an expansion of gambling in our state based on the premise of those additional revenues being spent on education. This quite simply is NOT occurring. In 2014, the gaming industry brought in over $460million. Of that, $220million went to the education trust fund. However, the increase in funding between the 2014 and 2015 education budget was only $76million when you take out the increase in federal aid. Where did the additional $144million go?

Marylanders are continuously told that we need to increase our revenues through additional taxes and fees. That is simply not true. What we need to do is to live within our means and fund those areas that mean the most to our constituents. Voting for the budget is easy. Voting against the budget with clearly defined alternatives to increases is the difficult part.

Although I have made tough decisions, I have also managed to earn the respect of my colleagues who have supported many of my legislative agenda items. I am the only candidate in this race that has passed any legislation during this term. Why is that important to you? Because, you need to know that instead of just going to Annapolis and saying ‘no’ to their initiatives, I have been effective in authoring and passing legislation that is directly affecting the lives of Marylanders. These new laws have reduced business regulations, protected victims of crimes, supported our farming community and created an entire new business industry in our state. I am proud of my record because it shows my commitment to you.

Being a member of the legislature is not a 90 day job. It takes 12 months of hard work – making an investment in getting to know our community and its needs. When I am not in session, I work at building my own small business and giving back to many community organizations. As a board member for Habitat for Humanity, I have had an education on the real need of affordable housing in our county and our state. I work closely with other community leaders to develop new ways to decrease the cost of home buying for families that need a lift up – not a hand out. We are making progress with the newly formed Land Trust and look forward to working to put families in homes across our region.

You have many choices when you go to the polling booth. There are people that make great promises during an election. I ask you to consider my record and ask yourself if I have lived up to mine – conservative and effective.

I respectfully ask you for your vote on November 4th. Thank you.