(10/2014) The 2014 Frederick County Fair has come to a close and the Carnival has moved on. The 4H youth have taken their prizes and headed home.

This was the first time I attended the Fair as a candidate for public office. I worked every day in the Republican tent in hopes that you would stop by to chat about the issues that concern you. I was pleased with the wonderful attitude that you had when you stopped by to talk. Our great County has many wonderful people living here. It was a lot of fun meeting and talking with all the people about a variety of issues.

The top issues mentioned that you hoped I would work on were —

Better paying jobs not only for you but our sons and daughters and grandchildren so that they could live and work here instead of having to drive down the highway for those jobs. Also I would mention the need to retain the jobs we have as well and you quickly agreed that needed to be done. For new jobs to come to our County we need to market our County to businesses in the surrounding states and other Counties in Maryland.

Tax free zones are a big incentive for businesses to come, as well as revenue bonds marketed to local banks to reduce the cost of moving to our County. As a member of the new County Council I will be seeking many avenues to bring new businesses here so you can live, work and play here and attend your children’s games in the evening instead of driving home from Washington or Baltimore.

You were also very concerned about the high taxes we have here in Maryland, some with tears in their eyes, as they mentioned to me that they were considering moving out of the state because of the high taxes. Our seniors are also very concerned about the high cost of living here. We must do all we can to make it possible for our Senior citizen to stay in their homes as long as possible. I give my word to the seniors that I will do all I can to lower our tax rates in Frederick County so you will be able to stay in your home.

Some of our Small Business owners are also concerned about the high Maryland taxes and the regulations that make it very difficult to even get started. The small business owner makes up eighty percent of the companies that provide us the jobs needed to pull us out of the recession we are in. I have been the president of a company and signed the front of the checks so I know how to help the small business owner get our economy moving again.

With your help on Election Day I will work every day to serve you so we can make this the best County in the state!