(11/2022) November has arrived, which means it’s time for my last article before the election. I’m Julianna Lufkin and I’m running as a Democrat for Frederick County Council in District 5, which is Myersville, Thurmont, Emmitsburg, Sabillasville, Walkersville, and Woodsboro, along with all of the towns and villages that are within those boundaries. I’m so grateful to Michael Hillman for offering me the marvelous opportunity of writing these articles since January. It’s brought me name recognition throughout our district, and has allowed me to share my platform and my personal story with you each month.

Before I get into the meat of this article, I just wanted to make a quick note about local government. Being in local government is hard work. It’s about researching issues, reading, listening, attending meetings, and compromising. It’s not a game. The goal isn’t to have your team win or to break down the other team with name calling or fighting. We all enter the political sphere because we want the best for Frederick County; we just all have different visions of what the best looks like. That being said, of course I hope that you agree with my vision and vote for me!

I deliberated a lot about what the subject of this article should be, and in the end, I decided to re-cover some ground. By the time you’re reading this, we are a week away from the General Election, and being familiar with your two candidates for Frederick County Council in District 5, their platforms, and the differences between them has never been more critical.

I’m a 4th generation Northern Frederick County native, a 5th generation educator, and a 1st generation politician. My great-grandparents built a house on Annandale Rd in 1949, a year after my great-grandfather, Bob Marshall started teaching in the Classics department at the Mount. Almost a decade later, my grandfather, Tom Seess, moved to Emmitsburg and started teaching Political Science and American Government at Saint Joseph’s College in town, before teaching in that same department at the Mount when Saint Joe’s closed. I was born in 1991, and we lived on that same property that my mother and grandmother had grown up on, right there on Annandale Rd. (For folks who remember, it was the house that had a big "M" picked out in different colored shingles on the garage roof.)

In addition to co-running the family catering business, I teach literature and history classes for homeschooled kids and teens. I’m also a blacksmith; in 2019, I was the first woman to graduate from a year-long program at the Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing. I am hardworking, dedicated, and compassionate, and will work with my bipartisan colleagues on the Council to ensure that our District and County receive the support and reliable leadership that we need.

I believe in approaching politics in the same way that I approach teaching; no one issue or subject exists independently of others. By working to solve one issue directly, be it ensuring that Frederick County’s rural areas are preserved for future agricultural purposes, or working to reduce food insecurity for children, you are inherently solving other issues in the community.

I’m a firm believer in smart growth, and to me, that means, among other things, advocating in favor of land preservation and of keeping and encouraging our agricultural heritage. I also strongly support the Liveable Frederick plan and will work to ensure it is followed.

I’m very grateful for the work that our educators and FCPS staff do every day. Our county would flounder without them, and I believe that we should support them with higher pay, better infrastructure in schools, and mental health support, both for them and for our students.

As a member of the County Council, I vow to work hard for Frederick County in general, and for District 5 in particular. I commit to respecting and listening to the citizens from our community regardless of any party label. My hope is that I have demonstrated to you my unending commitment to the betterment of Frederick County and the lives of all her residents. My door, and email inbox, will always be open to you. As always, no matter your party affiliation, please reach out to me with your concerns and issues; I’m here to listen, and to work towards the future we all want for ourselves and our county. My email address is Lufkin.Listens@gmail.com, and you can find more information, as well as my past articles, on my website, lufkinlistens.com.

My friends, please remember to vote on November 8th, and however the election goes, thank you for listening.

Read other campaign articles by Julianna Lufkin