I am a life-long resident of Laurel and Howard County, well except for 9 months. I was born in Montgomery County and the first 9 months of my life I lived in a trailer in Anne Arundel County. When my parents came upon the property in High Ridge, the county setting and quiet sold them. Growing up in Howard County has been great. You are close to the city life but without all the noise and hustle. As a graduate of Atholton High School and University of MD Baltimore County, I am no stranger to the area roads.
I have seen many changes to the Laurel area and to Howard County. Last year I was forced to come out of hiding. My quiet county setting was being threatened. The changes that are happening to our area are massive. The City is now beating at our doors.
I thought the people we elected where looking out for our well-being. I can’t say that they still aren’t but the amount of building and congestion that is happening is unbelievable.
I feel that a new kind of change needs to happen to Howard County. We need to preserve more of the environment and our history. I think everyone one, no matter what your race, income or education is, deserve a life that is stress free and healthy.
My public service is on the quiet level. I try to help people anyway that I can. But now I see a need to become more involved in the community that I loved and cherished. For the past year, the High Ridge Community formed a group called the High Ridge Citizen Group. Along with what I call the “Core Group”, we have taken our neighborhood, which I called the “Best Keep Secret of Howard County” (because no one knew where we were located at) and bought our community concerns to our government.
Attending many Public hearing this past year, I started to notice that the concerns are not just with my neighborhood but with other Howard County communities also.
I may not have all the community involvement that the other Board Members have, but I have just as much passion.
So my passion is to see that the air we breathe, the water we drink and the education we seek is not jeopardized with concrete and blacktop.