1. Describe your vision of a healthy, safe, equitable transportation system for Baltimore City and the roles walking, biking, and public transportation play in that vision.

   As someone who was raised by a single mother of four boys who never owned a car and relied on walking and public transportation to get everywhere, I know firsthand the shortcomings of our transportation system. With a third of Baltimoreans lacking access to a car we have to have a transportation system that works for everyone. I envision a Baltimore that has a reliable public transit system that is free and widely used. A system that gets students to and from school safely and on time. I also envision a Baltimore that works with our anchor institutions to weave their transit systems into the city's system and helps fill gaps of service. Finally, I envision a Baltimore that values the philosophy of "streets for all", and values walkers, bikers and scooter riders. Once reached Baltimore will become more equitable for everyone.

2. The fastest and most economical way to address climate change, improve public health, and create equal access to opportunity is to design a city that reduces dependence on private automobiles. What are the biggest barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, or public transit instead of personal vehicles, and what would you do to address these impediments?

   One of the largest barriers to getting people to choose walking, biking, or public transit instead of personal vehicles is the lack of political will of politicians to be molders of consensus by educating our neighbors on its value. There has to be a publicly funded campaign that educates all stakeholders of the benefit of moving toward a transit oriented city. As a member of the Baltimore City Council I will lead these efforts to educate my district on the value of such initiatives.
   
   Another barrier is the low quality of public transit in Baltimore City. As I educate my district on the benefits of a transit oriented city, we have to be creative in filling the gaps of public transportation. That starts by making it free and working with anchor institutions to use their transit systems to fill gaps in service.

3. In 2017, the Planning Commission approved the Separated Bike Lane Network plan that connects 85% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods by creating safe, protected places to ride a bike. Do you agree with the plan’s recommendations, and if so, what would you do to ensure that we fulfill the plan’s promise to build a minimum of 17 miles of bike lanes per year? Are there specific areas of the city where you would prioritize implementation?

   Making Baltimore more bikeable is key to improving the mobility of our city. I would prioritize implementing this project in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello Community of my district. This neighborhood has been severely neglected and under invested in by local government and developers. We have to show our commitment to a more equitable Baltimore by investing in neighborhoods that haven't seen investment in decades. This will also encourage neighbors to chose biking as a method of transportation.

4. Approximately 50 people are killed on city streets each year while walking, biking, or driving, with another 9,000 people injured. What is your plan to reduce the number of Baltimoreans injured and killed in traffic every year?

   Baltimore lacks a vision for the type of city we want to be overall. This lack of vision has resulted in the inconsistencies we see in the design of our streets. As a councilmember I would work with my colleagues to design a vision for a city. Once completed we can settle on how we design our city. A less car-centric vision and more pedestrian-centric vision will inform decision-making and policy across the board. It will inform traffic safety policy, where and how development occurs, and educate drivers.
   
   A culture shift has to happen as we make Baltimore a safer city for pedestrians, bikers, etc.

5. Approximately 800 Baltimoreans die early every year from preventable diseases related to carbon emissions, more than double the city’s murder rate. Thousands more are hospitalized each year as these emissions trigger asthma and other respiratory diseases. There is a strong correlation between hospitalization and proximity to major car commuter routes. What is your plan to reduce carbon emissions from automobiles in order to decrease the number of Baltimoreans hurt by and dying from emissions-related diseases?

   As a member of the Baltimore City Council i will work with environmental groups and advocacy groups, like Bikemore, to create good legislation that works to decrease carbon emissions. I would further work with our state and regional partners to develop a regional transit system that is rooted in equity and encourages the use of less cars. Additionally, I will work with our anchor institutions to incorporate their transit with the Link and the Circulator as we fill the gaps in service to historically neglected neighborhoods.
   
   In short, the better alternatives we offer our residents , the less they will rely on privately owned vehicles.

6. Do you walk for transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip walking?

   Fortunately, I live in a neighborhood that has many amenities like the YMCA, farmers market, barber shop, convenient store and a community school. I often walk to the YMCA or to my children's school for events. I walked this morning to the neighborhood YMCA.

7. Do you use public transportation? If so, for what purposes, how often, and what was your last trip by public transportation?

   My family uses public transportation everyday to travel to and from school and after school practices. I often catch the bus to travel downtown for meetings. Ideally, I would catch the bus to work in Curtis bay, however, our current system is too unreliable to make it part of my daily routine. My last bus ride was in December for jury duty.

8. Do you ever ride a bicycle? Is it for transportation, recreation, or both? What was your last trip by bicycle?

   In 2018, my family went from a two vehicle household to one. In addition to the economic benefit of having one car it gave me an opportunity to fully understand the challenges bike riders in our city face. I regularly ride my bike to meetings around the city and have participated in a Bikemore Memorial ride. This insight further helps me advocate for legislation that further makes streets safe for everyone. My last bike ride was to a neighborhood meeting.

9. Baltimore’s urban areas have limited space on streets. In order to increase safety and improve mobility, some modes of transportation must be prioritized over others to make the most of this limited space. Please rank how you would prioritize different modes of transportation on city streets, using numbers 1 through 7:

   1. Walking & devices that aid people with a disability
   2. Bicycles & Scooters
   3. Public Transportation
   4. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
   5. Freight and Delivery
   6. Parking
   7. Personal Automobiles

   
   Agree or disagree?
   

10. I support removing parking on a street if it would improve safety and increase mobility of people using that street.

    Agree
    Safety and increased mobility of people has to be at the center of how we design streets. A great example is Greenmount ave (31st - 34th) there are retail stores along the mainstreet with unnecessary street parking, given there is a huge parking lot a half block away on Barclay.

11. Minimum parking requirements are shown to increase housing costs while limiting potential density and making neighborhoods less walkable. I support following the lead of other cities that have removed minimum parking requirements from new development.

    Agree
    We have to always look for ways to improve the design of our city. Looking toward other cities for best practices is how we further design a city that benefits everyone.

12. Some cities require employers that subsidize parking also offer an option for employees to receive that subsidy as a cash payment. I support a mandate that employers offer parking cashout so that employees can choose to pocket that money, use it for alternative transportation, or continue using that cash to pay for parking.

    Agree
    Employers should support their employees' decision to choose the mode of transportation that works best for their family. While some may use the money to continue paying for parking this may incentivize carpooling, the use of public transportation, and even purchasing their own bike.

13. Increasing density in areas of opportunity is proven to help individuals escape poverty. I support taller, denser, or larger buildings in areas they are now prohibited by zoning.

    Agree

14. Transit oriented development can expand access to areas of opportunity by locating housing and retail along high frequency transit. Current zoning code only identifies these zones along subway and light rail routes. I support expanded Transit Oriented Development zoning to include areas within a quarter mile of high-frequency bus routes.

    Agree

15. It is now widely accepted that Single Family Residential Zoning was historically created to maintain racial segregation. I support removing Single Family Residential Zoning categories, allowing both single family and multi family residences to be built in all residential zoning areas.

    Agree

16. I support allowing existing residences to be split into apartments in all zoning categories without having to pass legislation for each conversion, increasing density in neighborhoods that were traditionally single family homes.

    Agree
    I agree that we have to eliminate the red tape that prevents the conversion of these homes as we face an affordable housing crisis that will only get worse without action. Additionally, we have to ensure local government has the power to protect people from bad actors.

17. At 20mph, 90% of pedestrians survive being hit by a car. At 40mph, only 10% survive. I support enforcing a maximum speed limit of 25 mph on arterial streets, and 20 mph on local streets.

    Agree
    Unfortunately, our society has evolved to where everyone is in a rush and pedestrians often pay the price. Limiting speed limits keeps more people safe and helps increase business along mainstreets as more people can see what these mainstreets offer.

18. Allowing turns on red is a contributing factor in increased pedestrian injury and death. I support banning turns on red at all intersections that allow pedestrian crossing.

    Agree
    I fully support prohibiting turns on red. As a parent with children who walk and catch the bus to school, I am constantly worried about aggressive drivers. The one minute wait to turn on green has the potential to save lives while slowing drivers down.

19. Automated Speed and Red Light Enforcement Cameras are widely proven to reduce fatal collisions. I support using these cameras on any street, not just near schools and construction sites.

    Agree
    As we utilize this technology we have to ensure its integrity and increase transparency around outcomes to educate residents on its effectiveness.

20. The Automated Speed Enforcement Camera current threshold is 12 miles per hour. I support cameras being able to issue citations for those traveling 5 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.

    Agree
    I would go a step further and increase signage that makes people aware of traveling too fast. There has to be a public awareness campaign that changes the culture of speeding in our city - fines alone won't do it.

21. I would invest in automated enforcement cameras that will issue citations to private automobiles for being stopped or parked in bus lanes.

    Agree

22. Dedicated bus lanes and bus boarding islands are proven to dramatically improve bus reliability and boarding times. I support removing parking or travel lanes to create bus lanes and boarding islands to improve bus performance.

    Agree

23. The city adopted the Greenway Trails Network plan that will connect existing trails such as Gwynns Falls Trail and Herring Run Trail to create a 35-mile trail loop that connects 80% of Baltimore’s neighborhoods to greenspace and recreational trails. I support the construction of these trail connections, even if it requires using grass medians or taking road space or parking space away from private automobiles.

    Agree

District Specific Questions: 12th District

1. 33rd Street was designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, and the original plans called for a median running recreational trail to connect Druid Hill Park and Wyman Park to Lake Montebello and Herring Run Park. The Baltimore Greenway Trails Network Plan calls for bringing this vision to reality by constructing a recreational trail on the 33rd Street median as part of a larger 35-mile trail loop. I support designing and constructing this portion of the Greenway Trails Network Plan on the 33rd Street median.

   Agree
   As an Iraq war veteran there is nothing scarier than trying to ride a bike along 33rd Street. I fully support the Greenway Trails Network Plan, while acknowledging the community concerns about trees. Once complete, this trail will be an envy of the State of Maryland.

2. 28th and 29th Street are treated as highways by people driving along them through neighborhoods. Neighbors have developed the 28th and 29th Streets Traffic Calming initiative to call for installation of temporary traffic calming devices and study on how to implement permanent traffic calming that includes exploration of travel lane reduction or two-way conversion on both streets. I support installation of temporary traffic calming devices, even if they remove some parking, and support the study on how to implement permanent traffic calming.

   Agree
   I've seen these community initiatives and fully support the efforts of neighbors to improve the safety of their community.

3. Dedicated bus lanes are proven to increase service reliability and speed. MTA Maryland’s BaltimoreLink Red bus route is one of the busiest in the city. I support dedicated bus lanes on Greenmount Avenue, even if it means removing some parking.

   Agree
   For more than a year Greenmount has operated with a single lane during construction. As we move toward creating a dedicated bus lane along Greenmount we have to ensure the businesses along the corridor are at the table to discuss how this benefits everyone impacted.