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.

   I have 30 years experience organizing and advocating for our neighborhoods across the district and our city. My accomplishments include organizing college campuses to approve Question 6 making abortion safe and legal in Maryland in 1992, founding the Villege Learning Place in Charles Village in 1997, leading the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and organizing communities around affordable housing and addressing vacant properties. My most recent accomplishment was leading the establishment of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in 2016 and 2018, and passing legislation in the General Assembly to provide more tools to address vacant properties. Public transportation and ensuring there are multiple modes of transportation are vital for thriving communities. Residents need to get to jobs and destinations, while also enjoying walkability in their neighborhoods. You can see where the walkability is in Baltimore, and it follows along the same lines as our segregation. That is shameful and I will address it.
   
   Baltimore needs a system that connects all of the modes of transit, gets people safely to work and their destinations, and meets the needs of all Baltimore residents. In particular, 30% of our residents do not have cars and are forced to deal with the current system, most of whom are high school students who have to go across town for school. I often see them walking to school late and that is largely not their fault.
   
   I am the only candidate advocating for a Regional Transit Authority. Such an Authority would be created with our county partners. World class transit systems are in their own regions, and not part of a larger system. We are at the mercy of whomever is Governor, and we know that this Governor left $1Billion on the table when he canceled the Red Line. It is intolerable. We have to make our own system that connects with all modes of transit, helps people get out of their cars, and get everyone where they need to be. Cities around the world have figured this out, and Baltimore can do the same.
   
   I envision all of our neighborhoods as walkable neighborhoods. This means that people can walk to get to basic needs. I’m spoiled in Charles Village. We have grocery stores, parks, community centers (29th Street Community Center and Village Learning Place), restaurants, and access to bus transit downtown, two great elementary/middle schools, plus a very successful weekend market. Hampden is similar, with shops nearby (36th street as well as the Rotunda), grocery stores, coffee shops, and more. 33rd Street is transitioning to be this way, with the Y and the park/playground, but also the new development in the area, and the Waverly Giant. Original Northwood, Hillen and parts of Ednor Gardens are now getting the revamped Northwood Shopping Center, making them walkable as well. Work needs to be done to make Coldstream Homestead Montebello walkable with a neighborhood commercial strip along Harford Road. I’m very interested, and have the skills with my work in small business and community development, to make this work.
   
   Walkability, however, only happens when we can trust that we won’t be hit by cars. I’m committed to pedestrian safety across the district. I will find the existing analysis of the intersections in the district, and work to ensure the traffic calming is implemented (and if there is no traffic calming plan, I will work with residents and stakeholders to make one). There are speedways all over our district, so slowing down traffic and making our intersections safer is extremely important. Since 33rd and St Paul’s new traffic lanes, two people have been hit because the crossing lights are not timed correctly. With the new Northwood shopping center, we have to make Loch Raven Blvd/Argonne Drive as well as Hillen/Argonne Drive safe for pedestrian crossing so residents can get to the shops there. Loch Raven and the Alameda is just a terrible intersection that needs complete revamping for pedestrians. I am a runner as well, so safe intersections are important to me. The intersection on Wyman Park Drive and Sisson/Keswick is a horrible intersection that hinders people from going to Druid Hill Park. I run along that way and take my life into my own hands each day. Residents on 31st Street in Coldstream Homestead Montebello have been asking for speed bumps since drivers speed down the street. Strategically placed speed bumps and rumble strips will be important to implement across the district to slow down traffic in our residential areas. Pedestrian safety is critical to me.
   
   I’ll work with DOT and others to make sure the crossing lights are timed so that the pedestrians go first, then the turning cars, then the other cars. Timing the crossing lights will help mitigate the danger of pedestrians being hit.
   
   I envision bike lanes that are well planned, and planned along with the traffic lights and other considerations to make it all work. The fact that the Big Jump is on 29th Street, but there is no arrow at 29th and Sisson to help make sure no cars are hitting bikes crossing the street, does not make sense.

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?

   Baltimore residents do not trust the bus system. While 30% of our residents don’t have a choice and must use transit and other modes because they don’t have cars, the other 60% generally feel they are dependent on cars. This is because they have either experienced, or have heard, that Baltimore’s transit systems are poorly designed, always late, and take forever to get to where they are going. In addition, it will take an adjustment. Some people “live” in their cars (I’m guilty of this). I have a lot in my car that I need as I am making my way through the district, and through the city. Last, people are in such a rush to get somewhere, that they don’t have patience for transit and other modes. Getting them out of their cars will take a huge personal adjustment.
   
   I am the only candidate talking about taking out transit systems out of the MTA and creating a Regional Transit Authority. This would allow Baltimore City and our surrounding county partners to create a system that works for all of us. World class transit systems have regional authorities like this one. While WMATA has challenges in Washington DC, we can learn from what they have been doing. The Metro system in DC and other cities like Mexico City (these are the ones I’ve experienced) are easy to use, inexpensive, and super convenient. (it would be great to bring back some of the street cars, particularly along N. Charles Street, since the tracks are still there. The trolley cars got people to and from where they needed to be. We’ve done it before, we can do it again.)
   
   I would also like to explore a parking/commuter tax. NYC and Washington DC has this. If we make parking more expensive, or even take away lots and other parking, then people think twice about their commutes and would take public transit. But we HAVE to make our transit work first!

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?

   It’s important that our bike lanes lead somewhere and are safe. Using them as traffic calming can be a good thing as well (along 39th Street between N. Charles and The Alameda where it’s two lanes, but really should only be one.) I support implementing this bike lane plan. However, We must have a good conversation with all neighbors and stakeholders before the lanes go in. I think part of the resistance to the bike lanes is the lack of understanding, and lack of having the neighborhood as part of the conversations around the bike lane. As the Councilwoman, I’ll bring neighbors together to have these conversations so that it’s clear what the intent is, why, and how they can be a part of the solution. There is a lot of resistance to the bike lanes, and we need to just have more dialogue and not play all of it out on social media.
   
   Additionally, we must look at each of the intersections first. Most of them are unsafe for pedestrians and cars are going too fast. The intersections have to be fitted to make sure that pedestrians are safe, and coordinated properly with pedestrians, bikes, and cars.
   
   I see riders trying to bike up N. Calvert Street a lot. That’s extremely dangerous. Either create a bike lane by taking out parking on one side, or make sure bikers know about the Guilford Ave bike lane from downtown, or the MD Avenue Lane. Part of it is awareness of these north/South lanes to make more people use them.

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?

   Please see my answers to the previous questions. Slowing traffic with cameras, speed humps and bike lanes will help cause fewer accidents. Reconfiguring intersections helps pedestrians cross safely. I would also institute No Turn on Red. Because drivers can turn on red, often they are not paying attention to pedestrians or anything else as they are turning, and turn very fast. We should eliminate turning on Red lights, and make it enforceable with the red light cameras.

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?

   I will work with our delegation in Annapolis to reduce carbon emissions using regulation for vehicles that are bought in Maryland. While we have to get our cars tested every two years for emissions, the standard set needs to be lower, meaning the state needs to pass laws to make the emissions from cars lower. I’ll help to do that.
   
   Getting people out of their cars and using transit will ultimately address this. See my answers on the Regional Transit Authority.
   
   When our Regional Transit Authority is developed, I will work to make sure only use clean burning buses, light rail, and metro vehicles. The MTA buses are hybrid, but still give off the terrible emissions.
   
   We should explore further tax credits for clean burning vehicles. I have mixed feelings about this because only those with higher incomes can take advantage of the credits. Clean burning cars are much more expensive. This is a market issue that the industry has to address, so that more people can purchase clean burning cars.

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

   As I stated earlier, I live in a walkable community. I enjoy walking to the park, restaurants, and more. I frequently have meetings nearby since when working (I’m currently on leave, however). I walk to my campaign office when I don’t need the campaign equipment from the car. I walk to the Waverly market each Saturday which is a block away.
   
   I do a lot of walking when knocking doors to meet voters. While that’s not the basis for your question, it does allow me to see what’s really going on in a neighborhood. I’m committed to keep doing it once in a while as a Councilperson to continue to meet people where they are.
   
   I am a runner, I run every day. I run various routes and run on the street. I run 4.5 miles a day. I have experienced first hand the issues with pedestrian safety. I’m committed to addressing it.
   
   My husband enjoys walking, and takes a long walk for exercise daily. He also experiences the need for better pedestrian safety.

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

   I use public transportation whenever I need to go to Washington DC or that region for meetings, I take the MARC to the metro. A recent meeting for work had me on the MARC, to Union Station, then the red line. It’s so easy to use the DC metro system, there is no reason to pay high parking and get lost in Washington DC’s traffic.
   
   I use the Circulator to get downtown for events, jury duty, or dr. appointments at Mercy. That’s because it is easy to catch here in Charles Village, and goes directly to where I need to go. The last time I took the Circulator was for jury duty last year.

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

   Yes, I ride a bicycle. I ride mostly for recreation. The last time I rode my bike was on a trail in Maine while we were on vacation. The reason I do not ride frequently in Baltimore is because the roads are not safe here to do that, drivers are just not paying attention. I need practice to feel more confident on my bike, but also I look forward to bike infrastructure that would help keep bikes safe from cars.
   
   Also, my lifestyle and the need for a car is a big deal. I have a child that needs to get to school, and there is no safe way on a bike to get her there. I have lots of stuff I need and can’t take it with me on a bike. So I’m one of those drivers that would need to significantly change what I do in order to use a bike as a mode of regular transportation. I’m willing to do that once we get good infrastructure, and be able to lead by example as to how we can make those adjustments in our lives.

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. Public Transportation
   3. Bicycles & Scooters
   4. Ride Hailing Services (Taxi, Uber, Lyft)
   5. Personal Automobiles
   6. Parking
   7. Freight and Delivery
   

   
   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
    I especially want to remove parking spaces near stop signs and stop lights so that there is greater visibility.

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

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.

    Neither agree nor disagree
    I am willing to explore this option. I do want employers who offer parking subsidy to offer that subsidy to pay for public transit or ride share. which ever way is the most effective is the way to go about it, whether it's cash or some sort of voucher so that it's used for these purposes.

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.

    Neither agree nor disagree
    Areas of Opportunity is a technical term used in allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Assuming you just mean areas where there are amenities and walkable, I'm willing to have the conversation about increased density, but get frustrated with development is targeted in one area (right now Remington and Hampden) while ignoring needs of people living in black neighborhoods like Coldstream Homestead Montebello. What we’ve seen in Remington is that affordability is actually gone. If we create more apartments in the area, the rent will be too high and not actually solve the poverty issues. I believe we have to take care of all areas, not just some for the sake of density. For instance, it’s not in our district, but along Monroe and Fulton ave, Bon Secours has been working really hard to get tax credits for senior and other housing in the area, and can’t get them because it’s not an AO. That’s frustrating because there are housing needs there, especially for seniors. Bon Secours is slowly rebuilding the area. So again, I’m willing to have the conversation, but I want to bring development to other parts of the district that need it as well.

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.

    Neither agree nor disagree
    While I am ok with conversions not going to City Council each time, I do want a public process so that neighbors know what is happening. The current proposal pending in City Council is designed for only lots with 1500 square feet. Most neighborhoods in the 14 th won’t have to address it, but some will, like Charles Village and Coldstream Homestead Montebello. I think it’s extremely important for the neighbors to know who is doing the conversion. We have some really bad landlords that do not comply with the new law to ensure tenants have decent properties. I don’t want to hinder anyone from living there, (I’m also the board chair for the Fair Housing Action Center and know fair housing law. I don’t want to know, or the public to know, how the landlord is financing their units, I just want to know they have a track record for keeping their properties up to standard). Compliance with the new law must be a factor into this., because as I’ve been door knocking, I’ve discovered several properties where the landlord has not even tried to register or comply with the law. So does this mean it’s a conditional use, rather than ordnance? Maybe. But a process for assessing the situation is really important. I do not favor making a conversion by right.

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

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
    Strongly agree!

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
    I also favor the use of speed humps on residential roads to slow down traffic. Often cameras are on the main roads only.

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

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

    Neither agree nor disagree
    I want to serve on the Budget and Appropriations Committee to ensure that we have the funds we need to meet our priorities. It is important for voters to pass the charter amendments that give City Council more power over the budget in order for such priorities to be funded.

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.

    Neither agree nor disagree
    This depends on the area, how we educate our residents, and other factors. When we create our Regional Transit Authority, all this should be taken into consideration. A good dialogue to educate residents on the need for this is important before just doing it. That dialogue needs to be door to door, not just asking people to come to a meeting. I favor having more room for bus lanes, we just need to address where.

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
    Again, having the right dialogue and education with residents will be the key to this.

District Specific Questions: 14th 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.

   Neither agree nor disagree
   As stated before, I want to be sure the intersections along 33rd Street can handle the increase in bike traffic before considering the median. Because currently all of those intersections are hazardous. While I support the concept, we have to be sure that the intersections are safe first.

2. Big Jump Baltimore, a grant won by Baltimore City Department of Transportation, calls for installation of a road diet and separated, all-ages bike lanes on 25th Street and Huntingdon Avenue to improve safe access to businesses along the corridor. I support installing the remainder of the Big Jump Baltimore grant facilities.
   Agree
   And take out the Right Turn on Red! It's so dangerous for pedestrians here in Charles Village/Harwood areas where we don't have the same traffic calming as in Remington (except by the Barclay school, I love the traffic calming there!)

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.
   Neither agree nor disagree
   I'm in favor of traffic calming on Greenmount Avenue, but the businesses in the area have been hurting because of the lack of parking given all the construction. We should think innovatively about bus lane in the middle of the street, and also where to put parking for those who still need it.