· Last fall, a number of people began urging me to run for County Executive.
· They gave me a lot of reasons why I was the best person to run – all very flattering
· But running for County Executive was not something I had planned to do or even considered, at that point.
· So I said that I would have to consider the request.
· The first question for me was the same one that everyone else asks: WHY? Why me? What can I offer to the residents of this magnificent county
· My first answer came when I looked at what was happening with spending in Howard County –
· Over the last 15 years, while the population was growing just over 30%, our budgets grew 393%! – Almost 400%!!
· Let me repeat that: …….
· Our tendency to let government provide more and more is not only unsustainable, it’s wrong – even in a county as wealthy as Howard.
· Not everyone in Howard is rich.
· Many of us are struggling to meet mortgage payments.
· Others are trying to put two or three children through college.
· Retirees are endeavoring to live on fixed incomes as prices rise, the value of their home falls, and the threat of higher taxes looms as a constant threat.
· What politicians have forgotten is that the money government spends comes from the labor of millions of ordinary Americans who get up early, go to bed late, and miss countless weekends and nights with their families just to make an honest living.
· Howard County is an incredible place, with an extraordinary quality of life
· We still have time to make the changes necessary to maintain that quality of life – but we have to start now.
· This county is great not so much because of its government but because of its people.
· We need to gradually change our concept of what government should provide for us and what we can and should – and want to -- provide for ourselves.
· The politicians must be willing to say “no” to the latter so that we can continue to provide the former – so that we can provide the essentials of government without impoverishing the county or its residents.
· My second answer came when I began meeting people like my incredible campaign manager, Josette Wheatley, and the host of our announcement site, Betty Evans
· Like me and many others, they had become concerned and unhappy about the direction our governments are taking – piling up huge deficits & intruding into every phase of our lives
· It is interesting that both Josette and Betty were born in countries other than the U.S.
· Josette was born in Canada
· Betty was born in Germany.
· When Betty came to America, she opened SIGN-A-RAMA, and she has run this small business successfully for 15 years.
· Betty experienced socialism, and is adamant that we can’t let it happen here.
· Both of these wonderful women and many other women and men like them began working in my campaign with so much enthusiasm that my decision was virtually made for me.
· My final moment of clarity came from my granddaughter.
· Skylar stays with me a couple of morning every other week, and I watch in awe as she masters skills that I only WISH I had.
· One day, shortly after she reprogrammed the weather button on my iPhone from Fahrenheit to Celsius, I launched into my “You are brilliant; you are here to save the world,” speech.
· This time, however, I actually stopped and thought about what that meant. What kind of a world would she inherit? And would she blame me?
· This is no longer a “sound bite” when you’re looking into the eyes of your own grandchild.
· That was when I made my decision. That’s when I decided to step up to the plate and do everything I can to leave Skylar a legacy she can enjoy rather than a debt she’ll work her whole life to pay.
Why am I running?
· Because I believe I can prepare Howard County for the impact of the economic crisis that the structural deficits are going produce, and protect the quality of life for our resident
· Because I want to work to ease the burden of government on smaller businesses so they can put people back to work
· Because when Skylar grows up, if we haven’t succeeded in changing directions, when she asks me why my generation mortgaged her future, I can honestly tell her, I did my best to stop it.
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