Issues & Priorities

Harford County families do not need more excuses from Annapolis. They need real relief. The cost of groceries, utilities, housing, insurance, and everyday life has gone up, while too many politicians talk about affordability only after the damage is already done.

I believe the first test for any bill in Annapolis should be simple: does this help working families, or does it make life more expensive? If a policy raises costs on the front end, politicians should not get to come back later and pretend they are fixing the problem.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Put affordability at the center of state policy, not as an afterthought.

    •    Oppose policies that quietly raise costs through fees, surcharges, and mandates.

    •    Fight for lower utility pressure, lower tax pressure, and a state government that understands how working families actually live.

    •    Focus on the real-world cost of decisions before they hit people’s wallets.

    •    Make Maryland a place where young families can build a future without being priced out.

Maryland needs an energy policy built on three things: affordability, reliability, and realism.

Families should not be treated like an unlimited funding source for every policy idea that sounds good in Annapolis. If lawmakers want to talk about clean energy, reliability, or grid modernization, they also need to talk honestly about cost. That means protecting ratepayers, planning ahead, and making sure working families are not the ones left holding the bag.

In 2024, HB 864’s own fiscal note said paying off the balance would increase the EmPOWER surcharge in the short term. In 2026, lawmakers passed HB 1532, the “Utility RELIEF” Act. That same 2026 fiscal note also shows the state was trying to address rate pressure and tighten how large-load customers, including data-center-scale users, are handled. PJM’s 2026 load forecast projects strong long-term electricity demand growth, which is why affordability and cost allocation matter so much now.  

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Put ratepayer affordability first.

    •    Support a balanced, all-of-the-above energy strategy focused on reliability as well as cost.

    •    Require more transparency on surcharges, mandates, and utility-driven cost increases.

    •    Make sure large new loads and major grid users pay a fair share instead of shifting risk onto families.

    •    Ask the hard affordability questions before costs hit people’s bills, not after.

Education should be focused on student success, academic fundamentals, safe classrooms, and real opportunity after graduation.

Parents want schools that teach reading, writing, math, science, and history well. They want classrooms with order. They want teachers to be supported, and they want students to have the tools and resources they need to succeed. They also want students to leave school prepared for college, a trade, the military, or the workforce.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Strengthen academic basics and raise expectations.

    •    Support safe, orderly classrooms where teachers can teach and students can learn.

    •    Ensure teachers and students have all of the support, tools, and resources they need to succeed.

    •    Expand career and technical education, apprenticeship pathways, and workforce preparation.

    •    Increase transparency and parental involvement.

    •    Make sure education policy prepares students for real life, not just test scores on paper.

Maryland should be a state where businesses want to grow, workers want to stay, and young people can build a future close to home. Right now, too many employers see Maryland as expensive, slow, and difficult to deal with.

We need a state government that competes with neighboring states instead of giving businesses reasons to leave. That means a better tax climate, faster approvals, stronger workforce pipelines, and leadership that understands job creation is not the enemy, it is the foundation of a healthy community.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Make Maryland more attractive to employers, investors, and entrepreneurs.

    •    Support a tax and regulatory climate that rewards growth instead of punishing it.

    •    Strengthen workforce pipelines so Maryland students can move directly into careers.

    •    Keep young talent in Maryland by creating more opportunity close to home.

    •    Promote practical economic development, not empty press releases.

Marylanders are tired of delays, excuses, and government that moves at the speed of bureaucracy while families and businesses wait. Too many good ideas get buried under endless process, overlapping agencies, and a state culture that studies problems instead of solving them.

Government should be measured by results. If a permit takes too long, fix it. If a project is stuck, move it. If a regulation is outdated, reform it. Harford County deserves leaders who care less about appearances and more about getting things done.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Streamline permitting and approval processes.

    •    Reduce unnecessary red tape for small businesses, builders, and employers.

    •    Push state agencies to act faster and with more transparency.

    •    Demand accountability when projects stall for no good reason.

    •    Bring a results-first mindset to Annapolis.

Too many young people and working families feel like homeownership keeps moving further out of reach. Housing policy should not just benefit large developers or people who already own property. It should help the next generation put down roots.

I support a housing agenda that is practical, pro-family, and grounded in what communities can actually handle. We need more pathways to ownership, more focus on starter homes, and smarter use of underused or blighted properties. Growth should make sense for the people already living here.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Expand practical pathways for first-time homebuyers.

    •    Encourage the creation of more starter homes and workforce housing.

    •    Support redevelopment of vacant, blighted, or underused properties.

    •    Make sure new growth is tied to roads, schools, utilities, and infrastructure that can support it.

    •    Protect community character while still creating opportunity for young families.

Economic growth works best when it is intentional. Maryland should not try to be everything to everyone. We should focus on industries where Harford County and the state already have real advantages and where growth can create long-term jobs.

That means being strategic about where we invest time, incentives, infrastructure, and workforce development. It also means making sure growth benefits the people who already live here, not just outside interests.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Support growth in defense, manufacturing, logistics, technology, agriculture, and skilled trades.

    •    Work with local employers and economic development leaders to remove barriers to expansion.

    •    Encourage targeted incentives for industries that create lasting jobs and strengthen the local tax base.

    •    Prioritize site readiness, infrastructure, and workforce training.

    •    Make growth work for Harford County families, not just corporate headlines.

I support a public-safety approach that backs law enforcement, takes repeat violent crime seriously, prioritizes victims, and treats order and accountability as essential parts of good government. We should also recognize that public safety includes addiction, mental health breakdown, and the failures that leave families feeling like nobody is in control.

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Support law enforcement recruitment, retention, and morale.

    •    Push for accountability for repeat violent offenders.

    •    Treat drug trafficking and distribution as serious public-safety threats.

    •    Improve coordination between local agencies, schools, and communities.

    •    Put victims and families first, not political talking points.

Healthcare and addiction policy should be serious, compassionate, and practical. Families do not need slogans. They need access to care, stronger mental-health support, real recovery options, and leaders willing to confront addiction honestly.

Addiction does not just affect the person struggling. It affects parents, children, neighborhoods, workplaces, and entire communities. Maryland needs a system that responds earlier, treats people with dignity, and builds real pathways from crisis to recovery and from recovery to stability.

I also believe the state needs to take a harder look at substances and products that are being sold in ways that blur the line between supplement, intoxicant, and drug. As of now, kratom is not federally scheduled, Maryland regulates kratom sales and marketing, and kava remains available as a dietary supplement despite FDA safety warnings. That is exactly why Maryland should review whether current law is strong enough to protect consumers, especially young people and vulnerable people.  

Elliott’s priorities:

    •    Expand access to mental-health care, addiction treatment, and recovery support.

    •    Support practical recovery solutions, including peer support, recovery housing, and recovery-to-work pathways.

    •    Use public resources for treatment, prevention, and recovery, not political window dressing.

    •    Take fentanyl, trafficking, and overdose prevention seriously.

    •    Launch a full review of kratom and kava products sold in Maryland and tighten state law where needed.

    •    Support stronger age limits, labeling rules, potency standards, and enforcement against deceptive marketing.

    •    If the evidence supports it, pursue a stricter controlled-substance framework for high-risk kratom or kava products, including consideration of Schedule I-style treatment under Maryland law.